Alison could hear the ringing of the phone inside as she turned the key in the front door. "I'm coming, I'm coming," she said trying to juggle the packages under her arms. Quickly she dropped the parcels to the floor as she reached for the phone. "Hello," she said a bit winded.
"Is Alison Morgan available?" a voice came from the other end of the line.
"This is she," Alison answered.
"Ma'am, there has been an accident." Alison's blood ran cold at those words. She knew that the voice on the other end of the phone was still speaking, but suddenly she couldn't focus.
"Woman, I think you must have bought out every store in Texas," Jake's booming voice echoed in the large foyer as he struggled with the many bags and boxes he had just retrieved from the car. "Ali?" he questioned taking notice of the deer in the headlight expression on Alison's face.
Jake slid the phone from her grasp and brought it to his own ear in the hopes of figuring out what was going on. However, in the back of his mind he had a pretty good idea. He had only seen this look one other time and whatever was going on, Jake knew it wasn't good.
"Hello," he said. "Can I help you?"
Jake listened intently to the person on the other end of the phone without getting many details other than that Jason had been involved in an accident today. This person had basically no information on Jason's condition other than he was being taken to Charlotte Memorial Hospital.
Jake placed the receiver in its cradle and turned to Alison just in time to see her about to collapse to the floor. Quickly he cradled her in his arms. "This can't be happening," she whispered as tears filled her clear blue eyes.
Suddenly he felt torn on being there for Alison and getting to Jason, Jake didn't know what to do. He was sure she was reliving the day of Erik's accident and he wanted to do something to help her but all he could focus on was getting back to North Carolina and Jason.
Once he had Alison settled on the small upholstered bench in the foyer, Jake reached for the phone immediately dialing the airport. "I need 2 tickets on your next flight to Charlotte, North Carolina," he said watching Alison as he spoke. "I don't care how much they cost. I need to be on that flight!" Jake barked.
When the arrangements had been finalized, Jake put down the phone. He looked over his shoulder at Alison and knew that she wasn't going to be much help to him. She was still sitting in the same spot staring off absently into the distance.
"Ali," he touched her hand gently. "We don't have much time. We need to get to the airport." She turned and looked at him, yet she didn't respond. Jake did what he could to contain his frustration knowing she was reliving her worst nightmare.
He left her where she was and headed back the hallway to throw a few things for them both in an overnight bag. With the bag slung over his shoulder, Jake took Alison by the hand and led her out to car. Without question she followed him and got into the passenger seat as he closed the door.
Jake turned the key in the ignition as he said a little prayer for Jason glancing at Alison. "Please God, she'll never recover if she loses him too." With that Jake turned onto the street heading to the airport.
"Call Elizabeth Ryan," Jake said into his phone as he merged onto the highway. The sound of the ringing phone filled the car. "Come on, come on answer!" he declared impatiently. Yet no matter how much he willed it, Elizabeth didn't pick up. Jake didn't know if that was a good or bad sign.
Jake scrolled through his contacts. He knew that he had Pat Ryan's number as well. Again, the car was filled with the reverberation of the ringing phone. Jake held his breath waiting for Pat to pick up. Another call went unanswered. "Damn," he muttered. The stress of not knowing something, anything about Jason's condition was wearing thin. The information from the earlier call had been sketchy at best. He wanted to believe it was nothing but deep-down Jake knew for Alison to be called, it was more than nothing. He pressed his foot hard on the accelerator pushing on toward the airport.
Jake handed the attendant at the gate his and Alison's boarding passes. "Have a nice flight," she said.
"Thank you," Jake returned absently as he led Alison through the boarding bridge into the plane. She still hadn't said a word. Jake didn't know if that was a blessing or a curse. He certainly didn't want to listen to one of her tirades about racing but her silence was eerie.
The fasten seatbelt sign went dark when the airplane had reached cursing altitude. Jake knew that in less than 3 hours they would be in Charlotte. It was only 3 hours but it felt like an eternity as the remorse he was feeling was all consuming. He should have been there for Jason. He should have never agreed to going to Texas for his rehab. He could have made the same progress in North Carolina and he wouldn't have been almost 1500 miles away when the worst of the worst happened. Logically Jake knew that there was nothing he could have done even if he had been standing in the pits watching it all taking place, but that didn't stop the guilt he was feeling.
He reached across the seat and took Alison's delicate hand in his. She still hadn't spoken a word. He didn't have to imagine where her mind was. He knew exactly. How he wished he could do something to reassure her but he understood that there were no words that would make that happen. Words of encouragement and guarantee weren't ones that Alison Morgan would recognize right now. In fact, they would ring hollow since she knew from experience they meant very little.
Alison felt the pressure of Jake's hand against hers but she continued to stare straight ahead counting each stich in the seam where the headrest met the back of the seat in front of her. She counted them over and over as a way to distract her mind from where it wanted to go. But that only worked for a short time before the memories she was desperately trying to avoid took their rightful place in her mind.
Tears made silent trails down her cheeks, vivid images of Erik's car spinning end over end through the air and the subsequent flames that engulfed it the instant it hit the ground. She remembered running from the stands trying desperately to get to infield screaming his name over and over. She could still smell the oil and racing fuel that filled the air from the crash. The worst of all the recollections was when the doctor came into the waiting room and told her that they had done all the could for Erik but he was gone. She remembered very little after that except for dissolving into hysterics, something she was trying so desperately not to do at that very moment.
"Ali," Jake's voice startled her. "We just touched down." She looked out the window to see the plane taxiing toward the gate. She turned back looking at him but remained silent. She didn't trust her voice. "We need to go," he said.
