Author's Note: Hello, hello, readers! Welcome to my little Whumptober oneshot collection for Oban Star Racers. Yes, I know Whumptober is almost done, but I don't care. I wanted to write a few oneshots for Oban with the Whumptober prompts centering around Eva and Don's relationship after the show ended. The first prompt we're tackling is VEHICULAR ACCIDENT, "WATCH OUT," and "Glass Shard!" I hope you all enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything related to Oban Star Racers.
Never Saw It Coming
No. 22-Vehicular Accident, "Watch Out," Glass Shard
To say that Eva was excited was an understatement. She was beyond excited. It was finally winter break, and her father managed to rent a cabin upstate in the mountains for a week before she goes back to school. It had been almost two years since the Great Race of Oban, and things had been going great for her and her father, Don. There had been some ups and downs, but Eva and Don managed to work through them…together. Every minute of it had been worth it. However, Don realized that they had yet to take a family trip together since returning from Oban. Don and Maya had taken Eva on a family vacation when she was little. However, she didn't remember much of it, and there were plans to go on another one when she was 5, but that was changed when Maya died in her racing crash.
Eva refused to think about that as she smiled looking out the window of her father's car at the snow resting on the trees and ground. Although, the good thing was that they weren't exposed to the elements suddenly like they were during the Great Race. Instead, they were in a warm car. "It's so pretty outside," she said aloud. "It reminds me of the snowy region on Oban."
Don chuckled. "I remember," he said. "It was where you had your first win."
Eva couldn't help but smile even wider at the memory. It was slightly tainted by Aikka's betrayal, but she and Jordan managed to come out on top that day. Plus, it was the night her father started to realize that she was his daughter, but it was all in the past now. "So, you didn't really answer my question before," she said after a moment.
"You ask a lot of questions, sweetheart," Don replied. "You're going to have to be a little more specific."
Eva rolled her eyes. "Why were you so focused on this specific cabin? I mean, I looked at the website. There were plenty of others available."
"Ah, that question," Don replied as he kept his eyes on the road. "Well, actually, if I recall correctly, I told you that that answer was going to have to wait until we get there."
Eva rolled her eyes yet again and scoffed. "Fine," she said. "How much longer?"
"Should be a couple more hours," Don replied.
(line break)
Another hour or so passed, and Eva perked when she noticed something.
"Hey, Dad, look," she said, "it's snowing again."
Don immediately saw that she was right. Snow slowly started to fall from the sky again. "So it is," he said with a smile. However, he couldn't help but feel slightly concerned. The weather was supposed to be great for traveling. Sure, it was a little snowfall, but he could only hope it wouldn't turn into a blizzard.
"You think this will affect our drive?" Eva asked.
Don widened his smile. Over the two years since they returned from Oban, he and his daughter had been getting closer as a family after being separated for 10 years. It was even to the point where they were beginning to tell what the other was thinking, and Don loved every minute of it. "I hope not," he said, "but if it gets worse, we'll have to find somewhere to stop for the night. I wouldn't want to take any chances."
Eva nodded as she watched the snow continue to fall outside.
As time passed, both Eva and Don watched the gentle snowfall turn into a blizzard. The wind increased in speed, and it was getting to a point where it was harder to see anything in front of them. Don was forced to slow down to avoid any accidents. Thankfully, they seemed to be the only ones on the road.
"I found a motel," Eva said looking at her phone. "It's not too far from where we are."
"Great," Don replied. "We can stop there tonight and continue in the morning.
Eva nodded as she turned her attention back to the road in front of them. Don had the windshield wipers turned to the highest setting and had his highway beams turned on. It was getting dark, and she was praying that they would get to the motel soon. Then, she noticed two lights in front of them. She squinted trying to see what it was…and sure enough…it was another car…coming straight toward them. Her eyes widened.
"DAD, WATCH OUT!" Eva shouted.
Don swerved to the right…
CRASH!
