Not sure what's going on with the reviews as they aren't posting, but I have gotten them via email! Thank you, Heartie78, pcwoodmansee1, RebekahWrites, and SusieThornton for your reviews! :) :)
Hope yall enjoy this next chapter! ;)
May 2014
Abby's fun didn't stop after graduation. After a whirlwind trip of moving her belongings back home, she headed off for a two-week trip. The first week was to visit her Aunt Viola and Uncle Oliver in Manchester, England, before traveling to Spain to join the school's mission team. Abby was so excited as she would be working with the local church. Her team would be heading up the church's very first Vacation Bible School for the children. After the missions trip, Abby planned to spend a few weeks in Colorado with her family before heading off to Connecticut to live with her grandparents and start her new job as a marketing assistant in William Thatcher's company. Big changes were about to happen in the Thornton home. However, nothing could prepare any of them for what would happen next.
The morning of May 31st started off as a normal day. It was a Saturday, and Jack had switched his shift with a colleague so he would be working the afternoon shift. As he drove to work, he passed Eleven Mile State Park and noticed a ton of people out sailing, paddleboarding, and jet skiing on the lake. He grumbled wishing he could have been the one on the water, especially since when he left, Elizabeth was getting ready to take Daniel and Madison to the lake after lunch with Abigail. Thirty minutes later, he walked into the work break room to put his dinner in the refrigerator. Two of his co-workers, Bo and Wyatt were standing by the vending machine talking.
"Hey, Jack, good to see you," Bo said, slapping Jack on the back.
"Good to see you too, man," Jack said. Bo had been one of the rookies he had trained. Once Bo passed training, Jack rarely worked with him as they worked different shifts. "I hope today's uneventful."
"Good luck with that," Wyatt laughed. "Trouble starts happening around 5 PM. Too many careless drivers not thinking about anyone else but themselves."
Unfortunately, Jack spoke too soon. His radio beeped.
"Dang it." Jack muttered. The dispatcher alerted them to a boating accident at Eleven Mile State Park. The Chief radioed in and named the men that were assigned to the scene of the accident. Jack, Wyatt, and Bo were included in the ones who were called.
"10-4." Jack reported back. "Well, guys, that's our cue." Jack took off. As he sped to the lake, he received bits of information. A man was sailing his catamaran when a speedboat hit him at full speed. Witnesses pulled him out of the water and were able to bring him to shore. The man wasn't responding.
As they got to the lake, Jack, Bo, Wyatt, and the paramedics ran to the group of people standing around. They backed away as the police and paramedics approached. Someone was performing CPR on the young man. As Jack got closer, his heart stopped. It couldn't be. He shouldn't be. He bolted towards him, with the other guys closer behind. No, no, no. This can't be happening. Jack blinked several times. It wasn't a dream. It was more like one of his worst nightmares.
Jack knew that being part of the police force meant knowing too much and seeing too much. His worst nightmare was arriving at a scene in which Elizabeth, his children, or his best friends and family were involved in. In the several years Jack had been with the force, he was fortunate his fear hadn't become a reality.
Until today.
"BEN!" Jack shouted. He dropped to his knees and started checking Ben for any sign of responsiveness. There was a witness performing CPR on Ben. His eyes were shut. His body felt cold. "No. This isn't happening." Jack started panicking as he tried to feel for a pulse. "Come on, Ben," he muttered. "You've gotta start responding" He checked Ben's breathing. Still nothing. The witness continued CPR as Jack checked for Ben's pulse. "If you won't do it for me, do it for Abby." The paramedics took over. After what seemed like forever, Ben's started breathing. But it was very shallow. His pulse became slightly stronger, yet still very, very weak.
He was alive.
For now.
"He needs to be air flighted to St. Francis Medical." The paramedic said to Jack.
"How do you know him?" Wyatt asked curiously. Jack rarely became emotional on site.
"He's-" Jack gulped to keep calm. "like a son to me." Wyatt gave Jack a sympathetic look.
