Chapter 2. The wait
Ryan wondered how to get back up to the van. He also wondered how he'd get to the hospital. All this and the fact that Dana had just been lifted into an ambulance collided in his brain making him a little nauseous. He had already given in statement to one of the officers, watched the children also be loaded in an ambulance and then the driver's body being exhumed from the wreckage by the Asian man. Now what though. Ha knew he could ask one of the officers for help but they already had so much to do. Glancing back towards the bridge.
"Need a hand?" The voice had Ryan turning to find the first guy who'd shown up on the scene standing there. He looked exhausted and yet was ready to help again.
"Alright," Ryan had had a bad moment when he'd seen him surface his sister in his arms. He wondered if she'd felt like that when he'd been taken to the hospital that first time.
"Man you ok?" The guy in the sopping red flannel shirt and jeans asked and Ryan nodded.
"Just thinking. Some help would be great." With that the other man introduced himself as Carter Grayson and picked Ryan up in a firemen's carry.
*****
Over the next 2 ours the pair both sat in silence and talked, joined later by the Asian man who'd brought up the driver's body. It was a bit surprising that all 3 had lived their whole lives in Mariner Bay. They'd even gone to the same high school carter and Ryan in the same graduating class and Chad with Dana. Still they'd not known each other.
"It's a small world." Chad commented.
"I'd say." Carter replied but as he looked over at Ryan he could see the worry lighting his eyes. He wondered if there was anything he could do for the other man. This had to Horrible. He couldn't imagine this happening to anyone he knew. His best friend Joel was his only friend here in town and he'd never get hurt. He was like a cat, no mater what, he landed on his feet.
Not that Carter himself wasn't lucky. He'd been through a few fires that no one should have even gone into.
Carter wandered about the girl he'd pulled from the water. Was she lucky too? He hoped so. It was true she'd been breathing when they'd gotten her out but what if…
"They should know something by now." Cater looked to Ryan who was now wheeling around the room in adjitation. It struck him that he and his sister looked a great deal alike. Both had golden hair, and striking eyes. Truth be told he thought that the girl was much braver though, not that he grudged Ryan for not going in, he couldn't but there
"She was breathing when they loaded her in the ambulance."
"Mr. Mitchell?" A nurse came out and Ryan looked up.
"That's me."
"Your sister's awake."
*****
The throbbing burn slowly penetrated the oblivion. Dana slowly felt it dragging her from her cocoon of safety and darkness. She could hear things coming to her, snatches of conversations, voices and as the fog cleared she felt the pressure on her hand.
"Come… sis… have… wake…" Who? Then she remembered in a flash. The bridge, the car and…
"Ryan?" Her voice was horse and he shifted in the seat.
"Dana?" Her eyes were opened.
"The kids? I got them out…" She rasped pain in her chest intense.
"Yes, their fine. Their just keeping them here for observation."
"I couldn't get to their mother…" Pain and guilt lanced through her. She'd failed again.
"Dane…" He sounded as if there was more he wanted to say.
"What?"
"The woman, she was their aunt, Dana, there was no way you could have saved her, she was dead before the car went out of control."
"What?" She rasped and he hit the call button to let the nurse know she was awake.
"Dana, she died of an aneurism, her death was what sent the car off the bridge."
"No…" She breathed closing her eyes.
"You can't blame yourself. We all did what we could." A new voice said and she scanned the hospital for its owner. She spotted the two men standing off near the window. One looked about Ryan's age with light brown, maybe dark blond hair a slightly familiar face and the other with black hair closer to her own age. Then it hit her, the other one, the guy in red had gotten the other child out.
"Dana meet Chad Lee." Ryan indicated the Asian man. "And Carter Grayson." The other man nodded politely.
"Nice to meet you both." She managed a little smile. "Neither of you were hurt?"
"No, but you have to use your head next time." The one introduced as Carter said. His words sent an odd feeling of warmth over her, did she know him? It felt like she did, why?
"I…"
"I'm considered a Marine specialist but I never stay under as long as you." Chad was putting in.
"I had to get to them; I couldn't just leave them in the water." She said feeling again that helpless fear at seeing the little boy unconscious just like Ryan…
"Dane, hey," the deep voice drew her back, back to the present away from the nightmarish memories. She found his hand holding hers, stroking it in the way that the nurses always said was a comfort to the patients.
"Come on." Carter said and was turning to go as the girl in the bed called.
"Thank you both for helping."
"That's what we do, we help."
***
TBC
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