When Aubrey had pictured her wedding, she imagined all the details, the perfect location, all the guests, her bridesmaids which would have been Roxy, Phoebe and their other best friend Evangeline, the groomsmen, her little brothers and Harvey's brother and if possible Katarina would have been a flower girl, She pictured her Mama in a pale blue dress, with diamonds dripping all over her, Daddy would have given her another just for the occasion and silver high heels that would make Daddy seem short.
She imagined her perfect dress being strapless with a mermaid train, a long veil and her mother's pearls, her Poppa's pinky ring and Daddy's handkerchief tucked in her hemline, her long red hair swept up.
Aubrey imagined her walk down the aisle on her Daddy's arm, to her future husband, she could feel her excitement building.
She never imagined she'd be sneaking over the border before she was able to drive a car, that her beautiful wedding dress would consist of a white dress "borrowed" from Phoebe's older sister's closet and that her wedding night would be spent under Harvey's aunt's roof.
She also didn't want to imagine how hard her mother would hit the ceiling when she found out.
But Aubrey still went through with it, she had actually stood up and exchanged vows with Harvey and were on their way crossing the border when it happened
Harvey had been telling her that he'd always take care of her, that she would always be his first priority and love.
She leaned over and kissed him, he took his eyes off the road for a second and when he turned back, a truck was bearing down on them, Harvey beeped the horn but it was too late and the crash was tremendous, the only sound was metal and screaming.
Aubrey was somehow sucked into the backseat while Harvey was thrown through the windshield.
She was unconscious for a bit and only woke up to hear someone calling her name, thinking it was Daddy waking her up for school, she reached out to feel her alarm clock but instead felt the leather chair beside her.
Slowly she opened one eye at a time and realized she was lying on her back looking up at the stars.
The roof of the car had been ripped off
Suddenly she heard her name being called again and she sat up slowly , putting a hand to her head, she realized she was bleeding
"Aubrey!" the voice kept calling her
It was Harvey
Forgetting about the pain in her head, Aubrey shot up and using her feet to push the passenger seat forward, she scooted through and outside.
As soon as her feet hit the sand, a wave of dizziness came over her, shaking her head Aubrey took in a deep breath and began to call for Harvey.
It was so dark outside; she didn't see him lying across the dashboard and on the hood, his body covered in blood and broken glass.
The scream she let out was epic, she scrambled on top of the car and took Harvey's head in her lap
"Aubrey," He was gasping for air
"It's okay, I'll call for help and You'll be okay" She whispered, tears pouring down her face
"No, it's better this way, you'll have a chance to see the world.."
"We'll see the world together, Harvey I promise we'll see everything that needs to be seen, please don't leave me!"
"One last kiss, please" His breath becoming shallow
"I'll kiss you but it won't be our last" she pressed her lips to his
"I love you" He whispered and then it was over, he was gone
"Oh No No please, No!" Aubrey wailed
She cried until she couldn't breathe anymore, she reached into her pocket and pulled out Ruby's cellphone
"PLEASE HELP ME!" She screamed and suddenly the world went dark
She wouldn't remember the police, fire department or ambulance screeching throughout the dark desert, the policeman asking her come down off the car so the EMT workers could declare Harvey dead. She refused to leave him, she couldn't, he was her husband and to leave him would break a vow. The police officer convinced her that she wouldn't be leaving him, that Harvey would be in good hands, he helped her off the car and began asking her question
When the workers finally removed Harvey, That's when she lost it, she screamed until she couldn't breathe anymore and when the ambulance drove off, she tried to chase after it but the police officer restrained her, she kept fighting until the blackness came over her again.
The next thing she remembered was someone pulling at her clothes and tubes being put into her body, she tried to fight whoever was pulling at her but instead felt a needle plunge into her arm.
Whatever they had given her, it made her feel as if she were floating, she had never felt like this and she wasn't sure she wanted the feeling to go away. Her body was exhausted.
"Aubrey Rose" a familiar voice called "Wake up Baby, It's Mama"
Aubrey opened her eyes to find the one person she needed most in the world and began to cry.
"It's okay, Baby," Jennifer climbed into the bed with her, cautious of the wires that Aubrey was hooked up.
Jonathan had fallen asleep in the chair beside the bed but woke up when his daughter started crying.
"Aubrey, can you tell us why you did this?" He asked his concern overwhelming; he saw the stitching on her face and the bruises that reminded so much of her mother's attack, Thank God her own scarring had faded after extensive plastic surgery and the injuries to her hand and leg only gave her minimal trouble, enabling her to have still have her writing career, which with the four kids and him wasn't easy.
Before Aubrey could speak, a voice none of them expected to hear came through the ICU curtains
"What the hell you mean I can't see my own granddaughter?!" Pearl usually never made a scene but in this case, flying 3,000 miles back from Florida and having been awake for nearly 25 hours made her a little testy
"Ma'am, Only person at a time!" a Nurse told her
"Well, I'm sure my son will leave for a moment to let me see her, now move or I'll be forced to move you myself" Pearl started opening curtains trying to find them
"Here comes trouble" Jonathan rolled his eyes and went out to find her
"I'll be right back, Baby," Jennifer climbed down off the bed
"Don't leave me, Mommy" Aubrey begged grabbing Jennifer's arm
Taken back at being called Mommy instead of Mama, Jennifer climbed back onto the bed
Jonathan stood back for a second and watched Pearl start to lose her temper, it didn't happen often but when she did and it wasn't aimed at him, it was comical
"Where the hell did you stash my grandbaby?!" Pearl yelled
"Pearl!" Jonathan called to her
Pearl had her back to him and when she turned around, he thought for sure her eyes would bore a hole in him
"Jonathan Charles Hart, I oughta kick your ass up and down the Sunset Strip!" She turned on her heels at him
"What'd I do?!" He asked putting his hands up in defense
"I find out from a stranger my granddaughter is nearly killed! You couldn't have called!"
