Title: Finding Her Way Back-Chapter 3.
Author: Carly.
Rating: PG.
Disclaimer: I only own any original characters later in the story.
Everyone else owns themselves.
Summary: After a life filled with love and loss, Amy vows never to get
close to anyone again. She keeps that promise.until she meets Matt Hardy
who only wants to be her friend and help her. But by constantly pushing him
away, is she also risking the chance to miss out on true love?
~November, 1999~
It was a horrible November morning. Outside, the rain was hammering down and the wind was howling. Twenty-four-year-old Amy Halliwell was making breakfast for her husband of three years, Andy and their daughter, Amelia. Despite the weather though, they were all happy that morning. They all ate their breakfast together before Andy would have to leave for his job as a club owner and take Amelia, five, to her playgroup.
Amy had met Andy in high school. They became friends and developed such a close relationship over the years. She always thought he was good-looking, with dark hair and huge blue eyes but always remained platonic throughout their three and a half year friendship until they went to different colleges. Then, just after their Christmas break in her first year, he transferred to her college and suddenly, things began to change, and eventually, one night, they became lovers. She'd fallen pregnant almost instantly which had been a huge shock for them but went ahead with it anyway and on his twenty-first birthday, baby Amelia had been born. They married nineteen months later in the August of 1995 and since then, had fallen more and more in love every day.
At eight-thirty that morning, she waved them off and thought of all their blissful years together. She and Andy were happy, maybe a slight argument here and there, but only ones that any other normal married couple had as well. The rest of her morning was spent clearing up the house a little and going for a long run despite the weather. She had wrestling practise at eleven and it was nearly half past ten when she arrived back at home again. Amy noticed she had a couple of message on her answer machine but just about had enough to shower and change again before practise so she decided to read them later. She watched some TV while getting ready and flipped the news on. Nothing new or exciting had happened, just some stories about politicians, floods and gang wars. There had been a couple of things about an update on a murdered family several weeks prior and a car crash which had caused the roads to be closed off but all Amy had to worry about was being late for practise. She hurried out of the house then and got in her car, thinking about her day ahead.
*****
Andy put the car radio on and waved to Amy who was standing at the door of their house. Amelia was in the back in her car seat, playing with her dolls as he drove off down the road. The rain was practically slamming against the window and he could just about see in front of him, especially since it was still quite dark out.
He drove carefully along with busy road, hoping he could get to his meeting on time. A local newspaper wanted to do an article on his club and they arranged to meet at nine but while Andy always dropped Amelia off her playgroup every day, that morning was hindering his schedule a bit, he had to admit. And now, the rain was slowing everything down. The traffic was crawling along the road and every minute seemed like an eternity. And by eight-forty five, they still weren't even half way there. In the end, he decided to overtake as they reached the highway. Traffic was a little more sparse then, luckily, so he could pass more easily and the lanes opposite were pretty bare.
"Daddy, can we stop? I need to use the bathroom," Amelia said from the back. Andy had just started to overtake the car in front when she asked and he looked into the mirror to answer her.
"You'll have to wait until-" he started. He had taken his eyes off the road for a mere instant when he glanced back and saw it. A huge piece of metal, with lights flashing and horns blaring, hurtling towards them. For that he had turned his head had been just a second too late. It was all happening with milliseconds as Andy tried to sharply brake and swerve out of the way of the truck but to no avail. His face was deathly pale as he realised what was about to happen. The truck was just inches from his car when the scream came, and Andy understood again suddenly that Amelia was there.
"Daddy!" the innocent five-year-old girl shrieked. For the last moment, he looked at her, his eyes almost apologetic as he saw her terrified face, eyes huge as she grasped her favourite doll. And then it hit. All over in seconds. Everything had happened in less than half a minute as lights flashed, horns blared, other cars swerved and suddenly, the car and lorry hit, slamming into each other with such force that it was as though they were moulding together. A mass of piercing screams, the explosion of metal, the shattering of glass as the two vehicles collided, crashing and twirling furiously with each other sliding along the rain-soaked highway. And suddenly, it all stopped, silencing filling the air.
