Everyday
Peril
Chapter 8: The Mists of All That's Gone
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Wow, you'd think you guys didn't like cliffhangers or something… Thanks: One Legged Hooker Jane Barbie, cheetahluke, Whitelighter Enchantress, Jaryn, Raina, Valoriahn, aliana, Kiki, Dream Writer 4 Life, and Karmen. All your reviews were great…
~~~
Fireworks exploded before her eyelids, disturbing the darkness, whistling and
screaming as they rose in the sky and exploding in a shower of sparks, like
some kind of freak Fourth of July celebration. That was her one moment of
tranquility. The colors transfixed her; the calming azures, the flaring
emeralds and golds, finally giving away until there was nothing but a dark sticky crimson, blood red.
Red raining over her, the sparks growing larger. Red
filling her eyes until there was nothing else. Red blinding
her, choking her, deafening her. Red crawling under her skin, leaving
its trail wherever it went, a prickling path of pain and heat winding around
her, making her writhe in agony. Its fiery fingers flying
over her flesh, mercilessly moving everywhere, not missing an inch, stealing
her breath in such a way that she might never get it back.
Iron fists clamping around her lungs, her head, her stomach, threatening to
squeeze the life out of her. She could feel it start to drain from her, the
pain pulling it out of her head in feathery wisps, like enchanted webbing.
Fiery ice descended upon her as the silvery threads of life left her, balled up
by the hands of pain and gobbled greedily, barely touched by its teeth. A cold
so icy it was painful, a feeling so cold that it burned white-hot, worse than a
blazing flame.
She almost gave into it. Almost let it eat her whole, take the last of her soul
without thought or mercy, thinking that nothing could be worse. But something
crept in through the pain, through the numbness of her brain, through the
darkness, scooping her from nothing before she descended, bringing her life.
One sound, so full of hope and love. One word, wavering with pain, but pulsating with something stronger
than the heartbeat that kept her going. One question so full of trust
that it severed the aching grip that held onto her. "M-Mommy?"
That one word hurtled her back to reality. Her eyes snapped open, flinging her
back into a world of sight and sound. Horns blaring, people yelling, the heat
emanating from the car that had its hood still buried within the side of her
vehicle.
Hailey was sobbing, her eyes frantically searching the front of the car,
waiting for some sign of life from her mother. Sydney wanted to tell her that everything was going to be okay,
tried desperately to get the words out, but couldn't find them. They were lost
among the confusion, dancing somewhere beyond her grasp.
A painful and dizzy turn of the head rewarded her with a glance of her
daughter. The little girl was petrified, as was to be expected, slightly
scratched and clutching her already badly bruised arm. Sydney thanked whatever
God had been watching over her that Hailey had been on the passenger's side of the
car, knowing that her own side had taken the impact and that the pain that she
was just keeping at bay would have been nothing compared to having to see her
daughter experience the brunt of it herself.
As bad as it had seemed at the time, and as insignificant now, if the little
girl hadn't spilled the milk, if the entire family had been in the car, with
little William in the car seat right behind her. Sydney refused to look in that direction, knowing that the extra
car seat that was there would be smashed beyond recognition…
The stench of gasoline invaded her nostrils and a sudden awareness of the heat
that was shimmering off the pavement screamed to her: Get out of the car!
With shaking hands, she unbuckled her seatbelt, fighting back the tears, not
wanting her daughter to be any more scared than she already was.
She didn't even try her door, knowing already that any attempt to open it would
be futile, that she couldn't afford any extra movement, barely able to stay
focused on the task of getting Hailey and herself out of the car. Sparks flew out of the corner of her eyes, sparks that she knew
weren't really there, but that still increased the overwhelming, animal-like
fear within her, as she waited for the gas fumes to ignite.
Slowly, she eased herself across the front seat, instinctively grabbing her
cell phone and glancing as reassuringly as she could at Hailey, who had started
to calm as soon as her mother moved. Sydney closed her eyes to the pain, feeling her way out of the
front seat with fingers that refused to work, leaning heavily on the side of
the car as she fumbled with the back door.
Somehow, she got Hailey out of her car seat, never quite sure how she found the
strength to lift her, thoughts of her daughter's well-being the only thing that
kept her going. Without a word, Hailey took her mother's hand, wanting to be
carried, but able to sense that Sydney had been strained enough and wouldn't be able to manage
it.
Sydney led her daughter to the sidewalk and sat down, not hearing
the questions and kind words from pedestrians and other motorists, not noticing
their concerned faces, not feeling their outstretched hands. She sat down and
hugged Hailey fiercely, acutely aware and careful of her daughter's wounds,
while trying as hard as she might to ignore the pain her own caused her.