Then everything went black…
"Eva…Eva…darling, wake up…"
"M-Mommy…"
Eva slowly opened her eyes, and immediately, pain shot through her head and shoulder. She groaned and closed her eyes to try to stop the dizziness, and she looked around trying to remember what happened. That was when it all came back to her. The lights…her yelling for her father to watch out…Don swerving…the crash… She gasped. They crashed. She and her father were in a crash…a car accident, and she looked only to see that the windshield and her window were cracked. Glass shards were on her lap. Then she felt something wet on her forehead. She moved a hand and pulled it away only to see that it was blood, and she exhaled shakily. Then she remembered…
"Dad?" she said aloud turning to him. She hadn't heard him waking up yet, and then she saw him…unconscious…with blood dripping down his head. "Dad…D-Dad…wake up…"
There was no answer. Don was still unconscious.
Eva felt her heart beginning to pound. "N-No…no…Dad?" she said. She tried to crawl over to him, but her seat belt kept her from doing so. Eva tried to take it off, but it was jammed. "No…" She reached over to him grabbing his jacket shaking him. "Dad! Dad, please, wake up! Daddy! Please don't leave me, too, Daddy! Not again!"
"Please don't leave me, too, Daddy…"
Tears quickly flowed down her cheeks as she breathed heavily shaking that horrible memory from her mind. There was no way she was going to lose her father again…not again…not after everything they had been through…after finding each other and repairing their relationship and their family. "Daddy…Dad…" Eva said through her sobs. "Dad…please…p-please, wake up. DAD!"
Don still wasn't responding, but Eva refused to give up.
"No…No…I'm not doing this again…" she said with determination in her voice. "I'm not losing you again." She needed to call for help. She looked down and saw that her phone wasn't in her hands, and she gasped realizing that her phone must've fallen out of her hands when they crashed. The teenager looked around frantically trying to find any signs of her phone…until she saw it on the floor. She smiled as she reached for it and grabbed it. Thankfully, it still worked, and Eva wasted no time in dialing 911.
"911…what's your emergency?" a woman asked after one ring.
"M-My name is Eva Wei," Eva began. "M-My dad and I…w-we were driving to a cabin, and…this car…it came out of nowhere…We got in an accident, and…and now my dad…he's…he's not waking up. Please…please you have to help!"
"Okay…okay, sweetie," the operator said. "Is your dad breathing? Does he have a pulse?"
Eva mentally kicked herself for not thinking to check his breathing and pulse. Nevertheless, she reached over and touched her father's neck, and she smiled. "He…he has a pulse. He has a pulse, and," she could see his chest rising and falling, "he's breathing…he's breathing!" Relief washed over her. Don was still alive…unconscious but alive. "Hang on, Dad. Hang on!"
"Okay, that's great, Eva," the operator said. "Do you know where you are?"
"Somewhere in the mountains," Eva said. "W-We're not too far from the Pines Motel. I-I don't know where exactly. It's snowing. I can't really see anything." She looked out the window and saw that the windshield was covered in snow. She couldn't see anything outside, and that made her somewhat nervous. If she couldn't see anything outside…how was anyone supposed to find her and her father?
"Okay, don't worry," the operator said. "I've got your location, sweetie. The police and the ambulance are on the way. Stay on the phone with me until they do. Is it just you and your dad?"
"Yeah, just us," Eva replied as she quickly grabbed her father's hand…reassuring that he was still with her. "M-My mom died when I was young, so it's just us." She cringed at that last statement realizing that she didn't need to mention that her mother was gone. The operator was clearly asking if anyone else was in the car with her and Don.
"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that," the operator said. "That's great that you and your dad are so close. Can you see where the other driver is? You said someone else collided with you."
"I can't see," Eva replied. "Our windows are covered in snow."
"Okay, that's okay sweetie," the operator replied. "Are you hurt at all?"
Eva was just about to respond when she heard groaning from the driver's seat.
"E-Eva…" the voice said. "Eva…"
Eva looked only to see that it was her father slowly coming to. "Dad?" she asked. "Dad, can you hear me?"
