Chapter 26

Amber lay in bed and stared absently at the ceiling as her mind raced. So much had happened over the last few weeks. In just a matter of a little over a month she'd gone from a failed suicide attempt to being on her way to the top of the WWE Diva's roster. With the wild swings happening in her life, if she didn't know better she would have thought herself bipolar.

We were very impressed with your performance this evening. Tomorrow, when you arrive in Pittsburgh we'll want to talk a little more about your future. Stephanie's words pinged around inside her head like a rubber ball. She turned and stared at the empty spot on the bed where Seth should have been and her happiness faded just a little.

There had been little time for any real celebrating after the match as they had a RAW show in Pittsburgh the next night and needed to make the six hour drive. Only she and Dean had a live in-person interview at a local Philadelphia radio station the next morning. "I can stay and ride to Pittsburgh with you and Dean tomorrow," Seth offered.

Instead she'd convinced him to go with Roman and Lexi with the promise that they'd celebrate proper after the Smackdown taping on Tuesday. Now, she lay awake at five in the morning feeling just a little lonely.

She rolled over grabbed her phone of the nightstand and began to text Seth. It's dark and lonely here without you. Missing you lots. Sure, it was very teenage girl of her to miss him when she'd just seen him the night before and would see him again in a few hours, but she couldn't help how she felt. She set her phone on the table, yanked the covers off and climbed from the bed. In an hour she needed to be packed and ready anyway, so she might as well get a shower.

Twenty minutes later, she stepped out of the bathroom just in time to hear her phone beep. It was probably Dean, she mused, making sure she was up. Instead, the found a reply from Seth. Missing u too. Can't wait until this afternoon when I can see you again.

Grinning, she eased onto the edge of the bed and began to text. What are you doing up at this hour? You should still be sleeping? She hit send then proceeded to pack. Her phone beeped again.

Slept on the drive here. Now Roman and Lexi want to sleep and Alea is awake. I volunteered to babysit so they could get some shut eye. Besides. I never sleep well without you.

In her mind's eyes she could picture him with Alea and her heart melted. He would make such an awesome dad some day. Hopefully, she'd be able to work through her issues so she'd be able to make a great mom too.

What if this depression is hereditary? The thought popped into her head and refused to leave. Her father had been severely depressed and had committed suicide because if it. She'd follows damn near the same path. If it hadn't been for Lexi and Roman, she just might have.

So, what if her depression was hereditary? Could she risk bringing a child into the world knowing she might be setting it up to suffer? The thought of not being able to be a mom made her sad and she let out a long sigh. Before she allowed her mind to run with that thought and start twisting it, she made the decision to not worry about it right now. instead, that was definitely a question she'd ask Dr. Moreno.

It was later in the day as she sat in the back seat of the rental car and discussed her concerns with Zoe. "So I'm trying to keep my mind from getting all twisted on this, but it's hard."

"Are you taking the medicine your doctor prescribed," Zoe asked.

Amber nodded. "Yeah, and it does help. I think that it's probably what gave me enough clarity this morning not to totally send my thoughts spiraling out of control. Still, I am a bit concerned. If read that certain types of depression are hereditary.

"I'm definitely no expert," Zoe offered, "But I do agree that you shouldn't go getting all worried about it until you've consulted your therapist."

"Yeah, I know." Amber glanced at her cell phone and tried to stifle a sigh. They'd left the radio station by ten and had promptly driven right into a snow storm. What should have taken them no more than six hours had already extended past that time and they were still on the turnpike. She wanted to be with Seth. He was her touchstone, her rock. Besides, if this situation continued or worsened there was a good possibility they'd miss RAW tonight.

"Hey look," Zoe pointed to a set of flashing lights on a sign board. "Turnpike message."

Dean nodded to the radio. "Turn it to 1640 am."

Zoe dialed in the station. Due to adverse weather conditions the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has issued a road closure alert. Motorists currently driving the Pennsylvania Turnpike, are ordered to exit as soon as possible at the next available exit and seek shelter. Blizzard conditions have created slick roads and treacherous driving. Motorists are advised to stay vigilant until you are able to reach safety.

"Well that explains why we haven't seen very many other cars," Amber said.

Zoe turned the radio back to the FM channel and glanced at Amber then over to Dean. "This is bad."

"Tell me about it," Dean muttered. "I can't see a fucking thing."

Amber's phone beeped and she glanced down to find a text from Seth. The weather is really bad. Are you guys ok?

Amber glanced at the road, then back to her phone. Fine for now. Roads are treacherous. Dean is trying to be careful.

She'd no sooner hit send when Dean's shout filled the tiny cabin. "What the fuck is up with that truck?"

"What truck?" Zoe and Amber said in unison.

"The one barrelling down on us," Dean said.

Amber's attention cut to the back window where she spotted the truck in question. It was indeed barreling down the hill, gaining on them with increasing speed. "Is he crazy?" Zoe asked.

Amber noted the flash of headlights and how the trucker blasted his air horn. "I think he has a problem," Amber added. "Uh Dean?" She murmured as her fear began to grow. "Can you get onto the shoulder?"

"What shoulder?" he replied, agitated.

"Maybe try the other lane," Zoe offered.

"I'm already trying," Dean snapped. "With the slick road I can't just cut into the lane like I normally would."

"Well you need to do something soon," Amber shot back as she watched the truck draw closer.

"Got it," Dean said, a hit of relief in his voice.

Only he didn't have it, Amber realize as the truck caught the back bumper of the rental car

"Shit!" Dean shouted as the car slid sideways and the passenger side impacted the front of the truck. The impact caused Amber to slam against the door, her head impacting the frame. Pain bloomed inside her head and stars appeared in her eyes as the sound of grinding metal filled her ears.

She heard someone scream, realized it came from her. The car shifted again on the icy road, the sound of metal gone, replaced for a moment with an almost eerie silence. Then they were weightless. The last thing she remembered was Dean yelling 'hold on', then everything went black.