Crash Chapter 3 Pt. 2

True Reflections

Tim's POV

What I just had to do is the hardest thing for any parent to ever have to do. You should never have to see your child lying on a cold slab of steel, looking like a mannequin.

I just can't believe how much he looked the same though. I thought his body would be mangled as hell. But no, he only had a some scratches and bruises on his body, and a small gash in his head.

I can't even begin to imagine what Jill is going through. She and Randy were always real close, mainly because Randy wasn't in to cars and tools and engines and more power and grunting and all that junk that I'm in to. He was always more interested in books and computers and getting As on his homework assignments. That's pretty much Jill's domain.

That asshole medical examiner, that Dr. Weiss, better hope he doesn't piss me off too badly. I don't care if he's the surgeon general's left nut, he isn't going to just simply go about business on this case. I'll see to that.

God, why does this stuff always have to happen to Randy? It's always been him. He had colic when he was first born, got real severe asthma as a toddler, then of course we thought he had cancer about ten and a half years ago.

God, has it been ten years since then? Looking back, my life was just perfect then. All three boys were in school, as well as Jill, I had a great job that didn't make me feel like throttling half the people I dealt with on a daily basis. (Not that being chairman of Binford Tools is all that bad).

Lauren's POV

Poor Randy. That's all I can keep thinking. It's just such a shame that he had to die now. I know all about the surprise evening he had planned for our ten year anniversary of meeting. The limo, the wine, the food, the ring in the desert cart, all of it. Hey, what can I say, it helps to have a great uncle in the restaurant business.

The entire time we were at the morgue, I half expected Randy (or Randy's body, or however you want to phrase it) to sit up, and announce that this was all some big prank he schemed up. Seriosuly though, it seemed like he should just wake up.

It's funny, the state of mind everyone (at least everyone in the United States) has. You know people die. I mean, there's always dead people everyday in the obituary section. But when it comes to your family and friends and animals and any other mortal being, you never think that it'll happen. You just think that they'll live forever. I mean, after all, you know them, so they can't die. It's just not possible, right? You'd think as advanced we Americans are, we'd be able to accept death much easier.

'No, don't go down that road Mr. Taylor. Take the other way' I say all of a sudden. We're on our way home now from the morgue, and Mr. Taylor almost chose the freeway that killed Randy. I think Mrs. Taylor and I would've had a total meltdown if he had actually gone that way.

Brad's POV

'You know, I still cannot believe that my brother is dead. You know Colin, I almost wish I was dead with him. That way we could face the after life together' I say to the guy who works next to me at the music store I work at. 'You know, I even had a dream last night that I was dead, there in hell with him. I guess we were in hell because of the way we used to treat our younger brother Mark'.

'So, how do you know you aren't dead?' Colin asks, flipping the page of his magazine as he does so.

'Well, let's see, I woke up this morning and came to work. Isn't that enough to prove to you that I'm not dead?' I argue.

'So, maybe you are dead, and maybe this is hell. I mean, we only make like what, a dollar above minimum wage, and we deserve a lot more than that for putting up with Queen Bitch back there' he says, motioning to the (currently empty) office of the manager of this store.

'True. Maybe I really am dead. I mean, we both know that Vicky isn't going inside the pearly gates when she dies' I say.

'Come on man, I'm just messing with your head' Colin says, looking up from the magazine and smiling.

'I just can't believe I'll never get to see Randy again. I mean, yeah, sure, there's the funeral, but I wanted to be able to carry on a conversation with him' I say.

'Well, you know, there's always when you die' Colin jokes.

Mark's POV

How could Randy be dead? It just doesn't seem possible. I wish it wasn't possible.

I mean, sure he and Brad always tormented me and made my life a living hell to put it bluntly, but neither of them deserve to die young.

Now I'm going through that stage where I wish we had spent more time together. (After we got a little older and could actually stand each other). I know that isn't typically included in the process of dealing with someone or thing's death, but it sure should be. I know I felt this way when grandpa and grandma died. I think everyone does that when someone close to them dies.

I try hard not to, but I keep thinking of all these old memories of when we was kids. Life was so much simpler back then. Of course it didn't seem that way at the time. It seemed like life was very hard and complicated. (Especially if you had Mrs. Moore for sixth grade math. Yikes!)

I just wish I could've got to tell him goodbye. Or, "until next time" as he started saying after he came back from Costa Rica.

It's true what they say, you never realize how good something or someone is for your life until they are gone.

Randy's POV

It was so hard to see mom and dad and Lauren and not be able to say something or move or do anything to show a sign of life. Believe me, I was trying my damnedest.

Perhaps I should use that phrase, considering what will soon happen to me.

I have been thinking. I wonder how I was able to survive the night (I'm assuming I've spent an entire night here) in that cold drawer. I wonder how I managed to not get hypothermia. I mean, you can't tell me the sheet on my body was that thick, and besides, one sheet wouldn't generally be enough to halt hypothermia.

I don't know. Maybe my body is dead, but somehow my brain is still active. No, that doesn't even make sense! The brain needs blood to be active, and to get blood to the brain, the heart has to still be pumping the blood. So unless by brain and heart are still functioning, and my body is just dead weight (no pun intended), then I've created some kind of third existence here.

Oh God. Oh no. Oh my God. Here we go again with the Hootie and the Blowfish.

Can't this guy be like every other psycho with a scalpel and put on Marilyn Manson or something along those lines when he's about to butcher a body? I mean, does he really have to use Hootie for such evil purposes?

Now he's walking over to the tray containing all of the sharp, shiny, pain inducing instruments. He selects one, the same one he previously selected, and walks over to my body.

Now the female doctor, Jordan, has joined him in here.

Well, I guess it's time I bite the bullet. I guess I don't really have much of a choice in the matter, do I?

A/N: Before anyone says anything, I said I would reveal what's up with Randy in the next chapter. That would be chapter four, which does not come until chapter three is complete. This is the second part of chapter three. Sorry to keep everyone in suspense, but I'll update again on either Sunday or Monday, okay?

I want to thank Colin Creevey for inadvertantly giving me the idea for Brad's POV in this chapter.

I want to thank my cousin Sarah for inadvertantly giving me the idea for part of Lauren's POV in this chapter.

I want to thank Crossing Jordan once again for providing me with this idea and remind everyone out there that the character of Jordan that I'm using for this story belongs to Crossing Jordan.

I want to thank my favorite actor of all time, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, just for having acted in so many great roles.

And most importantly, I want to thank you, the reader, for living up to your namesake, and reading.

Please R&R so I can thank you for that as well!

-Yours truly, Randy Taylor