"Sweetie, is your dad waking up?" the operator asked.
"I think so," Eva said as she reached over grabbing his jacket shaking him again. "Dad…Dad, come on, wake up."
Don slowly opened his eyes and was met with blurry vision and dizziness. He blinked his eyes to clear his vision only to see Eva looking at him with a smile. "E-Eva…" he said with a smile of his own.
"It's me, Dad," she said. "I'm on the phone with 911, and the police and the ambulance are on their way. We're going to be okay."
Don initially furrowed his eyebrows together in confusion, but the memory quickly came back to him. He remembered Eva yelling for him to watch out, two lights heading toward them, and then him swerving. After that, everything went black before he finally woke up. He looked around and saw that they were in the car…and the windows were cracked. They were in a car accident. His eyes moved back to Eva…and he could blood running down the side of her head. "O-Okay…" Don said shakily, "are…are you okay? Are you hurt?"
"Yeah…yeah, I'm okay," Eva replied with a smile.
However, Don felt as if she was lying…like she didn't want him to know the extent of her injuries. "Eva…" he began with a warning tone.
"Eva," the 911 operator interjected, "you need to tell me if you're hurt so that the paramedics can help you. Are you hurt?"
"I-I just have a few cuts and bruises…" Eva admitted, "and…" she grunted as she grabbed her right shoulder. "I'm starting to feel pain in my right shoulder."
"How about your Dad?" Don heard the operator ask.
Eva looked at him expectantly.
"I-I feel fine," he tried to say. "Just a headache…and," he tried to adjust himself in his seat before pain shot through his left leg, "agh…I think my leg is broken…"
"Okay, Eva, I need you to keep your dad awake, okay?" the operator said. "He may have a concussion."
"Got it," Eva said. She then turned to her father holding his hand tightly. "Hey, hey, Dad, I need you to stay awake for me, okay? Stay with me."
Don took a few deep breaths as the flare of pain began to fade away before turning back to Eva. "Not…going anywhere, sweetheart," he said slowly.
"Good," Eva said as she tightened her grip on his hand.
Soon enough, Eva perked when she heard something…coming from outside their car. It sounded like…sirens. Not long after that…she saw…flashing lights, and her smile widened. "I-I think they're here," she said. "I think the police and the ambulance are here. I can hear the sirens, and I can see the lights."
"Okay, that's great, Eva," the operator said. "They'll take over from here, okay?"
"Okay, thank you," Eva said before hanging up and turning back to her father. "Help's here, Dad. They're going to get us out of here."
"Okay," Don said with a smile of his own.
It wasn't long until the police officers approached the car, and Eva reached over her father as best as she could and rolled down the window.
"You guys okay?" an officer asked as he shined a flashlight into the car.
"We're okay," Eva said as she held up a hand in front of her eyes to block out the light, "but we're a little banged up, especially my dad."
"What are your names?" the officer asked.
"Eva and Don Wei," Don answered quickly trying to block out the flashlight.
"Okay, sit tight, you two," the officer said. "The fire department is going to get you out, and then we'll get you both to the hospital."
Within minutes, the firefighters managed to get both Eva and Don out of the wreck, and the paramedics wasted no time in getting them onto the gurneys and wheeling them into the ambulances. Even with the neck brace, Eva could see them helping another man…probably the other driver. She couldn't help but think about Spirit and her mother's crash…and how Canaletto was really the one responsible for the day that changed her family forever. They thought Spirit was responsible, but…did anyone think to help him too that day? She hoped that they did. Her mother would've wanted that. That was when another thought came to mind…She came extremely close to that happening again…to losing her father again…for good.
"Hang in there, sweetie," a paramedic said jolting Eva out of her thoughts. "We're going to get you all fixed up good as new."
"My dad, too, right?" Eva asked hopefully. She once again mentally kicked herself for asking such a ridiculous question. Of course, they would help her father as well. He was alive and breathing. He was going to be okay. The paramedics were going to make sure of that.