For a moment, it was calm until the shrieks started again and cars honked from the distance and then, the wail of sirens. And as people regained their senses and once everything had sunk in, they ran from their cars to where the two vehicles were trapped together. Steel was wrapped against metal, thousands of shards of glass everywhere, with passengers trapped inside. The car seemed destroyed beyond recognition, as was the front of the lorry. Within moments, fire engines, police cars and ambulances were surrounding the entire area. The emergency crew hurled themselves out of their vehicles to where the site of the accident and were horrified at what they saw. It seemed like they had merged into one and it was hard to distinguish between at first glance. It was nearly impossible to believe there were any survivors.
Firemen rushed to the scene and tried to determine who was alive and who was dead. Traffic everywhere had come to a halt and there was a huge crowd around them at this point. Some of the motorists had already tried to determine any survivors and one man, who had already said he was a doctor, attempted to get access but with no luck. Police had already cut the roads off and the firemen looked inside the car to see who was there and then they it, saw him. His face was drenched in blood and his whole body forced into an impossible space. Two of them saw instantly that his neck was at an ungodly angle and knew he was dead. They looked at each other, horrified and sad. A doctor had saw also and although he knew there was no possible way he could still be alive, searched for a pulse anyway, and didn't find one.
"The driver's dead," the middle-aged doctor announced hoarsely. Michael Harris hadn't been a doctor for very long and had never seen anything like it. He knew that sight would haunt him for the rest of his life. He looked more amongst the car, or what was left of it and saw the young girl in the back. "There's someone else inside the car," he declared to the fireman next to him, who tried to open the door but everything was so crushed, he simply couldn't. The highway patrol had since arrived and several were now trying to open the driver's door of car open with a crowbar.
Meanwhile, paramedics announced that the passenger of the truck was also dead and the driver was breathing but just barely. They had managed to get the man from the lorry out and were in the process of freeing the driver.
An hour and a half passed and they managed to get to Amelia and realised she was still breathing but her tiny legs had been crushed beyond belief. The chance of being able to walk again, if she even survived, was virtually unattainable. The paramedics knew that her right leg would have to be amputated and while her left leg wasn't as bad, would need treatment for months to come, it seemed. She had been unconscious when they freed her and were about to rush her straight to hospital so they could operate.
"Does anybody know who she is?" a cop asked. A passer-by had stopped to see the carnage and instantly recognised her. Her face was covered in as much blood as the other victims so they could identify her. The woman had a son at Amelia's playgroup and while she barely knew her, she could see who it was.
"Oh my god." she cried, covered her mouth with her hands in horror. The policeman noticed and walked to her. "That's.umm.her name.is.oh god." She couldn't continue anymore as the tears streamed down her face.
"I need to know, miss. What information can you give me about her?" he asked, feeling as sickened as her but not showing as openly. The little girl was so innocent, she had her whole life ahead of her, she didn't deserve to die. "Do you know anything about the man in the car with her? Andrew Halliwell?" They had found out who he was after searching through his belongings.
"The girl.that's Amelia.Amelia Halliwell, Andy's daughter.she's only five years old.oh my god.is she okay?.Is Andy alive?.Amy.was Amy Halliwell with them?"
"There was only Andrew and the little girl in the car. Is Amy the mother and wife?" Elizabeth Morris nodded her head, feeling numb. The policeman had since brought her away from the crowd as the media and television crew and reporters hounded the scene. It was roughly ten-fifteen then. "I'm afraid Andrew died in the crash. Amelia is on her way to the hospital. Do you have a contact for Amy Halliwell." Liz's face was blank as she tried to explain she didn't know the Halliwell's address or number. Just that her son went to the same nursery as Amelia but she barely knew them. As they continued talking, reporters were still hot on the story and firemen tried to clear the mess of tangled vehicles and police diverted oncoming traffic. No cars could pass through and they had to find another way to their destination and the emergency crew knew it would be several more hours before everything returned to normal.
*****
Amy arrived at practise nearly twenty minutes late after the chaos of traffic when she had passed the scene of a car crash. She felt annoyed but there nothing she could have done to make things to faster. But she felt sorry for whoever had been involved in the crash. However, it didn't take her long to forget about it as she and the other guys continued with their training.
