Thank you for your comments. I love them.
special thanks to the guest that pointed out I had the truck weight wrong. Have fixed it.
There's gong to be a few chapters to build up into the story...I only just realised it needed it so I'm writing those right now. They will have some hidden clues...so you get to be the detective here. See if you can figure out what happened before Jane does :)
Happy reading. And many X's. JAM
CHAPTER 2
The sole survivor is detective Jane Rizzoli.
Jane wakes at the hospital and the nurse alerts the doctor within minutes.
"I'm doctor Jacobs. You are in the Boston Emergency Department. How are you feeling?"
Jane studies her hands which are covered in several small bandages before making eye contact with the doctor.
"What happened? Why am I here?"
The doctor glances over her chart one last time before answering causing Jane's impatience to rise.
"You were in a car accident Ms Rizzoli."
Jane glares at him, "It's detective Rizzoli."
The doctor smiles just a little, probably at the crossed arms and dark look directed his way, "What is the last thing you remember Detective?"
Jane's eyes soften just a little while she thinks.
"It's kind of fuzzy, but I was driving."
"Do you know where you were going or coming from?"
Jane shakes her head slowly, angry at herself that she doesn't remember more.
"It's quite normal to have short term memory loss after this type of accident. You were brought here by helicopter. You were unconscious. You have a few scrapes and bruises. Your hands were cut by glass but are superficial. You had a nice knock to your nose but the bruising will go down in a day or two. Your ribs are slightly bruised. But you will be fine. We will keep you overnight just to monitor you in case of concussion."
"My brain bounced around inside my skull?"
Doctor Jacob's smiles, "Something like that. You are very fortunate, it was a nasty crash."
"Did I cause the crash? Is the other person ok?"
The doctor looks away for a minute and Jane holds her breath, "The police will want to speak with you when you are ready, when you remember what happened. But No...you did not cause the crash. Is there anyone I can call for you?"
"Maura."
He raises his eyebrows, "Maura Isles?"
"Yes."
"She is your emergency contact. She is already on her way."
"Ok...good"
"I'll leave you to rest. Call if you need anything."
Jane presses herself into the pillow and tries to think back...tries to remember. But she is tired and sore. She closes her eyes to wait for Maura not aware she is already half asleep.
She opens her eyes and tries to grab her aching head but her arms are restricted by something. It's loud like a train and rather dark. She groans but can't hear herself over the noise. A few seconds later a stranger is leaning over her. He is young and wears a blue coat with an red emblem she recognizes as one paramedics wear. He is wearing a headset that are like earmuffs. He mouths something but she can't make it out. Everything is a little blurry and it's hard to concentrate.
'Where is my phone?" She yells at him. She needs to call Maura urgently.
He shakes his head. It's unclear to Jane if he can't understand her or he is saying that he doesn't know where her phone is.
"It's in my car. I need to get it." She tries to yell over the thundering roar she now recognizes as helicopter blade spinning. She was in her car and the phone was beside her. She had checked it...and then...then she had heard a crash followed by loud thuds and metal on metal on metal.
The paramedic mouths something again and smiles at her.
She shakes her head because she doesn't know what he wants and he isn't being helpful.
Her face hurts and she isn't sure why. She isn't sure where she is or how she got here. It's too overwhelming and painful and so she closes her eyes again relishing is the less confusing darkness.
When Jane opens her eyes Maura is there, watching her with a worried look, like she is a specimen that must be studied.
"Jane."
One whispered word makes Jane feel like everything will be ok and she smiles. Maura gives a small smile, she mainly looks relieved. "You're ok."
It's a statement...not a question, but Jane answers anyway, "Yeah. But they won't let me go home."
"I'm not surprised. Jane. I um..." She wanted to ask why she is Jane's emergency contact but it seems relatively unimportant now she is here looking into these eyes again, "You'll go home tomorrow."
Jane shrugs sadly and Maura reaches out to touch her hand, letting her fingers trace across the bandages, "I'm sorry Jane."
"The doctor said it's normal that I don't remember anything before the crash, that it will come back."
"It will." Maura reassures softly, and when Jane looks up she notices Maura's eyes are sad.
"I remembered something when I was sleeping just then."
It doesn't escape Jane that Maura stiffens and pulls away looking down at the ground. Jane wonders how bad what happened was. She waits till Maura looks up before continuing, "I woke up in the helicopter and there was a paramedic, but I couldn't hear him talking to me cause the blades were loud."
