A/N: I apologize in advance to anyone in the medical fields. I am not a doctor, nor am I a psychiatrist. I am merely a banker with a vivid imagination, a couple of hospital stays under my belt, and a new perspective on the grieving process. Any medical discrepancies are because I made the rest up.
"Oh, come on, guys!" Ellison was deep in the midst of a heated discussion with his companions. "I like the Jags as well as anybody else, but come on! They don't stand a chance in the playoffs!"
"How can you say that?" Joel countered. "They've been doing alright so far this season!"
"Well, yes, that's true. But they don't have.." Ellison suddenly had a feeling that something was wrong. Looking up in the rearview mirror, the first thing he noticed was that the Volkswagen was no longer in his sight. The second thing he noticed was the black Jaguar standing in the middle of the road. "NO!" He slammed on the brakes and began to back up as quickly as possible.
"What's wrong, Jim?" Megan was instantly alert. Glancing back at the road behind them, she noticed the crumpled car halfway across both lanes. "Oh, no! Where are they, Jim?"
"I don't know. The last time I looked, they were right beside that Sedan!"
Joel looked back at Jim in horror. "Do you think they went over the side?"
Jim didn't respond, focusing all his attention on bringing them back to the scene of the accident as quickly as possible. As soon as they had stopped, he unbuckled his belt and jumped from the truck. Sparing only a cursory glance for the driver of the sedan, who was emerging from his damaged car slowly, Jim ran to the rail and looked down. The Volkswagen had come to rest upside down in the water, listing heavily toward the passenger side. "Call for help NOW!" He bellowed, then he jumped over the side.
The frigid water hit him like an electric shock. He immediately dialed down his sense of touch and swam to the side of the Volkswagen. The water here was nearly five feet deep, and the car was taking on water rapidly. The passenger side was closer, so Jim immediately headed in that direction. Taking a deep breath, he ducked under the water to take a look. His heart sank as he saw that the whole door was twisted and dented. There was no way he'd be able to open that door. But he had to try. Grabbing the handle, he began to tug on it, straining to force it open with sheer strength. *I can't do this again! I can't lose Blair this time!*
***************
"Come on, Dad!" Daryl was really starting to get irritable. "Are we ordering or not?" His dad was really acting strange. First he insisted that Daryl spend his birthday with him, then he decided they were going out to some restaurant Daryl had never heard of.
Now they had been sitting here for thirty minutes or more, and they still had not ordered their dinner. Every time the waitress checked back, Simon smiled and shook his head. "Not yet, thanks. We're still enjoying our drinks."
Daryl was getting very suspicious. *Dad's acting just a little bit TOO weird. He's up to something!* He suddenly suppressed a smile. *What is he planning?*
Simon opened his mouth to speak, but closed it abruptly when Rafe walked into the dining room of the restaurant. Daryl watched the expressions chasing across his father's face. Confusion, annoyance, frustration and finally concern. "Rafe, what are you doing here?" His voice was harsh.
Rafe looked uncomfortable. "Captain, could I talk to you for a minute?" He shifted his stance slightly, and Daryl noticed he was holding a cell phone tightly in his right hand.
"Go ahead and talk." Simon leaned back in his chair and looked expectantly at his detective.
"Uh...well, I think it would be better to talk alone, sir. I'm sorry to disturb you, but it's very important."
Simon glanced at Daryl and then looked back at Rafe. "Ok, let's go outside for a minute. Daryl, I'll be right back."
Daryl watched in confusion as his father followed Rafe outside. When he had seen the detective enter the room, he had been convinced that this was whatever his father had up his sleeve. Now he wasn't sure what was going on. Rafe didn't seem like he was in on a secret. More like he didn't want to tell them something, but knew he had to. Taking a sip of his coke and mentally shrugging off his thoughts, Daryl settled in to wait for Simon's return.
He didn't have long to wait. Within a few moments, Simon came striding back into the room. Daryl immediately noticed the expression on his father's face. "What's wrong, Dad?" He stood up to meet Simon, his heart pounding now.
"Daryl, I've had some bad news. We have to go. There was a bad accident a few minutes ago. I'm not sure how bad yet."
