Chapter 5 "A Crash in the Night"
"Did you talk to Charlie?" Amy asked. She and Adam were sitting at dinner at The Dunwoody, a very fancy dinner club, on Thursday night. They were waiting for their waiter to appear and Amy couldn't help bringing it up.
"No," Adam admitted, somewhat sheepishly. "I talked to my brother. Right after we talked actually." Amy looked at him accusatively, and Adam said, "I thought that was a major step forward. It's not so easy to talk about this, you know. I'm only admitting that I know longer enjoy the game I've loved for thirteen years. It doesn't really roll off the tongue."
"I know it's not easy for you, Adam," Amy said. "That was only a half serious look." She laughed lightly and Adam relaxed. "Have you made any progress on your own?"
"Not really. I don't feel like I can play anymore, but I know I can't not play. Does that make any sense?" Amy nodded, so he continued. "I almost said something to Julie yesterday, but just couldn't do it. Not that I don't think she'd understand, she might even be the best person to talk to, but…"
"But she's a Duck, and you'd feel you were letting her down," Amy finished for him. Adam nodded in answer. "You know Adam, you're beginning to sound like a broken record."
"I know," Adam admitted. "But it's what I feel. I can't change that."
"Why do you think you can talk to me about his?" Amy asked.
Adam opened his mouth to reply, but soon shut it again because he couldn't think of a logical answer. Finally he said, "You're not a Duck."
"That simple, is it?" she asked. "I'm not a Duck, so you wouldn't be letting me down."
"Yeah. Simple, but true. I don't know, it may have something to do with your brother, too."
"What does Brian have to do with this?"
"Well," Adam started, "he stopped playing hockey because he had to make a choice: lifelong dream, or hockey. I kind of feel the same way."
"Then what's your lifelong dream?" she asked.
"I have no idea," Adam said. "But I might never know if I spend the rest of my life playing hockey."
Amy would have said something else, but their waiter chose that exact moment to saunter up to their table. She threw Adam a look across the table that said very clearly, 'We'll talk more about his later.'
Adam was squinting through the darkness, trying to listen to Amy and drive safely at the same time. "You can't keep hiding this forever, Adam," she was saying. "If you don't tell anyone, it'll start spilling out when you least expect it. Like you almost telling Julie at practice yesterday."
"I know, I know," Adam said softly, more to himself than to Amy. He was wrapped up in this thought when he heard Amy scream, almost as if from a distance. His eyes focused just in time to see the car careening towards them in their lane. He swerved off to the side and the car hit them in the back left corner. Their car fishtailed across the road and fell into a ditch. When the dust settled and Adam felt like he could move again, he looked over to Amy. She was crying silently, holding her right arm against her body. "Are you okay?" Adam asked, quite lamely.
"I can't feel my arm," Amy said, her voice barely audible.
"Where is your phone?" Adam asked. Amy nodded towards her bag which had fallen under the seat. Adam reached down to retrieve the bag and pulled out the phone. He dialed 911.
When the call was over, Adam managed to force himself to get out of the car. His legs didn't appear to be working very well, and he practically had to pull himself out. He walked around the car to help Amy out, but her door was jammed. "You'll have to come over to my side," he told her. Still cradling her right arm, Amy crawled through the car. She had stopped crying, but when Adam helped her out of the car, she could barely stand. She leaned against him.
"What happened, Adam?" she asked. "Where's the other car?"
Adam swiveled his head around, searching for the other car. He found it off on the other side of the road. He looked closer into the cab of the vehicle. There seemed to be only one man inside, his head against the steering wheel. He was not moving. Amy followed his eyes and gasped.
"Do you think he's…?" She couldn't finish the question. They walked closer to the car, and in getting a better look at the man, did not see any blood or sign of injury, yet the man did not move.
Once he was sure Amy could stand on her own, Adam left her to investigate the other car. He walked slowly up to the driver side door. Nothing appeared to be damaged. The car had hit Adam's with its passenger side. Very slowly, Adam reached out to the door handle. The air was so still and silent around him and Adam realized he was holding his breath. 'Calm down,' he told himself. He reached for the door handle and pulled. Nothing happened. He pulled again, more forcefully. Again, nothing. Adam looked closely into the car and realized it was locked.
"Adam!" Amy yelled. "They're here!" She pointed down the road to the approaching flashing lights. Two police cars and an ambulance pulled up to the crash site. The EMTs flooded out of their vehicle and rushed to Adam and Amy's side.
