Don't yell at me! I know it's been forever but I've been too busy to update! I'm sorry! I love you
Carmen sat in the police station waiting room with a thin wool blanket around her shoulders. She desperately wanted to speak to someone who knew sign, but so far, all she'd gotten from her efforts were confised stares. She knew that the annoying lady officer who had brought her there was searching for an interpreter, but she obviously wasn't searching fast enough.
Carmen glanced at the clock. It was 7:04 and already dark outside. That was one of the things that she hated about winter— less sunlight. She loved to sit out in her huge open acres of fields and watch the tall, soft grass ripple in the wind. In the winter, she always went out and made snow angles with her mom...
Her mom. Carmen felt the knot of worry in her stomach grow larger as she raced again through the possible outcomes of this situation. Her mother might heal perfectly. She might end up permanently disabled. She might end up... Carmen didn't want to think about any of this at the moment. She would deal with that when she had access to an interpreter that could give her information about her parents' conditions.
She stared out the second story window of the police station and watched the colorful lights of city traffic rush by. Having lived upstate her entire life, Carmen only saw the city maybe twice a year on visits to relatives in the area. Her aunt Monica and uncle Ross, who she hadn't seen since Ellie, her mother, and Monica and Ross had gotten into a huge fight about something called the Geller cup at a family Thanksgiving. Carmen had only been three at the time, so she didn't really remember, but her parents told her all about it every thanksgiving.
From the way it sounded, Monica and Ross didn't seem like very nice people and Carmen was fine with not having seen them. Ellie still had a scar on her hand from Monica's claws prying the Geller cup from her hands. That was the day that Ellie decided to abandon her competitive nature and vowed to never see her brother or sister again.
Someone softly touched Carmen's shoulder. Carmen whirled around and came face to face with a short, stocky, smiling woman. Carmen assumed that this was her interpreter.
Hello, the woman signed. My name is Jeanie. I'm going to be your translator.
Carmen smiled and nodded, taking in Jeanie's appearance. She had soft, kind features and a warm, welcoming smile. Her wavy red hair was a bit too bright to be natural. She wore a cheery teal blouse and black dress pants, topped off with a pair of comfy black flats. Carmen liked her.
Jeanie motioned for Carmen to follow her and led the way to a little, see-through glass walled room where the lady from earlier was waiting behind a large desk.
Jeanie motioned for Carmen to sit across from the lady and Jeanie took a seat at the end of the desk. The lady cleared her throat.
"Hello Carmen. We know that you want some information about your parents, and so far, all I know is that both are stable and in intensive care. We'll tell you more as we find out. So far, it looks like you might need to stay with someone for a little while so that your parents can get well enough to take care of you again." She waited for Carmen's reply. Carmen nodded, absorbing all the information.
"You're going to be staying with your Aunt Monica in the city for a while. We don't know how long yet, but as I said, we'll keep in contact with more information as we find out. Your grandparents are with your parents at the hospital, so I expect you'll be hearing from them soon enough. We want to ask you a few questions about the accident." The lady asked a few questions about what happened and why the car crashed, which Carmen couldn't really answer. The only thing she knew was that they were on a long drive to go see some family in the city during winter break and Carmen was awakened by the car spinning on a sheet of ice.
After all the questioning was done, the lady drove Carmen to Greenwich village, where Monica lived, and escorted her to Apartment 20. She knocked, and an attractive brunette woman answered the door. When they were inside, a group of 5 was sitting on the couch, whispering to themselves as the lady introduced herself again. She had spoken with Monica on the phone and informed her about the situation earlier. When the lady finally left, Monica approached Carmen.
"Hi! I'm your aunt Monica. Wow, the last time I saw you, you were just a little girl. I really hope your mother is okay. We'll go visit your parents at the hospital tomorrow. Everyone, this is Carmen. Carmen, this is Joey, Chandler, Phoebe, Rachel, and Uncle Ross." Everyone waved in turn. "Carmen is deaf, but she reads lips."
Monica offered Carmen something to eat, but Carmen shook her head, she was far too shaken up. Monica showed her Rachel's room, where she would be staying while Rachel temporarily bunked with Phoebe. Carmen accepted Monica's offer to go to bed. She crawled under the covers and Monica said goodnight and flicked off the lamp.