"We didn't even know until we saw it on the news,"
"What the hell were you thinking letting that child run off like that?" Pearl wasn't going to stop yelling until she got some answers or ran out of breathe whichever came first
"I didn't even know, Pearl, I swear if I knew what was happening I would have stopped her."
"We can't lose her again" Pearl hugged Jonathan
"We won't," He kissed her head
"Is she okay?"
"A few bumps and bruises but other than she's going to be fine"
"Can I see her," Pearl asked letting go of Jonathan
"Sure but try not to tell yell too loud," Jonathan smiled
He led her to where Aubrey had been set up, as soon as he pulled back the curtain, Both Jennifer and Aubrey sat up.
"Oh little one, you've certainly done it this time," Pearl leaned over and kissed her head "Max would have your behind if he were here"
Although Max had been gone for such a long time, his presence was still everywhere and Aubrey thought of him as her guardian angel, she hoped he wouldn't be too mad. ..
"Did you have trouble getting here?" Jennifer asked breaking the silence
"No but the press is gathered downstairs, maybe you should go down and make a statement"
"How did they know?" Aubrey asked quietly
"Baby, it's all over the news and it's gone viral "Jonathan said taking her hand
"Oh no," She began to cry, her mistake would now haunt her forever and worse, Harvey wasn't there to protect her
"It's okay, Daddy and I will deal with this" Jennifer knew that this was humiliating for Aubrey, her privacy was being invaded and she wanted to grieve without people staring at her
"You stay here with her, I'll go" Jonathan offered
"No, I'm going with you"
"Darling," His voice took on a serious tone
"Jonathan, I'm going" Her voice became cold
They both left, barely making eye contact which was different than how they had arrived, she was clutching his arm like a life raft and he had a grip on her waist, fear and panic in their eyes
"It's my fault their fighting" Aubrey said studying her hands
"Yes, my darling girl, this is what your selfishness caused" Pearl raised her eyebrow
In the elevator
Jonathan saw Jennifer's face tighten up and knew she was angry, he wasn't sure if she was angry at him or the situation
"When we get in front of the cameras, don't say anything, just let me talk" He broke the silence
"No, I'm speaking this time"
"This time?" He didn't know what she was talking about
"Last time, you spoke for the both of us.. I never got to speak up for our daughter"
"Darling, you were recovering from a birth and the shock of her being taken, I didn't think you were up to do something as stressful as crying to the camera"
"Stop! Don't speak to me like I'm your client, I am your wife and damn it, this is our daughter!"
He realized he was shutting her out unintentionally, He took his role as the head of their household seriously but she was right. They had to do this together
He crossed the elevator and took her in his arms, "Your right Darling, I'm sorry"
"I'm so tired, We were having a normal life and now.."
"It'll be okay" He kissed her head
The elevator doors opened and revealed over a 100 members of the media, trying to make their way through was nearly impossible and Jennifer was nearly crushed but Jonathan had managed to keep a tight grip on her hand.
They managed to make it to the front of the Hospital. Jonathan spoke loudly and quickly "We'd like to make a brief statement on our daughter's behalf. Today our daughter was in a devastating car accident with a dear friend, a young man who had a bright future. Although the reasons are unclear as to why they came to Mexico, We will continue to stand behind our daughter as she recovers from her injuries, which thankfully are minor. We ask at this time for privacy in this difficult time..Darling?" Jonathan turned to Jennifer, who stepped forward pulling down her sweater
"Our Aubrey is young and mischievous as most teenagers are but she is also dealing with a traumatic loss, I have no doubt she will recover in time as she is a survivor. Thank you for your concern"
Suddenly the reporters began yelling out questions "What is this story about your underage daughter getting married"
"A Myth" Jonathan answered "The kids simply wanted to come down to Mexico for some fun in the sun"
"Mr. Hart, do you have a message for the parents of the other kid?"
"Yes, I'd like to extend our deepest sympathies, Harvey Kinkle was a good kid and his loss will be felt not only throughout his many friends but throughout the community as well"
"Mrs. Hart, How do you feel about Elliot Manning's upcoming release from prison?"
"Excuse me?" She was taken back, he was supposed to be serving 20 years!
"Mr. Manning is being released from prison in two months, do you think he'll resume his past history of stalking you"
Jonathan saw the color drain from her face and knew that he'd better step in
"My wife has no comment regarding that. We've moved on from that and are concentrating on our children, Thank you" He took her hand and led her back through the crowd and onto the elevator
"Did you know about Elliot getting released?" She demanded to know as soon as the doors closed
"Our Lawyers told me about it" He said quietly
"How long ago"
"Six months ago"
"You kept this from me for SIX months?!" She was so furious at him
"Darling, I was only trying to spare you pain" He reached out for her but she pushed him away
"When are you going to realize you can't save the world?" The elevator doors open and she walked out "Just go back to the hotel and check on the kids …I can't be around you right now"
"What does that mean?" He was shocked
"It means, you've finally broken my heart and my trust…" She began to cry