"We'll take over from here," Wyatt said. "I'll call the family. Bo's already talking to witnesses. Smith and West are making arrests. According to a witness I just spoke to, a bunch of kids were fooling around on a speedboat and he seems to think alcohol was involved. They hit him full speed."
"What was he doing out there?"
"He was out sailing on his catamaran."
It all made sense. Ben often frequented the lake as boating and water sports were some of his favorite hobbies. Jack nodded and thanked him before running towards the paramedics. Ben was still unresponsive. The next several minutes were a blur.
Jack watched the paramedics work on Ben. This couldn't be happening. The helicopter arrived and Ben was whisked away.
"How bad is it?" Jack asked one of the paramedics. She shook her head.
"It doesn't look promising. It's a wonder the force of impact didn't kill him on the spot."
Jack jumped in his squad car. He couldn't think straight. Rather, he couldn't think period. He had to get to the hospital.
As Jack ran into hospital lobby from the side entrance, he ran into Elizabeth and Pastor Frank who came in from the front entrance. Jack and Elizabeth spoke at the same time.
"Have you heard from Lee or Rosie?"
"Do you know what happened?"
Jack led them to the level three trauma waiting room and explained what he knew. Elizabeth explained that she and Madison were at Abigail's when Rosemary called her frantic. She could only make out that Ben had been in an accident and they were heading to St. Francis. As they walked into the waiting room, Lee and Rosemary both stood. Their faces pale. Rosemary looked as though she could crack at any moment.
"How is he?" Elizabeth asked softly.
"The doctor said that the next 48 hours are critical. He's just not sure." Lee said gravely. Elizabeth's hand flew to her mouth. "Right now, they're working on stabilizing him before any surgery can be done." Rosemary's face was pale and she said nothing. Elizabeth's eyes welled up with tears as put her arms around her friend. The room became eerily silent with only the sniffles and sobs echoing throughout. Jack looked at Lee. He looked as though he had aged ten years.
"Oh, Lee, I'm so sorry," Jack said. That was the only thing he could say.
"They told us you were at the scene," Lee said, emotionless. "We're glad you were..." His voice trailed off.
No one could say anything else. Frank put his arms around both Rosemary and Lee and started to pray. He prayed for wisdom for the doctors. For miraculous healing for Ben. For comfort and peace for Rosemary and Lee.
Elizabeth, Jack, and Pastor Frank waited with Lee and Rosemary in the waiting room. Several minutes later, Abigail arrived with Michaela, Jenna, and a box of boxed dinners. Rosemary and Lee walked out of the waiting room to speak with their girls privately. Jack's heart ached as he saw Michaela fall into Lee's arms sobbing. They could hear Jenna pleading with her parents that everything was going to be okay and watched Rosemary only take her into her arms and hold her. Michaela and Jenna were close to their brother. Jack had to look away. He couldn't stand to watch his best friends suffer this way. Elizabeth instinctively reached for his hand. Pastor Frank walked out of the room and put his arms around the Coulters and pray once more. When they entered the room, they were silent. Tears were still running. A few minutes later, the doctor called for Lee and Rosemary.
"Mom, can't we come too?" Jenna asked.
"No, sweetheart," Rosemary said. "We'll be back."
They followed the doctor down the hall and disappeared. Abigail put her arm around Jenna and let her continue to cry.
The scene was too familiar with Jack, except the last time he had been in a trauma center was when his father passed away. It was hard for him to sit there as the memories flooded back. He remembered meeting his mother just outside the waiting room. He remembered the doctor calling his mother away to let her know that nothing else could be done. He remembered the dim lit room. The wires. The monitors. The blinking lights. He telling his father his final goodbye.
Several hours later, Lee and Rosemary returned. Jack looked at Lee. Lee shook his head and sat back down. The reports were grim. No one, not even the doctors or nurses, knew what to expect.
The mood was solemn that evening in the Thornton home. Ethan was picking up Daniel and Madison from Becky's house and they were due home any moment. Jack and Elizabeth only mentioned to Ethan that Ben was involved in an accident.
