SVH06-Dangerous Love (11 page)

The cop nodded and released her. He walked over to one of his colleagues to talk in low tones, leaving Jessica alone in the middle of the road. Jessica hugged herself,

watching from a few yards off as the medical team worked feverishly on her sister. Brian came up behind her and put his arms around her, but she shrugged him off. She barely knew him. The last thing she wanted right then was his comfort. The only person she wanted to be with was Elizabeth.

A sudden movement caught Jessica's eye over by the parked SUV. Jessica had forgotten all about it, but now she saw that a large handcuffed figure was being dragged out from behind it. Two officers held on to the hulking man's arms as they led him toward one of the police cars. It wasn't until they were practically on top of Jessica that she recognized him. It was Crunch McAllister.

Jessica glanced at the SUV. She looked at the bike. She looked at the spot where her sister's body had lain. And suddenly, it all made sense. Crunch had caused this. Crunch had hit the bike with his massive truck. This was all his fault.

"You did this!" she shouted, seeing red as she stormed toward him.

The police didn't even have time to react before Jessica reached up and smacked Crunch across the face with everything she had in her. She would have done more, but someone dragged her away again. Brian. He

pulled her back a few feet, but not before she smelled the beer on Crunch's breath.

"He's drunk!" Jessica cried. "What's the matter with you?" she shouted toward Crunch. "How could you do this?"

"M'sorry," Crunch mumbled as the cops opened the back door of the cruiser. "Todd was my buddy, you know. He was gonna sell me the bike. I didn't mean it. We made a deal...."

And then the door was closed on him and he slumped in the backseat.

"I can't believe this," Jessica said, shoving her hands into her hair as Brian finally released her. "I can't believe this is happening."

"What do you want me to do?" Brian said, sounding helpless. "Is there anything I can do?"

"No," Jessica replied, feeling numb. "You can go. Just go home. I need to stay with Elizabeth."

"Miss! If you're going to come with us, now's the time!" one of the paramedics shouted to her.

On rubbery legs, Jessica walked to the ambulance. They were loading Elizabeth's stretcher into the back. Jessica waited until her sister was safely inside before climbing in alongside her. The moment she looked down at Elizabeth's face, all the air was sucked from her

lungs. She wasn't prepared to see her twin lying so limply under the oxygen mask, an IV taped to her pale arm, her entire body strapped to the backboard.

She looks dead, Jessica thought, horrified.

Then she shook her head and took a deep breath, clenching her jaw against the thought.

"You're fine," she told her sister, taking her left hand in her own. It was still warm. That was a good thing. "You're going to be just fine."

The paramedic who had first grabbed Jessica crawled in beside her and slammed one of the doors. The other was slammed from the outside and the siren wailed to life.

"I'm not lying to her, am I?" Jessica asked as they bumped off the shoulder and onto the road. "She's going to be okay."

Looking sad and tired, the man sighed deeply. "We're doing all we can. The rest is going to be up to her."

A single tear spilled onto Jessica's cheek. She leaned forward, getting as close as she could to Elizabeth's ear, which was hidden by the thick foam padding the medics had secured around her face.

"Elizabeth Wakefield, listen up," she said firmly. "It's me, Jess. You've had a little accident and they're taking you to the hospital, but you're going to be all right. You are. Do you hear me?"

Elizabeth didn't move. Didn't blink. She didn't even appear to be breathing, even though there was steam in her oxygen mask.

"You're going to get better," Jessica said desperately, the tears falling freely now. "I'm going to help you get better. You and me. Together. As long as we're together, we can do anything, right?"

But even as she said the words, Jessica felt hollow inside. There was no reassurance from Liz. Not so much as a flicker of movement. Something told her that no matter how sure she made herself sound, there was a very good chance that she was wrong.

CHAPTER 10

TODD SAT IN a hard plastic chair in the waiting room at Joshua Fowler Memorial Hospital, his head in his hands. A gash in his right leg had been stitched and bandaged up and it hurt like mad, throbbing with every beat of his heart, but he wished it hurt even worse. He wished he was lying unconscious in a room somewhere. Wished it were him instead of Liz. How could he have done this to her? How could he have let her get on his bike after everything?