"Your dad, too," the paramedic replied.
Eva noticed that she and Don were placed in separate ambulances, and she immediately hated it wishing that she wasn't separated from her father…not after what happened…not after almost losing him. However, she knew she wasn't in any position to argue with anyone. Right now, she was just happy that both she and her father were alive and were not separated again.
Eva and Don got to the hospital, and sure enough, the doctors and nurses swooped in and whisked them away to do tests and to check their injuries. Once that was done, it turned out that Eva had some cuts and bruises and a broken collarbone. She had a bandage wrapped around her head, and her right arm was in a sling to allow the bone to heal. The Champion of the Great Race of Oban was then brought into a hospital room, where she was to wait for her father to come back from his tests.
"Okay, Eva," the doctor said, "looks like you're all set. We'll just wait for your father to come back, and you both will need to stay the night for observation."
Eva nodded. "Thank you, doctor," she said. "Do you know if he's okay?"
"I haven't heard anything," the doctor replied, "but I can check for you. In the meantime, is there anyone I can call for you two?"
Eva nodded as three people came to mind, and after she gave the names and their phone numbers, the doctor nodded and said he would call them for her and Don leaving her alone in the room. Thankfully, she didn't have to wait for too long because the nurse came in…with her father on a gurney.
She gasped happily. "Dad!" she said. However, she quickly saw that he was asleep. "Is he okay?" she asked the nurse.
Before the nurse could answer, another doctor came in. "He's just fine," he replied. "We did have to take him into surgery though to repair his leg. He also has a bit of a concussion, so he will need to take it easy."
Eva inwardly cringed at that thought. If there was anything she learned about her father from Oban and from living with him again for almost two years, she could tell that that was going to be the last thing he would want to hear. Don was very dedicated to his job, and there was no way he would want to stay home. However, that would not stop her from trying to convince him. She looked and saw that her father had a cast on his left leg, some bandages, and one bandage wrapped around his head. "Okay," she said, "thank you."
"You're welcome," the doctor said. "I'll come back in a bit to check on you and to talk to him soon. He should be waking up soon. So, you'll be able to talk to him."
Eva smiled and nodded at the doctor before he left her alone with Don.
Eva eventually got bored lying in her bed and moved to a cushioned hospital chair that was placed next to Don's bed. She wanted so badly to be close by when he would wake up and to make sure that he really was okay. She watched his heart monitor and the rising and falling of his chest as he slept. Thankfully, she didn't have to wait too long when she heard him shift in his bed.
"Dad?" Eva asked hopefully as she gripped his hand. "Dad, can you hear me?"
Don slowly opened his eyes and shifted as he tried to blink away the blurriness in his vision. Once he did, he was greeted with bright lights…and…his smiling daughter. "E-Eva?" he asked groggily.
"Yes, Dad, it's me," she replied happily. "How are you feeling?"
"I should be asking you that," Don said a small smile. "I'm the parent, remember?"
Eva couldn't help but chuckle and shake her head. "Yeah, well, between the two of us," she retorted, "you got the worst of it, so forgive me for wanting to make sure."
Don chuckled. He could already see that his daughter was right. She was sitting upright in a chair looking like she was already set to go home, and she had her right arm in a sling, a bandage around her head, and another bandage on her cheek. However, he could see that he had a cast on his left leg, and his head pounded. "Okay, I can understand that," he said, "but now it's my turn. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Eva replied. "The doctor said I fractured my collarbone, and I have to keep my arm in a sling for a while. Other than that, it's just some cuts and bruises."
Don furrowed his eyebrows together in concern as Eva listed off her injuries. "Aw, sweetheart," he said. His heart broke for his daughter. They were supposed to have a nice week together in a cabin, and now…they were in a hospital. Eva…his little girl…his only child…was injured in a car accident…under his watch. If these were extents of their respective injuries, he could only imagine what their car looked like. "I-I'm sor—"
"Dad, don't do that," Eva said cutting him off. "Don't apologize. It's not your fault."
