CHAPTER ELEVEN
I hear the sound of the crash before my mind can register the pain. The car is spinning in wild circles. When it finally stops, I barely manage not to hit my head on the door. The driver's side of the car is smashed in. The door to the backseat is crushed and my leg is pinned under it. I don't feel as much pain as I should. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or if I'm in shock.
The car was hit so hard, I probably would have been flung out of it if I hadn't put on my seatbelt. I know without a doubt that Drew just saved my life. That's when I remember I'm not alone in the car.
"Rosa!" Drew's calling. "God, Rosa, can ya hear me? Are ya alright back there, April?"
"I'm okay," I say shakily. "My leg's pinned, but I think I'm alright. Are you?"
"My head's banged up, but I've been worse. Rosa's out cold. Her head's bleeding. Do ya have yer cell phone? My battery's dead."
I pull it out and dial 911. I manage to tell them where we are and that we crashed. "We have to get out of the car," Drew says. "It's too damaged. It could explode."
I'm amazed how calm he seems as he decides this. He gets out of the car and climbs into the backseat from the side of the car that's not damaged. He studies the way I'm pinned before sayings, "April, yer small. Ya can get out of this, but ya have to be careful. Can ya move yer leg?"
"Yes," I say, because I know that much. Whatever damage I've done to myself, I'm not paralyzed. I've been squirming slightly the entire time.
"Try to wiggle it free. It's going to hurt, but I think I can pull ya out if you shift."
I try to shift and it does hurt, but again, not as much as I'm expecting. I don't think I'm nearly as hurt as I should be considering what happened.
I finally shift enough that I'm nearly free. "Pull me out," I say.
"Are ya sure?" Drew asks.
"Yeah. This is as good as I'm going to get on my own."
Drew nods. In one swift motion, he frees me from the car. I'm in his arms and he sets me down gently. "Can ya stand?" He asks.
I nod. "Get Rosa," I say. "Please get her out of there."
"She's going to be harder to move," Drew says. "She's really hurt, April. It's dangerous to move her, but I can't leave her either."
He moves toward the car, playing the hero like it's his damn destiny, and all I can think is it's a shame Rosa's not conscious because she'd eat this up. I'm too worried about her to focus on my concern. I need to think about anything but that. She's not responding. She's not responding and the car crashed into her door and she could be dead. How the hell did this even happen? Is this real?
Drew carefully slides Rosa out of the car. He's holding her neck and trying to keep it straight. She moans and I'm so relieved, I start sobbing. She's moaning. That means she's alive. Rosa isn't dead. I keep telling myself that, trying to focus on it and ignore the fact that she's not actually conscious either.
Drew lays Rosa down on the sidewalk gently, rolling up his jacket and using it to support her head like a pillow. The car is smoking. He's right, it's going to catch fire and possibly explode. The gas tank was definitely destroyed.
I can hear sirens distantly as the flames start. That's when I lose my grip entirely. I collapse beside Rosa.
*No Skipping… Unconsciousness… Unconsciousness…Unconsciousness… LATER?*
I wake up in a hospital bed. "April? Thank God!" Scotty is saying. Why is Scotty here? I'm confused. What happened? Where's Rosa? Where's Drew?
"She's awake!" Scotty calls. A couple of doctors hurry over and check my vitals.
"April, do you remember what happened?" One asks me.
"The car… We were hit… Rosa… Where's Rosa?" I ask.
"She's in surgery," the doctor says. "Your other friend is alright, just a bit banged up. You're going to be fine, April. Your leg is cut, but it's nothing serious. A couple of days off should heal you just fine. It's a miracle, really. You're lucky you're so small. That helped keep you safe from the impact. It could have been much worse for you. For all of you, if your friend hadn't gotten you all out of that car. The fire was bad by the time the paramedics arrived at the scene."
"I'm okay?" I ask.
"Yes, you're in very good shape. You just fainted from the shock. You were out for several hours."
I almost faint again when someone walks into my room. It's Phil. "April? Oh my God, April!" He runs to my side and wraps me in his arms. I'm sore, but I don't stop him. I'm too stunned to do much of anything.
"Phil?" I asked. "How are you here?"
"You were in a car crash, April. How do you think I'm here? I did the most logical thing a husband does in that situation and jumped on the fasted plane here." He looks terrified and I'm suddenly grateful he's there. I need my husband and I didn't even realize it until now.
"Was she drinking?" Phil asks suddenly.
"Who, me?" I ask. "Yeah, I was plastered, actually, but I don't see why that matters."
"No, not you, although you know I don't approve. Rosa. Was Rosa drinking? Is that how she crashed?"
"What? No, Phil, she's sober now."
"Addicts fall off the wagon all the time."
"Phil, she was with me the whole night. She's completely sober, and she's the only one of us who is. She didn't do anything to cause this. The other car smashed into us."
Phil's not listening. "This is why drinking is so damn dangerous! How could you let this happen, Scott? You were supposed to protect her!"
"We were just hanging out with Dreamer and Galloway, man. It was supposed to be fun. She was safe. Rosa drove, and Rosa wasn't drinking," Scotty says. He's shaky. He obviously didn't expect Phil to flip out on him. "I'm sorry… I should have stayed with her until she made it to her hotel."
"This isn't your fault," I tell Scotty.
"You need to come home with me when they discharge you," Phil tells me.
"Not until I find out if Rosa's okay," I say.
He looks like he might argue, but he stops himself. That's a first. "Okay," he says. "We'll check on Rosa first."
Drew's in the hallway. He's bandaged and a little shaky, but alright. "Oh, good, ya've come back ta us," he says. His accent's getting even thicker. I think it's the stress. "Are ya alright, April?"
"I'll be fine," I say. "You saved me… God, Drew, I could have died… I would have died."
"Tis nothing, lass."
Phil looks at him. He hates every wrestler in the world but me and Scotty, but he seems to be debating making an exception for Drew. Finally he says, "Thanks, man." He shakes his hand. "It's good to see you again, Drew."
"Wish it were under better circumstances, Phil," Drew says. He sits by my bed as we wait for any news about Rosa.