"How are we going to tell her?" Elizabeth asked Jack while they waited. Abby. Jack had forgotten all about her. Abby was due to arrive home on Monday morning. As far as they knew, she knew nothing.
"I don't know," Jack said. "Do you think she'll find out about this through social media?"
"I don't think so. Viola said she accidentally left her cell phone at her house. And besides that, their team decided to leave all technology behind at home so that they could solely focus on the ministry. I know the team leads have phones. I could let them know not to tell her so that we can." Elizabeth started scrolling through her phone to send an email to the team leaders.
Jack was worried about how Abby would react to the news. Ben was one of her closest and dearest friend. He couldn't imagine how Abby would react.
The door flung open. "Ma, is it true about Ben Coulter?" Daniel asked, his eyes wide. Madison and Ethan were right behind him. Elizabeth told them about the accident.
"Oh, dang," Ethan mumbled. "That's horrible."
"Is he going to be okay?" Madison asked.
Jack and Elizabeth looked at each other. "We don't know," Jack said, honestly.
"Is he..." Daniel asked, realizing the severity of the situation. "Going to make it?" Elizabeth and Jack said nothing.
"What about Abby?" Ethan said looking to both of his parents. "She doesn't know, does she?"
"No. We'll tell her on Monday when she gets home," Elizabeth said.
"Which leads me to this: you cannot tell her. She MUST hear it from us," Jack said firmly.
"Yes, sir," Daniel said. While he knew he often teased his sister, he knew this was no joking matter. Ethan nodded.
"Do you think she'll be okay?" Madison asked, sitting next to her parents, wrapping her arm around her mom.
"I hope so," Elizabeth said. "I sure hope so."
"I'm getting nervous," Elizabeth admitted as they turned into the airport arrival terminal. Jack patted her leg reassuringly.
"It'll be okay," Jack said, trying to convince even himself.
As Jack spotted Abby sitting on the bench, he and Elizabeth pulled up to the curbside pick up. Abby waved excitedly as she saw their suburban pull up.
"Dad! Mom!" Abby exclaimed as they got out the car. "It's so good to be home!" They exchanged hugs, and Jack put her luggage in the back of the Suburban. Abby chattered excitedly about visiting Viola and Oliver and how they took her to Buckingham Palace and how she visited Jane Austen's home. She jumped into talking about her missions trip and the jobs they had ministering to the children, oblivious to the tense mood in the car. In between exchanging glances with one another, they did their best keep up with her upbeat, jovial attitude.
"So, where are we going for lunch?" Abby asked. "Wait, let me guess, Abigail's?" She laughed at her own joke- where else would they go?
"We're actually going home first," Elizabeth said. That was fine with Abby as she kept talking. Jack barely heard a word she said. He and Elizabeth kept exchanging glances. They knew they had to bring up the accident, but in the car was not appropriate. They pulled up to the house and Jack pulled out Abby's luggage.
"Where's everyone else?" Abby asked as they entered the house.
"Ethan's working and Daniel and Madison are at friend's houses." Jack and Elizabeth purposefully planned this so that they could both have a private time with Abby. They were planning to tell Abby after lunch but were quickly realizing that they couldn't hold out any longer.
"Oh, okay," Abby said. She looked at her parents, realizing their solemn faces. They seemed tense. They should be happy that she's home. "What's going on?" She looked at Jack, then Elizabeth, then Jack again. "Is there something wrong?" Abby watched them exchange looks.
"Abby, we need to talk to you," Elizabeth led her to the couch and sat next to her. Jack sat catty-corner to them and leaned forward.
"Is everything okay? You guys are kinda freaking me out," Abby said. "Seriously." Jack made eye contact with Elizabeth and nodded.
Elizabeth sighed. "There was an accident on Saturday. Ben was out sailing when a speedboat crashed into his catamaran."
"Oh my gosh. That's awful!" Abby said, not fully understanding the severity of the situation. "Can I go see him? Maybe bring him a movie from Redbox and popcorn or something?"