"Are you two ok?" one woman asked.
"We'll be ok for now," Adam said. "But the man in the other car isn't moving." He pointed to show the way only to find other EMTs already working at getting the driver's door open.
"They'll take care of him," the woman said. She turned to Amy and asked, "Did you hurt your arm?"
Amy had to pry her eyes away from the other car. She answered, "Yes. I… I think it might be broken. I tried to brace myself when we started spinning."
"Let's take a look." The EMT led Amy over to the back of the ambulance while Adam stayed behind to talk to the cops.
"You alright son?" the officer named Collins asked. When Adam nodded, he continued. "Can you tell me what happened?"
Adam struggled to straighten out the chain of events in his mind. "We were driving home from dinner," he started, "and we were coming around this corner when Amy screamed. I saw the other car coming straight towards us in our lane. I had just enough time to swerve a little. He hit the back of my car and we spun off the road and into the ditch."
"You say the other driver was in your lane?"
"Yes officer." Adam looked back at the other car. The EMTs had forced open the door and pulled the man out. A few were crouching over him, talking excitedly, though Adam couldn't hear what they were saying.
Eventually Adam and Amy were loaded onto a second ambulance and driven to the hospital. On the way there, the EMTs told them that the other man had suffered a heart attack while driving. He had been driven as soon as possible to the emergency room. They didn't know if he was going to be okay.
Adam called his father on Amy's cell phone to let him know what had happened and that they were being taken to the hospital.
"Do you want me to come up there and meet you at the hospital?" Adam's father asked. "No, Dad. You don't have to. It's a long way to go this late at night, and I'm not hurt badly. I can get back to school okay," Adam had said.
By the time they reached the hospital, Amy had still not been able to find either of her parents. She called her home, finding her father still at work and her mother off with her friends. She called her father's office, but she got no answer. She called her mother's cell phone, but it was not turned on.
In the emergency room, the doctors decided that Amy had indeed broken her right arm, though not seriously. They set it immediately and put her in a cast. After a thorough examination, they found nothing seriously wrong with Adam, save a minor concussion and a few scraps and bruises. They advised him not to play in the Friday night game, which Adam didn't have a problem with.
After finally getting released, Adam called a taxi to take them back to Eden Hall. He walked Amy to her dorm and gave her a kiss goodnight. "Sorry the evening had to end so badly," he apologized. "We'll try to do a little better next time."
It was long after midnight when Adam finally pushed open the door to his own room. He expected Charlie to be fast asleep, but he got a very loud surprise.
"Where have you been Banks?" Charlie asked. "You should have been home hours ago."
"Charlie, you sound just like my father," Adam said, laughing, trying to pass off the whole thing.
"No go, Banksie," Charlie warned. "You're not going anywhere till you tell me what's up." Charlie then noticed the bruises already forming on Adams face and arms. "Whoa. What happened?"
"Amy and I were in a car accident on our way back from dinner," Adam said simply. "The other driver had a heart attack and lost control." Charlie's eyes were as big as saucers, but he said nothing. "I'm fine, I think, just a mild concussion and some bumps and bruises. Amy broke her arm, but other than that, she's fine. We don't know about the other man. He was still in the ER when we left."
"What a night, eh?" Charlie asked. "Are you going to be able to play tomorrow?"
Adam laughed. Leave it to Charlie to think of hockey so quickly. "The doctors don't think I should play tomorrow, but they think after that I should be fine."
"That's pretty bad. You've never missed a game before, have you?" Charlie mused. "At least, not since the Junior Goodwill Games. You gonna be alright with this?"
"Not like I have a choice, do I?" Adam pointed out. "But it might be nice to have a little medically ordered break. I can just watch the action on the ice and not worry about playing the game." Adam thought for a moment. "You know, I've never really seen the Ducks play from a spectator level. Might be fun."
Charlie obviously didn't agree with him. "Whatever you say, Banks. Have you told anyone else about this?"
"I haven't had the chance. I just got back from the hospital. My day knows, other than that, it's only you. I'll talk to Coach first thing in the morning." Adam slowly made his way toward his bed, despite seeing that Charlie was up to more chit chat. "Listen, Charlie, I'm pretty beat. D'you mind if I turn in now?"
"Yeah, no problem," Charlie said. "You've had a long night."
