Disclaimer: I own nothing but the idea.
Understanding in a Car Crash
The first thing to hit him was the smell. It was hard to place at first, but not entirely unfamiliar, and it hung heavily in the air. Then, as the relative numbness of unconsciousness hit him, he felt the pain. It, too, was hard to pinpoint; it seemed every inch of him hurt. Over the ringing in his ears, he couldn't hear much of anything, either. He suspected that too would fade in a matter of time. With no other choice, Jimmy opened his eyes.
Blinding white.
His first reaction was to panic, inferring blindness. Gradually, however, his eyes adjusted to the glare, and he began to make out shapes, then details, realizing he was staring out the windshield at pure whiteness. As his eyes began adapt to the brilliance of the sun bouncing off of snow, he could see the spiderweb cracks that marred the windshield.
What had happened?
Immediately he cursed that thought as the memory rushed back to him like a tidal wave. He had been driving Kim and Joey out to the country to look for a real Christmas tree. Joey had been so excited, he couldn't stop bouncing on the seat, gabbing about how they were going to get the biggest tree out there. Kim had grinned at him, amused by the seven-year old's antics.
But what then? Jimmy's foggy mind asked.
It was hazy, but there. The memory of looking in the rearview mirror to grin at his son, the pull of the car as the tires hit a patch of black ice, and the loss of control. He remembered the steering wheel shooting out of his grasp, the tumble of the car. He remembered what he heard "steer into the slide", and he could remember fighting to grab the spinning wheel. He remembered a crunching, shrieking sound of metal, Kim and Joey's screams, and then...nothing.
Oh, God. Kim. Joey!
Jimmy's body instinctively tried to bolt upright, but his ribs protested the idea, and he hissed with pain, slumping backwards. From the pain, he guessed he must have hit the steering wheel pretty hard, and wondered vaguely why the air bag hadn't gone off.
He let his head loll to the side, his eyes focusing in on the passenger seat.
"Kimmy," he tried to say.
He was suddenly very aware of how dry, how scratchy his throat was as he spoke. It was a hoarse whisper, at best.
There, slumped over, still held upright by her seatbelt, was Kim. Her hair, free of a ponytail, hid her face. He couldn't see her...
He felt panic well up in his chest again, and his heart began to pound.
"Kim!" he tried again, his voice no louder this time.
"Shit, shit, shit," he whispered, dragging in a deep breath, his body aching.
What should he do? What could he do?
He lifted his gaze to the rearview mirror, slightly akimbo from the crash.
A tear-stained face and wide brown eyes stared back.
"Joey?" he rasped. "Joey, can you hear me?"
His son nodded slightly, looking terrified.
"Are you hurt?" he asked, taking a shaky breath and praying.
Joey shook his head, still not speaking, but Jimmy could see a shallow cut on his cheek, and a bruise at his temple.
"Is Mommy dead?" he asked, suddenly breaking the silence.
Jimmy's mouth fell open. "No, Mommy's not dead. She's sleeping...why don't you see if you can wake her up? Be gentle."
Joey nodded, having already removed his seatbelt, and crawled delicately over his seat, kneeling on it to reach out for his mother.
"Mommy?" he whispered, touching her shoulder gently.
When he got no answer, he called loudly, "Mom!"
Jimmy winced, shutting his eyes briefly, but it seemed to do the trick. When he opened them, Kim was stirring.
"Kimmy, wake up," he encouraged.
Kim sat back, eyes open wide, and brushed her hair out of her face.
"Oh my God," she whispered, looking around. "Jimmy...what happened?"
"We crashed," he said stupidly, staring at the tiny trickle of blood running from her hairline. "You're bleeding."
Kim quickly stripped off her seatbelt and twisted around in her seat and took Joey's face between her hands. "Are you hurt?"
He shook his head. "No."
She observed his cut, brushed her fingers lightly over his bruise. Satisfied, she turned to Jimmy.
He tried to smile reassuringly, but frowned when her face paled.
"Oh, Jimmy..."
"What?" he asked her, truly confused and beginning to get tired.
"I told you to wear your seatbelt, Jimmy!" she cried, scooting closer to him.
"Yeah," he said, trailing off. All that talking was making him dizzy.
"What hurts?" she asked with a sad kind of smile.
"Everything," he replied, trying to return the smile.
"Jimmy, be serious," she told him. "What hurts?"
"Umm..." he said, trying to look past the spots ib his vision. "My legs hurt the most..."
He followed her gaze down.
"Shit."
He guessed they must have hit into something with a great force of impact. The hood, the dashboard, the entire front of the car were crushed, and his legs were pinned. That at least explained the severe pain.
"Jimmy...you with me?" Kim asked, waving a hand in front of his face.
He shut his eyes as her hand moved, taking on a sluggish pattern, making him dizzier. "Yeah. I'm...yeah."
"Jimmy, stay with me, stay awake..."
It sounded as if he were underwater, everything muddled and dull.
"Joey, honey, lean in the back and see if you can reach my purse, okay? Get my cell phone."
He forced his eyes open, but they drooped again, the white snow piled in front of the car seeming to lure him to sleep.
He heard a few buttons punched, the beeps loud in his ears while Kim's noice was muffled.
"Oh, shit."
My sentiments exactly, he thought.
