The accident

(( I decided to get something off my mind. It's not anime related, but what I am about to write and tell all of you is what I remember and what I've heard happened to me and my brother. It's been bugging me for a while, so I figured if I vent it out, it'd help me somehow. ))

It was a rather gloomy day. The clouds were low to create a dense fog just off the ground. My brother and I could barely see a thing, even with the lights on. Paul, my brother, drove slow and cautiously, glancing over at me from time to time. "You alright?" He asked, looking at me worryingly. "Yea.. I'm okay! Just nervous about going back to school is all. Me and Taylor had a fight, and I'm just scared she's not my friend anymore."

Taylor was my best friend at the time. She just moved into town last school year in 4th grade. Going into 5th grade was going to be fun, or so I thought. Taylor an I had an argument over the summer. She wanted to spend time with her other friend, Megan, but I disagreed. We hadn't played together in a while, and she promised me that she would play with me that day. We sat there and argued for a while, then just stopped talking to each other. Now, since I'm currently a Junior in High School, we put our past behind us and talk from time to time.

"Really? You're worried about that? Look Sherry, she'll forgive you alright? Don't worry about it. Friends fight all the time. Just gotta learn how to role with the punches." Paul smiled reassuringly. My brother is the kind of person that'll make anybody happy. He may be reckless and get into trouble all the time, but he's a nice person. Even if he tries to hide it. Seeing his smile, I couldn't help but smile back.

Paul glanced at me for a split second, smiling. I looked back, smiling, then put the corner of my eye, I saw a bright light and looked that direction. "Paul?!" Paul looked over and saw the car coming straight towards us. I felt his arm slap my chest and slam me back into my seat. He jerked the steering wheel to the right to try and avoid the car coming toward us. I screamed and gripped his arm. The car slammed into the drivers side where my brother was, I felt a weightless feeling, as if the car was in the air. Then... CRASH! The top of the car indented in, squishing me against the airbag. I was getting thrown around, the seatbelt digging into my neck and chest and stomach. I could no longer feel Paul's arm on my chest.

Then, the ace it a tree. The passenger side of the car, where I was at, slammed against the tree. I felt a blood curdling pain in my right leg, I was squished in between what use to be the roof of the car and the tree. I was dizzy, my head ached an I couldn't catch my breath. I tried to call out to Paul, but nothing came out. My eye lids felt heavy, and I slowly closed my eyes.

My brother was in the middle of the road. During the roll over, a piece of medal from the roof ripped the seatbelt out of his holster and he flew out of the car. A few people stopped to help my brother, trying to get him to wake up. Others just sat there in shock, screaming. One of the men who had stopped was screaming at Paul, asking him if he was alright. Paul groaned and tried to sit up, his head bleeding right above his left eye, his arm shredded. In the distance, police sirens wailed over the screams. A couple of people went over to the other car involved in the crash. My brother sat up and saw the car wrapped around the tree, and ran toward it, screaming my name.

Once he got to the car, he screamed my name when he found me. Faintly, I heard my name, and lifted my head up. Everything was blurry, and I couldn't hear. Everything sounded like it was a mile away. My brother pulled on the pieces of the car, trying to get me free. All I could hear was his voice, telling me to stay awake and that he was coming. "Paul... I'm scared!" I screamed, tears started to form and fall down. I felt my tears hit my hand and looked down. There was blood everywhere, it scared me. And I started screaming. Paul yelled over me, telling me not to move and that he was coming.

Paul reached in the car and grabbed my hand, squeezing it. "Sherry, stop crying." He tried pulling me out through the crumpled window. I felt something grip my leg, as if it was a hand. Pain shot through my leg and all the way up my back and I screamed once more. Paul let go and went to the other side of the car so I could see him. I looked down at what was gripping my leg, it was dark, and I could barely see, but all I saw was blood, and a piece of metal, wrapped around my leg awkwardly. I was trapped, and I started shaking in freight.

Police officers came rushing to the car, pulling my brother away. "Sir, get back. It's a dangerous area, we need you to go to the ambulance to get checked out." When I looked up, I couldn't see my brother. I started to panic, looking around frantically, screaming his name and crying again. Every movement I made, sent pain screeching up my leg and up my back. Then, a man in a brown coat with yellow reflective materiel on his jacket, a clear mask came over his face. He smiles. "Hey hey calm down. We'll get you to your brother, don't worry okay sweetheart? Just stay still for me." A few others came over, and brought a weird looking machine. The man who was talking to me, reached his hand in and gripped mine. "My names m Mike. What's yours?"