Maura just studies Jane's face for a few minutes. Jane who is trying to determine if that memory is a good sign or not since it was still after the crash.
"Its really a miracle you're ok", Maura says biting her lower lip, "Cuts to hands, minor scratches, bruised ribs, dislocated nose, minor contusions...you were unconscious when you arrived..." Suddenly she can't speak against the lump forming in her throat.
Jane frowns and gives Maura a look that demands more information, "The nurses won't let me watch the news. What happened?"
Maura sits down on the hospital bed beside Jane's legs so they are eye to eye, "Jane. You have barely a scratch on you."
Jane half grins softly like she is way to tough to think it could have been worse even though she wonders exactly how bad the crash is.
"Every other person, everyone, they didn't...didn't make it..." Maura looks down again, her mind thinking of so many dead bodies, she swallows, "It was a pile-up. Investigators say you were about 4 cars back."
"Four." Jane bites her lip and presses her eyebrows together, "What happened Maur?"
"A...Truck trailer lost control and ended up on it's side. Crossed the medium and into two lanes of oncoming traffic. Looks like you just barely avoided the crash and plowed into the bank."
"How many people died Maura?"
Maura rubs her thumbs together and scrunches up her mouth before answering, "Twenty deaths."
"Shit."
"There were ten other cars in that pile up. No-one...no-one else...survived."
Jane looks down at her bandaged hands, a wave of grief floods her forcing tears to the corners of her eyes. She bites her lip and hopes no one tells her any of their names right now. She isn't sure she could handle it. "So...technically I wasn't in the pile-up." Jane says softly her voice wavering.
Maura studies her for a moment, clearly worried she has upset her best friend.
"I'm so glad you're ok. I expected the worse...I um...I should let you rest." Maura says when Jane looks up at her with glassy eyes.
"I'm fine Maur, I just...really would like to go home."
"I know. Angela is on her way here now. I hope it's o-ok I let her know...I...j-just b-because we...you know...um...we..."
Maura stops talking when she realizes Jane is frowning at her.
"Why are you...stuttering?"
"I-I don't want you to be mad a-at me."
"Why would I be mad?" Jane says as she reaches out to take Maura's hand. Maura flinches ever so slightly at the touch but relaxes after Jane's fingers wrap around hers.
"I...I just can't bear to lose you in any way. And when you do...remember...when you remember before the crash-"
"Maur, you'll be the first person I call."
Maura shakes her head struggling to express herself, thats not what she meant, but doesn't say anything else.
"Will you stay with me?"
"Jane..."
"The nurses are practically ignoring me. I asked for the TV remote a half hour ago. I think they've forgotten about me."
Maura chuckles and Jane squeezes her hand tightly and won't let go,
"I'm not joking. I'm soooo bored. Pleeeease entertain me."
Maura smiles and shakes her head.
"I'll stay until your mother arrives. Ok?"
"Good. Thank you."
Maura brushes the back of Jane's hand with her thumb which is followed by a few seconds of semi-awkward silence.
"How's my nose look?"
"It looks like Mike Tyson's nose."
Jane chuckles and closes her eye's, "I asked for an ice pack an hour ago too."
She is driving...only she isn't. It's her hands on the wheel and her feet on the pedals, only they won't do what she wants them too. She want's to pull over. She wants to stop. Her hands won't let go and her foot won't move to the other pedal. She stays on the highway driving head first into the snow battered wind that is getting worse. It's surreal, like she is trapped in someone else's body, like she is only seeing a glimpse of something. Only it also seems vaguely familiar. Then something catches her eye and she turns to look to the passenger seat and there is Frost sitting beside her looking at her. He looks good, but stern. Wooly hat, fuzzy earmuffs and heavy scarf on top of his usual attire.
Frost is dead she tells herself a few times but the image remains constant.
Had he been sitting there the whole time. Where is she. She want's to ask him, she want's to ask him anything, but her lips won't seem to move. She tries to beg him to answer with her eyes but she can't control them either.
The Frost in her car doesn't smile or wave or speak, he looks at her like he is looking right through her. And then he turns to look in the direction they are traveling and he points in that same direction. He doesn't seem shocked or afraid, he is just casually saying 'look ahead' without any words. She doesn't want to look ahead...she doesn't care...she can't control where she is going anyway. She want's to look at him, remember him this way, every detail. She wants to ask him how he is and to tell him how much she missed him. But she turns to look where he points anyway. It's brightly lit tail-lights and headlights facing her or spinning. Her brain says panic but her body doesn't respond. Her feet instinctively begin to brake, cautiously, not too hard. She won't loose control. It's so icy outside.