Amy didn't get home until five that evening. The roads had been cleared up by then which had made it quicker for her to get home, Andy and Amelia were due to have been back at four so she was shocked to find their house empty. At first she had assumed they had gone to the park or out for food but Amy suddenly felt strange when she discovered they hadn't left a note. And when she tried to call Andy's cell, she instantly felt a cold shiver down her spine. His phone was turned off and she knew then that something was wrong, as he never switched it off.
At twenty past five, Amy was dialling the number to Amelia's playgroup when there was a knock at the door. She slammed the phone down and hurried to answer it, suddenly feeling sick as she saw two policemen standing there.
"Amy Halliwell?" the tallest man asked. She nodded her head in response, as her throat was too dry to speak. She opened the door for them as they walked in and sat down. "I'm afraid your husband and daughter were involved in a car crash this morning. We've been trying to contact you all day. A lorry collided with their car." he told her sadly and dreaded the next part. ".Andrew was killed instantly. Amelia is currently at the hospital with serious injuries. I'm terribly sorry." Amy knew what they had been about to tell her but still wasn't prepared for what they said. She literally felt like someone had stabbed her a thousand times.
"This can't be happening. I only saw them this morning. Andy's been at work all day and my daughter was at her playgroup. Please tell me this is a mistake," she begged. The ears were running down her face and she couldn't breathe.
"I'm sorry. It happened about eight-fifty this morning. We tried to call you but there was no answer. We can take you to the hospital now if you like." Amy said not a word as she left the house slowly with the two policemen. They felt like monsters for having to tell her the devastating news. In one simple sentence, her life had been torn apart. To Amy, it was even more disturbing to know that she had driven past the scene that morning. As they drove to the hospital in the police car, the tears fell freely and her entire body ached. It was too much to process and she began feeling dizzy.
They arrived at the hospital at quarter to six and Amy flew up to Amelia's room. Nothing could have prepared her for the sight before her. Her baby girl lying lifelessly on the hospital bed, hooked up to what seemed like thousands of tubes and wires, with monitors everywhere in the room. A doctor and nurse stood next to the bed, writing some notes and examining her when they noticed Amy, looking horrified. This wasn't her daughter. Amelia was a beautiful, happy, bubbly little girl, not this pale helpless child lying motionlessly.
"Are you her mother?" the doctor asked. She hadn't seen them in the room yet and nearly jumped out of her skin when he spoke. Amy nodded numbly. "I'm Doctor Harris. Amelia has suffered from some serious injuries. She had multiple compound fractures of both legs, a shattered left hip, a broken pelvis and severe internal bleeding. Her condition was too serious...we had no other choice but to perform emergency surgery. We've replaced her hip, repaired her pelvis with pins and fixed the bleeding. The surgery was successful until complications arose and a blood clot formed in her right leg. The damage was far too serious. I'm afraid we had no other choice but to amputate. She will be unable to walk again on her own but we may be able to replace her with a prosthetic leg. We also had to remove her spleen and there is also the possibility of some head trauma. We've done some tests and are currently awaiting the results. Mrs. Halliwell, I should warn you that Amelia's body suffered a great deal in the accident, possibly too much for her to handle. The surgery was successful but a lot for her body to take. The next twenty-four hours are crucial for her now and it's touch-and- go from here."
Amy tried to make sense of it all. It was too much to process. A few short hours ago, her life had been wonderful and now, her husband was dead and her daughter's life was hanging on by a thread. Her life had come crumbling down around her. They were all she had left in the world.
The doctor and nurse left her with Amelia then and Amy slowly walked over to her bedside. She sat on the chair next to the bed and picked up her daughter's cold frail hand and kissed it. The tears were absolutely pouring down her cheeks but she barely notice, nor the burning sensation in her eyes. All she felt was her heart being wrenched out from her chest. She let Amelia's hand drop down to the bed as she covered her face and sobbed. Amy stayed like that for an hour, just curled up in a ball and crying. Eventually though, she managed to drift off to sleep.
At nine o'clock that night, Dr. Harris came in with the test results. Amy was awake by then and looked almost as pale as Amelia. His face was sombre as he forced a smile to his patient's mother. No matter how many times he had dealt with these situations, it never got any easier.
"Mrs. Halliwell, I've got the results back from the tests...Amelia's brain isn't functioning anymore. The effects of today were simply too much for her. I'm afraid there's nothing more we can do. It's unlikely she will ever wake up from her coma," he told her, as he watched her face shatter.