"Abby." Jack's voice was low. Elizabeth pursed her lips and put her hand on Abby's leg to stop her from going further. Abby looked at Jack who shook his head sympathetically. It suddenly hit Abby. This wasn't a minor accident.
"No. Is he-" Abby stopped herself. She couldn't continue the thought.
"He's in the ICU. The doctors and surgeons are doing everything they can," Elizabeth said gently.
"He's going to be okay, right?" Abby said in shock. She looked from her mom to her dad. "Say he's going to be okay," Abby's voice was higher and her tone was demanding.
Elizabeth and Jack looked at each other silent. They couldn't lie. They couldn't tell her that everything would be okay. Because it may not be. They couldn't give her false hope. Abby's eyes grew wide and her mouth started to speak, but no words would form. Jack shook his head.
"They aren't sure if he's going to make it, sweetheart," Elizabeth said.
"What?" Abby whispered. "No. That can't be true. Are you sure it was him? What do you—" Abby's hand flew to her mouth and started to sob. She crumpled into her mother's arms like a small child and wept. Elizabeth just held her silently, tears also sliding down her face. Jack's heart broke for Abby, as he knew that the only thing they could do was to pray. And that's exactly what he did.
Abby went to her room shortly after she found out the news about Ben. Elizabeth brought her tea as Abby denied her, or anyone else for that matter, food. Abby's siblings went in to see her one by one through the day.
As Jack walked up the stairs, he overheard a conversation Abby was having with one of her siblings.
"Abby, he keeps asking you to call him," Ethan said. "He keeps texting me. And it's getting old."
"I don't want to talk to anyone right now," Abby said annoyed. "Heck, I don't even really want to talk to you!"
"Look, I get it. You're in a hard place right now," Ethan said calmly.
"I-"
"I'm not dumb, Abby. I know how you feel about Ben. The question is, do YOU know how you feel about him? You can't keep playing Justin if your heart is calling you somewhere else." Ethan said plainly.
"Get out of my room," Abby said. "We are not talking about this right now. Or ever."
Ethan sighed. "I love you, sis. I'm just looking out for you. Especially after what happened this last semester." Ethan walked out of her room and ran into Jack. He shook his head and walked away. Jack started to go to Abby's room, but stopped. He knew he had to let her come to him. Whatever happened would come out eventually.
Jack woke up to a noise in the kitchen. He rolled over to see Elizabeth still sound asleep. He could see a light under the doorway. Yawning, he got out of bed to see who was up this late. Abby was sitting at the kitchen bar. She had her Bible, journal, and a cup of tea spread out. Her hair was in a messy bun. She was wearing her Baylor sweats and a plain t-shirt. Abby was playing with her necklace with left hand and was writing something in her journal with her right hand.
"It's late, Abby," Jack said walking into the kitchen.
"I can't sleep." Abby said, putting her pen down. Jack noticed that her Bible was open to Zephaniah.
Odd book to be reading this late at night. "You need to get some rest," Jack tried to encourage. Abby's eyes started to tear up again.
"I can't."
"Please, Abby. Everyone is worried about you. And I heard the exchange you had with your brother earlier. Ethan's concerned youre okay."
"I'm okay."
"You really need to get sleep." Jack tried again. "Ben would want you to take care of yourself."
"It's too late," Abby whispered.
"What do you mean "It's too-"
"I can't- I need to-" Abby's words were faltering. Jack put his arm around her.
"Abby." Jack tried finding the right words to say.
"I need to see him," Abby said abruptly. She shut her journal and put her pen down.
"It's almost 3 AM," Jack started, even though he knew it would be no use.
"No, I have to see him now." Abby stood. "Please?" She whispered.
Jack understood. "Let me text Lee."
"I'm sorry, miss, family only," the receptionist said. Jack looked at his daughter. She wasn't taking no for an answer.
"But, I've been out of the country, and he's my," Abby stumbled over her words. "friend. And I—"
"I'm sorry, but rules are rules. Visiting hours are over until 8 in the morning. You have to be family—"
"They are family," a firm, yet familiar voice came from around the corner. Lee greeted them.
