Chapter Nineteen
I paced the porch restlessly, my truck hidden in the dark recesses behind the house.
Where was she?
I looked at my watch for the billionth time, only to discover a minute had passed since the last time I’d checked.
“Walker, get some control,” I mumbled to myself as I sank into the swing with a chuckle.
Yes, it was obvious—I was very excited for tonight. Today had been perfect—winning the homecoming game with credit for three touchdowns, plus two assists. Afterward, I went to the dance and had a fabulous, albeit distracting, time with Nikki, holding her body close to my own as we swayed to the music. It only served to ignite the fire for what was coming later—now.
I glanced at my watch again, wondering where she was. She was fifteen minutes late, but Tana lived clear out past the edge of town, so it would take her a little longer to drive here. I hoped she hadn’t been caught sneaking away.
What if she changed her mind? I suddenly thought, feeling anxious over the idea.
No way. She’d been all over me tonight with her flirtatious touches, smiles and winks. We were both anticipating this evening together—I was sure of it.
I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket again, to see if she’d messaged, but there was nothing. I hesitated to text her, nervous it might alert someone else to what she was doing, so I held it in my hand instead, willing it to ring.
The sound of a car coming down the road caused me to let a sigh of relief, and I hadn’t realized how worried I’d been. I stood and moved around the corner of the house to wait, pausing in disbelief as the vehicle drove on by.
It wasn’t her.
Where R U? I finally messaged. R U ok?
I waited five more minutes before I jumped into my truck, pulling quietly out of the driveway. When I reached the highway, I turned in the direction of Tana’s house, unable to help myself.
If Nikki had changed her mind, that was fine, but I didn’t think she would leave me hanging without telling me. It wasn’t like her. She knew I would listen to whatever her concerns were.
I had no idea what I was going to do when I got to Tana’s house. I was fairly certain she’d probably fallen asleep while waiting to make her escape, but I wanted to make sure. I told myself if her car was parked safely in her driveway, then I would go back to Brett’s, and we could discuss things in the morning.
Panic seized me when I saw the flashing lights in my rear view mirror. I pulled over, but the cop whizzed on past me at a high rate of speed. I moved back onto the road and followed after him, not caring I was speeding too.
The ambulance and fire truck were already there with their floodlights on, along with another officer parked next to the mangled mess of what used to be a red Volkswagen bug. I halted, frozen for a moment as my worst fears were realized—hoping I had fallen asleep and was having a terrible nightmare.
I leaped out and ran toward the accident.
“Hold it there, kid!” An officer stepped up to stop me.
“That’s my girlfriend’s car!” I shouted, pushing away before he caught me by the arm again.
“Hey. Listen to me,” he said as he tried to detain me while I continued to struggle.
“Let go!” I yanked away.
He grabbed me again. “Listen. I’ll let you go over there, but I need you to remain calm. The crews are working to extricate her. She hit an elk, and it went through the windshield. The car rolled several times. You need to prepare yourself.”
“How is she?” A heavy tremor shook my voice.
“She conscious—calling for someone named Chase. Is that you?”
I nodded, unable to speak.
“It’ll be hard for you to look at her. She’s been cut up quite a bit from all the broken glass. Scalp lacerations bleed heavily so things may look worse than they really are. Do you have problems with seeing blood?”
“No.” I tried to steel myself for whatever was coming, guilt and concern eating away at me. This was my fault. If she hadn’t been coming to meet me, she’d never be here right now.
“Okay. Try to stay out of the way of the rescue crews and move wherever they tell you. Do you know how to reach her parents?”
“Her father’s dead. Her mom is out of town,” I replied numbly as he guided me closer. I could see remnants of the elk in pieces lying on the road.
I swallowed hard. There was a tarp over her body, and fire fighters were using a loud piece of equipment to cut through some of the metal.
“Why do they have her covered up?” I asked, hearing the fear laced through my own voice.
“It helps protect her from any debris from the extrication.”
There was a popping sound as the door was breached and removed from the rest of the car.
The officer pulled me nearer as the plastic was moved away, revealing a person I couldn’t even recognize. Blood was matted thickly through her beautiful hair, and there were several places of open flesh down the side of her face.
I choked and staggered backward. “It’s bad,” I whispered, hearing the horror in my own voice.
“It is. But she needs you right now. Are you up for this?”
I could only nod, and he guided me closer.
“Nikki, don’t move. I wanted to let you to know Chase is here now, honey. He’s going to sit right by you while the crews work on getting you stabilized and out of there, okay?”
“Chase?” she spoke, her voice gravelly with emotion. “I’m so sorry.”
I felt myself wanting to crumble into a weeping mess.
Suck it up tough guy. She needs you, I mentally berated myself.
“Don’t you worry about that right now, Nikki. Let’s get you out of there so we can get you taken care of.” I couldn’t believe how brave I sounded.
She wiggled her bloodied hand. “Come closer.”
I shifted toward the front of the vehicle where I’d be the most out of the way. I knelt down, as close as I could get and slipped my hand into hers. I couldn’t help the trembling as she stared at me. Even her eyelashes were matted together with blood, but her eyes were clear, and they were scared.
“Hang in there, baby. These good people are doing all they can to help you.”
She squeezed my hand like I was her lifeline, and I was happy to feel the strength there.
“I didn’t see the elk until it jumped in front of me. I couldn’t stop.”
“Shhh. It’s okay. No one thinks it’s your fault.”