"Mommy," Hailey murmured, the uncontrollable sobs finally gone from her body,
but a whisper of tears still in her voice. "I was so scared."
Sydney kissed the little girl's sweet face all over, trying to
keep her from seeing the side of her own face that was dripping with blood. I
love you, Hailey. I love you. The words were in her mind, but refused to
find their way to her lips. Blocked by the walls of pain and confusion, unable
to make themselves heard.
The wail of sirens approached them, screaming mournfully from the distance. Sydney dug into her purse, pulling out her phone and hitting the
speed dial automatically. Hailey flung her good arm around her mother's neck,
flinching and pulling back as the dark drops of Sydney's blood splattered onto her arm.
It rung once.
"Mommy, you're bleeding." Hailey was standing, and touched her fingers to her
mother's forehead, bringing them away covered in shiny, crimson blood. Maybe
the little girl hadn't noticed that she was bleeding as well. Perhaps the
amount of blood oozing from her own skin seemed insignificant to that which was
dripping down Sydney's face. But Sydney noticed; she saw every scarlet dot that marred her
daughter's creamy, fragile skin.
Twice.
"You're gonna need a big Band-Aid," Hailey whispered,
convinced that everything was going to be all right now that her mother seemed
to be okay, but still hugging her bruised arm to her side. It had to be killing
her, but she didn't seem to notice, shock and fear
blocking out the pain.
You will too, darling. Bigger than you can imagine.
Three times.
She was beginning to get nervous. Her stomach clenched into a tight ball that
refused to be unwound, weaving ever tighter until she almost couldn't take it
anymore.
Finally, it clicked and he answered, his voice strong
and reassuring. "Hello?"
A gulp of breath, as if it would be the last she ever took. She fought as hard
as she could, harder than she ever had before to get that one word out. What
she uttered barely enough to be heard, contradicting the screaming she felt
inside, the amount of effort it had taken to squeeze
the name out of her swollen throat and onto her lips. "V-Vaughn…"
She never heard his reply. The knot that had been forming in her stomach
suddenly unwound, unleashing a sharp, fiery pain, worse even, than that she had
felt just moments before. She doubled over, gasping and clutching at her
stomach.
"Mommy?!"
The phone dropped to the ground. And suddenly it hit her, the fact that she had
not one child to watch out for at that moment, but two.
If the sharp ache within her had possessed a voice, it would have been cackling
without mercy, its deep laughter nauseating and nearing a howl, ever increasing
in pitch until it was on the verge of shattering all the nearby glass. She
could hear it. The hideous laughter that began deep inside as the pain took
over, lulling her into unconsciousness with its fiery hand, singing her a
deadly lullaby. It had won.
Mist swirled around her, creeping ever closer. Slowly, everything about her was
immersed in this fog, blurring and finally disappearing. The edges would leave
first, a face would blur, fine details were lost,
colors washed together before being overtaken by a dull, sickening gray. And
the mist was upon her, brushing her with its cold, cloudy fingertips, dulling
her senses, stealing her breath. Everything was gone again, rushing out of her
at dizzying speed, and no matter how much she struggled, it would not return.
Hailey watched her mother slump over; the mother that had banished all monsters
from under her bed, the mother that was at her side in a moment as soon as she
head her tears, the mother who shushed her nightmares away, sleeping beside her
to keep them at bay. She had thought this woman was invincible, and seeing her
suddenly frail form on the ground beside her frightened away any pain she felt,
any fear from the car accident itself.
She shook her mother's shoulder, gently at first and then more fiercely, a
jumble of words finding their way past the tears that were
choking her, but refused to be cried. "I'm sorry, Mommy. I'll never be bad
again… Please, Mommy. I promise. Just wake up…" But not even her daughter's
frantic words could wake Sydney from this sleep. Pain's eerie lullaby had lulled her into an unconsciousness too deep for words to penetrate.
Strong hands pulled her gently back. Hailey struggled against them, not sure
what was going on, but they held her fast. She watched as two men picked her
mother up off the ground, lifting her onto a little bed with wheels that she
had only seen in movies. Her ears caught some phrases that scared her, and some
words that she didn't understand.
"That looks like one hell of an accident."
"Where's all the blood coming from?"
"…units of O-Neg."
"… be internal hemorrhaging?"
"Let's move her to…"
The hands were lifted off her shoulders and she tried to run after her mother,
but a young woman appeared, kneeling down in front of her to prevent her
escape, a gentle hand was on her arm. A quick glance at the lady showed her
pretty face and kind eyes, and before she turned her eyes back to her mother,
she noticed that the woman was wearing the same clothes that the two men had
on.