"We don't know that for sure," Don retorted.
"Exactly," Eva said quickly, "so how about we save the blame game for when we know for sure what happened?"
Don realized that his daughter was right. It was snowing hard when the accident happened, so it was hard to tell what happened without hearing the other side of the story. It wasn't going to help anyone by placing blame. However, that still didn't make him feel any better about the fact that their plans were now changed drastically. Both Eva and he had been looking forward to this week at the cabin, and now…they were stuck in the hospital after a car accident. "Alright, you have a point," he said, "but I am sorry that our plans may have changed."
Eva simply shrugged with a sad smile. "It's okay, Dad," she said. "We can always do it another time." She felt relieved that she could even say that now. However, things could've been so different. For a moment after she woke up in the car, Don wasn't waking up. She could've lost her father again, and it would've been forever this time around.
"Eva?" Don said suddenly jolting Eva out of her thoughts.
She looked at him.
"What's the matter?" he asked allowing the concern to show on his face.
"It's just…" Eva began as tears formed in her eyes, "I thought I'd lost you…again, Dad." She sniffled as she held his hand just a little tighter. "For-For a minute there, you…you weren't waking up. It…It looked like you weren't even breathing." She let out a sob as tears flowed down her cheeks.
"Oh, Eva," Don began feeling his heart break seeing his daughter so upset. He hated the idea of Eva waking up alone in the car and likely feeling scared and upset. However, he felt newfound determination. He was the cause of Eva's pain when he abandoned her at that boarding school, but not this time. He held out an arm to her. "Come here, sweetheart."
Eva wasted no time in moving to her father's bed curling up next to him as he held her close while she cried.
"I can only imagine how scary that was," Don said after a moment, "but I promise I'll never leave you again, sweetheart. We will never be separated again."
She sighed. "You can't really promise that, Dad," she said. Maya promised before her crash that she would take her in her star-racer and that it would be just them.
"Next time it'll be just you and me…"
"Can you promise?"
"Promise."
The next thing she knew, her mother crashed in her race.
"Mmm…watch me," her father suddenly said.
Eva couldn't help but giggle as she nuzzled into her father's chest listening to his heartbeat…the greatest sound in the world. However, her smile faded when she remembered something. "Y-You know…when I woke up," she said, "I-I heard something…"
Don furrowed his eyebrows together as he listened. "What did you hear?" he asked.
Eva looked up at him. "It's a bit crazy," she said. "You might not believe it."
Don gave a shrug. "Try me," he said.
"I-I heard…I mean, I thought I heard…Mom," she simply said.
"M-Mom?" Don asked with widened eyes.
Eva simply nodded.
"What did she say?" Don asked.
"It wasn't much," Eva said. "She called my name and told me to wake up, and I did." She then shook her head as tears formed in her eyes. "But it…it was probably just a dream. I mean…I did hit my head."
"Well…if it was a dream…" Don said after a moment of silence, "then…we must've had the same dream…"
Eva widened her eyes as she looked at her father again. "Y-You heard her, too?" she asked in shock.
"I did," Don said nodding. "She told me to wake up like she told you and that you needed me."
Eva smiled as more tears flowed down her cheeks. "She was watching over us," she said.
Don wasted no time in wiping those tears from Eva's face. "She was," he said with a smile, "and she always will."
Eva's smile widened as she rested her head on his chest again so that she could continue to listen to his heartbeat. "I love you, Daddy," she said.
"I love you, too, Eva," he said placing a kiss on the top of her head. "Try to get some rest, okay?"
"Okay," she said as she fell fast asleep in her father's arms. They might not have gotten to go to the cabin, but they were still together. They could always go to the cabin another time, but they couldn't replace one another.
Author's Note: Annnnnnnnnd that's a wrap on this one, boys and girls! I hope you all enjoyed it! The next prompt I'm tackling is Bridal Carry, Thermometer, and Delirium! Until then, don't forget to read and review! Thanks, guys!