Her throat is tight and her palms sweaty as her body begins to react to this unknown ahead. She is not afraid but she grips the wheel and tightens her jaw, she will be ready.
It feels like a minute passes yet it's only seconds, and she can see it...a large shiny tank appears out of the wintery haze and is barreling her way on it's side...almost no traction to slow it. It's like it's on a slip'n'slide almost gaining speed by the foot. And cars in front are simply slamming into it and are then forced as an entire unit of tangled steel in her direction. Nothing appears to slow it down.
It is a steel magnetic beast attracting everything around it towards it and growing greater in mass every second, and she can only watch as the looming mass moves closer to her own car. The whole thing is headed for her and simultaneously her for it.
If possible...time slows down further and she has time to wonder if this is how her life ends, if she will meet Frost on the other side. She wonders how her Ma will be...and her brothers. And Maura...she wonders if Maura will miss her like she is going to miss Maura...she wonders if Maura will be ok. She wonders what they will say at her funeral and if she will be really missed. She wonders if she will end up on a slab in the BPD Morgue.
Her white-knuckled hands turn the wheel and the car turns, but it's not enough. She is slowing still but there's no way she can get out of the way. All her defensive driving training is telling her is that she will impact the truck in roughly thirty seconds, give or take.
She wants to scream, why is she here, why can't she go, why can't she control this car.
The hands on the wheel turn harder and the steering wheel shudders under her hands and she is sliding, she feels the skid, that moment the rear wheels lock and you think it might be hopeless, uncontrollable. She shifts her foot off the brake and presses the accelerator and like a miracle she feels the wheels start to find traction again. She turns the other way thinking there is more room and less ice, or at least she hopes, but she starts to slide again. It's hopeless. But she won't quit. She turns the front wheels into the slide and quietly prays. Only she is running out of road. There is no more time, no more room. There is a pile of sliding metal rushing at her. She feels the wheels lock again and she tries to relax. Perhaps speeding up wasn't the best plan...in hindsight.
Relax. Relax. Relax. She tells herself...and then her body does and she almost sighs in relief. She closes her eye's because she knows that she will tense up when the car in front...that she was following...now impacts her going backwards.
She feels the crunch like it's under her skin and inside her bones. She feels like she is thrown forward and the seatbelt holds her. Her arms fly out in front and feel weightless like she is flying. She wonders if she is dead yet. She expected more crunch, in her ears and also in her body. Maybe death is less painful than she thought. She feels like she is spinning. She feels...the sudden stopping...like hitting a wall. Her stomach lurches like that first drop on a roller-coaster and her neck screams at her instantly. The seatbelt feels like a steel pole. And her arms collide with her face and something else. And then...and then she knows she is not dead because everything hurts everywhere. She wants to open her eyes against the darkness but the body doesn't respond. Just breath she thinks, be still, you aren't dead.
She opens her eyes and Maura is replaced by her Ma.
"Ma."
"Hey. Hey Baby. Are you ok?"
Jane nods groggily and checks around her, checking that it was just a dream, or a flashback, checking she is really awake and in control of herself.
"Ma. I think I remembered something...only Frost was there so it was more like a dream. So I don't know what it was."
Angela moves closer and smiles at her daughter, "You're a very lucky girl."
"I think I remember the crash. I looked away at Frost and then I looked back and it all happened so fast."
"I don't know sweetheart. I wish I could help."
"Why was Frost there."
Angela strokes Jane's hand gently, "I don't think he was baby."
Jane nods, she knows her Ma is right.
"Maybe he is a fill-in."
"A fill-in. What does that even mean Ma?" Jane groans
"He represents something you can't remember. You looked away at something and it wasn't Frost...but it was something. Don't worry baby. It will come back to you with time."
"Yeah...maybe." She yawns slightly and sighs, "It was really scary Ma. Worse than a shooting or anything. I thought I was dead for sure. I...I hope I don't dream that ever again."
She looks at Angela whose eye's are wet with tears.
"I'm ok Ma." She gives her a weak half-smile and squeezes her hand.
"Sorry Janie...I just can't imagine...I saw the news footage and I can't...I can't believe you were in that mess."
"I'm ok Ma. I'm ok."
...to be continued...