"Did you talk to Charlie?" Amy asked. She and Adam were sitting at dinner at The Dunwoody, a very fancy dinner club, on Thursday night. They were waiting for their waiter to appear and Amy couldn't help bringing it up.
"No," Adam admitted, somewhat sheepishly. "I talked to my brother. Right after we talked actually." Amy looked at him accusatively, and Adam said, "I thought that was a major step forward. It's not so easy to talk about this, you know. I'm only admitting that I know longer enjoy the game I've loved for thirteen years. It doesn't really roll off the tongue."
"I know it's not easy for you, Adam," Amy said. "That was only a half serious look." She laughed lightly and Adam relaxed. "Have you made any progress on your own?"
"Not really. I don't feel like I can play anymore, but I know I can't not play. Does that make any sense?" Amy nodded, so he continued. "I almost said something to Julie yesterday, but just couldn't do it. Not that I don't think she'd understand, she might even be the best person to talk to, but…"
"But she's a Duck, and you'd feel you were letting her down," Amy finished for him. Adam nodded in answer. "You know Adam, you're beginning to sound like a broken record."
"I know," Adam admitted. "But it's what I feel. I can't change that."
"Why do you think you can talk to me about his?" Amy asked.
Adam opened his mouth to reply, but soon shut it again because he couldn't think of a logical answer. Finally he said, "You're not a Duck."
"That simple, is it?" she asked. "I'm not a Duck, so you wouldn't be letting me down."
"Yeah. Simple, but true. I don't know, it may have something to do with your brother, too."
"What does Brian have to do with this?"
"Well," Adam started, "he stopped playing hockey because he had to make a choice: lifelong dream, or hockey. I kind of feel the same way."
"Then what's your lifelong dream?" she asked.
"I have no idea," Adam said. "But I might never know if I spend the rest of my life playing hockey."
Amy would have said something else, but their waiter chose that exact moment to saunter up to their table. She threw Adam a look across the table that said very clearly, 'We'll talk more about his later.'
Adam was squinting through the darkness, trying to listen to Amy and drive safely at the same time. "You can't keep hiding this forever, Adam," she was saying. "If you don't tell anyone, it'll start spilling out when you least expect it. Like you almost telling Julie at practice yesterday."
"I know, I know," Adam said softly, more to himself than to Amy. He was wrapped up in this thought when he heard Amy scream, almost as if from a distance. His eyes focused just in time to see the car careening towards them in their lane. He swerved off to the side and the car hit them in the back left corner. Their car fishtailed across the road and fell into a ditch. When the dust settled and Adam felt like he could move again, he looked over to Amy. She was crying silently, holding her right arm against her body. "Are you okay?" Adam asked, quite lamely.
"I can't feel my arm," Amy said, her voice barely audible.
"Where is your phone?" Adam asked. Amy nodded towards her bag which had fallen under the seat. Adam reached down to retrieve the bag and pulled out the phone. He dialed 911.
When the call was over, Adam managed to force himself to get out of the car. His legs didn't appear to be working very well, and he practically had to pull himself out. He walked around the car to help Amy out, but her door was jammed. "You'll have to come over to my side," he told her. Still cradling her right arm, Amy crawled through the car. She had stopped crying, but when Adam helped her out of the car, she could barely stand. She leaned against him.
"What happened, Adam?" she asked. "Where's the other car?"
Adam swiveled his head around, searching for the other car. He found it off on the other side of the road. He looked closer into the cab of the vehicle. There seemed to be only one man inside, his head against the steering wheel. He was not moving. Amy followed his eyes and gasped.
"Do you think he's…?" She couldn't finish the question. They walked closer to the car, and in getting a better look at the man, did not see any blood or sign of injury, yet the man did not move.
Once he was sure Amy could stand on her own, Adam left her to investigate the other car. He walked slowly up to the driver side door. Nothing appeared to be damaged. The car had hit Adam's with its passenger side. Very slowly, Adam reached out to the door handle. The air was so still and silent around him and Adam realized he was holding his breath. 'Calm down,' he told himself. He reached for the door handle and pulled. Nothing happened. He pulled again, more forcefully. Again, nothing. Adam looked closely into the car and realized it was locked.
"Adam!" Amy yelled. "They're here!" She pointed down the road to the approaching flashing lights. Two police cars and an ambulance pulled up to the crash site. The EMTs flooded out of their vehicle and rushed to Adam and Amy's side.