Someone entered the room and Todd looked up. He was waiting for his father to return from the cafeteria. Todd hadn't wanted anything, but his father had said he

needed a task, so he'd gone off in search of snacks. Todd knew that his dad felt almost as responsible as he did, since he was the one who had encouraged Todd to buy the bike in the first place. Todd was grateful that his dad had come down there to wait with him, especially since he knew that his dad would much rather be anywhere else. Both of them would.

There was a commotion by the door, and Todd caught a glimpse of Elizabeth's parents rushing inside. He jumped up instinctively and winced as a shot of pain pierced his leg; then he hobbled around the partial wall behind him to hide from their view. He couldn't deal with them right then. Couldn't handle their grief and their accusations.

They must hate me, he thought, ducking around the corner. How could they not? I hate me.

"Elizabeth Wakefield?" Mrs. Wakefield said to one of the nurses, her voice trembling. "They said she was on this floor. She's our daughter. Do you know how she is?"

"The doctor will be right with you," the nurse replied. Todd peeked around the corner and saw the dark-haired woman point to the chairs in another waiting area. "Have a seat."

Mr. and Mrs. Wakefield looked at each other, their expressions desperate. Mr. Wakefield sat down and leaned

his elbows on his knees while his wife started walking around the row of chairs. Around and around and around. Todd knew that he should go out there. That he should be brave and face them. But he couldn't seem to make himself move. He was paralyzed by guilt and fear.

The door was shoved open again and Steven Wakefield, Liz's older brother, came rushing in. His brown hair was tousled, and he was wearing an SVU sweatshirt and jeans.

"How is she?" he asked his parents, reaching over to kiss his mother on the cheek. "Anything?"

"We're waiting for the doctor," his father replied.

"Where's Jess?" Steven asked, glancing around.

"Outside on the phone with Enid," his mother said. "She can't seem to sit still."

Steven looked at his parents, who were now both pacing, and managed a wry smile. "Guess that runs in the family," he joked, clearly trying for some levity.

Just then, a fortyish man with a red beard and curly hair came down the hall and chatted with the nurse. She pointed to the Wakefields, all of whom were suddenly on high alert.

I'll just wait here until he tells them how Liz is, Todd thought, his heart in his throat. Then I'll sneak out... somehow.

"Mr. and Mrs. Wakefield?" he said, greeting them. "I'm Dr. Morales, chief of emergency medicine." He shook their hands.

"How's my daughter?" Mrs. Wakefield asked.

"Elizabeth is stable now, but I'm afraid her condition is serious," Dr. Morales began, his tone gentle. "Her helmet came off in the accident. She's in a coma."

Todd felt like he was going to throw up. Mrs. Wakefield's hand flew up to cover her mouth, and Steven went pale. Mr. Wakefield put his arm around his wife.

"A coma," Mr. Wakefield repeated, his voice remarkably calm. "Does she ... will she ..." He cleared his throat. "When will she wake up?"

"The next twenty-four hours are crucial," the doctor explained. "In more mild cases, the patient usually rouses within that time."

"Twenty-four hours," Steven said. "Can you give us anything else? What are her chances?"

"Well, Elizabeth is clearly a healthy girl. Her vitals are good and she didn't sustain any other major injuries, all of which is good," the doctor said. "We're running some tests now to see if we can determine the extent of the damage to her brain. We'll know more once those tests are complete."

"God, it's Rex all over again," Mrs. Wakefield said, driving a stake through Todd's heart.

"I don't want to alarm you," Dr. Morales said. "There is every possibility your daughter can make a full recovery. But with an accident like this, we can't rule out the possibility of brain damage. I just want you to be prepared."

Todd glanced around the corner again and saw all the Wakeflelds nod grimly.

"Can we see her?" Mrs. Wakefield asked.

"Of course. As soon as she's out of the MRI, we'll move her to intensive care and you can see her then," he told them. "I'll have a nurse come get you."

