Chapter 7

Lawndale General Hospital,corridor outside Trauma Room One,5:43 PM

"So how is she,Doctor?"Jake asked the attending physician as he emerged from Trauma One with Daria's chart in hand.

Looking over Daria's chart,the attending physician said,"Well,your daughter's condition is certainly quite serious.She's sustained a broken arm,a mild concussion,two broken fingers on her left hand,a bruised shoulder,and several minor lacerations on her right hand.She'll definitely need to be kept here overnight for observation,and will probably also need physical therapy once she's discharged.Fortunately,however,her case doesn't require any major surgery..."

For the first time in hours,Helen began to relax a bit."Thank goodness.I've been on pins and needles ever since the accident...between fighting rush hour traffic and trying not to let Quinn see how absolutely terrified I am,I've barely been able to breathe."

"When can we see Daria?"Jake inquired.

"They're preparing a bed for her right now."the attending physician told him."It should be ready in about an hour."

Jake's expression brightened."Great."He turned to Helen and said,"Let's go tell Quinn the good news."

"I'll go,honey."Helen said."You probably still have some questions for the doctor about Daria's post-op treatment."

"Okay."With that,Jake sat down with the attending physician to discuss options for Daria's physical therapy;Helen,meanwhile,started walking back to the waiting room to tell Quinn about the doctor's diagnosis.

Waiting room,5:49 PM

Helen returned to find Quinn leaning against one of the waiting room vending machines,her eyes moist with tears as Jane tried unsuccessfully to comfort her."Oh dear."Helen gasped."Looks like I wasn't the only one trying to put up a brave front."

"Yeah."Trent nodded."Right after you guys left to talk to the doctor,Quinn started crying her eyes out and just took off.I couldn't understand everything she said,but basically she thinks she's the one who put Daria in the hospital..."

"But that's not true!"Helen protested.

"I know,"Trent said,"and Janey and I both tried to explain that to her,but she won't believe us.Maybe you'll have better luck getting through to her,since you're her mom and stuff."

"I hope so."Quickening her pace,Helen strode over to where Quinn and Jane were standing.

Blowing her nose with a tissue from her pocketbook,Quinn glanced at her mother and sighed,"If you came here to read me the riot act,go ahead."She gazed down at the waiting room floor."It's not like I don't have it coming.After all,if it wasn't for me Daria wouldn't be in this mess."

"Now,Quinn,"Helen started to say,"I didn't come here to berate you..."

"Why not?"Quinn moaned."This whole thing happened because I was too stupid to keep track of my library card or think of some other way to get that book.I should have just gone to the mall to buy a copy...then Daria wouldn't have gotten hurt and wound up in the hospital."She pulled out a fresh tissue and wiped her eyes with it."Honest,Mom,I didn't mean for anything bad to happen to her.I just needed that book to do my report for Mr.O'Neill's class,and since Daria likes the library a lot I figured she wouldn't mind going there for me...I'm really sorry."

Helen grabbed Quinn and held her in a very tight embrace."Shhhhh."she murmured soothingly."I know you feel upset about what happened to your sister--we all do--but trust me,it's not your fault.If anyone should feel guilty,it's the selfish pig who rammed her car and deserted her when she was hurt."

"How bad was she hurt,Mom?"Quinn asked,both needing and yet being afraid to hear the answer."I didn't get a chance to find out before."

"Well,she has a broken arm,and she got banged up pretty badly in the crash,"Helen said,"so they're keeping her here overnight to make sure she's okay.Fortunately,thank God,the doctor says she won't need any major surgery,so she should be able to come home soon."

Quinn felt a weight start to lift off her shoulders."See,what'd I tell you?"Jane grinned,giving her a light pat on the back."Daria's tougher than the entrance exam at Harvard."Then,in a more serious tone,she added,"Your mom's right.You shouldn't punish yourself for somebody else's sins--just be glad your sister's alive and pray that the guy who put her in here gets what's coming to him."

Hospital parking lot,5:54 PM

Jodie arrived at Lawndale General with boyfriend Michael "Mack" McKenzie in tow.For the hundredth time since hearing about the accident,she tried unsuccessfully to make the knot in her stomach untie itself.Daria was one of the few people she could vent to about the pressure her parents were putting on her to follow in their ambitious footsteps;if anything happened to her now,Jodie was sure she'd go out of her mind.And it hadn't helped matters any that she and Mack had been stuck in traffic for ten minutes on the way to the hospital....

Mack,trying to relieve her anxiety,turned to her as they walked through the hospital's main doors and said,"I'm sure she's not hurt that bad.You'd be surprised at the things people walk away from.One time my uncle was driving through Kansas City and his car got hit by a pickup truck,and he came out of it without a scratch--and this was way before cars had airbags.With any luck,Daria'll probably be back in school tomorrow morning."

"I hope you're right."Jodie sighed."Jane told me that the car that hit Daria was going seventy-five miles an hour when the crash happened.At that speed,you're lucky if you don't die or kill somebody...."

Quinn spotted them as they came into the waiting room and walked over to meet them."Thanks for coming down."she said to Jodie. "It's the least I can do for her."Jodie answered modestly."So...how is she?"

"She got banged up pretty good when the other car hit her,"Quinn explained,"and her arm's broken,but other than that she's going to be okay.Just to be safe,the doctor's keeping her here overnight so he can check up on her."

Jodie breathed a distinct sigh of relief."How soon can we see her?"Mack asked Quinn.

"They still have to finish getting her room ready,and the doctor probably wants to do more tests on her and stuff,so it's going to be a while before she can have any visitors."Quinn replied.After a short pause,she added:"If the hospital says it's okay,would you guys like to come with me and Jane when we go up to see her?"

"That would be great."Mack said.

"I'll say."Jodie agreed."You can't imagine how much I need to talk to Daria...."

"Actually,Jodie,I can."Quinn told her.