"Are you two ok?" one woman asked.
"We'll be ok for now," Adam said. "But the man in the other car isn't moving." He pointed to show the way only to find other EMTs already working at getting the driver's door open.
"They'll take care of him," the woman said. She turned to Amy and asked, "Did you hurt your arm?"
Amy had to pry her eyes away from the other car. She answered, "Yes. I… I think it might be broken. I tried to brace myself when we started spinning."
"Let's take a look." The EMT led Amy over to the back of the ambulance while Adam stayed behind to talk to the cops.
"You alright son?" the officer named Collins asked. When Adam nodded, he continued. "Can you tell me what happened?"
Adam struggled to straighten out the chain of events in his mind. "We were driving home from dinner," he started, "and we were coming around this corner when Amy screamed. I saw the other car coming straight towards us in our lane. I had just enough time to swerve a little. He hit the back of my car and we spun off the road and into the ditch."
"You say the other driver was in your lane?"
"Yes officer." Adam looked back at the other car. The EMTs had forced open the door and pulled the man out. A few were crouching over him, talking excitedly, though Adam couldn't hear what they were saying.
Eventually Adam and Amy were loaded onto a second ambulance and driven to the hospital. On the way there, the EMTs told them that the other man had suffered a heart attack while driving. He had been driven as soon as possible to the emergency room. They didn't know if he was going to be okay.
Adam called his father on Amy's cell phone to let him know what had happened and that they were being taken to the hospital.
"Do you want me to come up there and meet you at the hospital?" Adam's father asked. "No, Dad. You don't have to. It's a long way to go this late at night, and I'm not hurt badly. I can get back to school okay," Adam had said.
By the time they reached the hospital, Amy had still not been able to find either of her parents. She called her home, finding her father still at work and her mother off with her friends. She called her father's office, but she got no answer. She called her mother's cell phone, but it was not turned on.
In the emergency room, the doctors decided that Amy had indeed broken her right arm, though not seriously. They set it immediately and put her in a cast. After a thorough examination, they found nothing seriously wrong with Adam, save a minor concussion and a few scraps and bruises. They advised him not to play in the Friday night game, which Adam didn't have a problem with.
After finally getting released, Adam called a taxi to take them back to Eden Hall. He walked Amy to her dorm and gave her a kiss goodnight. "Sorry the evening had to end so badly," he apologized. "We'll try to do a little better next time."
It was long after midnight when Adam finally pushed open the door to his own room. He expected Charlie to be fast asleep, but he got a very loud surprise.
"Where have you been Banks?" Charlie asked. "You should have been home hours ago."
"Charlie, you sound just like my father," Adam said, laughing, trying to pass off the whole thing.
"No go, Banksie," Charlie warned. "You're not going anywhere till you tell me what's up." Charlie then noticed the bruises already forming on Adams face and arms. "Whoa. What happened?"
"Amy and I were in a car accident on our way back from dinner," Adam said simply. "The other driver had a heart attack and lost control." Charlie's eyes were as big as saucers, but he said nothing. "I'm fine, I think, just a mild concussion and some bumps and bruises. Amy broke her arm, but other than that, she's fine. We don't know about the other man. He was still in the ER when we left."
"What a night, eh?" Charlie asked. "Are you going to be able to play tomorrow?"
Adam laughed. Leave it to Charlie to think of hockey so quickly. "The doctors don't think I should play tomorrow, but they think after that I should be fine."
"That's pretty bad. You've never missed a game before, have you?" Charlie mused. "At least, not since the Junior Goodwill Games. You gonna be alright with this?"
"Not like I have a choice, do I?" Adam pointed out. "But it might be nice to have a little medically ordered break. I can just watch the action on the ice and not worry about playing the game." Adam thought for a moment. "You know, I've never really seen the Ducks play from a spectator level. Might be fun."
Charlie obviously didn't agree with him. "Whatever you say, Banks. Have you told anyone else about this?"
"I haven't had the chance. I just got back from the hospital. My day knows, other than that, it's only you. I'll talk to Coach first thing in the morning." Adam slowly made his way toward his bed, despite seeing that Charlie was up to more chit chat. "Listen, Charlie, I'm pretty beat. D'you mind if I turn in now?"
"Yeah, no problem," Charlie said. "You've had a long night."