Summary: After tragedy strikes, Payson and Becca fight to regain their lives in London with the help of their grandmother. But even as they climb higher than ever before, there is always someone back home ready to do everything to bring them down.
This story has been completed for a while, but I struggled a lot with the editing. In the end I gave up and decided to publish it as it is.
It is a short story of only eight chapters, and it is very fast passed, even faster than my usual rhythm.
There will be heartbreak in the first chapter, but after that things will fall into a different pattern.
Warning: This story contains a very persistent antagonist. I just want to say that I do not share any of the views of said character, nor do I have anything against any country here represented. This is just a story where the bad guy almost wins, and what you can do with the options left to you.
Disclaimer: I don't own a single thing.
Chapter 1 (Age 17 – June 2010)
I
"Payson Keeler, please proceed to the Principal's office. Payson Keeler, please proceed to the principal's office." The voice came through the speakers and Payson frowned, gathering her things from her table at the library, where she and Heather had been working on a project during a free period before lunch.
"Is everything alright?" Her friend asked, looking worried. "Is nothing to do with Ike again, is it?"
Payson shook her head. "I don't think so, I haven't seen him in a while."
Heather nodded. "I'll go with you and wait. We can get lunch after you find out what the matter is."
Agreeing with the idea, Payson fell into step beside the other girl, as they made their way to the Principal's office, where she was immediately invited into the room and asked to sit in front of said man's desk.
"Is everything alright sir? I hope I'm not in any trouble." She said, fidgeting a bit in her chair.
The Principal shook his head. "You're in no trouble Payson, but I have bad news, unfortunately." He sighed. "I'm sorry to say that your parents were in a car accident, on their way to Denver. They are both in the Hospital"
She felt her stomach drop. "Are they ok!?" She asked, getting up.
"We don't have any more information. We advise you to make your way to the Hospital. We can call you a taxi if you need it?" The Principal asked.
She politely refused and left the room after the Principal had given her his well wishes, immediately striding over to Heather.
"My parents are in the Hospital. Car accident." She rushed out, grabbing her bag from the seat beside her friend. "Can you drive me?"
Heather paled. "Of course. Let's go!"
"Excuse me!" She shouted for the third time. "I need information. My parents were in a car accident. The Hospital called my school."
The harried nurse sitting at the desk looked up from her papers and gave her a tired sighed.
"I'm sorry darling, there is a lot of people coming into the emergency room right now. Can you tell me their names?"
Payson was relieved that she had finally found someone to help.
"Kim and Mark Keeler"
The nurse, Carol Davies according to her tag, entered the names in her computer and clicked on an infinite number of buttons.
"Your dad is in surgery. Ward A.3." She said.
"And my mom?" Payson asked, anxious for the answer. Surgery was bad, right? Or well, it could just be a broken leg. Nothing life threatening at all.
"I'm sorry darling. I can't find her in the system. But I'll try to find out from the first response teams. Maybe she went to the Hospital in Denver." Payson nodded and thanked her. "Please wait here in the waiting room. When your dad comes out of surgery a doctor will come here to give you the news."
Biting her lip, Payson went to sit with Heather.
"Any chance in getting to someone at the meet?" She asked her friend.
Her parents had been going to Denver to watch Becca at a regional meet. Her sister had left Boulder earlier in the morning with Marty and the rest of the junior girls, so the team could warm up and test the equipment.
"No, Marty isn't answering. No one on the list you gave me is answering the phone."
Payson sighed, before accepting her phone back from Heather. "I'll call my grandmother first. I only have the one grandparent and she should know about it."
She was just turning off the call, when nurse Carol came back. "Payson?" The woman said gently.
"Yes?" She asked, feeling her stomach turn.
"I'm sorry sweetheart, but your mom was killed on impact. I promise she didn't suffer at all."
She felt her world flip upside down.
"Mr. Tanner? It's Payson." She said on the phone, once more brushing her tears away with her hands. "I've tried to call everyone at the meet, but no one picks up."
"Payson, hello. It sounds like you're crying Is everything alright?"
"My parents were in a car accident on their way to Denver." She said through her tears. "My mom didn't make it. My dad is in surgery. Can someone get Becca?"
The stunned silence on the other side was interrupted by her sniffling.
"Of course. I'll take care of it. Be strong Payson, your dad will be ok."
He hung up after a few more false reassurances that everything would be ok.
To her left Heather held her hand, her own tears falling down her face, and she called her grandmother again, to tell her that her only daughter was dead.
"Payson!" Her sister came running, a pair of compression shorts put over her leotard and hands full of chalk. Payson got up and hugged her tightly.
It seemed that the tears that had finally stopped, decided to start all over again.
"Is it true about mom?" Becca asked between tears. Payson nodded, hugging her sister again.
Steve Tanner came over with Becca's gym bag, and put it down beside her chair.
"You girls sit tight. I'll find out everything I can." He said, going over to the emergency station and starting to talk to the nurses there.
The three of them sat waiting for what seemed like hours. Eventually more people started coming in. Heather's parents came and gave their sympathies. Her mother brought some sandwiches for them, but Payson and Becca could only nibble. Payson's throat felt tight and it was hard to swallow.
Marty came too and sat with them, saying how sorry he was for their mom, but how sure he was that their dad would be ok.
Payson felt like screaming at all of them. How could they be so sure that her dad would be fine! Mr. Tanner had managed to get information that her dad was actually very injured. He had internal bleeding for god's sake!
Finally, long after night had fallen, the doctors came out.
"I'm very sorry girls. We did all we could, but he didn't make it."