Sam POV
"Alex, can I come in?" He groans something that might or might not be 'yes'. I go in anyway.
"Hey soldier, how you feeling?"
"Hungry."
"Well you can have some dry toast in about an hour, okay?" He nods and I smooth down his fringe so it goes in his eyes. "Luka's dad isn't very well."
"Yeah, that's why he had to leave wasn't it?" I nod.
"I gotta warn you kiddo; if Mr Kovac dies I don't know if Luka will come home for Christmas."
"Oh," He pouts. "Okay."
"But I was thinking-how about we go to Gramma's." Alex thinks then nods. I smiled and kiss his forehead.
"Now sleep and I'll bring you some toast in a little while.
Luka POV
I can hear the machine as I'm walking down the corridor clutching my foam cup. It increases in volume as I near tata's room and my stomach drops. A nurse comes out and spots me.
"Dr Kovac. Your father has a collapsed lung due to a broken rib. There is also a chance of…internal bleeding."
"H-h-how did this happen?" I stammer.
"We don't know. Maybe he moved around on the bed and banged himself." The nurse shrugs. "We're doing all we can but I suggest you ring your family." I nod and rush to the phones.
"Dmi, come now. Tata has a collapsed lung and internal bleeding." I almost yell as his cell phone crackles.
"Okay." He hangs up and I dial the home phone. Cat picks up and I repeat myself. We both hang up and I wait, clutching my foam cup full of cold coffee.
I daren't even look into tata's room, I'm too scared. In all my years in the ER I am too scared to look as my own father lays dying on the cold gurney.
Sam's POV
28th November
"Mom, can I have some toast."
"Mom, can I have some juice?"
"Mom can I have a blanket?"
"Mom, can you open the window?"
I sit on the sofa and sigh. In the last two hours I have been up and down the stairs a million times to Alex's room. Finally he's asleep and will hopefully stay that way for a while.
My stomach rumbles and reminds me I haven't had any breakfast or lunch (food isn't appetising when you've seen your son vomit cheerio's onto the bathroom floor.) I quickly throw together a PBJ sandwich and slump on the couch watching daytime TV. I haven't heard from Luka about his dad but if everything's fine he's probably sleeping. His niece sounded a sweetie; her English was surprisingly good for a four-year-old.
When I wake up the TV is still on but showing some cartoon movie for kids. I check on Alex who is mercifully still asleep and then ring Luka.
"He's not here Sam, and I'm worried. I called over an hour ago, it should take them no longer than twenty minutes to get here and it's been an hour. What if something's happened?"
"Luka, calm down. There's probably heavy traffic or something…anything!" Her voice soothes me a little, of course there's nothing to worry about.
"Sorry. How's Alex?"
"Asleep finally, thank the lord. He was worn out." She sighs. "Well, I'll let you go now. I bet you Dmi is coming in the doors right now."
"Thanks Sam, I'll ring later."
I walk down to the entrance way and watch two rigs pull up with their lights flashing. The doors fly open and…
"Dr Kovac, there's been a bit of news." A nurse approaches me.
"What is it?"
"Your family's been in an accident." The nurse bites her lip then continues, "I'm so sorry but your brother…died at the scene."
"What happened?" I allow myself to be guided to the waiting area and sat down.
"Your brother, sister-in-law and your nieces and nephew were in the car when it was hit side on by a lorry. Dmitri sustained such severe head injuries he died almost instantly when the lorry hit. He didn't suffer."
"And the others?" I whisper, my heart racing. I can't comprehend it.
"Catriona and the children are being brought in." she looks up at the doors. "This is them." She moves out and opens the rig doors but I can't move, I can't think. Dmi is dead, my big brother is gone.
The first gurney rolls past and I hear crying. Lilia whimpers and the doctor comforts her, but she doesn't know yet. The second and third roll past and I make out Jay and Cat strapped down, both with collars on and grazes on the skin I can see.
Finally Leioa is pushed past but she isn't making any noise. She isn't moving and I notice she's being bagged.
Sam
28th November
"I don't know Kerry; it's all a bit tense over there…I rang him about half an hour ago and his dad was going downhill…no, I have no idea when he'll be home." I rub my forehead, knowing something isn't right. "Okay, I'll be in tomorrow. Bye." I hang up but I still have the feeling that something is happening and I can't shake it off.
"Alex, are you okay?"
"Yeah mom, I'm just reading…are you okay?"
"Yeah, fine. Do you want some toast?" I get up and walk into his room where he's curled up on one side in his nest of quilts reading a comic. He turns over to look at me and nods.
