Greg felt like his world had come to a shuddering halt as he listened to the events unfolding on the other end of the phone. He slowly turned to Sara as the sound of chaos filled his ears. He could hear someone shouting for an ambulance as they unfolded the drama before them and he felt incredibly helpless.
"Robyn! Robyn...will you please tell me you're ok?" He called desperately into his phone.
Sara met his eye and frowned, crossing the space between them to look over him with concern. His skin had taken on a pale chalky appearance, his hands trembled and his eyes were wide with fear.
"Whats wrong?" She muttered quietly in his ear.
"I...uhh I think she's had an accident...I think she crashed" He stammered, his mind rushing through everything he knew about car accidents and fatalities.
"Well...where? You need to go..." Sara frowned at his calm reaction. He was in shock and she had to snap him out of it before it was too late.
"I don't know. She was going to get Joel..." He stumbled, stuffing his phone into his pocket.
"And she probably goes the same way every day, right?" She rationalised.
Greg nodded, grabbing his discarded jacket and walking to the door. He was on autopilot, moving without really knowing where he was going or what he was doing. It was almost like an out of body experience, he willed himself to be by her side but he was stuck here at least until he could get across town to find her.
"Greg..." Sara said authoritatively "I'll drive"
Greg directed her to the highway, knowing her route to Joel's daycare she would have been on this road when he called. Nerves took grip of his entire body as they drove in silence feeling like they had been on the road for hours. The traffic always tore along this road as fast as they could. He had lost count of the number of accidents he had witnessed or attended out here over the years and yet every one replayed in his mind as they drove along. Every twisted vehicle and bruised and battered body taunted his conscience as they passed mile after mile.
The car turned a bend and Sara had to slam on the breaks as they hit a wall of traffic. Cars stretched on as far as the eye could see, bumper to bumper without moving an inch and Sara tuned the stereo into the traffic news. The news of a 3 car accident didn't help calm his nerves and he exchanged a sideways glance with Sara before stepping out of the vehicle.
"Where are you going?" Sara called after him, the rain beating down on her skin.
"I need to know she's ok" He declared, wrapping his jacket closer around his body.
Sara scanned the horizon, knowing that there was no way of knowing how long the traffic snaked on for. Cars filled every available space. She stared at her windscreen, spotting the blue light tucked halfway in the glove box and was struck by a sudden epiphany.
"Greg! get back in the car! We'll take the hard shoulder"
Greg broke into a run coming back to the car and sending her a grateful smile as she tossed the light in the window and turned the car onto the free lane. They passed lines of irate drivers, none of them moving an inch, the blue light flashing rapidly and declaring their urgency.
Red and Blue lights filled the air as they rounded another corner and Sara came to a screeching halt. Greg drew breath quickly as he scanned the scene in front of him piecing together the events from the aftermath.
Police cars formed a roadblock, officers taking photographs and notes and interviewing shaking witnesses and bloodied victims. Shattered glass and car parts littered the tarmac leading to a blue car with its front end crushed beyond recognition. The blue car had collided with a large white van, the driver seated in his cab as he gave a statement to a police officer. He was apparently unharmed, although the side of his van had a rather large dent.
An ambulance sat beside the blue car, transporting a trembling man from the passenger seat. His arm secured in a makeshift sling to ensure he could move without too much discomfort. A woman who had obviously been the driver wandered around the vehicle sobbing as she spoke on her phone.
Greg desperately searched the scene for Robyn's car as Sara spoke to one of the officers. Eventually his eyes caught sight of a patch of silver behind the van and he carefully calmed his nerves before walking around the wreck. The thick smell of smoke and fuel filled the air, crawling over his skin like oil as he moved across the road, the glass crunching under his feet.
His mind couldn't help but work through the vast amount of memories he had of Robyn; her smiling face, the taste of her lips, the scent of her skin as she settled into his arms at night. He thought about losing her and all that it would entail and his stomach churned violently.
Robyn's car was on its roof, the front and side of the vehicle mangled into a mess of tangled metal. Greg could feel every step he took thudding through his body as his head spun and everything seemed to lose focus. The fire service had pulled their truck up alongside her car, the men surrounding it looked worried which only made him feel worse. His lungs couldn't seem to heave breath in and the scene seemed to stretch out before him as though he was in a tunnel. In a dream-like state he took the few more steps towards her as the Jaws of Life tore apart the vehicle and the ambulance crew descended on her lifeless body.
Greg stopped in his tracks, the horror of the situation hitting him suddenly like a sledgehammer thudding into his chest. Her skin was so grey, blood trickled down the side of her face from a gash on her head, the red contrasting violently with her skin as it reached the oxygen mask they had placed over her mouth. The ambulance crew took great care in moving her from the vehicle. Her neck was secured with an orange brace, her back supported by a board as they slowly moved her to a stretcher.
He could hear a gurgling sound from her throat as he approached and the paramedics sprung to life ramming a tube down her throat and strapping her to the bed as they finally moved her into the back of the ambulance.
"Is she...dead?" Greg found himself saying as he stood by the doors watching them.
They pumped drugs into her arm and flashed lights in her eyes. Greg found himself fixing on her unseeing eyes, the black of her pupil removing the honey and amber tones he had memorized and adored so much. A sense of loss filled his soul before the emergency crews even answered. A young female paramedic steered him away as he looked over his shoulder to see them scurrying around her in a desperate attempt at saving her life.
"Sir... do you know this woman?" She asked calmly.