Amy knew what the doctor was telling her. Her precious little girl was brain-dead and she had to decide whether or not to turn her life-support machine off. But how could she make a decision like that? Why was it up her to if her daughter should live or die? Amy felt so many things she couldn't differienciate one emotion from the other. Hate, anger, sadness, disbelief was just the start.
She sat for hours on the chair, staring at her little baby. She said or did nothing. Just listening to the clock as the seconds ticked away. At two o'clock in the morning, she leaned foward, grasped Amelia's hand in hers and kissed her for ages, willing for movement or some sign of life. But nothing. Absolutely nothing happened and Amy knew in her heart of hearts, she'd already gone. Her baby had passed away and she knew it was cruel to just leave her hanging on. In the end, she grabbed Amelia's favourite pink teddy bear and placed it next to her on the bed.
"Amelia, I love you so much. You've brought me so much happiness the past five years and nothing on no one can replace that. But it's time to let you go now, Angel. Tell Daddy I love him and make sure he looks after you or I'll come up there and kick his ass," she said with a small laugh as she stroked her beautiful little face. "I will love you forever and you'll always be with me. We'll be together again one day. Bye, baby. Fly." And with that, she placed a kiss on her forehead and as hard as it was, Amy left her bedside to tell Dr. Harris it was time. She'd said her goodbyes, as heart-wrenching as it was. And at 2:26am, Amy said her final goodbyes to her baby daughter as the life-support machine was switched off.
Later that night, she went to the Chapel Of Rest where her husban's body lay. To Amy, it just looked like Andy was sleeping, only this time he wouldn't wake up. She stayed there for a while and talked to him. She asked him to take care of Amelia, told him she loved him and promised never to fall in love again. After such a painful life, Andy had been the one thing she'd thought would last forever. And he had given her Amelia, something she would always be thankful for. Andy had helped her recover from a life of loss so now even at just twenty-four, she had promised to never to love again but after all he had done for her, she owed him that much at least. Saying goodbye to him was one of the hardest things she had ever experienced. But Amy knew she would always love him.
In less than twenty-four hours, her life had collapsed around her. She'd lost the two most important people in her life and she had a long, hard journey ahead of her to grieve and recover. What Amy didn't know though, was her 'journey' would lead her onto a path of self-destruction.
~November, 1999~
It was a horrible November morning. Outside, the rain was hammering down and the wind was howling. Twenty-four-year-old Amy Halliwell was making breakfast for her husband of three years, Andy and their daughter, Amelia. Despite the weather though, they were all happy that morning. They all ate their breakfast together before Andy would have to leave for his job as a club owner and take Amelia, five, to her playgroup.
Amy had met Andy in high school. They became friends and developed such a close relationship over the years. She always thought he was good-looking, with dark hair and huge blue eyes but always remained platonic throughout their three and a half year friendship until they went to different colleges. Then, just after their Christmas break in her first year, he transferred to her college and suddenly, things began to change, and eventually, one night, they became lovers. She'd fallen pregnant almost instantly which had been a huge shock for them but went ahead with it anyway and on his twenty-first birthday, baby Amelia had been born. They married nineteen months later in the August of 1995 and since then, had fallen more and more in love every day.
At eight-thirty that morning, she waved them off and thought of all their blissful years together. She and Andy were happy, maybe a slight argument here and there, but only ones that any other normal married couple had as well. The rest of her morning was spent clearing up the house a little and going for a long run despite the weather. She had wrestling practise at eleven and it was nearly half past ten when she arrived back at home again. Amy noticed she had a couple of message on her answer machine but just about had enough to shower and change again before practise so she decided to read them later. She watched some TV while getting ready and flipped the news on. Nothing new or exciting had happened, just some stories about politicians, floods and gang wars. There had been a couple of things about an update on a murdered family several weeks prior and a car crash which had caused the roads to be closed off but all Amy had to worry about was being late for practise. She hurried out of the house then and got in her car, thinking about her day ahead.
*****
Andy put the car radio on and waved to Amy who was standing at the door of their house. Amelia was in the back in her car seat, playing with her dolls as he drove off down the road. The rain was practically slamming against the window and he could just about see in front of him, especially since it was still quite dark out.
