CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
NICKY
It took him a moment to realize what was going on, but then the pain hit. Nicky could tell he'd injured his arm badly, and his head hurt. He must have hit it, but how?
Suddenly, it came back to him. He'd been driving, and someone had hit their car… And he wasn't alone. "Mom!" He cried out. It came out as more of a groan than anything else. "Mommy…" He mumbled.
"Baby…" His mother replied. He heard her voice and tried to focus on it. "Nicky, Baby, I'm right here… I'm right here, Baby…" He could feel her moving beside him. She fumbled with his seatbelt for a moment before releasing it.
Nicky looked at his mother. She had a nasty cut on her head, but she seemed to be okay. She was moving easily. "I… I wore my seatbelt," Nicky mumbled. "You always told me to wear my seatbelt, no matter what, and I did… I wore it…" He knew he was rambling, but he couldn't stop.
"That's good, Baby. That's really good. That seatbelt saved your life." She hugged him. "Nicky, can you get out of the car?"
He hesitated, then nodded. It hurt. "I think so," he said.
"Okay. I need you to do that, okay? And I'm going to check on Saraya and Trixie."
Panic hit him suddenly. "Oh God… Are they okay?" He asked.
"I don't know yet, Baby… Just get out of the car and call an ambulance. Can you do that for me, Baby?"
"I… Yeah. Yes, okay." He moved slowly, testing his legs. He was able to stand, although he was dizzy. He got out of the car and pulled out his cell phone. That was when he saw the back of the car. Nicky nearly began to scream.
He remembered flipping over and rolling down the hill beside the highway, but he hadn't realized that the back of the car had taken most of the impact. He vaguely remembered the other driver smashing into Saraya's door, sending them over the hill, but seeing how smashed in the backseat was, he was certain both his aunt and cousin were dead.
"Oh God," he heard his mother whisper as he forced himself to dial 911.
"911. What's your emergency?" An operator answered.
"I… I was in an accident… My car's totaled… They're hurt… We're all hurt…" Nicky said.
"Sir, I need you to try to calm down and tell me how many people are there, and who has what injuries."
"My arm… I think I broke my arm… And my head's hurt… I… I think I have a concussion. It's no big deal. It's not the first time… My mom's got a head injury, too… The car… It flipped over… A lot… But my cousin and my aunt… They're in the backseat… It's bad… It's… It's crushed… It's crushed."
The operator kept talking, but he couldn't hear her. Instead, he heard his mother. "Saraya… Fuck… Come on, Saraya, don't do this..." She was saying. "Damnit!" She moved on to Trixie. "Trixie… Trix, listen to me… You have to stay with me, honey…"
"They're hurt… They're hurt so bad…" Nicky mumbled. He couldn't breathe. He knew panic attacks all too well. This was definitely one of the worst he'd ever experienced.
"Nicky… Baby, I need you to come over here and help me," his mother called.
Numbly, he followed her. "I'm on with 911," he said, suddenly remembering this fact.
His mother nodded. "That's good, Baby."
"I don't know where we are…"
"They'll track the call. It's okay, Baby. They're coming."
They're coming, Nicky thought, reciting it over and over again in his mind like a mantra. The ambulance is coming. Help is coming. We're going to be alright.
TRIXIE
She was supposed to be in pain. She knew that, but she couldn't feel any. She was pretty sure she was in shock. Her body was in so much pain that it felt absolutely none. She struggled to figure out what was going on, but nothing made sense.
She could hear Corri calling to her. "Trixie… Stay with me," she said urgently.
She wanted to respond. She wanted to smile reassuringly and tell her aunt that she was fine, but she couldn't remember how to do that. She couldn't remember how to do much of anything. She finally forced herself to open her eyes, which was a lot more difficult than she thought it should be.
She could see her mother beside her. Her head was bleeding and hanging at an odd angle. Trixie was terrified by the sight of her mum like that, but she couldn't remember how to call out to her.
"Look over here, Luv," her mum said from her other side. Trixie was confused. How could she be talking to her from where Corri was when she was beside her, looking horribly injured? "Just look over here. Not over there."
Trixie somehow turned her head slightly and looked away from the sight of her mother. Now, she could still see her mother, but she looked like she normally did. In addition to her mother, she saw another face. "It's alright, Ducky," her grandmum said. "Just keep looking at us here."
