"The probability of a certain set of circumstances coming together in meaningful (or tragic) way is so low that it simply cannot be considered a mere coincidence." – V.C. King
Raindrops pelted against her face and the headlights blinded her vision, which preceded the screech of car tyres, and the eventually blow from the vehicle ripped the breath from her lungs, as her body was thrown into the air and finally thudded to the ground.
"What if she dies?" Adrenaline pounded in Jack's every vein, after the traumatic discovery of Sophia's body beside the road, only a few yards from the beach-house. He feared his son's reaction, who undeniably cared - if not, loved - the Grayson's daughter. "Did you hear what the paramedics said?" Amanda was stuck in the memory of the ambulance ride. She shook her head and Jack checked his watch, "Where are they? It's been an hour since I called them."
"The roads are blocked off because of the storm," his wife provided a rational explanation, "They'll be here, as soon as they can."
As if on cue, the Grayson family burst onto the scene. "Jack, oh my God!" Emily instinctively embraced him, "Where's Sophia?"
"She's been in the O.R. since we arrived," Amanda informed the worried parents, offering a small smile for Daniel, who held back with Charlotte.
"Sophia Grayson's family?" A doctor in blood-stained, blue scrubs arrived from the direction of a sign that pointed toward O.R.3. Daniel and Emily stepped forward, prominently in his line of vision, "My name's Dr. Kohl, I'm the on-duty physician." His hand cheerfully stretched forward and Daniel accepted the extended invitation to acquaint himself with the surgeon. "Sophia has a broken ankle and several ribs are also broken, which have subsequently punctured her left lung. We've put her on a ventilator and I'm confident that will heal efficiently. What concerns me, however, is the internal bleed on her brain." Dr. Kohl theatrically paused, for the inevitable whimper that family members of such a patient would display. "Sophia suffered blunt trauma to her head. For the time being, she's stable but I can't guarantee she will remain so. With your permission, I'd like to operate."
"Do it!" Emily ordered, without a millisecond's hesitation.
"There's risk," he warned, carefully eyeing Daniel and Emily with an expression of caution. "There's a very slim chance that your daughter may suffer cardiac arrest. Her body has already been put through extreme trauma and the operation will be strenuous for her. It could be fatal for her." His words offered blunt realism, the way he had always approached his profession with. "If we don't operate, she may die, anyway. The decision is entirely up to you."
"She needs the operation," Daniel conceded with his wife's initial response. The surgeon vigorously nodded his head, and dashed toward the O.R., under his instruction. Jack observed the minimal interaction between Daniel and Emily, a husband and wife supposedly terribly in love with one another, and realised Sophia had discovered the truth and, as a result, so had Daniel. The Grayson patriarch extended his hand toward Jack, "Thank you. If you hadn't found her in time..." his eyes closed, horrified at the prospect of his daughter lying at the side of the road, like an animal left to die.
Any historical tension between the two men evaporated and Jack shook his head, with a brief nod, "Anyone else would have done the same."
The Porter's left the hospital soon after, in order to inform their son of Sophia's accident, upon his return. "I should call Nolan," Emily noted, once she watched Jack and Amanda walk arm-in-arm out of sight. She didn't realise how badly she needed to hear Nolan's voice, until he answered the phone. "Nolan, I'm at the hospital... no, I'm okay. It's Sophia. There's been an accident," her voice started to crack, "I need you to keep the twins with you overnight." Nolan happily obliged and Emily briskly brushed away the tears from her face, as she opened her arms to embrace her firstborn, who repelled from her touch, "Charlotte."
Charlotte shed tears of her own, stemmed from frustration and her own loss of control, not to mention the blame that needed to be thrown at someone, anyone. "Are you happy?" She shrieked, "Your precious secrets are out and now Sophia could die because of your lies!" The accusation in her voice silenced her mother into an eerie, uncharacteristic speechlessness. "She wouldn't have been out on the roads tonight, if it weren't for you!"
"Charlie, please, I know you're upset -"
"I'm more than upset, I'm furious!" Charlotte's voice became shrill, "Why couldn't you have told the truth; when Victoria and Charlotte died, when your father was exonerated, when you married dad? You had so many opportunities, now look what your lies have caused!"
"Nobody's to blame for what happened, Charlotte, least of all your mother." Daniel intervened for the second confrontation Emily endured with one of her children. His voice was harsh and apathetic to Charlotte. "Your mother and I are worried and upset, like you, but Sophia won't get any better, if we can't come together in crisis. We're Grayson's. No matter what happens, we support one another. Okay?"
"It's not okay. It will never be okay," she sombrely stated. Love was absent in her eyes, as she addressed her mother, "I don't want you here and, after what happened tonight, I'm not sure Sophia would want you here either."
"Charlotte!"
"No, I mean it!" Charlotte dismissed her father's warning, "For once, make the honourable choice: leave."
A sickening pit of self-loathing stirred inside Emily's stomach and she nodded her head, "Okay. It's probably for the best, anyway." She admitted, in consolation for her husband, who silently prayed for some kind of compromise. "I'm sure, I'm the last person Sophia would want to see when she wakes up." Emily clenched her fists, in a botched attempt to bottle the emotion inside, until she could escape the public audience. "I'll drive over to Nolan's and check in with the twins there."
"Mr. and Mrs. Grayson?" A suited man interrupted, "I'm Detective Matthews, I'll be heading the investigation into your daughter's hit-and-run."
Daniel frowned, "Hit-and-run?"
"You didn't know," Detective Matthews realised and shook his head, his shoulders hunched over. "I'm sorry. The car that hit your daughter fled the scene. In fact, the latest reports from the scene suggest it was no accident, at all. There's no evidence of the car braking, no tyre marks..." he elaborated further, "Which means the driver may have been under the influence, or -"
"Or, what?" Charlotte honed in on whatever other rationale existed.
"Or," Detective Matthews' brow creased, "It may have been attempted murder. So early on, we can't rule out any explanation but, let me assure you, I will explore any and every avenue to resolve this case, Mr. and Mrs. Grayson." He may as well have directly addressed Daniel, because his voice floated into the distance and Emily's eyes averted behind him. And there he was... his unmistakable shock of white hair, the same purposeful stride. After nearly twenty years, he had returned and it all made sense to her. It wasn't an accident. It wasn't even coincidence.