"But, Mr. Coulter—"
"Family," Lee said firmly. "Family isn't always a blood relation." The receptionist issued Abby and Jack a badge and Lee escorted them upstairs. "They've moved him, but he's not out of the woods."
"Can I..see him?" Abby asked timidly. "I-"
"He'd like that." Lee led them to the front of Ben's hospital room. Abby washed her hands before entering. As she opened the door, Jack saw Ben for the first time. The room was dim, only lit up by the back light behind the hospital bed and the blinking monitors. The only noise heard was the beeping of the machines. He was hooked up to multiple machines and his head was covered in bandages. Abby slowly entered into the room and quietly shut the door behind her. Jack and Lee retreated to the waiting room. The two men talked for several minutes.
"Lee, we can stay here with Ben if you want to go home and get some rest." Jack offered.
"Thanks, but I think I'm okay. Rosemary and I have been taking shifts."
"How is she holding up?" Jack asked.
"Better than I expected," Lee said. "She's been quite the rock for the girls and me. Jumping into action when needed. Making sure all of the paperwork was filled out. The day of the accident, Rosemary happened to surprise me at the office— she brought lunch over. Right as we finished, we got the worst call of our lives. I couldn't think straight, Jack. I had never been so terrified in my life. Rosemary took charge and got us to the hospital. I was so shaken up."
"I'm glad you have each other. She told me how you were her rock when she saw Ben for the first time."
Lee nodded. "I had never seen her so broken. I know she can be over-the-top, but this time, it was real. In all our years together, I've never seen her cry like this." Lee paused. It was though he had something else on his mind and he wasn't sure how to ask. Finally, he said, "How'd Abby take hearing the news?"
"She took it worse than the others," Jack admitted.
"Can I be honest for a minute? I know the ladies had been planning Abby & Ben's wedding since birth and I thought it was ridiculous," Lee grinned and Jack chuckled thinking back to Rosemary's flamboyant monologues on china patterns and the country club venue. "But for a little bit, I got a little excited. Deep down. Don't tell the ladies that though. I'll never hear the end from Rosie." Lee said. "But anyways, I can speak for Rosemary when I say this: we love Abby, and all of your kids, of course, like our own. You raised a great girl, Jack."
"Thanks, Lee, you've raised some pretty awesome kids yourself," Jack said.
"Can you believe we're at this point in life? Married old family and career men?"
"Never would have thought of you as a family man...especially as you drove up to the university administration building in your Harley."
Lee laughed. "Did you know Rosemary thought I was a "bad boy" because of that bike?"
"Really?" Jack laughed. "I'm almost not surprised."
The two talked about college and the good ole days until Abby walked in with a tote of coffee and a box of donuts. Jack noticed that Abby's eyes were red again from crying.
"I thought you may need this. Black coffee and one cream for you," she said handing the cup to Jack, "and a hazelnut coffee for you." She handed the cup to Lee. "Oh, and here are the donuts."
"Thanks, Abby." Lee said opening the box.
"Sour cream is still your favorite right?" Abby asked, looking at Lee shyly. Abby remembered that Lee was consistent in his choice of beverage and donut.
Lee smiled kindly at Abby. "Most definitely."
"Thanks for letting us stop by," Abby said, the mood slightly shifting again. "Please call or text if," Abby swallowed. Jack could see she was fighting tears again. "If Ben needs me." That was all Abby could say.
"I will." Lee promised. "I know your visit today meant a lot to Ben. He's a fighter, Abby. We'll get through this. Together." Abby hugged Lee.
As Jack and Abby drove back home, they watched the sun rise while listening to their favorite music station. Jack couldn't help but think it was God's reminder to them during such a difficult time.
"Thanks, Dad, for taking me," Abby said. "I'm going to my room to rest." She hugged Jack. Jack kissed the top of her head.
"I love you, Abby. Remember, we are here for you." Abby nodded before heading to her room.