He drove carefully along with busy road, hoping he could get to his meeting on time. A local newspaper wanted to do an article on his club and they arranged to meet at nine but while Andy always dropped Amelia off her playgroup every day, that morning was hindering his schedule a bit, he had to admit. And now, the rain was slowing everything down. The traffic was crawling along the road and every minute seemed like an eternity. And by eight-forty five, they still weren't even half way there. In the end, he decided to overtake as they reached the highway. Traffic was a little more sparse then, luckily, so he could pass more easily and the lanes opposite were pretty bare.
"Daddy, can we stop? I need to use the bathroom," Amelia said from the back. Andy had just started to overtake the car in front when she asked and he looked into the mirror to answer her.
"You'll have to wait until-" he started. He had taken his eyes off the road for a mere instant when he glanced back and saw it. A huge piece of metal, with lights flashing and horns blaring, hurtling towards them. For that he had turned his head had been just a second too late. It was all happening with milliseconds as Andy tried to sharply brake and swerve out of the way of the truck but to no avail. His face was deathly pale as he realised what was about to happen. The truck was just inches from his car when the scream came, and Andy understood again suddenly that Amelia was there.
"Daddy!" the innocent five-year-old girl shrieked. For the last moment, he looked at her, his eyes almost apologetic as he saw her terrified face, eyes huge as she grasped her favourite doll. And then it hit. All over in seconds. Everything had happened in less than half a minute as lights flashed, horns blared, other cars swerved and suddenly, the car and lorry hit, slamming into each other with such force that it was as though they were moulding together. A mass of piercing screams, the explosion of metal, the shattering of glass as the two vehicles collided, crashing and twirling furiously with each other sliding along the rain-soaked highway. And suddenly, it all stopped, silencing filling the air.
For a moment, it was calm until the shrieks started again and cars honked from the distance and then, the wail of sirens. And as people regained their senses and once everything had sunk in, they ran from their cars to where the two vehicles were trapped together. Steel was wrapped against metal, thousands of shards of glass everywhere, with passengers trapped inside. The car seemed destroyed beyond recognition, as was the front of the lorry. Within moments, fire engines, police cars and ambulances were surrounding the entire area. The emergency crew hurled themselves out of their vehicles to where the site of the accident and were horrified at what they saw. It seemed like they had merged into one and it was hard to distinguish between at first glance. It was nearly impossible to believe there were any survivors.
Firemen rushed to the scene and tried to determine who was alive and who was dead. Traffic everywhere had come to a halt and there was a huge crowd around them at this point. Some of the motorists had already tried to determine any survivors and one man, who had already said he was a doctor, attempted to get access but with no luck. Police had already cut the roads off and the firemen looked inside the car to see who was there and then they it, saw him. His face was drenched in blood and his whole body forced into an impossible space. Two of them saw instantly that his neck was at an ungodly angle and knew he was dead. They looked at each other, horrified and sad. A doctor had saw also and although he knew there was no possible way he could still be alive, searched for a pulse anyway, and didn't find one.
"The driver's dead," the middle-aged doctor announced hoarsely. Michael Harris hadn't been a doctor for very long and had never seen anything like it. He knew that sight would haunt him for the rest of his life. He looked more amongst the car, or what was left of it and saw the young girl in the back. "There's someone else inside the car," he declared to the fireman next to him, who tried to open the door but everything was so crushed, he simply couldn't. The highway patrol had since arrived and several were now trying to open the driver's door of car open with a crowbar.
Meanwhile, paramedics announced that the passenger of the truck was also dead and the driver was breathing but just barely. They had managed to get the man from the lorry out and were in the process of freeing the driver.
An hour and a half passed and they managed to get to Amelia and realised she was still breathing but her tiny legs had been crushed beyond belief. The chance of being able to walk again, if she even survived, was virtually unattainable. The paramedics knew that her right leg would have to be amputated and while her left leg wasn't as bad, would need treatment for months to come, it seemed. She had been unconscious when they freed her and were about to rush her straight to hospital so they could operate.
"Does anybody know who she is?" a cop asked. A passer-by had stopped to see the carnage and instantly recognised her. Her face was covered in as much blood as the other victims so they could identify her. The woman had a son at Amelia's playgroup and while she barely knew her, she could see who it was.