"Hi there," the woman said softly, but Hailey did not turn her head to face
her. "I'm Carol. What's your name?"
"I'm not 'posed to talk to strangers," Hailey whispered, eyes still glued on
her mother's retreating form. The little girl suddenly moved her bruised arm
behind her back, for some reason wanting to hide it from the world, not wanting
anyone to know that she was hurt.
"I'm going to help you," Carol replied reassuringly. She had seen the dark,
ugly bruises on the little girl's arm before she had hid it, and knew that it
was probably causing her great pain. But although the child had been crying
before, she was strong, and didn't shed any tears now. "Does your arm hurt?"
Hailey nodded distractedly, trying to move her arm further behind her and back
away, her footsteps stumbling, her progress halted by the hand that still held
her arm. She was reluctant to trust this woman, knowing somehow that she could,
but not wanting to, wishing she and all the other
people were gone, that it was just her and her mother back in the car. Together. Happy. Safe.
"Can I look at it?"
Hailey didn't answer this question. Instead, turning her deep green eyes on
Carol and asking, "Where are they taking my mommy?"
"To the hospital. We're going to take you there, too."
Hospital. That's where they took people who were
really, really hurt. Or really sick like that man she had seen on TV. He hadn't
looked sick when he went there, he was just moaning a lot. But then had turned
green and grew scales and screamed. Hailey had hidden her eyes; her daddy had
walked in and turned off the TV. He had hugged her tightly and told her it
wasn't real.
"What're they gonna do to her?"
Her mother had gone to the hospital to have the twins. She had been little, but
she remembered bits and pieces. Her father had held her hand, leading her down
the clean, white halls that smelled like their house did when her mommy was
cleaning. There had been a guy in the hallway sitting in a wheelchair, talking
to himself and drooling on his bib. He had tried to grab her, but her daddy had
kept her safe. But her father was not going to take her there this time.
"Try to make her better."
Her mommy had smiled at her when they had walked in the room. She looked tired.
Hailey had wanted to hug her so tight, but her mother said that it hurt her. It
never hurt her mommy when she hugged her at home, only there.
"What if they can't?"
Mommy had been okay when they took her home. And then she had William and Jonny to play with. But what about the
man in the wheelchair? She had never seen anyone like him outside of the
hospital building. She had never seen a grown man who needed a bib. No one had
ever tried to grab her.
"They're going to try their best."
Daddy had promised to try his best to build her a swing on the tree in the
backyard. He said he had never really built anything before. But he did it, and
it was the best swing in the world, even better than the ones at the
playground. And Daddy pushed her so high on it; it was like she was going to
fly to the stars.
"Is Daddy gonna be there?"
That would make it all better. Her daddy always took care of her. He had saved
her from the scary man that tried to take her. He had told her that the man
really wasn't scary at all. He had just wanted to hug her.
"We'll call him, honey, and he'll probably meet us there."
Hailey nodded, a single tear making its way to the tip of her nose and dripping
onto the ground. She quickly wiped away its glistening path. She sniffled, but
didn't want to cry anymore. She could still see her mother, and Carol said that
they were going to take good care of her. They were going to try their best.
One of the two men made his way over to them. "No ID on the woman," he said to
Carol. "Purse is inside the car, but the Chief of Police has roped the area
off. Gas is draining out of one of the vehicles." He looked toward Hailey and
Carol nodded, following his lead, not needing any further words from him to
know what was needed.
"Honey, what's your mommy's name?" Hailey didn't answer, and Carol wasn't sure
if she had understood. This girl was so tiny; she didn't look more than three
or four years old, and some children knew no other name for their parents than
what they themselves called them. So, she tried a different tactic. "What does
your daddy call her?"
Hailey was silent for so long that the two paramedics didn't think she was
going to answer. "Gorgeous," she finally murmured, and Carol couldn't help but
smile. "Or Syd most of the times.
Her real name is Sydney Vaughn."
The man nodded his thanks and left. Carol decided to try this approach to find
out the child's name, as well. "What does your daddy call you?"
But the girl seemed to catch on to this game and tired of it. "My name's
Hailey," she answered quietly. "Is my mommy going to be okay?"
"We're going to try the best we can," Carol promised, wishing she could guarantee
that this little girl's mother was indeed going to be just fine, but not
wanting to give her false hope.