"Please. And some juice." I nod and quickly feel his forehead.
"Are you feeling better?" He nods again and rubs the end of his nose with his fist. "Good. I'll bring the toast and juice in a second."
"How's Luka's dad?"
"Sick. He's dying. Luka's obviously very upset but he can't get hold of his brother. I'm sure it's all okay now though."
"Uncle Luka!" Lilia screams when she spots me standing at the door. The doctor motions me in.
"Hey Lil, shush now. The doctors need to patch you up then you'll be fine. It doesn't hurt, does it?" she shakes her head, free from the next collar. From all four of them, she's the least hurt. Apparently she was in the middle so she was cushioned from both blows: the lorry and then the other car. She has some deep cuts and a fractured wrist.
Leioa was on the nearest side to the lorry. She broke her right arm, right leg, 4 ribs and has some severe head and facial lacerations from the glass. Jak was on the left hand side, he has broken ribs, broken left wrist and elbow and cuts including a deep one on his thigh. They're still getting the glass from inside it.
Cat's heart stopped beating 24 minutes ago and they're still doing compressions. There is little hope for her because she didn't have her belt on. She was only turning round to check on the children and now she has severe spinal cord damage, fractured skull, 7 broken ribs, broken nose, and shattered tib/fib.
Watching through the door that joins the two rooms I see them slowly stop compressions. I watch as they check the monitors and then switch them off, look at each other grimly. They all know she has three kids in here.
One of the doctors looks round and sees me looking at him and he comes through.
"I'm so sorry but there was nothing more we could do." Tears prickle the back of my eyes as I look down at Lilia, who looks back up then starts to cry.
"Mommy? Where's my mommy? I want mommy, please Uncle Luka, I want mommy. Daddy?" She sits up but the doctor is only half way through casting her wrist. I raise my eyebrows at him, asking silently if she can sit on my lap while he does the other half. He nods so I gently move her into my arms.
"Lilia, you've got to listen to me carefully okay?" She nods, "In the accident, your daddy was really badly hurt and he…your daddy died. He's gone to the angels."
"With Grampa?" She says, sniffing.
"Yes, with Grampa." I smooth down her hair, realising she doesn't fully understand. "Lil, when you all got hit by the lorry mommy wasn't wearing a belt and she got really badly hurt as well. The doctors thought they could fix her like they fixed you but she's was too sick. Her heart stopped beating when they were fixing her and they couldn't make it beat again."
"So mommy is an angel too?"
"Well yes, but Lilia you've got to understand that your mommy and daddy aren't going to be here anymore."
"Are they at home?"
"No sweetie, they are in heaven. That means that they live in the sky now, and they can't come down and see you or Leioa and Jakob."
"Ever?" she whispers.
"Ever. I'm sorry sweetie." Lilia looks up at me and shakes her head. Softly I kiss her forehead and she starts crying, and I know she understands now. Suddenly I'm angry with everyone; the doctors for giving up, that damn lorry driver who ran a red light, Dmi for going home to get them first and driving down the new road instead of the old one, God for taking these kid's parents and leaving them alone. Everyone.
The doctor finishes her wrist and looks at me.
"Thanks. Can I take her to see her brother now?"
"Yes. Don't let her get it wet…"
"Yeah, I know. I'll make sure she does everything right." I wipe my eyes and carry Lilia, still crying, into Jak's room. Immediately he sees her and looks at me, scared of what I'm about to say.
He knows straight away that they're gone. He saw his father lying dead in the car, saw his mother's fear when he asked if she could move her feet, saw the blood on everyone. His pain is mixed with relief as I tell him his sisters are okay. Leaving Lilia with him for a second I go into Lei's room to see if she's up for visitors. The nurse seems to think she is and even removes the tube when Lei starts to trigger the vent. I wheel Jak into the room in a wheelchair which he has to stay in for a while. Lilia clings to him, just silently watching people move around.
When I tell Lei she doesn't fully understand it all but she can see how upset we all are and she knows it's something serious.
"Where are we going to live?" Jak asks quietly, stroking his sister's cheek.
"With me." I say, thinking on the spot. There's nowhere else for them to go.
"In America?" Lei whispers, her throat still sore from the tube and I nod.
"You'll like it, I'm sure. Sam's there and she'll adore you all, her son Alex is 12 so you'll have someone to play ball with Jakob. I promise you all that there is no way I am leaving Croatia without you."
Later that night, after the girls have fallen asleep on adjacent gurneys and Jak and I settle on the cots they set up in the private room, one of the nurses comes to tell me tata died at 2.43pm: the exact time that the lorry hit Dmi's car. They went together.