"Oh my god." she cried, covered her mouth with her hands in horror. The policeman noticed and walked to her. "That's.umm.her name.is.oh god." She couldn't continue anymore as the tears streamed down her face.
"I need to know, miss. What information can you give me about her?" he asked, feeling as sickened as her but not showing as openly. The little girl was so innocent, she had her whole life ahead of her, she didn't deserve to die. "Do you know anything about the man in the car with her? Andrew Halliwell?" They had found out who he was after searching through his belongings.
"The girl.that's Amelia.Amelia Halliwell, Andy's daughter.she's only five years old.oh my god.is she okay?.Is Andy alive?.Amy.was Amy Halliwell with them?"
"There was only Andrew and the little girl in the car. Is Amy the mother and wife?" Elizabeth Morris nodded her head, feeling numb. The policeman had since brought her away from the crowd as the media and television crew and reporters hounded the scene. It was roughly ten-fifteen then. "I'm afraid Andrew died in the crash. Amelia is on her way to the hospital. Do you have a contact for Amy Halliwell." Liz's face was blank as she tried to explain she didn't know the Halliwell's address or number. Just that her son went to the same nursery as Amelia but she barely knew them. As they continued talking, reporters were still hot on the story and firemen tried to clear the mess of tangled vehicles and police diverted oncoming traffic. No cars could pass through and they had to find another way to their destination and the emergency crew knew it would be several more hours before everything returned to normal.
*****
Amy arrived at practise nearly twenty minutes late after the chaos of traffic when she had passed the scene of a car crash. She felt annoyed but there nothing she could have done to make things to faster. But she felt sorry for whoever had been involved in the crash. However, it didn't take her long to forget about it as she and the other guys continued with their training.
Amy didn't get home until five that evening. The roads had been cleared up by then which had made it quicker for her to get home, Andy and Amelia were due to have been back at four so she was shocked to find their house empty. At first she had assumed they had gone to the park or out for food but Amy suddenly felt strange when she discovered they hadn't left a note. And when she tried to call Andy's cell, she instantly felt a cold shiver down her spine. His phone was turned off and she knew then that something was wrong, as he never switched it off.
At twenty past five, Amy was dialling the number to Amelia's playgroup when there was a knock at the door. She slammed the phone down and hurried to answer it, suddenly feeling sick as she saw two policemen standing there.
"Amy Halliwell?" the tallest man asked. She nodded her head in response, as her throat was too dry to speak. She opened the door for them as they walked in and sat down. "I'm afraid your husband and daughter were involved in a car crash this morning. We've been trying to contact you all day. A lorry collided with their car." he told her sadly and dreaded the next part. ".Andrew was killed instantly. Amelia is currently at the hospital with serious injuries. I'm terribly sorry." Amy knew what they had been about to tell her but still wasn't prepared for what they said. She literally felt like someone had stabbed her a thousand times.
"This can't be happening. I only saw them this morning. Andy's been at work all day and my daughter was at her playgroup. Please tell me this is a mistake," she begged. The ears were running down her face and she couldn't breathe.
"I'm sorry. It happened about eight-fifty this morning. We tried to call you but there was no answer. We can take you to the hospital now if you like." Amy said not a word as she left the house slowly with the two policemen. They felt like monsters for having to tell her the devastating news. In one simple sentence, her life had been torn apart. To Amy, it was even more disturbing to know that she had driven past the scene that morning. As they drove to the hospital in the police car, the tears fell freely and her entire body ached. It was too much to process and she began feeling dizzy.
They arrived at the hospital at quarter to six and Amy flew up to Amelia's room. Nothing could have prepared her for the sight before her. Her baby girl lying lifelessly on the hospital bed, hooked up to what seemed like thousands of tubes and wires, with monitors everywhere in the room. A doctor and nurse stood next to the bed, writing some notes and examining her when they noticed Amy, looking horrified. This wasn't her daughter. Amelia was a beautiful, happy, bubbly little girl, not this pale helpless child lying motionlessly.