Greg stared at her for a few long moments before he found the ability to form words. He tried to swallow, his mouth feeling incredibly dry as he took in her kindly face and soothing smile.
"She's...my girlfriend. Her name is Robyn"
"Ok Sir, Robyn is going to have to go to hospital. Do you know if she has any existing medical conditions we should know about?"
Greg frowned but shook his head, turning once again to look into the ambulance. The paramedics closed the door, stealing her from his sight.
"Is she going to be ok?" He muttered.
"We're doing all we can sir" She stated with a sympathetic face as she made her way back to the ambulance.
"I want to go with her..." He demanded, panic beginning to rise in his stomach. The woman nodded and escorted him away, his eyes scanning the scene for Sara. She was approaching them at a marching pace eventually spotting him and nodding her understanding that he was leaving.
Inside the ambulance Greg took Robyn's hand in his gasping as he felt how cold she was. Her hand hung limply in his, unresponsive and lifeless. It terrified him.
The paramedics hooked her up to a machine that traced her heart beat as it slowly fluttered in her chest. The comfort he found in the melody of beeps was immense. A machine breathed for her, rhythmically making her chest rise and fall as they moved through the streets of Las Vegas headed for the hospital.
All of a sudden her hand tightened violently around his and her body bucked and twisted on the trolley. One of the paramedics held onto her head, another injecting some clear fluid into her arm as she continued to shake, her nails digging into the flesh of his hand until she tore through the skin.
"Whats happening?" Greg questioned as the paramedics relayed information to the people driving the vehicle. The siren sounded faster, they began to move in and out with more haste and as Robyn's body stopped seizing so did the comforting beep of the machine tracing her heart.
The long monotone sound it let out tore right through his heart as he realised what it meant. His breath shuddered in his chest, tears stung at his eyes as he found himself begging her to hold on under his breath. A male paramedic demanded he release her hand, to which he stared vacantly at his face until he was physically removed from her. It took them 3 attempts to bring her back, her blouse torn from her body for accurate placement of the defibrillation pads. Her body bucking violently as the shocks ripped through her.
They screeched to a halt outside the hospital and in the rush that followed Greg found himself aimlessly wandering into the ER following the trail of commotion behind her. The paramedics relayed a million and one things to the doctors before the kindly woman he had spoke to earlier guided him to the waiting area and pressed a cup of water in his hands.
"She's in the best place" She muttered, patting his shoulder before following her colleagues out. His head fell into his hands as he stared at the doors to the room she had been taken to. Not knowing what was going on in there was driving him crazy, time seemed to slow down for him and rush forward for others. People came and went, various injuries passed him by unnoticed, other family members and patients tried to speak to him. He sat there unmoving silently willing Robyn to live.
Sara arrived a short time later, sitting beside him and silently wrapping her arm around his shoulder. Her presence should have been soothing but instead it reminded him of what he stood to lose and the fear filled his soul.
"They had to shock her in the ambulance" He whispered "She was dead in there ... for a long time"
Sara's grip around him tightened and it was clear she didn't know what to say. A doctor exited the room scanning the space quickly as Greg hastily took to his feet.
"Robyn Morrisey?" Greg questioned. "I'm her partner, Greg Sanders"
The doctor nodded, reaching out his hand to shake both his and Sara's with a sympathetic smile. He had short cropped salt and pepper hair and sharp grey eyes that spoke of his intelligence more than his words did.
"My name is Dr Crews" He explained "I've been working on Robyn"
"Is she ok?" Greg interjected, the panic in his voice evident immediately.
"She's in very serious condition" He said, glancing at his notes momentarily "But we have a problem with her treatment"
Greg glanced at Sara with a frown.
"What kind of problem?" She asked.
He showed them both to a small room away from the waiting area. It was decorated in light blues, a vase of flowers stood on a small wicker coffee table and two soft sofa's sat across from each other. The coffee table was littered with pamphlets on dealing with greif and Greg swallowed the lump in his throat trying to prepare himself for the worst. He sunk into one sofa, keeping his eyes trained on the doctor as he closed the door and took the other sofa.
"I'll leave you to it" Sara muttered uncomfortably. She felt like a stranger here in the family room, an impostor at a time when only those closest to her needed to be there. "I need to make a phone call anyway"
She excused herself, heading outside and leaving them alone. Greg drew breath and turned his attention back to Dr Crews.
"Robyn has an advance directive in place restricting the medical intervention she is allowed. Basically, we can't do anything but make her comfortable unless it is overturned"
"What do you mean?" Greg muttered, trying to understand what was going on. The words didn't seem to sink in properly, hovering around in the air with no meaning as he stared at the doctor willing him to clarify his position.
"Robyn has some severe spinal trauma and swelling on her brain. Her Pelvis has been shattered and bone fragments have entered her spinal cord. These can move through her body, potentially reaching her heart, lungs and even her brain. We could surgically remove them and drain the fluid... but she has a directive in place. One she initiated a number of years ago preventing medical interventions"
"Well... how do we lift the restrictions? Show me where to sign?" He pressed.
"It can be difficult to do Mr Sanders. You're not married... do you live together?" He asked, sighing when Greg shook his head to indicate no "I'm afraid we need a close relative or a court order to overturn her decision and time really isn't on her side right now"
"She doesn't have anyone..." He muttered quietly. His body felt like it was shutting down, his head spun, his heart thumped violently in his chest and he felt like he couldn't breathe. He looked to the doctor, silently begging him to have a solution.
"Then I'm sorry Sir, but you may have to say your goodbyes"