Trixie wanted to ask how she was there. Her grandmum had been dead for several years, and she missed her terribly, yet here she was, right in front of her.
"Everything's going to be alright, Luv," her mum insisted. Trixie wasn't so sure of that, but she couldn't remember how to argue.
"Trixie, honey, stay with me! It's alright," Corri told her. "You're going to be alright."
Trixie closed her eyes, unable to do anything else in response.
NICKY
By the time the ambulance showed up, Nicky was thinking slightly more clearly. He understood now what was happening, and he watched in horror as the paramedics did their best to remove his aunt and cousin from the car.
They took Saraya out first. She was unconscious and had been the entire time. She still had a pulse, barely, but something was very wrong. Nicky could see the paramedics exchanging concerned glances as they loaded her into the ambulance.
As soon as they pulled Trixie out, she began twitching. Nicky realized she was having a seizure. "Oh, God," he whispered in horror.
"It's alright, Baby," His mother told him.
"Keep her steady," one of the paramedics said urgently.
After a few terrifying minutes, Trixie stopped seizing. Then, something worse happened. Nicky heard the monitor they'd hooked up to her flatline. "We're losing her," the other paramedic said. He barked out instructions and Nicky collapsed against his mother in tears. She tried to comfort him, but she didn't seem to be doing much better herself.
"Don't do this, Trixie… Please," she whispered.
Nicky prayed her words would somehow be enough to convince his cousin not to die.
TRIXIE
Trixie had been born dead. Now, she was dead again. She knew because she heard the monitor beeping steadily, pronouncing that she had no pulse. She felt the paramedics shocking her.
"Damnit, Trixie!" Corri cried out with tears in her voice. She had never heard her aunt sound so terrified or desperate before. "I'm not letting my sister lose you, too!"
What did that mean? Trixie wasn't sure what to think as the paramedics shocked her again. Suddenly, she felt her heart start beating again. It hurt. Suddenly, she could register pain, even if she couldn't make sense of what hurt or why.
She let out a groan, wishing she could scream instead. Corri started sobbing and took her hand. "Good girl," she whispered. "Don't ever scare me like that again, okay?"
She wanted to promise she wouldn't, but she couldn't remember how to form words. Instead, she let out another incoherent groan and hoped that her aunt understood what she meant.
"Trix… I'm so sorry, Trix…" Nicky mumbled. He was sobbing hysterically as he stood over her, and Trixie desperately wanted to comfort him, but she couldn't do more than groan again.
"We have to take her," one of the paramedics said. "She's still critical. She needs to be in the hospital as soon as possible."
"We're riding with her," Corri insisted. She wondered why she wasn't suggesting one of them ride with her mum. Where was her mum? Trixie didn't have time to ponder this as she was loaded into the ambulance and she blacked out again.
DANNY
He had just gotten coffee for himself and Cayla when he caught a glimpse of the television in the waiting room. The headline immediately got his attention.
MAJOR ACCIDENT… FIVE PEOPLE INJURED, TWO CRITICAL. PASSENGERS INCLUDING FOUR WWE PERSONNEL.
No, he thought. Come on… No more bad news…
"Police are reporting that the vehicle was destroyed," the reporter was saying. "Four of the people involved in the accident were traveling together on the way home from tonight's taping of RAW. Two of the passengers in that vehicle are in critical condition. Names have not been released as of yet because the families have not been notified, but I can confirm that the car was a red Ford sedan."
Danny dropped the coffee. He stared at the television in horror. "No," he whispered. "It can't be…"
When he turned around and saw someone standing behind him, he knew the horrible truth. "Danny," Randy said gently. "Where's Cayla?"
"Oh my God," Danny replied. "Please… It wasn't… It couldn't have been their car."
"It was… I'm sorry, Danny. It's bad. Corri called me."
"Tell me."
"She's alright. Concussed, but mostly okay. Nicky's concussed, too, and his arm's in bad shape…"
"Randy… Just say it."
"Saraya and Trixie weren't as lucky. It's bad, Danny. I don't know everything yet, but it isn't looking good. Corri said Trixie was somewhat responsive. She's alive. She's in very bad shape, but she's got a chance."
