It was the faraway voices that made him slowly come to.
Torri, go radio Nick at the Station. Tell them we have a car accident in the middle of Route 6, right by the Welcome sign! I think it's the car from the Californian Detectives!
Somewhere nearby, he heard the low rumble of the powerful V8 engine of the Galaxy, purring way peacefully. The smell of hot rubber had filled the cab and he could hear drips coming from nearby, hitting the floor mats at an increasing fast rate. Steve tried to open his eyes but couldn't muster the strength.
I am going to head over there, see if we have survivors, hun.
Barry, be careful dear…that looks pretty bad.
Beneath his closed eyelids, he could make out the flashing lights of an emergency vehicle nearby. Instinctively trying to reach the door handle, Steve was surprised when his fingers traced the outline of the plastic dash over on Mike's side.
There's one of them in here. I don't see the other one.
Okay…Nick says Doctor Walters just got done at their scene and is heading back to his practice, he can probably help your victim there if you can get him transported. Nick said he can send one of his fire fighters over to help you. Do they need to extricate?
No…no they won't. But we definitely could use the doctor…
The noise of heavy breathing emanated from outside, going along with the hectic footsteps rushing across the asphalt road. Steve groaned in pain when he tried to take a breath, the throbbing from his head suggesting that he hit something hard on his tumble throughout the large sedan's interior upon colliding with the trees.
Cold air filled the cab when the driver's side door was opened, making room for a heavily panting man whose voice he recognized as the one belonging to Daniels' Deputy.
"Inspector? Inspector, can you hear me?"
He tried to answer but couldn't.
"Come on, don't be dead on me now. Not on my watch, please!", Barry begged and he could hear him turn off the Galaxy's engine, before sliding along the front bench. Two cold fingers appeared on the side of his neck, before the Deputy sighed.
"Torri, get me the medi-kit out of the trunk please, and set up the warning triangles. This one's bleeding pretty good. We're going to have to patch him up before we try to move him. Tell Nick we got this one and to tell the Doctor ETA is about 45min."
Throughout the dizziness and roaring pain dulling his other senses, Steve could feel Barry take off his tie and unbutton the top of his dress shirt, a move that made it easier to breathe but simultaneously sent another wave of agony through his body.
Hesitating, when he groaned in pain once again, Barry put a calming hand on his shoulder.
"You're going to be alright, Inspector. You were very lucky hitting those trees sideways. Looks like you were going pretty fast. I've seen more people killed on this stretch of road in the last year than in the four years I worked down state in the ambulance service. This road can be tricky to maneuver in the dark, especially if you're not familiar with it. Listen, we're going to slow down the bleeding on your head and then have you checked out by our local doctor. He's a good one."
Outside, a set of squealing tires tore through the silence and several car doors slammed in perfect harmony. Steve heard rapid footsteps and cursing, as someone came rushing across the road.
"What happened?...Steve!"
Mike's panic-stricken voice appeared inside the Galaxy, as he felt the Lieutenant's warm hand on his leg.
"I am not sure. My wife and I were on our way to respond to the fire when I saw his car sitting up against the trees, headlights on and everything. Judging by the skid marks on the asphalt, he was going pretty fast and lost control about a hundred-fifty feet back. We'll be able to tell better once it gets light out. He's alive, I've got a message into our local physician to have him checked out once…"
The words were beginning to fade away again, reducing his awareness to nothing but the warm and shaking hand grasping his knee tightly.
And just as fast, the world turned comfortably dark again.