Author's Note: Here's my next update! I didn't want to leave you all hanging for too long. Please review and let me know what you think!
For a moment, Jim was too stunned to move or even think. When his senses came back to him, the first thing he did was look over at Melinda. She was slumped in her seat, her head resting on the badly cracked passenger side window. There was blood running down her face from her nose and from a large cut near her right temple; and her eyes were closed.
"Oh God." Jim gasped, unbuckling his seat belt and jumping closer to his wife. "Mel?" He asked, touching her shoulder. She didn't move at all. "Mel!" He shouted. "Honey, look at me. Please, Mel." Still no response.
Someone knocked on the driver side window and Jim whipped around to look at them. It was one of the firefighters who were already on the scene. He opened the door and looked from Jim to Melinda.
"You folks okay?" The man asked.
"No." Jim said. "My wife is hurt."
"I'll radio for an ambulance." The man said.
Jim got out of the car on his side and rushed over to Melinda's door. He slowly opened it, and caught Melinda before her limp body could slide out of the car. He then lowered himself to the ground, holding her.
"Melinda." He said again, touching her cheek.
Melinda's eyelids fluttered and opened heavily.
"Jim." She whispered.
"Are you okay? What hurts?" Jim asked.
"No." Melinda murmured, in a daze, looking up at his concern-filled eyes. "I'm okay. It's fine."
"No, Mel. You're not okay. It's not 'fine'." Jim answered sternly.
Melinda ignored him and struggled to get up.
"Lie still." Jim ordered. "Mel, you're hurt. You're bleeding."
Melinda ignored him. In a trancelike state, she shakily stood up and walked a few feet to where she could see the scene below. She watched as they pulled the burnt vehicle all the way out of the lake, and she swore she could see a person inside of it. Then Michael appeared right in front of her.
"This is me. This is where I died." He stated.
Michael then disappeared. Jim grabbed Melinda from behind, and then everything went black.
There was beeping echoing in her head. That was the first thing Melinda was aware of. The next thing she noticed was something caressing her hand. Then, the pain registered. Her head felt like it might burst open, and her nose felt like it had been bashed in with a crowbar. She groaned, and squeezed her eyelids shut even tighter.
"Mel?" A voice from beside her said.
Melinda simply groaned again and refused to open her eyes. Another voice came, this one female, coming from further away.
"Is everything alright?"
The first voice answered. "I think she's waking up. Can she get some more pain meds right away?"
"Sure thing, Mr. Clancy." The female answered.
Melinda took a shuddering breath, and weakly turned her head. "Jim?" She said, her voice raspy like it hadn't been used in a while.
"I'm here, Mel." Jim answered. "Can you hear me? Can you open your eyes?"
Melinda forced her eyes open, and squinted against the bright flourescent lights. After a second, her eyes adjusted and she saw Jim sitting beside her. He had a thick scratch on his left cheek, dark circles under his eyes, and his hair was messy. He looked like he had been crying at some point, and the worry was still etched on his face.
"What happened?" Melinda asked.
"We were in an accident." Jim said. "Someone rear-ended us. Do you remember anything?"
Melinda strained her memory. Jim waited patiently as she thought. A minute later, something dawned on her.
"The car they were pulling out of the lake. It was Michael's." She exclaimed.
Jim looked confused for a second, and then realized what she was saying. "The ghost?"
"Yes." Melinda answered. "He told me that's how he died."
"Wow." Jim said. "Poor guy."
"Yeah." Mel agreed. Then she winced as a lightning bolt of pain shot through her head once again. Jim cupped her cheeks with his hands.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
"My head…" Melinda murmured.
"You hit it on the window." Jim stated. "Actually, you put it through the window. You've been unconscious for almost 36 hours, Mel."
"Great." Melinda said sarcastically. "So when are they gonna rename the ICU after me?"
"That's not funny." Jim replied seriously. "I was scared to death, honey. This is the second time in…."
"I know." Mel interrupted, looking away in shame. "I'm sorry."
"No." Jim said, kissing her hand tenderly. "I'm sorry. If I had been watching the road instead of looking at the scene…"
"It's not your fault." Melinda assured him.
"I love you." Jim whispered.
"I love you too."
A/N 2: Sorry for the lack of transition at the end there. I didn't want to leave you with another cliffhanger. But there's lots in store for the next few chapters, so keep reading!