Jake picked up their bag from the luggage carrousel, took Alison by the hand and starting walking through the airport. He looked over his shoulder and couldn't get past the shell-shocked look on Alison's face. His heart ached for her. He wanted to do something, anything to comfort her but he was at a loss fearful of doing the wrong thing and shattering the bubble she seemed to have created for herself.
Jake easily navigated the streets of Charlotte making his way to the hospital. He parked in the emergency room lot and led Alison to the entrance. She allowed him to guide her without any resistance.
Jake and Alison approached the front desk but before Jake could ask about Jason he saw Elizabeth out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head and the young brunette with the tear stained face caught sight of him too and flew into his arms dissolving into tears against his chest.
"Shh," he whispered stroking her hair. "It's going to be okay. Where is he?"
Leo and Melanie joined them. "Radiology getting a CT scan and some x-rays," Melanie answered.
"Maybe we should sit down," Leo said taking notice of the weary stance of Jason's mother.
"That's a good idea," Jake agreed. "It could be a long night," he said from personal experience.
The minutes ticked into hours without a single word. Elizabeth was about to jump out of her skin at any moment. "Why aren't they telling us anything?" she agonized. "I'm going to nurses station. They have to know something by now!"
"Liz," Melanie began.
"Let her go," Leo said. "She needs to do something besides sit here."
"But she knows, they will come tell us when they know anything."
"The rational Elizabeth knows that, but not this Elizabeth. She not the patient advocate now. She's the family."
Melanie let out a deep sigh. "I know," she teared up suddenly filled with concern for her friend and Jason.
"Come here." Leo pulled Melanie down beside him draping his arm around her shoulder. "It's going to be okay."
"How do you know that?"
"I just do," he said with such confidence that Melanie actually believed him.
"They won't tell me a damn thing!" Elizabeth snarled rejoining the group. "I work here for God sakes! I have a right to answers."
"No news is good news," Jake gingerly offered.
Elizabeth was less than convinced. The fact that no one had come to talk to them yet in her experience was anything but a good sign. Her years as a patient advocate had taught her when it was bad news, approaching the family was one of the last things to happen.
"Why don't you sit down?" Jake motioned to the seat beside him as Elizabeth paced back and forth. She shook her head and continued with the groove she was wearing in the floor.
Melanie looked at the clock overhead. Jason had been in radiology for over 90 minutes. They couldn't have been that backed at this hour she thought. Her nerves were now getting the better of her too.
"Where are you going?" Leo asked as she stood up.
"Enough is enough. I'm going to get some answers for her," she pointed toward Elizabeth who was now staring out the large glass pane windows.
"Go get 'em girl," Leo laughed before kissing her softly on the cheek. She smiled at him before disappearing through the door.
Leo stood up and walked to where Elizabeth was standing resting his hands on her shoulders. He felt the tension that filled her frame. "You're exhausted. Why don't you come sit down? Just for a minute, even." She only shook her in disagreement. "Yes," Leo insisted not giving her another chance to say no. "Thank you," he said when she finally took the seat next to him.
The group settled into silence each watching the clock and waiting for word on Jason. Suddenly their heads shot up when Tom entered the waiting area. Leo's eyes locked on Jason's mechanic. Tom immediately averted his gaze. "Any word?" he asked to no one in particular.
"Not yet," Leo said matter a fact. "Where the hell have you been?" Leo did little to hide the accusation in his tone.
"Jake, you're here," Tom stated his shock clearly evident.
"Where else would I be? And you didn't answer Leo's question. Where the hell have you been?"
"At the track, trying to get some answers," he tried to hold his tone steady.
"So, what'd you find out? What happened?" Jake pressed.
"Honestly, the car is pretty messed up. I wouldn't be able to tell until it's back in the garage."
Leo tightened his grip on Elizabeth with Tom's description of Jason's car he knew that she was about to bolt at any minute.
"What was he saying on the radio before the accident? Did he say how the car was handling? Did something seem off?" Jake let loose with a barrage of questions.
"Everything was fine," Tom answered a little too quickly.
At that remark Elizabeth's looked over at him. She knew damn well everything couldn't have been fine. Even from the other side of the television screen she knew something was off. How couldn't have his crew chief and mechanic not have seen it? She knew that she should have questioned Tom but she couldn't seem to pull herself together enough to form the words.
"That just doesn't make any sense, Tom. Jason would have had to have said something." Jason wasn't one to keep quiet if something seemed off even if it was the littlest thing.
"He didn't," Tom offered. "I don't know. All of the sudden I heard him swear and then he was…"
"Stop," both Leo and Jake said in unison as the women sitting beside them let out a gasp.
"I'm sorry," Tom said looking away realizing that his account of the accident at the moment wasn't needed. Tom took a chair on the opposite side of the room from the rest of the group feeling like the outsider he had come to be.
"How about some coffee?" Jake asked.
"Sounds good," Leo agreed.
"Elizabeth?" Jake question. She shook her head no.
"Get her some anyway. And maybe some food too," Leo added. Knowing Liz, the way he did he was sure she hadn't eaten yet today.
"Sure thing," Jake smiled.
Elizabeth almost protested but Leo stopped her. It was then that her eyes were drawn to where Alison Morgan now sat alone. She shared the same vacant look that Elizabeth also wore. Elizabeth remembered the story Jason told her about his father's accident. She couldn't help but wonder if how she was feeling now was the same way Alison felt all those years ago when her husband died.
Elizabeth felt a swell of tears she couldn't control. They spilled from her eyes in cascading sheets as the thoughts of losing Jason consumed her. She had wasted so much time with him, time she'd never get back and that was her fault. "Please, God, please don't him die," she mouthed.