The way he said it, Danny suddenly understood his meaning. "Saraya?" He managed to ask.
Randy shook his head. "She's unresponsive. They'll have to run tests, but…" Randy sighed. "It doesn't look good, Danny. I need to find Cayla. She can't hear about this from just anyone, and they're on their way here right now."
Danny led him toward his mother's room. Cayla saw him in the doorway and looked panicked. "What happened? I know something's wrong. I can feel it. Where's my sister?" She asked.
"Corri's okay. Her injuries are fairly minor, considering… Cayla... There's been an accident," Randy said gently.
Cayla stiffened. She stepped away from his mother's bed and came into the hallway. "How bad is it?" She asked.
Randy looked like he was going to cry, something Danny had only seen one other time, when Cody died. Cayla shrank against him. "Oh God," she whispered. She knew who else was in the car. Randy held her, trying to console her.
Danny couldn't believe this was happening. How had this happened? Suddenly, guilt threatened to overwhelm him. He'd told Trixie not to come with him. The only reason Trixie and Saraya had been in that car was because he'd insisted he needed to see his mom without his wife, and now both she and her mother could be dying… From what Randy was saying, it was almost certain that Saraya was already there. They were going to die, and his mom was going to die, and there was nothing he could do about any of it…
KEITH
His mother had called him right after she called his father. He was still trying to process what had happened. Molly had driven him and Lucas to the hospital because she was somehow the calmest of the three of them. As they arrived in the waiting room, he spotted his mother and ran straight toward her.
"Mom!" He cried out.
"I'm okay, honey," she promised him as she hugged him. "I've had worse head injuries."
"Corri… What happened?" Molly asked.
"I was driving," Nicky answered numbly. His arm was in a sling, and he had somehow hidden behind his mother until he spoke. "The car was on the wrong side of the road, and Trixie warned me but it was too late, and I swerved, but it still hit us, and we… We…" He shook his head.
Lucas immediately hugged him, careful not to hit his arm. "Thank God you're okay," he whispered. "God, Nicky… Oh my God…" He was crying with relief.
"Nick…" Keith mumbled, hugging him, too. Molly joined in the hug.
"Fuck," Molly mumbled. "You can't leave me, Nicky. Okay?"
"Mom," Keith said suddenly. "Where are Trixie and Aunt Saraya?"
His mother looked at him sadly. "Trixie's in surgery," she said. "She's in really bad shape, but they think she's going to survive. There's a lot of damage to her head… It's bad. It's really bad. But she's breathing on her own, and they got her heart going again."
"Again? It… It stopped?" Molly asked in horror.
"It did."
"But she came back," Keith whispered. "Because… Because she's Trixie, and that's her specialty, coming back from the dead…" He paused. "Mom, you said Trix is in surgery. What about Aunt Saraya?"
She looked heartbroken. "The doctors aren't sure if they should operate," she said gently.
"Why?" Keith asked. "Why wouldn't they operate? If she's hurt, she needs surgery. They need to fix her."
"Honey… She…" She sighed.
That was when Keith spotted his aunt Cayla looking at him. He ran to her. "Aunt Cay… What happened? Where's Saraya?"
"She's in worse shape," Cayla managed to reply. "She's on a respirator, and a machine is… Is keeping her… Her heart…" She shook her head and began crying. His father pulled her back into his arms immediately, trying to soothe her.
"No," Keith said, shaking his head. "No, they're wrong. She'll be okay. People wake up from this sort of thing."
"Keith…" His father said.
"No! They're wrong!" He said again.
Molly looked at his father's face and then looked at him. "Keith… They're not wrong," she said gently.
A doctor appeared in the hallway. "The test results are in," he said to Cayla.
She nodded. "Just tell me," she whispered.
"I'm sorry. Your wife has no significant brain activity."
Nicky let out a cry unlike any Keith had ever heard before and sank to the floor. Lucas knelt beside him, trying to comfort him, but it was impossible.
"We can keep her on the machines for as long as her body will handle it," the doctor continued.
"Could she wake up if we do that?" Cayla asked.
He paused. "No, Ma'am. I'm sorry, but she won't wake up from this."
Cayla shrank against his father and the truth began to sink in to Keith. His aunt was braindead. She wasn't coming back. After a moment, Cayla took a deep breath and asked, "How long can life support keep her organs viable?"
