Blurred Lines

Chapter Three

"How bad?" I was almost scared to ask, there was no need to. If it wasn't bad, I wouldn't have been woken up in the middle of the night by my dad's panicked shouts. If it wasn't bad, we wouldn't be speeding down this highway to get to the hospital. My dad's face wouldn't be pinched around the lips and his knuckles wouldn't be white on their grip on the leather steering wheel.

"It's bad, Blair," He whispered. "Maria wouldn't tell me over the phone, but she told me to get there quickly." Maria was my mom's best friend at the hospital, a nice Hispanic lady with a contagious smile.

I nodded slowly, unable to speak. My fingers wrapped around the handle in the door. I needed something to hold on to, something solid. Otherwise I would feel like I was floating, watching the dark trees pass in a blur outside the window.

I prayed silently, thinking over and over again that this was all a big misunderstanding and that my mom would be fine. She was resilient and strong. Nothing bad would ever happen to her.

I caught red and blue flashing lights out of the corner of my eye and looked to the left just as we passed a couple of police cars on the other side of the highway divider. Dad laid off the gas for a second as we passed, attempting to be closer to the speed limit.

"Is that..." I trailed off, gasping.

"Just don't look at it. It's okay. It'll all be okay."

Beside the police cars were two civilian cars, smashed and crumpled. It was like someone had haphazardly taken a giant hammer to them. The windows were gone, the glass shattered from the impact. The one that I recognized, my mom's car, looked like the front hood was folded into an accordion, the car parts in the engine naked to the summer air.

"Oh my gosh," I breathed out, my heart rising in my throat.

I closed my eyes, attempting to slow down the beating of my heart and trying to focus on the quiet rock music. But all I saw was the flashing red and blue, the glass reflecting the spinning lights.

My dad took the exit ramp and after a quick stop, we were on the road into the hospital. He rolled into one of the front parking spots and we wasted no time jumping out of our seats, locking the car and bolting for the sliding doors of the hospital. Dad was faster than me, rushing to the receptionist's desk.

"Hi. My name is John. John Watson." The words fell out of his mouth and he was impatient as the receptionist started typing on her computer. "My wife, Jen Watson, was admitted."

I had been in the hospital so many times before, coming to pick up Mom from work or while she was working. I was used to the bright lights bouncing off the white floors and the chemical smell that filled your nostrils as soon as you walked through the door. But walking in now, I was blinded by the white light and attacked by the pungent stink. My heart sped up and I paused for one second, trying to remember how to breathe correctly.

It was all too real. It was all happening too fast.

"Jen Watson," The receptionist, Haley I think her name was, repeated slowly. She seemed tired, mumbling the name under her breath. I think she was new because I hadn't seen her before.

"Yes! Jen Watson!" Dad slammed his hand on the counter. "Where is she?" He paced around the desk, looking down the hallways frantically.

"Please hurry," I urged Haley, pacing in the spot Dad had been standing near the desk. "She was admitted not too long ago. We got the call about fifteen minutes ago from Maria-"

"Maria!" Dad shouted and took off down the hall.

"Wait!" Haley stood up, the chair rolling away behind her.

"It's fine, we know her!" I responded and followed my dad before Haley could interject.

"Maria, how is she?" I caught up to them as they were quickly walking back in the direction that Maria had come from. They walked so fast that I had to jog slightly to keep up.

"They have her in surgery right now. I don't know the details of her injuries, but John, it's not good." Maria walked us over to the waiting room over by the operation rooms. "They're doing the best they can though."

"Surgery?" I choked out. My mouth was filled with cotton balls, I couldn't breathe past the dryness that caked my tongue. "Can you give us some idea of what happened?"

Maria took my hand and squeezed it, leading me over to a blue cushioned chair. I sank into it, not knowing what else to do.

"John, why don't you come sit down with us." Maria beckoned him over with her free hand.

"I-I will. I just need a minute and I'll be right there." He nodded at us, understanding Maria's words but looking distant. His face twisted and he walked away to the restroom before saying anything else.

Maria turned to me, holding both of my hands. "It's going to be okay, Blair."

"Is it?" I asked. "Is it really?"

She stayed silent, watching my eyes well up with tears. We sat there for a moment, quiet, together. I looked up and watched as the doctors and other nurses were busy writing on clipboards or checking in with patients. I closed my eyes and listened to the papers ruffling, to the sneakers shuffling, to the muffled voices traveling along the shiny tile and up the stairs. A tear squeezed out from my eyes and snaked down my cheek, hooking under my chin and dropping to the floor.

"We passed by the crash on the way here." My voice cracked, as strong as clouds in the wind. I felt like I was in a movie, watching this scene from outside a window. I was drifting along, floating. "The crash was really bad, Maria. It was so, so bad."

I broke down, falling into her. She wrapped her arms around me tightly, whispering soft words and rubbing circles on my back with her thumb.

"I'm so scared," I sobbed through the sniffles and suffocation of tears. Not knowing what was happening inside the operation room was eating me away like acid, burning away my sanity and common sense until I was left thinking of the worst possible scenario.

"Blair, baby, shhh, it'll be okay." She pushed me back so she could look at me, wiping away the wetness from my cheeks. "You know the doctors who work here. Trust them. Know that they are doing the absolute best that they can. Your mom is in great hands. Okay?"

I nodded, falling back into her. "I know, I know. I'm just so scared."

"Blair." Dad appeared, back from the restroom. His eyes were watery and his nose was red, but he mustered a smile and opened his arms. "Come here."

I ran into his chest and he wrapped his arms around me, resting his chin on my head.

"It'll be okay, punkin," He murmured and planted a kiss on the top of my head.

"But Dad-" I protested, fear still grabbing my heart and rattling it around my ribcage.

"Blair," he grabbed my shoulders and held me out so I could look at him. "No more 'buts'. You don't need your imagination to get the best of you right now. We're going to listen to the doctors and focus on the science. Right now there is no need to worry or to cry. We just need to be patient and ready to listen, okay?"

"Okay," I whispered, the last few tears rolling down my cheeks. "I'll try." I leaned back into his chest, into the safety of his arms.

"Yes. Try," he muttered. But his heart was beating too fast, and I knew that he was just as scared as I was.

Then, in a softer tone, barely audible, he mumbled, "Mom is going to be okay."

*****

Soooo... what did ya think?

I'm excited for this book, I have so many ideas for it and I'm so excited to write more! I hope you're enjoying reading it too! 

I hope everyone is staying safe :) 

Payton