I looked at Mike, he still had that smile on his face. The kind of smile that shows that it'll be okay. "Sherry" I said, my jaw felt funny, like it was refusing to move and speak. "I'm scared... I want out!" I started crying again. Mike looked in the car, looking me over. "Dot worry Sweetheart, we're getting you out. I promise. You'll be just fine." He turned to the man holding the machine. "Her legs caught, be gentle. Go from here" I couldn't see where he was pointing, but I started to shake again. Mike turned to me and smiles his kind smile once more. "If you start to feel dizzy, tell me okay?"

I heard a big clank of metal connecting to metal, Mike looked through the car at me and gave an okay sign and said, "you okay?" I nodded. Then, a loud sound comes from outside the car. I screamed and jumped, pain coursing through my body, I winces and started crying again from the pain. I heard a faint voice, I can't make it out, but I heard my name. My head got slammed with pain, my eyes kept wanting to shut, but I didn't let them, I tried to stay awake. My arms just fell to the side of me, unable to move. Darkness started at the edge of my vision and I looked up at Mike. He didn't have his smile anymore, he was trying to reach in the car to help get me out. This panicked look on his face. Just as my eyes closed, I heard my name once more. Then, darkness.

I don't know exactly how I got out and into the ambulance. I kept slipping in and out of consciousness. I opened my eyes, a girl with long black curly hair, pulled back into a pony tail was leaning over me. There was another man, different looking from Mike, but still hand kind gentle eyes. The man looked at the woman across from her, and said something I couldn't make out. My eyelids started to fall again, I remembered Mike telling me to stay awake, and I tried to fight it. But darkness fell once again.

The next time I woke up, I was in a hospital bed. I opened my eyes, the room was bright, there was white and like blue everywhere. My arms ached from needles and I.V's in my arm. My head pounding as if there was a small man inside trying to escape. But it was tight, my hair clung to the side of my head due to a bandage wrapped around my head. My back and neck ached with a continuous throb. However, I couldn't feel my right leg. I was alone, doctors and nurses passing my section of the emergency room. My bottom lip quivered and I started to cry. "Mom?! Dad?! Paul!" I yelled, crying. A nurse with honey blonde hair with bright blonde highlights came in. "Honey calm down, don't get too worked up or else you'll start bleeding again" I reached up and wiped my eyes. "I want my big brother... " I sniffles out. My throat was really dry and hoarse. The nurse smiled. "Your parents and brother are out in the waiting room. Your brother is okay to go for the night. But we gotta fix you up honey." I started to cry again. I didn't want to get fixed. I wanted to see my Mom and Dad. More importantly my brother. Paul had blood all over him, and a big cut on the side of his head.

The nurse checked the I.V bags that hung above me, humming a soothing toon. I sniffled, wiped my eyes again. "No no honey don't do that. Your hands are dirty and bloody, you could get something in your eye." She grabbed a tissue and carefully wiped my face. "There there don't cry. I know what happened was scary, but it'll be okay." She smiled and pat my arm. "I'll be right back okay? I just got to tell the doctor something." I started to cry again. If she left that'll mean I'll be left alone again. I don't want to be alone. I need someone here with me. Mostly my brother, one of my parents. Or even Mike. She smiles and wiped my tears away once more. "Don't worry hun, I'll come right back I promise. Here." She held out her left hand and took off a wedding ring that was on her ring finger. She gripped my hand and put the ring on my index finger. "This is really special to me. So, this is my promise to you that I'll come back. Okay? Can you keep it safe for me?" I looked down at the ring and nodded. My head, neck, and back ached whenever I'd move. She smiled once more and patted my arm again, leaving my section that was cut off by curtains.

I stared at the ring. It had little shiny stones around the band of the ring, then a big diamond in the middle of it. It was real pretty. I laid there, staring at the ring until the nurse came back with another man. This time, the man was older looking, his hair started to turn gray at the hairlines. The nurse came over and took the ring back. "Thank you" I tried to smile, but it hurt so I just nodded. The man had a clip board with him, nodded, checked the monitor that was by me and said to the nurse, "prep her for surgery."

