CHAPTER 28 – Crashes

2 MONTHS LATER…

The crowd were going wild, everyone's adrenaline was off the scale, whether they were racing or not they felt the energy. Tej threw up his hands then let them drop, the cars left a cloud of smoke as they reached 60 in seconds.

The crowd got louder. CJ, Jade, Vince, Jesse, Leon, Ty, and Brian stood watching. Mia was home with Brianna and CJ came along to this one as it was Ty's first street race and she wanted to keep an eye on him.

They watched as the bridge rose, "no one's mad enough to risk that" Ty said looking at CJ. Roman and Dom were racing against another two members of a team; Dorian and Trey. They were racing for pinks, so she knew Roman and Dom would risk it. The deal was both members of the team had to cross the line first, behind one another.

"You'd be surprised kiddo" CJ said putting her hands on his shoulders as he stood in front of her. Dom was racing the Honda Civic Brian had been doing up for CJ, test driving it as he put it, so even if they lost (which was really unlikely) it wouldn't be much of a loss. Roman though was in his Spyder and if he lost he'd be a crying baby for weeks.

The Honda came flying over the bridge followed closely by the Spyder with the Skyline dangerously close to Roman's car. CJ held her breathe and squeezed Tyrese's shoulders knowing this wasn't going to end well.

Dom landed and used his hand break to pull the car to a halt just over the finish line; Roman landed fine and put his foot down to race to the finish line too. CJ sighed thankful it went well. As he crossed the finish line his opponent clipped him and made his car flip. CJ watched as Roman's car flipped three times as if in slow motion, before it finally landed the right way up. CJ began to run towards it, as the rest of the crowd huddled round it.

"ROMAN" CJ shouted pushing past people to get to Roman. She pushed to the front to see no one checking to see if Roman was ok they were just stood staring at his car whispering and pointing. CJ turned around seeing the state of the car "Jade keep every one back!" CJ commanded pushing Ty towards Jade.

"No I wanna…" Ty began

"Ty help keep everyone back the car could blow" CJ said pointing a finger at him making sure he got the message; he nodded tears filling his eyes. CJ rushed to the driver's side of Roman's car only now noticing the smoke coming from under the bonnet.

"Roman" CJ said seeing him lying with his head resting on the head rest of the chair. He had blood coming from his head and lip, his arm was cut up and that was all the damage she could see though she knew there would be more. "Roman talk to me!" she demanded tears streaming down her face. She shook him trying to wake him.

"CJ" he said softly but not opening his eyes trying to move his head.

"Rome you've gotta get out of here," CJ told him trying not to panic she knew the car was in a bad shape and would probably blow up, especially with the NOS tanks in it.

"I just need to sleep for a while" Roman told her "it hurts"

"I know baby I know but you've gotta get out of here, you can rest when your out I promise for months just please get out" She told him, she knew he was weak, and aching but he had to get out of the car. "Rome the car's gonna blow and your not gonna be in it when it does" she explained to him climbing in the window and undoing his seatbelt for him. "NOW GET YOUR SORRY ASS OUT OF HERE!" she said trying the door. "I can't pull you out of here on my own your gonna have to help me here babe" she said softly the door not opening it was too messed up. "Brian, Dom get over here!" CJ yelled through the crowd not seeing them anywhere. She tried to help Roman out of the car through the window. Flames came from the bonnet and CJ knew they were running out of time. "Roman if you go up I go up too now get your big ass muscles out of this car" she said trying to will him out of the car, he was to incoherent to hear her much less move. "Try that door" CJ told Brian as he came running up. He tried it and it opened. He climbed in and began to pull Roman out Dom at his side helping him carry Roman away from the car. They ran as fast as they could with him away from the car CJ following. The car blew making some people in the crowd scream. Everyone was out of range although the car flew in the air a few feet high.

"we gotta get out of here the cops with be on us any minute" Vince said opening Dom's car so he and Brian could put Roman in the back.

Dom looked at CJ "I'll get Ty just get him to a hospital!" CJ said rushing off to Jade and Ty.

"He ok?" Ty asked her as she pulled him in to a hug.

"He's fine" she said even though she couldn't be sure "but we gotta get out of here before the Police come ok?"

"Come on" Brian said coming up behind her "I'll take you to the hospital"

"I'll go with Jesse" Jade said rushing off to get in Jesse's Jetta. Satisfied everyone had a way of getting home CJ darted off with Brian and Ty to Brian's car.


"Your arm ok?" Dom asked CJ noticing the blood coming from the back of her right arm.

"yeah I'm good" CJ replied trying to look at the cut "I must have done it climbing in the window" she guessed "it's just a scratch it will heal"

"Is he really ok?" Ty asked CJ sat in the waiting room with the team. Roman had been in the Emergency Room for almost and hour now and there had been no news on him.