"For transplant? Not very long, I'm afraid. A couple of days at most. Then the damage will start to set in."
Cayla bit her bottom lip before saying, "Just a couple of hours… I just… I need that much time."
"Of course."
"And I want to direct one of her… her organs."
"We can arrange that if she's a match."
"She is. She was tested a while back…" Cayla looked at Danny before saying, "I want Danielle Moinet to receive my wife's heart." Her voice was shaking and hoarse from crying, but she was obviously very determined to do this.
"Cayla, I… I can't let you do that. It's too much," Danny said. "You need her."
Cayla looked at Danny sadly and said, "And you need your mom… Saraya's not coming back to me, but your mom can still survive this." Tears streamed down her face as she buried it in Keith's father's chest again. His mother came up on her other side and held her, too.
Keith was too numb to process what was happening. His aunt was braindead and her heart was about to be given to Danny's mother, which would mean her body would be dead, too. He looked at Molly, tears in his eyes, and let her hold him. He couldn't speak. There weren't words.
"Your daughter's doing well in surgery," the doctor quickly added, almost as if to try to make the situation seem better somehow. "She's a strong young woman. After starting surgery, they have concluded that she has no spinal damage, nothing is broken, and her vitals are getting stronger by the minute. Most of the damage was to her head, and it's very bad… We won't know how bad until she's awake, but they're fairly confident that with time, she stands a decent chance of making a full recovery…"
Cayla looked at him and nodded. "Thank you," she whispered.
He left, apparently aware that there was no more he could do for the time being. Keith struggled to make sense of the impossible.
"I'm so sorry," Molly whispered as she led him slightly away from everyone else.
"Don't leave me, okay?" Keith asked her.
"Never," she promised. He struggled to hold on to that promise. He'd lost Cody and now his aunt in under a year. He wasn't sure where to go from here, but the one thing he knew was that he desperately needed Molly by his side.
DANNY
Since Trixie was still in surgery, Danny had gone back to his mother's bedside. He looked at how frail she was and could hardly believe that while he'd been waiting to lose her, Trixie had lost her mother instead… And she didn't even know yet.
"I love you, Mom," he whispered.
She opened her eyes and looked at him. "You're crying," she whispered. "Don't cry, honey."
"Mom… Something happened. And I don't want you to worry about it, because you need to rest… But you're going to be okay."
"Sweetheart, I'm dying… We both know it. There's no use denying it anymore."
"There's a heart, Mom. There's a heart for you."
"There's a… a heart?" She asked in shock.
"Yeah. So you have to promise me that you're going to make it a couple more hours, okay? Just hold on for a little longer and you'll be okay."
"I'm not dying?"
"You won't be soon."
She smiled before passing out again. Danny held her hand and tried not to cry. His mother was going to be okay, but Saraya was going to die. He'd never seen this coming, and he had no idea how to process it. Worst of all, he didn't know how he was going to explain it to Trixie. Would she hate him?
She has to survive to hate you, he thought. As long as Trixie didn't die, he could live with her hating him… But she had to be okay. She had to make it. She had to come back to him. He couldn't lose her, and he knew damn well that Cayla wouldn't survive if she lost her daughter in addition to her wife.
"I'm sorry, Saraya," he whispered aloud. He couldn't even begin to process what was about to happen, but right now, he just had to keep staying strong for his mom, and for Trixie, and for Cayla… Whatever happened next, they would all need him.
"She's out of surgery," Corri said, sticking her head into the room.
"Thanks," Danny said. He jumped up and raced to Trixie's room. She had too many wires hooked up to her, just like his mother.
"She did great," Cayla said, looking up from Trixie's bedside. "Her vitals are strong… She's going to make it, Danny. She's going to survive this."
Danny let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Trixie lay in the bed still unconscious. She looked so fragile that Danny almost started to cry, but instead, he took her hand.
"I'm here, Trix. I love you," he whispered. She didn't stir, but considering she hadn't been out of surgery for long, that didn't surprise him. He stayed beside her, determined to be there when she woke up.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I know you all hate me. I hate me, too, right now. I love Saraya just as much as all of you. I'm going to take a break to mourn right now, but another chapter will be coming soon.