And that was all he thought.
Understanding in a Car Crash
The first thing to hit him was the smell. It was hard to place at first, but not entirely unfamiliar, and it hung heavily in the air. Then, as the relative numbness of unconsciousness hit him, he felt the pain. It, too, was hard to pinpoint; it seemed every inch of him hurt. Over the ringing in his ears, he couldn't hear much of anything, either. He suspected that too would fade in a matter of time. With no other choice, Jimmy opened his eyes.
Blinding white.
His first reaction was to panic, inferring blindness. Gradually, however, his eyes adjusted to the glare, and he began to make out shapes, then details, realizing he was staring out the windshield at pure whiteness. As his eyes began adapt to the brilliance of the sun bouncing off of snow, he could see the spiderweb cracks that marred the windshield.
What had happened?
Immediately he cursed that thought as the memory rushed back to him like a tidal wave. He had been driving Kim and Joey out to the country to look for a real Christmas tree. Joey had been so excited, he couldn't stop bouncing on the seat, gabbing about how they were going to get the biggest tree out there. Kim had grinned at him, amused by the seven-year old's antics.
But what then? Jimmy's foggy mind asked.
It was hazy, but there. The memory of looking in the rearview mirror to grin at his son, the pull of the car as the tires hit a patch of black ice, and the loss of control. He remembered the steering wheel shooting out of his grasp, the tumble of the car. He remembered what he heard "steer into the slide", and he could remember fighting to grab the spinning wheel. He remembered a crunching, shrieking sound of metal, Kim and Joey's screams, and then...nothing.
Oh, God. Kim. Joey!
Jimmy's body instinctively tried to bolt upright, but his ribs protested the idea, and he hissed with pain, slumping backwards. From the pain, he guessed he must have hit the steering wheel pretty hard, and wondered vaguely why the air bag hadn't gone off.
He let his head loll to the side, his eyes focusing in on the passenger seat.
"Kimmy," he tried to say.
He was suddenly very aware of how dry, how scratchy his throat was as he spoke. It was a hoarse whisper, at best.
There, slumped over, still held upright by her seatbelt, was Kim. Her hair, free of a ponytail, hid her face. He couldn't see her...
He felt panic well up in his chest again, and his heart began to pound.
"Kim!" he tried again, his voice no louder this time.
"Shit, shit, shit," he whispered, dragging in a deep breath, his body aching.
What should he do? What could he do?
He lifted his gaze to the rearview mirror, slightly akimbo from the crash.
A tear-stained face and wide brown eyes stared back.
"Joey?" he rasped. "Joey, can you hear me?"
His son nodded slightly, looking terrified.
"Are you hurt?" he asked, taking a shaky breath and praying.
Joey shook his head, still not speaking, but Jimmy could see a shallow cut on his cheek, and a bruise at his temple.
"Is Mommy dead?" he asked, suddenly breaking the silence.
Jimmy's mouth fell open. "No, Mommy's not dead. She's sleeping...why don't you see if you can wake her up? Be gentle."
Joey nodded, having already removed his seatbelt, and crawled delicately over his seat, kneeling on it to reach out for his mother.
"Mommy?" he whispered, touching her shoulder gently.
When he got no answer, he called loudly, "Mom!"
Jimmy winced, shutting his eyes briefly, but it seemed to do the trick. When he opened them, Kim was stirring.
"Kimmy, wake up," he encouraged.
Kim sat back, eyes open wide, and brushed her hair out of her face.
"Oh my God," she whispered, looking around. "Jimmy...what happened?"
"We crashed," he said stupidly, staring at the tiny trickle of blood running from her hairline. "You're bleeding."
Kim quickly stripped off her seatbelt and twisted around in her seat and took Joey's face between her hands. "Are you hurt?"
He shook his head. "No."
She observed his cut, brushed her fingers lightly over his bruise. Satisfied, she turned to Jimmy.
He tried to smile reassuringly, but frowned when her face paled.
"Oh, Jimmy..."
"What?" he asked her, truly confused and beginning to get tired.
"I told you to wear your seatbelt, Jimmy!" she cried, scooting closer to him.
"Yeah," he said, trailing off. All that talking was making him dizzy.
"What hurts?" she asked with a sad kind of smile.
"Everything," he replied, trying to return the smile.
"Jimmy, be serious," she told him. "What hurts?"
"Umm..." he said, trying to look past the spots ib his vision. "My legs hurt the most..."
He followed her gaze down.
"Shit."
He guessed they must have hit into something with a great force of impact. The hood, the dashboard, the entire front of the car were crushed, and his legs were pinned. That at least explained the severe pain.
"Jimmy...you with me?" Kim asked, waving a hand in front of his face.
He shut his eyes as her hand moved, taking on a sluggish pattern, making him dizzier. "Yeah. I'm...yeah."
"Jimmy, stay with me, stay awake..."
It sounded as if he were underwater, everything muddled and dull.
"Joey, honey, lean in the back and see if you can reach my purse, okay? Get my cell phone."
He forced his eyes open, but they drooped again, the white snow piled in front of the car seeming to lure him to sleep.
He heard a few buttons punched, the beeps loud in his ears while Kim's noice was muffled.
"Oh, shit."
My sentiments exactly, he thought.
And that was all he thought.