Hailey seemed to accept this, used to her mother and father promising their
best and delivering without fail. The child lived in a secure, fragile world of
fantasies and make-believe. In the magical kingdom in which she reigned, she
had never known anything to go wrong. This was her first real brush with
reality, and although the walls of her castle had been shaken, they still stood
tall. The princes and princesses, elves and fairies, dragons and brave knights
stayed their ground; Hailey refused to give them up that easily.
She slowly and carefully took her arm out from behind her, holding it out to
Carol without a word as to the pain the deep bruises were causing her. "We were
going to my play."
"You and your mom?" Carol asked as she examined
Hailey's arm, trying to keep conversation going. "What were you…?"
"Not just us," the little girl interrupted. "Daddy and William and Jonny were gonna meet us there.
And the new baby was coming, too. But Mommy telled me
it couldn't see 'cause it was sleeping in her tummy."
"Okay," Carol murmured. And if Hailey had been old enough to notice small
changes in behavior such as these, she would have felt the woman stiffen and
known that her smile was pasted on. "Just hold on a sec, Hailey." She turned to
the ambulance they had loaded Sydney in, calling out just as they were closing the doors,
"Luke!"
The ambulance doors swiftly reopened and the man that had approached them
earlier jumped out and ran towards them. His eyes were questioning; he knew he
didn't need to tell her that they had to hurry, didn't need to ask what she had
called him over for.
Carol stood up, lowering her voice so that Hailey couldn't hear her. "She was…
is…" She fumbled out, nodding towards the ambulance where Sydney lay.
"Yeah," Luke answered, placing a hand on her shoulder. There seemed to be some
sort of spoken agreement between the two, some type of connection, whether it
be family, friendship, or love. His eyes told her he understood. His had
caressed her shoulder for a split second, almost too quick to be noticeable,
before he turned and ran back towards the ambulance. Almost before he had shut
the doors, they were on their way, sirens blaring.
"I'm not going with Mommy?" Hailey asked, her voice wavering and her lower lip
trembling. She was trying desperately not to cry, but the frustration, pain,
and confusion were almost too much for her to bear.
"You'll get to see her later, honey," Carol reassured her. "We're going to go
in that ambulance." She pointed to the one still parked nearby and took the
little girl's hand.
With her mother gone, Hailey felt suddenly cold and alone. She shivered as she
glanced quickly around her, searching for something familiar, something, anything that she knew. The faces surrounding her were
strange and frightening. The car was no longer what she had remembered, in its
mangled condition and surrounded by caution tape and swarming police officers.
"It was their anniversary," Hailey stated quietly, struggling to keep hold of herself, not wanting to show weakness, not wanting to cry.
"Mommy never got to give Daddy his present."
She glanced up at Carol, but the woman was silent. The accidents were one
thing; the maimed or mangled bodies, the pools and fountains of blood. But the
stories behind them, the people that lived them… Seeing the pain these
accidents and injuries caused, not just physically, but emotionally, was the
worst part. The accidents without stories were the easiest to bear: bring the
victim to the hospital and be done with it, no time to talk or wonder. Those
that had them, that relayed them to her… She often
wondered why she chose this line of work, vowing to find something better
before she closed her eyes at night. But she always returned to it the next
day, drawn to it, unable to stay away.
Hailey was at the edge of the precipice. One more step would pull her over,
would bring her to tears. The little girl had inherited her mother's strength,
but there were times that not even Sydney could hold in her sobs. "Is the new baby going to be
okay?" she managed to murmur.
Carol couldn't outright lie to the little girl. She had already glossed over
the truth about her mother, not really knowing how severe her injuries were,
but this she was sure of. Hailey would have to hear the truth sooner or later,
but the paramedic couldn't find it in herself to break it to her now. That
would have to be someone else's job. "I don't know, honey," Carol answered,
leading her slowly to the ambulance. It was the truth; she didn't. And that
would have to be good enough for now.
But Hailey suddenly stopped, the tears too much for her, finally winning their
battle and spilling over. "I… I want my Mommy and Daddy," she whispered, eyes
wide. "I want to go home."
There were no words for this, nothing to make it right. Carol picked up the
little girl and held her tightly, carefully, well aware of her bruised and most
likely broken arm. Hailey buried her head in the woman's shoulder and sobbed
uncontrollably, for her mother and father, the new baby, the car accident, the
spilt milk, everything that scared her and she didn't understand, and the pain
she finally allowed herself to feel, that she had barely noticed before.
She cried until she ran out of tears, chest still heaving even after her eyes
were dry. She wanted this to all be a dream, a nightmare; something she could
wake up from. She wanted somebody to turn off the TV and hug her tightly,
telling her it wasn't real.
