Disclaimer: They're not mine.
Author's Note: Pay attention closely, this one bounces back and forth momentarily...part flashback/part current, but the page breaks should help. I wasn't sure how to write this one, so this is what the final result was.
Again, you guys are fantastic! Your interest and praise is wonderful, and you're all so amazingly talented, too, so keep up the great work.
Manny had once wondered about the effects of traumatic brain injuries and how such incidents could cause people to have absolutely no recollection of certain events. More specifically, he thought of how terribly difficult it must be trying to recall lost memories, and possibly even relearn simple skills and facts in order to function independently. But if Manny were being truly honest right now, he would tell you just how envious he was of those victims as he began to relay the his story.
The first thing Manny noticed as he regained consciousness was the steady throb of pain pulsing in his head as it beat in time with his heart. A glow of blue and red lights danced across his hazy field of vision as they mingled with distant shouts penetrating the ringing in his ears. From his position, Manny struggled to see out of the fractured windshield of the small sedan. The front end of a large SUV was fused to the front end of the driver's side as making it hard to distinguish where one vehicle ended and the other began. Attempting to not make any sudden movements, Manny fought against the discomfort until he could bring his line of sight further to the left to turn more fully toward his companion.
"Os…," he attempted weakly, coughed in attempt to clear his throat, and tried again. "Oscar?"
His vision finally cleared enough for him to focus on the older man slumped over the steering wheel. The stillness of his body in opposition to the chaos surrounding the vehicle left Manny silent with shock as he tried to detect even the slightest of movements. Through blurred vision, the younger passenger could just make out the right side of Oscar's face, eerily void of any expression.
Manny continued staring unblinking at his still form when he suddenly overtaken by the urge to gasp a shuddering breath as his lungs cried for air, so wrapped up in the scene before him. Just as he reminded himself to maintain the flow of air in and out, he heard a voice cut through the din once more.
"Hey! Hey! Can you hear me? C'mon, kid! Work with me. Tell me what hurts!"
Unsure of the strength of his own voice, Manny barely mustered the resolve to return a reply. Opening and closing his mouth a few times, he finally found himself able to respond. "Take – take him first," he tried.
"What?" came the muffled reply.
"I – I said, take him first. Please. Just – please," he pleaded, finally drawing his eyes away from Oscar's motionless body and to the man sticking his head in the passenger window.
"We're working on it, but right now I need you to just focus on me. We're going to do what we can to get you both out of here as fast as we can, but I need to you do something for me. Can you reach your seat belt?" the paramedic asked. "If you can, I need you to reach over and do that. Don't worry about your friend, we're doing the best we can, but I need you to worry about yourself right now." As the paramedic gave him instructions, he also took the time to gently secure a neck brace in place as a precaution.
Glancing down carefully, Manny brought his hand down to unfasten the seat belt. The throbbing in his head was only getting worse and he noticed that it was getting difficult to see again. Hearing it click, he pulled the belt away from his waist and gingerly lifted his right arm through the straps so as not to jostle the rapidly swelling joints.
"Good, great. You're doing a fine job," he praised the frightened passenger as he cautiously opened the car door. "On the count of three, I'm going to help you to your feet so I can escort you to that stretcher over there," he stated while gesturing to a partially reclined stretcher about 5 feet away.
"One; Two; Three!" the paramedic chanted, and regardless of counting with the paramedic, Manny still hissed in pain upon reaching the end of the count. Upon reaching the stretcher, he gently allowed himself to be lowered down while another paramedic began to splint his right arm. Resting his head back, Manny struggled against drooping eyelids, quietly muttering to himself, "Call her. Please. She needs to know."
Blinking back tears, Manny let out a trembling sigh in an attempt to build up the strength to meet his mother's face. Finally gaining the courage to lift his eyes, he looked from the orderly to his mother. Taking in the expression on her face, Manny made the decision immediately; he would have given anything not to be able to remember any details from the accident so long as he didn't have to relive the experience through the pained look in his mother's eyes.
Despite the chair beneath her, Angie still felt like the ground had dropped out from beneath her feet. Uncertain as to whether her legs could hold her, she opted to remain seated as she tried to process the information that her son had just shared. Slowly closing her eyes, she felt her son's hand wrap around her own and squeeze gently as she struggled to find the strength to vocalize the thoughts flooding her mind.
"How – What – where is he?" she asked, finally opting for the simplest question to for him to answer.
With a deep sigh, the orderly looked from the young man in the hospital bed to the clearly distressed woman by his side. "As we speak, he is currently in the operating room. He was brought in immediately following your son, but as I'm sure you can imagine, his injuries are far more extensive. Is there anyone we can call on Mr. Vega's behalf, ma'am? Does he have any family nearby?"
Angie stared quietly at the curtain behind the man in scrubs, before finally making eye contact with him once again. "I guess – I guess his father…and, well, I suppose his step-mother, too. Why wasn't anyone notified before now?" she queried.