I immediately started crying again. Surgery?! Why did I have to go into surgery?! The nurse patted the bed side. "Shhh! Shhh! It's okay. Don't you want to walk again?" Walk? I could already walk. What was she talking about? Then I realized my leg had hurt when I was in the car. Fixed. I needed to get fixed. I looked up at the nurse. "Will it hurt? I don't want it to hurt.." She nodded. "It will afterwards a bit, but we'll give you medicine for that okay? You'll be fine. I promise." She unhooked my machines and grabbed the bags. "Debby! I need help!" She yelled. Another nurse, much younger looking, came in. She bent down and clicked my bed, and the bed moved. I jumped at the feeling, pain coursing through my body yet again and I started crying. Debby, patted my chest. "Don't move. It'll hurt worse if you do" she sounded snotty, as if she hated kids.

They moved my bed along with me down a hallway and into a room with bright blue walls and nothing but a small bench with a few blue surgical clothes. The nurse puts the I.V's back up on a hook and goes over to the bench. Debby came over and put a hand behind my back. "I need you to sit up, but are fully. If you can't take the pain, let me know and we'll stop." I nodded and did as she told me. I sat up, slowly and carefully. The more I elevated, the more I hurt. They took my shirt off and put the thin material on, laid me back down, took my pants off and put a very thin blanket over my legs. They started to push me down the same hallway again and into another room with bright lights and people in masks and surgical equipment. They stopped my in the middle of the room. A woman came over to me and sat down on a chair. She had what looked like an oxygen mask with her and she put it over my mouth. "Just breathe normally for me okay? This will make you act funny and laugh a bit. Wanna hear a joke?" I nodded. I didn't know what was going on. People where moving everywhere, mumbling, the beeps of the machines. "How come tigger doesn't have any friends?" My eyes focused back to the woman, darkness seeping through my vision once again. "Because he plays with pooh" I smiled, it hurt to laugh. But that made me smile. My eyes shut, I can feel the mask still on me. Then, Blackout.

I was dreaming. Having a nightmare. The car in front of us. The sound of the screeching tires and metal crashing into metal. The smell of gas and burnt rubber. The familiar copper taste of blood and dirt. My eyes snapped open, the machine beeping frantically. A figure came into my vision, and arm on my shoulder, shaking me gently. "Sherry! It's okay! Calm down!" The voice... I heard it before. It's so familiar. Paul. My vision cleared and I saw my big brother. His short black hair a mess, stitches in the side of his head, and a worried look on his face. "Paul?" I said. He smiled. "What a rookie. Look at you, I'm surprised you haven't said anything about the pain yet. They must have drugged you up pretty good." He laughed as he sat on the bed. "You okay though, need me to get a nurse? Mom and Dad went to the cafeteria to get some dinner. You hungry?" I shook my head no. I didn't feel like eating. I still couldn't get out of the scene. The smell of gas and burnt rubber, the sound of screeching tires and metal hitting metal. I started to shake in freight again. Paul laid down next to me, being careful of my leg and the wires and hugged me to his chest. "Hey hey. It's alright. We're okay aren't we? Besides, that asshole went to jail. We're okay. From now on I'll walk you to school instead of driving us okay?" I leaned up against him and nodded. The pain in my leg slowly came to me as the medicine wore off. I started crying once more. "Owie... It hurts." Paul smiled down at me and rubbed my shoulder comfortingly. "I know... I'm sorry." In a few minutes, I cried myself back to sleep.

About a week later, I got to go home. When I went back to school in crutches and my cast, everyone was asking me about it. I didn't want to talk about it. Being the little whimp I was, whenever someone asked me to tell them, I'd just start crying and shake my head. The teachers were understanding. They tried their best to keep the other students from asking me what had happened. Still, to this day, I have flashbacks. Of my brother. The tree coming and slamming into the car. Mike. The nurses. The sounds and the smells. It's still all to real for me. Yet, I'm here and I'm still moving on and so is my brother. Sadly, Mike, the firefighter that had helped me, died of cancer in the year of 2011. I got to see him a few months before that, and told him that I remember h helping me and said my thanks. I cried when I read his passing In the newspaper.

But, I'm very thankful that I survived. Even if I have to live with the memories of it.