Emma's Point of View

"…and in other news, a three car accident on State Road 27 yesterday backed traffic up for almost a mile. Information is still coming in, but preliminary police reports state that there were no fatalities, thanks to a quick thinking by-stander. Witnesses state that a gentleman in his mid-30's was seen pulling one of the accident victims from their 2004 Nissan Maxima, and provided potentially life-saving CPR until paramedics could arrive. The woman is in fair condition at St. Thomas Hospital. The name of this good Samaritan is not known at this time….

I couldn't physically open my eyes, but my ears were working fine as I listened to the recount of the accident on the newscast. Had I really almost died? Furthermore, who was the person who risked their life to save mine? I didn't know anyone in Lima at all other than Principal Figgins, and that was only from the interview.

"Andrew, we've got to find out who that man is and do something for him." My mother's familiar voice filled the air as someone grabbed my hand.

"Gladys, it's most likely that we'll never know who that man is, but you're right." My father's deep timbre got louder as he walked to my bedside and gingerly kissed my forehead. "…He risked his life to save my princess, and I will be eternally grateful to him for that."

My mother agreed as I heard my door crack open. "Sorry folks, but visiting hours are over for now." I could hear the voice getting closer. "Besides, it's about time for some more pain medicine - Dr. Prater doesn't want to take any chances, especially with that leg."

I opened my eyes a crack to notice my leg, propped up in a sling hanging from the ceiling. I glanced down at my arm, which was covered in gauze. What skin wasn't covered was dotted in purple-green bruises. I heard both of my parents telling me goodbye and wanted to open my mouth to tell them that I loved them, but I just couldn't find the strength to do either.

The nurse stood over me now, and after writing something on a clipboard, reached down to my arm, administering the contents of the syringe into my IV. Instantly I felt the warmth encircling my body, followed by a sweet and peaceful sleep.

In my drug-induced dream, I relived my accident all over again - I could feel the pain, smell the gasoline, see the crumpled steel. Most of all, I could hear the voice of my rescuer - soft and soothing. "You're going to be OK, Emma. Your nurse says that you're making progress…"

I chanced to open my eyes - the voice sounded so real; so close. Through my blurred vision I saw the silhouette of a man - his voice matched that in my memories. It was darker now; there was no light filtering in through the window of my room. The lights were dimmed, and I couldn't see his face, but I knew that the man standing above me was my hero - my rescuer.

"You definitely look better than you did yesterday." His face drew closer to mine, and instantly I recognized his hazel eyes; these were the very eyes I looked into yesterday as I willed myself to stay conscious.

"Thank you," I whispered. "You saved me." I was sure that my lips had not moved - I was certainly still in a dream state, because that beautiful voice spoke back to me.

"Oh my God…You're conscious. Let me go get your nurse. I'll be right back…"

"Don't leave me," I pleaded, my voice still but a whisper. "Please…" I felt his hand cover mine gently as he reached for the call button attached to the rail of my bed.

The voice I recognized as my nurse came on through the intercom. "Yes?"

My angel spoke once again. "I believe she's waking up…she just spoke to me."

Within minutes there were several people that flooded into my room. "Emma, can you hear me?" I didn't recognize the voice. "My name is Dr. Prater- I am in charge of your care. Do you remember what happened?"

I spoke softly, feeling the cold steel of his stethoscope on my skin. "A car hit me, and I hit a truck, and then that man - where is he?" I struggled to open my eyes, looking for the shadow that I knew, but he was nowhere to be found. "Where did my angel go? He was just here…"

The doctor shined a light into my barely open eyes as the voice of my nurse spoke softly in my ear. "Dear, he left over an hour ago. He's quite a looker, I'd say. You're very lucky to have been rescued by such a brave and handsome man. Do you know him?"

I spoke louder. "NO! Where is he? I wanted to say thank you. You have to find him."

She lay her hand on my arm. "Sweetheart, we don't know his name. The only reason we let him in is because the paramedic that worked your scene recognized him. We aren't supposed to let anyone but family in to see you, but - he was really concerned, and I felt for him. He was so worried."

I felt a tear trickle down my cheek. "I just wanted to say thanks."

Dr. Prater spoke to me as I finally opened my eyes enough to focus on his face. "I promise you this. If we happen to see him again, we'll make sure you get to say thanks, alright?" He patted my unbroken leg. "But for now, we need to get you better. Jackie, will you call down to the cafeteria and order a liquid diet for the next 24 hours, then we can try to get some solids in her after that." I noticed that the nurse was making notes on her clipboard. "And let's get her another dosage of morphine after we've gotten her something to eat." Returning his attention back to me, he smiled. "I'll be back in to check on you tomorrow. "

As the doctor left my room, I watched as the nurse called in the doctor's orders and then turned back to me. "I'm going to give your parents a call - I'm sure they'll be happy to know you're awake."

"Jackie?" I called out as she turned to leave.

"Yes, dear?"