"Quite simply, we had no way to notify anyone other than you, ma'am. While his ID and badge informed us that he was a detective, your son had already contacted you. As his next of kin, you would be notified first, regardless, and then the decision would be left up to you as to whether or not you wished for us to continue notifying others," the orderly stated.
Angie dropped her gaze down to her hands as they were currently wearing a hole in her jeans. Noticing the nervous habit, she willed her hands to stop before returning her gaze upward. Swallowing deeply, she shifted her body toward her son, whispering quietly, "It's not your fault, baby. It will be okay." To be honest, Angie wasn't quite sure her consolation was more for him or for herself. Then she brought her eyes back toward Nick.
"Who would I need to speak with regarding his condition? And when can I – I'm sorry, we – when can we see him?" she asked.
"I can see about checking with the surgeons in the operating theatre, but I imagine it will be at least a couple hours. In the mean time, I am going to see about possibly relocating your son to another floor so you are both more comfortable, if you would like. If there is someone who becomes available to come and discuss his condition with you, you'll know immediately."
"That would probably be best, thank you," Angie replied as she tried to remain calm as she watched the orderly exit the makeshift room. She wasn't sure how well she could cope with waiting for such an extended period of time to see her best friend, but she had to remind herself that he was in good hands and the surgeons would be doing the best they could to bring him back to her in one piece.
"Mom?" Manny's voice broke through her thoughts.
"Yeah, baby?" she replied, turning to look at her son. If the look on her face matched that of her son's then there was no denying that she was terrified.
"I'm – I'm scared, Mom. They wouldn't let me see him when they brought him in, and I don't know –,"
Angie cut her son off before he could continue; "Manny, honey, they had to make sure you were all right, too. They can't just let you get up and try to help; they're the professionals, this is what they do. I'm sure he'll be fine. Maybe someone or something has been looking out for us tonight."
Silence passed between them for a moment before Manny looked back at his mother. "Do you really believe that?" he asked.
Waiting a moment before answering, Angie decided that she'd remain honest with him like she had always been. "No, but Oscar would. And we have to believe that for him until he's able to do it himself." If there was one thing she could say about Oscar, it was his unwavering belief in something greater than himself. God, spirituality, whatever – he'd always remained true to idea that whatever happened was meant to be.
With a large sigh, Angie turned away from her son just as a nurse came through the curtain with a smile and cheerfully informed them that her son would be relocated to the 4th floor shortly. She then took a moment to inform them that he would be situated into a room across the hall from another room currently being reserved for Detective Vega's arrival following surgery.
After helping the nurses get Manny comfortable and attached to the necessary machines to monitor his healing for his overnight stay, Angie decided she'd go for a walk to clear her head once he fell into a restless slumber. Sneaking one last glance at her son before pulling the door closed gently behind her, she was surprised again by how small he looked.
It was almost immediately and simultaneously that she was enveloped in a state of wonder at the condition he was in. Granted, he was nursing minor injuries and still very shaken, but in good health overall. Praying to any god that could hear her prayer, she took a moment to reflect upon the situation that lay before her. Firstly, she was more than thankful that her son had grown to trust her closest friend and partner, in addition to avoiding catastrophic injury; Manny's approval of Oscar meant the world to her. Just as equally, she mentally expressed her anger and trepidation as her heart was held in suspension while waiting for any news regarding said partner.
Making her way slowly back in the direction from which she'd started, Angie slowed to a stop before turning to her right into a dimly lit room instead of to her son's room to the left. Moving toward the window, she looked out at the city below and found herself envious of the people below. Sleeping, eating, and just being without a care in the world as if life itself didn't hang in such a precarious balance.
Angie knew that she should be using her time wisely to call a number of people, but couldn't bring herself to do so. It was almost as if the reality of the situation would only burrow itself deeper the more people knew of the unpleasant incident – and quite frankly, she'd be damned if she was going to let anyone dissuade her of the illusion that she had carefully created.
Turning away, Angie pulled her phone out of her pocket as she fell into the chair facing the room's private bathroom with her back to the window. She looked to her left to see a number of plugs, wires, tubes, and outlets on the wall waiting almost anxiously to be utilized. Rubbing her eyes, Angie pushed deeper, seeking some sort of pain to remind her that this was all real.
Pulling her hands away from her face, she wiped them on her thighs before picking her phone up off of her knee. Turning it on, the glow emanating from the device was nearly blinding in the dark room. Angie stared blankly at the device until the glow timed out, plunging the room into darkness once again. It was only then, in the fresh darkness, that she allowed herself to cry.
So, that's it. For now. I'm trying my best to stay with it and update as much as possible, but gosh, you guys are a hungry crowd.
As usual: Comments, questions, suggestions are always welcome! Much happiness to you all :)