Jolene’s hands trembled as they cradled the phone in it. It was early in the morning and she was tired. Her eyes burned from tiredness and tears and she just didn’t know what to do. Jolene could only feel worry and pain. She didn’t know what came next. Her husband never came home last night and she was just lost. Wiping tears away Jolene dialed Lydia’s number through blurry eyes. She needed a friend around her if she was to keep her sanity.
Lydia answered after two rings with a perky hello. “Lyd, I need you to come with me.” Jolene said. “Danny hasn’t came home and I want to look for him.”
“Really?” Lydia said her voice truly stunned. “I’ll be there soon, be ready.”
Jolene told her yes and hung up the phone. She wiped away her tears and gathered her children. With one glance at them staring up at her she found herself engulfing them in a hug. She held unto them tight and closed her eyes.
“Mommy, what’s wrong?” Adyli said frantically and breathlessly due to Jolene’s tight hug. Jolene pulled away and looked at her children.
“Well, Mommy is just worried about Daddy. So we’re going to look for him.” Jolene said and the kids nodded. Jolene hugged them again and said “I love you guys so much.” She gave little Darrien a kiss on the cheek and let them go. She opened the front door in time to see Kiral pull up. Lydia leaned over, kissed Kiral, and jumped out of the car. He gave Jolene a wave and pulled off. Lydia trotted up Jolene’s walkway and went directly to Jolene. She hugged her and gave her a questioning look. Jolene shrugged and signaled for them to get out of the house. They were all in the car in record time.
As Jolene drove Lydia held her phone to her ear calling Danny’s cell for one last time. Lydia snapped her phone closed and shook her head. “He didn’t answer. Where are we going to check first?” Lydia asked.
“Friends’ homes first, hospital last. I don’t even want to consider anything like that until we’ve checked every where.” Jolene said. “We’re going to Shack’s house.”
“Shack?” Lydia said cringing at the name.
“One of Danny’s ‘good’ friends. I’ve met him maybe three times but I still know the way to his house. I’m hoping Danny would have told him something and if I am very lucky, that he is there.” Jolene said driving with determination.
“Okay….” Lydia said. Lydia moved around in her seat and Jolene gave her a glance. Lydia was sort of pale and her eyes were wide. It was then Jolene realized she hadn’t even paid any attention to her friend’s current occupation. She never even bothered to ask how the pregnancy was treating her.
“Are you alright? Feeling sick?” Jolene asked slowing the car down a bit.
“Sort of…” Lydia said. “I think I should tell you something Jo…” Jolene looked at her and silence filled the car.
“Well?” Jolene said.
“Last night I went to talk to Danny, my friend Danny not your husband Danny, and he’s a bartender. While I was at the bar trying to talk to him this horrible laughter just caught my attention and before I knew it I was looking at-“ Lydia was cut off by Jolene.
“Oh my...” Jolene stood in shook her body frozen in time as she saw the image of her husband coming out of shack’s home with a woman following him. Danny walked fixing his shirt and the woman yawned. Seeing the image of the two walking together put Jolene’s awareness on hold and she no longer heard what Lydia was saying or anything that was happening around.
Jolene never realized that the light had turned red or that her foot had failed to hit the brake. All she could understand was that image of her husband walking with another woman and the wrong message it sent. Jolene felt her world shake and then she realized it wasn’t just her world shaking but the entire car as another car hit the right hand side head on. The car spun and Jolene’s body shook. She heard glass shatter and heard her babies scream in terror.
Jolene’s chest burned as she realized she wasn’t exhaling. The car finally came to a halt and Jolene finally let out that breath that burned away in her chest in a sob. Jolene ripped away at her seat belt and moved for the door. The door flew open and she rushed to the doors to the back seats. She opened it and pulled her children out of their car seats. She moved away from the scene entirely and held onto her kids. She held them tight and made sure they were ok. “Thank God… Thank God” She muttered as tears flowed down her cheeks.
The kids seemed to calm in her arms but she knew they were still afraid. After a second Jolene finally realized Danny was at her side asking her if she was ok. Jolene grabbed onto him but never let her children go. Maybe she had seen him walking with another woman and maybe he never came home last night but she still loved him and needed him most of all at a time like this.
“Are you ok?” he asked once again directly into her ear.
“Yes…” she came to say in a raspy voice with vision still clouded by tears. She blinked away the tears and they came rushing down her cheeks. Danny wiped them away and held her tight. She wanted his strength and comfort. She was haunted by last night’s memory of waking up without him there and rolling over to an empty side. It was all too much. Jolene practiced her breathing until finally everything came back to her.
She finally saw what was happening around her and she realized that all cars had stopped. She heard the distant sirens and all the men screaming. Their words cleared up and she understood what they were saying. They couldn’t get Lydia out.
*******************************
Danny stood in front of the hospital keeping a look out for Kiral. He inhaled some air and tried to calm himself down. Panic was running through his blood and his heart pumped fast as he remembered the view of his wife jumping out of the car that had just been hit. He remembered her shocked and fearful facial expression and his heart took on a new beat pace. Now he stood in front of this hospital waiting for Kiral. This hospital held his family in one room and his almost sister in another while on a different floor his newly discovered daughter pulled at his heart. He was overwhelmed with sorrow and pain.