No, it was all mine. I was the reason for all of this.
Tears leaked over the rims of her eyes. “I’m so sorry I missed our date.”
“Don’t be. There’ll be other dates. Let’s just worry about getting you better.”
I watched as the ambulance crew set up two I.V.’s, and slipped a collar around her neck to stabilize it.
“Sir?” a woman spoke from behind me, and I turned. “We need you to come away from the vehicle while we pull her out. This officer over here would like to ask you some questions too, please.”
I turned back to Nikki. “I’ll be right over there, okay, baby? I won’t leave you. Just do everything they say.” I gripped her hand one more time before releasing her, moving to speak with the officer several feet away.
“I was wondering if you could help me with some of her pertinent information?” he asked, and I nodded, my eyes never leaving Nikki.
“What’s your name?”
“Chase Walker.”
“How old are you, Chase?”
“I just turned eighteen.”
“What’s Nikki’s last name?”
“Wagner.”
“And her age?”
“Seventeen.”
“Do you know her birthdate?”
“March thirtieth.”
“Her parents’ names?”
“Her father passed away several years ago. Her mom is Justine Wagner. She’s out of town, though, visiting her sister.”
“Do you have her number?”
br /> “Yes.” I fumbled for my cell phone and scrolled through it for her contact. I was distracted when Nikki cried out loudly in pain, and it was all I could do to not rush to her side.
“The number?” the officer prodded me again.
“They’re hurting her,” I said, as she made another sob.
“I can assure you, they’re doing their best to keep that from happening, sir.”
“Then tell them to try harder,” I growled angrily. “Give her something for the pain.”
“They can’t. She has a head injury, and they have to keep her alert. It’s against their protocols.”
I snarled as I paced away from the vehicle, dragging a hand roughly through my hair.
“I know you’re worried, but I really need the number, son. We need to contact her mom.”
“Let me do it,” I said, turning around to face him.
He shook his head. “I’m in charge of getting the message to the family.”
“Then stand here and watch me do it. She deserves to hear it from someone she knows and is familiar with, don’t you think? You can talk to her when I’m finished.”
The officer looked me over, before agreeing. “Okay, but no freaking out on me.”
“I never freak out,” I mumbled, suddenly wishing I had something I could smoke to help me mellow some, so I didn’t have to keep faking this calm exterior. My whole world was threatening to collapse on itself.
I dialed the number for Nikki’s mom, and let it ring.
“If you have to leave a message, tell her you need her to call you,” the officer coached. “Does she turn her phone off at night?”
“I don’t know!” I snapped, unable to control it any longer. “I’m not sleeping with the lady.”
“Sorry. It was a dumb question.”
It went to her voice mail. I hung up.
“Why didn’t you leave her a message?” the officer asked.
I leaned in to look at his nametag. “Look, Officer Barrett, what would you think if you woke up to a message like that in the middle of the night? Is that really what you want to hear, so you can sit there and panic over the million reasons why your daughter’s boyfriend might be calling you at two o’clock in the morning?”
My phone started vibrating, and I looked down to see Justine’s number on the screen. “Hi Justine,” I answered.
“What’s happened, Chase?” she spoke immediately.
“There’s been a car accident,” I said, my voice suddenly shaking uncontrollably. “Nikki’s alive, but she’s hurt really bad.”
I heard her gasp, and I could hardly speak. “Here’s one of the police officers.” I handed the phone to him and turned to watch as Nikki—now on a backboard—was lifted and strapped to a waiting gurney.
I walked over, slipping my hand into hers while they wheeled her toward the waiting ambulance.
“Chase?” she asked, and the paramedic stepped to the side, allowing me to move in closer.
“Nikki, we’re sending you to the hospital in Cooley by helicopter. The officers have set up a landing zone down the road. We’ll drive you there as soon as it lands. Chase can meet you at the hospital.”
As if on cue, I could hear the beating of the chopper’s blades as it approached.
“I’m scared, Chase. I hurt really bad.” Nikki’s eyes looked at me pleadingly, as if I could stop her pain somehow, and I would’ve given anything to take it from her.
“You’re tough, Nikki. I know you can do this.”
“Can you fly with me?” she asked.
I shook my head. “No, but I’ll get to Cooley as soon as I possibly can. I’ll be right behind you, okay?” I bent and lightly kissed her blood-streaked lips. It was the only place that looked safe enough to touch.
“Time to go,” the medic said, lifting the gurney into the waiting ambulance. The action caused my hand to be yanked free from hers.
“I love you, Chase,” she called to me.
I mouthed the words back, knowing she didn’t hear them because I was unable to move the sound past the knot in my throat.
I stood there, next to the mangled heap of metal in the middle of the road as I watched them drive away with my girl. I stayed there until the helicopter left the ground again, with her safely on board.
After getting my phone back, I hurried to my truck, turning around and headed toward Cooley. I only made it a mile down the road before I had to pull over because I couldn’t see through my tears. Taking my phone from my pocket, I dialed my mom.
“Chase?” she answered groggily after several rings.
“Nikki’s been in an accident, Mom. I need you to drive me to the hospital.”
“Where are you?” she asked, instantly sounding awake, and I gave her directions. “Hang on, sweetie. I’ll be right there.”
I hung up and leaned over the steering wheel, finally giving my inner terror a voice.
“Please don’t take her from me too,” I pleaded to whoever might be listening. “I’ll do whatever you want, just don’t make me go through this again.”