"He's gonna be fine babe" CJ said giving him a reassuring smile. "if your dad is one thing he's a fighter and he's been through a lot worse than this, hell he has me as a friend don't get more worse than that" she said laughing. He laughed with her too and then the frown and fear found his expression again. "You want a drink?" CJ asked him, he nodded to her. She got up and left the room walking down the hall she had been directed down by the nurse as to where the vending machines were. She put in the money and pushed the button for Pepsi three times before it dispensed one.

"You ok?" she turned around to see Brian stood in front of her. She nodded and half smiled fighting back tears, she wasn't going to breakdown, she refused to, she wouldn't let herself for Ty's and Jade's sake. Jade had been sobbing on to Jesse's shoulder; she didn't need the stress of this being 3 months pregnant.

"I'm holding up" she answered honestly sitting down on the chairs beside the vending machine.

"What you said in there is true you know" Brian told her sitting beside her "he's a fighter, and it probably looked worse than it is"

"You didn't hear him, he wanted to give up Bri," she said softly

"But he wont, he'll fight, for you, for Ty, he will don't worry" Brian told her putting his hand on her knee for reassurance.

"I know he will…it's just…I almost lost him you know…watching him sat there not talking I almost...." CJ stopped "I'm not gonna say it, it didn't happen there's no point in thinking about it" she said looking up at him, noticing the intense gaze he had on her she said "we better get back, they will get suspicious"

"Let them" Brian said moving closer to her. He kissed her softly on the lips and she allowed him to. Neither one pulled away them both wanting one another and needing to be comforted, "I still love you" Brian said coming out of this kiss slowly and leaning his head on hers his eyes still closed.

"I love you too" She said before standing up "but I'm not gonna do this again Bri…I promised Rome I wouldn't and I'm not gonna break that… I mean god, I've been helping Mia plan your wedding that is in three months in case you forgot"

"I know but I can't help the way I feel about you, CJ, I'd do anything for you, you want me to leave Mia I will, we could run away together and be together" he said standing up in front of her.

"Brian I wanna be with you just as much as you wanna be with me but we can't you know we can't, I can't and won't leave Rome and Ty" CJ told him before walking away towards the waiting room again. She sat besides Ty again and handed him his can of Pepsi, he smiled his thank you to her and kept quiet. "Hey if you're lucky, your Dad will have to stay in for a few days so you will get to play Playstation in peace!" she joked to him. He laughed smiling, if she was confident Roman was ok, then he had nothing to worry about.

"He'd probably make us bring it here for him so I couldn't play it anyway" Ty replied. In the past two months he and his father had become close, although they were more like friends than father and son, CJ and Roman did the bad cop good cop thing, CJ being the bad cop enforcing rules and Roman being the good cop and helping Ty break them.

Brian entered the room and told the team Mia didn't answer the phone. "She's probably in bed" Brian concluded looking at his watch that read 3.45 am. CJ glanced at him making sure he didn't have that boyish grin he had most of the time, the team would know he had lied cause he had nothing to smile about at the moment. He had obviously used the excuse of Mia to go and talk with CJ.


"Dom could you call Tej, make sure he's moved the car so there's no evidence" CJ said running her hands across her face. Ty was lay with his head on her lap sleeping lightly, Jade doing the same to Jesse. "I don't want the cops tracing the car back to Rome"

"Sure" Dom said before exiting the room to make the necessary calls. He came back in ten minutes later putting his cell phone back in to his pocket. "He's done it" Dom told her. CJ sighed that was one less thing she had to worry about.

"Mrs Pearce?" a nurse asked walking in to the waiting room holding a clip board, about three hours after they had arrived with Roman.

"That's me" CJ said guiding Ty off of her lap softly and then standing up. Everyone looked at her knowing when she had filled in the paperwork she had signed her name as Mrs Pearce so they would give her the first hand information.

"Mr Pearce has…" the nurse began.

"Could we go outside?" CJ interrupted. If it was going to be bad news she didn't want Tyrese to hear it from the nurse she would tell him herself. The nurse nodded and turned to leave the room CJ following, making sure the door closed behind her.

"Your husband is lucky" the nurse began "he has a broken a few ribs, has a mild concussion, has broken his left leg and lots of cuts and bruises other than that he is fine" she explained to her "he will have to stay in for a few days maybe a week but other than that he is very lucky"

"Thank you" CJ told her the nurse nodded "Can we go in and see him?" CJ asked

"Yes but only a few at a time three at the most, and don't be in there long, he needs his rest" the nurse instructed and then walked away.