"Are you her mother?" the doctor asked. She hadn't seen them in the room yet and nearly jumped out of her skin when he spoke. Amy nodded numbly. "I'm Doctor Harris. Amelia has suffered from some serious injuries. She had multiple compound fractures of both legs, a shattered left hip, a broken pelvis and severe internal bleeding. Her condition was too serious...we had no other choice but to perform emergency surgery. We've replaced her hip, repaired her pelvis with pins and fixed the bleeding. The surgery was successful until complications arose and a blood clot formed in her right leg. The damage was far too serious. I'm afraid we had no other choice but to amputate. She will be unable to walk again on her own but we may be able to replace her with a prosthetic leg. We also had to remove her spleen and there is also the possibility of some head trauma. We've done some tests and are currently awaiting the results. Mrs. Halliwell, I should warn you that Amelia's body suffered a great deal in the accident, possibly too much for her to handle. The surgery was successful but a lot for her body to take. The next twenty-four hours are crucial for her now and it's touch-and- go from here."
Amy tried to make sense of it all. It was too much to process. A few short hours ago, her life had been wonderful and now, her husband was dead and her daughter's life was hanging on by a thread. Her life had come crumbling down around her. They were all she had left in the world.
The doctor and nurse left her with Amelia then and Amy slowly walked over to her bedside. She sat on the chair next to the bed and picked up her daughter's cold frail hand and kissed it. The tears were absolutely pouring down her cheeks but she barely notice, nor the burning sensation in her eyes. All she felt was her heart being wrenched out from her chest. She let Amelia's hand drop down to the bed as she covered her face and sobbed. Amy stayed like that for an hour, just curled up in a ball and crying. Eventually though, she managed to drift off to sleep.
At nine o'clock that night, Dr. Harris came in with the test results. Amy was awake by then and looked almost as pale as Amelia. His face was sombre as he forced a smile to his patient's mother. No matter how many times he had dealt with these situations, it never got any easier.
"Mrs. Halliwell, I've got the results back from the tests...Amelia's brain isn't functioning anymore. The effects of today were simply too much for her. I'm afraid there's nothing more we can do. It's unlikely she will ever wake up from her coma," he told her, as he watched her face shatter.
Amy knew what the doctor was telling her. Her precious little girl was brain-dead and she had to decide whether or not to turn her life-support machine off. But how could she make a decision like that? Why was it up her to if her daughter should live or die? Amy felt so many things she couldn't differienciate one emotion from the other. Hate, anger, sadness, disbelief was just the start.
She sat for hours on the chair, staring at her little baby. She said or did nothing. Just listening to the clock as the seconds ticked away. At two o'clock in the morning, she leaned foward, grasped Amelia's hand in hers and kissed her for ages, willing for movement or some sign of life. But nothing. Absolutely nothing happened and Amy knew in her heart of hearts, she'd already gone. Her baby had passed away and she knew it was cruel to just leave her hanging on. In the end, she grabbed Amelia's favourite pink teddy bear and placed it next to her on the bed.
"Amelia, I love you so much. You've brought me so much happiness the past five years and nothing on no one can replace that. But it's time to let you go now, Angel. Tell Daddy I love him and make sure he looks after you or I'll come up there and kick his ass," she said with a small laugh as she stroked her beautiful little face. "I will love you forever and you'll always be with me. We'll be together again one day. Bye, baby. Fly." And with that, she placed a kiss on her forehead and as hard as it was, Amy left her bedside to tell Dr. Harris it was time. She'd said her goodbyes, as heart-wrenching as it was. And at 2:26am, Amy said her final goodbyes to her baby daughter as the life-support machine was switched off.
Later that night, she went to the Chapel Of Rest where her husban's body lay. To Amy, it just looked like Andy was sleeping, only this time he wouldn't wake up. She stayed there for a while and talked to him. She asked him to take care of Amelia, told him she loved him and promised never to fall in love again. After such a painful life, Andy had been the one thing she'd thought would last forever. And he had given her Amelia, something she would always be thankful for. Andy had helped her recover from a life of loss so now even at just twenty-four, she had promised to never to love again but after all he had done for her, she owed him that much at least. Saying goodbye to him was one of the hardest things she had ever experienced. But Amy knew she would always love him.
In less than twenty-four hours, her life had collapsed around her. She'd lost the two most important people in her life and she had a long, hard journey ahead of her to grieve and recover. What Amy didn't know though, was her 'journey' would lead her onto a path of self-destruction.