I did my best to raise up. "Please let me know if he comes back, OK?"

She smiled as she opened the door. "I surely will."

Will's Point of View

I glanced at the digital clock in the console of my car. 8:37. Terri was sure to be in an ill mood, especially since I had told her I'd be home around 8:00. I knew she'd question every minute I was late. Knowing her, she'd assume that I was running around on her, or that I was purposely staying gone so she'd have to take care of the household chores. We'd known each other over half our lives, and when I married her, she was the brightest spot in my life. But now? She had become bossy, hateful, and quite honestly, she was a different person. I still loved her, but - I just didn't like her very much.

I knew that if I told her I was the one who rescued the woman that was all over the news, she would bawl me out. "Why put yourself into danger for some other woman? You don't love me - did you know this woman? Were you sleeping with her? I didn't want to deal with her bitching tonight, especially since I knew that I was already on her shit list for being late.

Pulling into the driveway, I saw her pull back the curtains, the phone to her ear. She quickly closed them, and as I killed the ignition, I dreaded going inside.

"Hi, honey," she said, surprising me as I opened the door. "How was your workout?"

I threw my duffel bag to the floor, leaning in to give her a quick peck on the cheek. "Great." I was scared to say more - honestly, I was just waiting for the other shoe to drop, which is why I was shocked when she walked into the kitchen, returning to the dining room table with two plates.

"You cooked?" I knew she could hear the shock in my voice.

"Why not, Will? I know you have been working on getting things ready for your classes this year, and trying to find the right set list for Glee - besides, I wanted to do something nice for you."

OK, where was my wife and the aliens responsible for her abduction? I owed them a thank you.

I sat down at the table to enjoy the meal she'd prepared. "Terri, this looks magnificent," I said, digging into the steak. "Are you sure I haven't missed something?"

She smiled across the table at me. "No. I just felt like cooking and we never really get to sit down for a meal together anymore."

We sat in silence for a moment, both of us enjoying our meal, until she spoke. "Did you see on the news where someone saved a woman from her burning car yesterday over on 27?"

I almost choked on the bite I was chewing as she continued talking. "Kendra said she heard she was almost decapitated, and that one of her eyes was hanging out of her head."

I rolled my eyes at the obvious over exaggeration of Terri's hair-brained sister. "I doubt it was that bad. I heard on the way home that she was in fair condition, and that they expect her to make a full recovery."

Terri looked up from her plate. "Really? Well, that's good to know." She glanced around the room and then back to me. "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you - I'm taking on a couple of night shifts at Sheets-N-Things. Howard's sister has come down with some strange virus, and well - James asked me if I would care to cover his shifts for the next few weeks."

"And you're doing this willingly?" The words escaped before I could censor myself. Terri already belly ached about the three days a week she already had on her schedule.

"Of course, Will." She lay her fork down and placed her napkin over her plate. "I realize that you're out there busting your butt to try and keep our heads above water, and I figured I should try to do more - pull my weight, so to speak. Do you not want me to?"

I shook my head. "Um…no, Terri…that's great."

She stood and took my plate as she started into the kitchen.

That night as I lie in bed, I thought about the days events. Emma, the young woman I had rescued was going to be alright. My wife had finally come out of her "me" phase and was actually acting like a 32 year old woman.

For the first time in my life, everything seemed to be going right.

Author's Note:

Thanks for reading - and as I have said once before, I write for myself - it's my way to release tension and forget about real life for awhile. Reviews are nice, but you'll never find me holding chapters for hostage in order to get X amount of reviews. I consider it a blessing that anyone wants to read my stuff to begin with. Reviews are just icing on the cake.

I had planned to have this out earlier, but unforeseen circumstances kept me from doing so. My Mother, who lives in Alabama, was taken to the ER Wednesday evening for shortness of breath and pain in her chest. My sister thought she might be having a heart attack, but instead, an X-ray showed that she had fluid in her left lung. The X-ray also showed a suspicious mass on her lung, and that it was eroding away at her breastbone. A CT Scan was done to get a better look at the spot, along with a biopsy and a bone scan. The bone scan came back normal, but we are still awaiting the results of the biopsy (they should be in at any time). They have called in both an Oncologist and a Pulmonary Specialist, along with her General Practitioner to care for her.

Needless to say, my vacation was not very vacation-y. My husband and I left our children with his parents to make the 4.5 hour drive to my hometown, where we slept in a waiting room for 2 days to find out that they had to drain over a liter of fluid out of her lung, and that the fluid is starting to build up again.

I tell you all of this to let you know that, depending on what the biopsy shows, I might be out of commission for a while which would delay the next chapter. If it shows a malignancy, I will be heading to Alabama to be with my family to help make decisions on what needs to be done for my Mother's care.

I hope that all of you will understand if there is a longer than usual delay in chapters. I had really hoped to have at least 4 or 5 chapters written by now.

Until next time (which is uncertain), ~Jilly