CJ put her hands together as if praying and looked up at the ceiling "thank you" she repeated tears of relief filling her eyes. She knew it could have gone a lot worse than it had. She took a deep breath and composed herself before re-entering the room. She smiled at Ty who was sat up rubbing his eyes sleepily. She gave him a reassuring smile and then began "he's ok, broke his leg, some ribs, got concussion and cuts and bruises" CJ told them all sighing in relief.

"Can we got see him?" Jade asked before Ty could.

"Yeah only three at a time though and in small doses, he needs rest" CJ said smiling at her.

"Can I go in and see him now?" Ty asked walking over to her.

"Sure" CJ said pulling him in to a hug

"I wanna see him too" Jade said standing up and leaving the room with CJ and Ty.


CJ stopped in front of the room where the nurse had told them Roman was resting in. she put her arms on Ty's shoulders and looked directly in to his eyes. "listen to me Ty, your Dad is gonna be battered and bruised to shit, he might not even look like your Dad and he is gonna be in pain, if you can't handle just bail, it's cool" CJ told him.

"I'll be fine" Ty told her shrugging her hands off his shoulders. "I can handle it" CJ sighed an 'ok' and then nodded towards the door for Jade to enter.

Jade opened the door and walked in. his bed was facing the far wall with monitoring machines every where; he had IV's and wires and tubes coming out of him. His face was battered and bruised as CJ said he barely looked like Rome, his face was swollen and you could hear him breathing deeply, almost as if he were fighting to breathe. Jade went to his side and held his hand that had dozens of tiny cuts on it. She began to cry her emotions getting the best of her. Ty stood beside her and placed his hands on her shoulders. It seemed to soothe her and her crying subsided. CJ watched them and it was just like watching herself and Roman 6 years ago at her mother's funeral…

CJ stood in the garden of her newly inherited house, she would have given up the house, everything just to see her mother again. She was holding a glass of wine that had been poured for her to toast one last time to her mother. She ran out in to the garden before Sonja (her mothers close friend and colleague) hadn't even finished her speech. She didn't want to toast to her mother one last time, she wanted her there, hugging her, telling her she loved her.

She had been so strong in the first week of her mother's death and not cried in front of anyone, except Roman. She was being strong for Jade, but today was to much and Jade was upstairs with Jesse crying herself, so CJ wasn't that bothered at the moment that she had broken down in front of everyone.

As Sonja began her speech CJ was holding Dom's hand firmly, he kept squeezing her hand as if to let her know he was still there. She came out of his grip and ran through the kitchen to her garden, Dom watched not knowing what to say to her to make her feel better. He hated seeing her in so much pain and it broke his heart every time he looked in to her eyes and saw the pain she was feeling. Roman had noticed her leave the room and followed after her nodding at Dom on his way to let him know he would talk with her for him.

CJ heard the door close behind her and Roman's heavy footsteps on the stairs walking towards her so she didn't try and hide her free flowing ocean of tears. She actually smiled at how well she knew him as to know how his footsteps sounded. He placed his hands on her shoulder and needed out the knots. Soothing her. She put her hand on top of his and sighed.

"Everything's gonna be ok" Roman assured her "I'm gonna help you out no matter what you need, I'm here for you" he told her. "Don't worry about a thing old Romey Rome is here for you Baby Girl" he said softly. She turned around and flung herself in to his arms wetting his suit jacket with her tears.

CJ left the room and leaned on the door after closing it quietly to not disturb Jade and Ty who were in a loving embrace. She wasn't sure they had even remembered she was in the room. She sighed loudly and let the tears roll down her cheeks. She put her hands over her face and cried freely. She was so relieved that Roman was alive, the emotion overwhelming her.


CJ woke up to find Jade shaking her. It was the day after Roman's crash and CJ had made Jade take Ty home with herself and Jesse to get some sleep and some fresh clothes for Roman. Ty debated with her to begin with he didn't want to leave his dad but CJ pulled the 'I'm in charge' card and forced him to leave and come back in the morning. She understood why he didn't want to leave in case something went wrong in the night but CJ assured him she would call if anything were to happen.

"morning" CJ said rubbing her eyes sleepily.

"Afternoon" Jesse replied.

"what time is it?" CJ inquired.

"4.30" Jade told her sitting in the seat beside her.

"He woke up yet?" Ty inquired.

"he mumbled something earlier, woke up for five minutes and complained he was in pain so the nurse gave him some medicine and he fell back to sleep like practically straight away" CJ explained to him.

"You want some coffee?" Jesse asked CJ as she stood up and stretched her whole body. She had been sleeping in the chair for nearly 8 hours now. The team had left at 8.30 Am and Jesse, Jade and Ty were the first to come back.

"Yeah I'ma go get me some coffee, there's only supposed to be three of us in here anyway" CJ explained walking to the door and leaving the room.


A/N: Im sorry this chapter sucked and not much happened but things will get better soon, i hope. Thanks for reading.

Stacey