"Who is it, Dad?" Daryl was pretty sure he really didn't want to know, but the words just tumbled out of his mouth on their own.
"Well .....like I said...we don't know how bad it is yet." Simon was staring at him, a strange expression on his face, one of tenderness and compassion.
Daryl swallowed hard. "Dad! Who is it!"
Simon looked down at the floor and then back at his son. "Dani. And Blair."
Daryl paled and swallowed hard. It took him a few tries before he could get his words out. "B-Both of them? That's impossible, Dad! Dani's at school! She has a big test on Monday! I just talked to her this afternoon! She called to wish me a happy birthday!" He tried to take a deep breath to still the sudden furious pounding of his heart. "Besides, what would Dani and Blair be doing together anyway!"
Simon took a deep breath, looked briefly up at the ceiling, and then looked Daryl straight in the eyes. "They were on their way here for a surprise birthday party. Dani came home right after she called you, and everyone was on their way here. I don't know how bad it is, but I need to get over there right away."
"I'm going with you!" Daryl felt lightheaded, and his stomach churned, but he needed to know.
"Daryl, you don't need to do this," Simon protested. "I'll let you know what I find out. This is no place for you to be, Son."
"I'm going, Dad!" Daryl ended the argument as he turned and headed for the exit.
****************
Jim continued his frantic battle with the car door until he ran out of air and was forced to return to the surface. He emerged from the icy water, gasping in the cold air. The only way to get in the car was going to be through the driver's side. Slogging through the water, he leaned up on the other side of the car and tugged at Dani's door. To his relief, this time it opened on the first try. Opening the door as wide as he could, Jim climbed up on the edge of the car.
What he saw made him shudder and look away to regain his composure. Dani was lying limp in her seat, arms dangling down toward the inverted roof of the Volkswagen. The impact had pushed the dashboard and steering column up and back toward her, and she was crushed tightly behind it. The front of her shirt and coat were drenched with bright red blood. Jim could not detect a pulse or breath sounds, and he closed his eyes for a few seconds, shutting out the horror. *What are we going to tell Daryl?*
He only froze for a moment, and then his priorities snapped back into place. There would be time for grief later. He needed to get Blair out of the car while he could. Leaning into the car, he peered past Dani to see what had become of his partner. Blair was still belted into his seat, and he too was limp, one arm dangling. His head was swaying with the movement of the water, and his face was only centimeters away from the rising flood. There was an ugly blue lump on his forehead, and blood trickled down his face into his hair.
Jim focused all of his senses on his partner and was rewarded with the sound of a heartbeat, although it was rapid and weak. Blair's chest was rising and falling with each breath, and Jim sighed in relief. At least he was alive. And then Jim's heart froze. Only one of Blair's arms was dangling. Following his left arm with his eyes, Jim came to the sickening realization that Blair's left arm had been crushed between The steering column and Dani's body. Checking it closely, his horror grew as he realized what must have happened.
His partner must have instinctively done what Jim had done for him so many times. As the car impacted, he had attempted to protect Dani and restrain her with his arm. But it hadn't worked. Dani was still dead, and Blair's arm was literally crushed. As Jim studied it carefully for obvious injury, he realized that a lot of the blood running down the front of Dani's shirt actually belonged to Blair. He appeared to have punctured or severed a major blood vessel in the arm. Jim lunged back from the car, the horrific sight burned into his memory.
If he couldn't get Blair out of the car soon, his partner would either bleed to death or drown in the rising water. And he couldn't get Blair out of the car unless he could either move Dani or get the passenger door open. Neither option seemed likely at the moment.
"I need some help down here!" His voice cracked on the last word, and he struggled to control the shivers as he stood in the icy water waiting for assistance. His own jacket was soaked through, and the wind was cutting through him.
Listening closely to the action going on above him, Jim heard footsteps immediately heading toward the edge. Megan looked down at him. "What can I do, Jim?"
"I need a crowbar and something to use for a tourniquet. And I need it now, or we won't have anyone to save!"
Megan paled, and she glanced at the upside down vehicle, but she quickly drew back and went off to find the items Jim had requested. Ellison leaned back into the car, keeping his eyes and ears on his partner's vitals. "Oh, God, Chief...What did you do?"