Finally Kiral came into his sight and he casts all emotions to the side. Kiral approached him and you saw worry in his eyes. “What’s wrong? Is it Lydia? Is the baby alright?” he asked frantically.
“Calm down, it’s not as bad as it seems.” Yes, it was. Danny had no idea why these words came out of his mouth only wondered if it was just out of reflex to allow his friend to relax a bit. Danny wasn’t relaxed about it and he doubted Kiral would be either.
“What’s going on?!” Kiral demanded.
“Jolene and Lydia have been in an accident. Jolene made it out alright the doctors are just checking up on a couple of things but I don’t think Lydia made it alright.” Danny said.
“Well, is there something wrong? What the hell is going on in there?!” Kiral asked.
“I don’t know… They don’t release information to people who aren’t family…” Danny said in a defeated tone.
“Then what are we waiting for?” Kiral said pushing past Danny and straight into the hospital. Danny moved ahead of him and led him to the elevator. He led him all the way to the waiting room where Chrissy and Zhi sat along with Jia-li. They all looked up at Kiral and sadness over came there expressions.
Kiral talked to the girl at the reception desk and demanded to speak to a doctor. It wasn’t long till he was pulled away from the group and was speaking to the doctor. Danny sat in a chair next to Chrissy. They all watched he doctor speak to Kiral and his reaction to the doctors unknown words. Kiral balled up his fist and his posture stiffened. Danny watched the doctor laid a hand on Kiral’s shoulder and a tear finding its way down his cheek. Danny sighed. He’d just witnessed a man of strength face a fear he probably never imagined would happen.
Danny suddenly wanted to be with his wife. He wanted to be with his children but he knew it wasn’t possible because for some reason the doctors demanded separation as they focused on clearing her. He needed to be with her. Kiral nodded his head and finally walked back over to the group awaiting the news.
He sat down and let his head face down as if it had become too heavy for his neck to support. After minutes he finally looked up. “She’s ok…” he said. “But the baby is gone. She’s not pregnant anymore.” A vein showed up on his head and Danny knew he was fighting back tears yet again. The news was painful. Chrissy leaned into Zhi and Kiral hid his face in his hands while Danny sat there and stared.
The list of things that went wrong just grew longer and the pain grew stronger. Danny wanted to be able to handle it all but it was just so hard. Now his body seemed confused as to how to react. His entire world was numb and silent. Then Brianna came into view. She stared at him her arms crossed and her head tilted. Danny shook his head and said “I’ll be right back guys.” Nobody said anything yet he knew they heard him.
Danny got up and walked past the crowd of doctors, patients and visitors and finally found Brianna. “What?” he said to her.
“I just wanted to see if you were alright.” She said placing her hand on his arm and rubbing it. Danny pulled his arm away from her and nodded. “I’m fine.” He said.
“Are you going to visit Danielle?” she asked placing her rejected hand back into its crossed position.
“My wife and children were just in a car accident Brianna.” He said bitterly.
“Yeah well you’re daughter is fighting cancer on another floor. She needs attention too.” She answered him.
“If she needs so much attention then why didn’t I find out about her until she was fifteen?!” he yelled at her. Doctors and nurses looked at them and Danny noted to lower his voice.
“Don’t you dare use that against me…” she said in a warning tone.
“You know I don’t even know if she’s mine.” He said finally. Brianna just looked at him with a look of disbelief. Already Danny regretted the words that came out of his mouth but he couldn’t undo them. All he could do was watch as Brianna walked away. Danny frowned and didn’t understand how all this could happen. Everything was just terribly wrong.
******************************
Kiral pushed the hospital door open and his feet brought him into the room. He looked at Lydia and she stared at him. Seeing her brought some relief to him but knowing the message he was about to deliver made his palms sweaty and his through swell up. He didn’t want to have to tell her but he didn’t want some whack job doctor telling her. He wanted to be there.
Kiral walked up to her bed and knelt down. He kissed her lips and rested his head against hers. She lifted her hands to hold his head between them. Kiral sighed and pulled away. He grabbed a chair and sat it close to the bed. Lydia licked her lips and pushed herself up on the bed a bit.
“I’m not pregnant anymore, am I?” Lydia finally asked. Kiral shook his head and saw the gloss that appeared in her eyes. He grabbed her hand and held it tight.
“But you’re alive and that’s what we should think about.” He said to her.
“I would trade my life for that baby.” She said to him tears falling down her cheeks.
“We could always try again Lydia.” Kiral said bringing her hand to his lips and kissing it. He passed his cheek against her hand and brought it down again.
“I’m not sure I even want to try again Kiral.” Lydia said biting down on her lip. Kiral gave her a flabbergasted look and she continued. “The first time I was pregnant was with Ahmet. He convinced me to go through with an abortion. I regretted that day my whole life. Now here I am again with out child. I thought so much that I could make up for the abortion with this one… and now it’s gone. I don’t know if I have the strength to try again.”
Kiral hated that man with a passion. He not only hurt Lydia but he took her child away from her. If he could he’d kill him. “Lydia, for all that I have known you, you are the strongest woman I‘ve ever met. I believe you have the strength to do anything. I want a family with you… we can’t let this stop us.” He said giving her hand a squeeze.
Lydia shook her head and looked away from him. “I don’t know Kiral, I just don’t know.” She said to him with a sigh.
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