The moment the doctor was gone, Elizabeth's mother burst into tears. Mr. Wakefield hugged her to him, and Steven, his jaw clenched, stood off to the side, unable to watch his mother weep. Todd couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't be a coward and sneak out of there. He had to face Elizabeth's family, had to tell them how sorry he was. Taking a deep breath, he stepped out of his hiding place and slowly approached them.

"Mr. and Mrs. Wakefield, I--"

Mr. Wakefield looked up and his face turned to stone. "What. The hell. Are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry," Todd said, his heart slamming in his chest.

"I just wanted to see how Liz was and they wouldn't tell me anything-"

"Why should they? You're the reason she's here," Mr. Wakefield said, getting right in Todd's face. "What the hell was she doing on that bike?"

"She ... I ..." Todd's throat closed up and his eyes filled with tears. He glanced at the exit, wondering what he'd been thinking, going over there.

"You broke your word to us, Todd," Mrs. Wakefield said weakly. "You promised us--"

"I know. I know and I'm so sorry," Todd said, choking. "You have to know I never wanted this to happen. I love Elizabeth. I-"

"It should be you in there instead of her," Steven spat, his fists clenched.

He might as well have punched Todd in the gut. "Don't you think I know that? Don't you think I wish it was?" Todd blurted out. "I wish I had said no. I wish I had never let her on the thing."

Just then, Todd's father appeared from the hallway outside the elevators with a coffee in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. He took in the scene and walked right to Todd's side. Mr. Wilkins was exactly Todd's height but had a good fifty pounds of solid muscle on his slimmer son. He was an imposing figure

in any situation and Todd felt better just having him there.

"I think we'd better go now," his father said, putting the drinks down on a low coffee table and then placing his arm around Todd's shoulders. "Come on, son."

"No, Dad," Todd said, wincing away. "I want to stay here and wait."

"There's nothing you can do for Liz right now. And under the circumstances I think the Wakefields would prefer to be alone," his father told him, looking him in the eye. "We can come back in the morning."

Todd glanced at Mr. Wakefield and saw the hatred in his eyes. It broke his heart, but it seemed as if his father was right. His presence in the waiting room was just going to aggravate them. But that didn't mean he couldn't stay at the hospital. He'd simply have to find another room in which to wait and worry. He turned to his father, his back to the Wakefields, and spoke in a whisper.

"I'll just go to another waiting room," he told his dad. "I have to stay near her. In case she wakes up. I have to be here."

Todd's father gave him a bolstering smile and squeezed his shoulder. "All right, then. Call us if you need anything."

Once his father had left, Todd picked up the bottle of

water and left the room without another word to the Wakefields. It was pretty clear they didn't want to be near him for another moment, let alone hear what he had to say. He wandered across the main hallway on the floor and soon found another waiting room, this one deserted, on the opposite side of the wing. Todd walked over to the window and stared out, unable to believe where he was. What had happened. What might happen next.

She's going to he okay. She has to he okay, he thought.

Down in the parking lot, there was a sudden rush of vehicles, and Todd recognized Enid's Prius and a couple of his other friends' cars. They pulled into spaces and everyone piled out, still in their party gear. Jessica rushed across the parking lot to meet them. She had clearly been waiting for this.

Todd clenched his jaw as he watched the little group of friends take in the news. They all looked so scared and miserable and it was his fault. If he'd never bought that stupid motorcycle, they would all be down at the Caravan right then, celebrating Enid's birthday, having a great time. As the crowd turned to walk into the hospital, another car pulled up and Mr. Collins stepped out. He walked over to join his students and talk to Jessica. For some reason, the more people who showed up in

support of Elizabeth, the more miserable Todd felt. They were all going to hate him now. And they were all going to have to feel the way he did-helpless and scared. All because of him.

Todd couldn't watch anymore. He turned and sat down in one of the plastic chairs, slumping down and pushing his legs out. His eyes stung from crying and his body felt exhausted. All he wanted to do was sleep, but he knew he couldn't until he heard that Liz was going to be all right.

He heard the chatter of hushed voices as the kids from school emerged from the elevators and were led in the opposite direction from Todd's solitary waiting room. He wished he could join them, but he couldn't. He was the enemy right then. After a few sullen minutes, a figure appeared in the doorway.

"You look like you could use someone to talk to."