Chapter Five
Holden
I sat in my parents’ living room and listened to the stories I’d heard every year for seven years. Remember when Holly... What about the time Holly... I wonder what Holly would be doing...
I stood from the couch and walked out of the living room.
Mom was making another pot of coffee, and I was about ready to lose my mind.
“I’ve been here for three days, Mom, and I’m tired of sitting around and listening to these same stories about Holly that we’ve heard since she died.
It needs to come to an end. We need to heal and keep the happy memories in our hearts.
We can’t keep doing these sit-ins. This isn’t a celebration of her life.
This is a funeral every fucking year. I can’t take it anymore. ”
“Holden! We are remembering your sister. You shouldn’t speak that way. We miss her very much. Don’t you remember how important she was to you?”
I released a cleansing breath so I didn’t explode, walked over to Mom, and kissed her cheek. “I love you and Dad. Yes, I miss Holly every day, too, but I’m ready to heal from losing her. I’ll call you in a couple of days.”
Mom didn’t say anything, so I went to my room and packed my shit to head back to Baltimore. I didn’t say goodbye to anyone else, I just went out to my truck, tossed my bag in the passenger’s seat, and I headed toward home.
The snow had changed to freezing rain about an hour earlier, which would make for treacherous driving. I had a big truck that could make it through snow, but the black ice under it, and now the freezing rain on top of it, didn’t make it easy for anyone, regardless of what someone drove.
As I started up the ramp to I-66, the tires spun, so I stopped and pushed the button to engage the four-wheel drive. When I got traction, I slowly climbed the ramp. The highway wasn’t crowded, but I could see cars slipping and sliding as they creeped along.
I slowly merged from I-66 to I-495 and as soon as I got onto the Beltway, I saw a jackknifed semi blocking the road. I carefully drifted onto the right shoulder to avoid the mayhem, hoping nobody was injured.
Pulling off the shoulder, I eased onto the snow-covered grass to make way for the first responders as they arrived.
Glancing to my right, I noticed a set of headlights facing the wrong way down a slight embankment.
There were skid marks partially covered by freezing rain, just before the Clara Barton Parkway exit.
It was likely unnoticeable if I’d been driving the speed limit.
My truck was a ton truck with a Hemi V8, so I wasn’t worried about getting stuck. I pulled further into the grass and down the hill where the little car was still running. My stomach flipped when I noticed it was a Prius, much like my sister’s, but a newer model.
I had put my work boots on before I left Manassas, so I slid out of the truck, grabbed my coat and gloves, and put them on.
I walked over to the car and knocked on the passenger’s side window.
I could see the driver inside, but his eyes were closed and he didn’t appear to be conscious.
I tried the handle, but the door was locked from the inside.
I walked around to the driver’s side to find that door was locked as well. I took out my phone and turned on the flashlight feature, shining it at the person behind the wheel. It was a man, and he put his hand up to shield the light from his eyes.
“Unlock the door.” Based on the way he jumped, I must have frightened him. He stared at me without moving.
“Can you unlock the door? Are you hurt?” I shouted at him as I went back to the passenger’s door.
He slowly lowered the window as he reached up to remove cordless ear buds. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t hear you.” That was when I noticed the blood trickling down his temple.
“Okay, uh, that’s fine. Turn off the engine and stay right here. I’ll get one of the paramedics.” I started to hurry away when he began to stammer. “No! Please, no! I’m... I’m—” he reached up and swiped at the blood. “I’m bleeding.”
“Stay still. Roll up the window. I’ll be right back.” Without waiting for a response, I trudged up the hill through about ten inches of snow and ice. I wished to hell I hadn’t left my cap in the cab of my truck because my ears were freezing.
By the time I got to the emergency vehicles, a tow truck was making its way to the accident site. I stopped a cop who walked by.
“I think this accident knocked a little car off the road. It’s over there, down the hill. There’s a guy inside with a cut on his head.”
“Shit,” the cop said. He hurried over to an ambulance and quickly spoke to a female paramedic, who grabbed a bag and returned with him. “Show us.”
I led the way back, taking the petite paramedic’s bag so she could get through the snow easier. When we got back to the car, it was turned off as I’d requested. The driver was holding a bunch of fast-food napkins to his head to stop the flow of blood.
The paramedic took the bag from me. “Can you open the driver’s door?”
“It’s jammed, I think.”
I hurried around the car and pulled at the passenger’s side door, finally getting it open. “Here! This side is open.”
The paramedic hurried around the car and got into the passenger seat with a cervical collar.
“Can you help stabilize his head while I put this on?” she asked the officer.
The cop turned to me. “Can you help her out? I need to get back to the other accident so we can get the highway open.”
I rushed around and held the young guy’s head as the paramedic instructed. “I’m Holden. Do you know what happened?”
I moved my hands once the paramedic had the collar around his neck to keep him from moving his head. She asked him several questions as I listened, seeing his head was still bleeding when she pulled his hand away.
“That truck was passing me, and the trailer began sliding, swatting me off the road. The car spun a lot, and I couldn’t steer into it. I think I hit my head on the window. When Mr. Holden came up to the car, I was still trying to figure out what happened.”
It made sense to me. Plus, if he was wearing earbuds and listening to music or a podcast, he probably couldn’t hear me. He removed his seatbelt and shoved the door on the driver’s side with his shoulder. “Son of a—.”
The man glanced at the paramedic, who was babbling about him not moving as she reached for her radio and requested a backboard. “Stop moving. We don’t know if you have a spinal cord injury.” She was yelling pretty loud.
The guy slid out the window, and I caught him before he fell in the snow. “Thank you.”
“You okay?” I asked as he got his legs under him.
“I’m fine, thanks, uh, Mr. Holden. How’d you see me down this hill?” He reached for the collar and pulled it off, tossing it to the woman through the car window.
“I slowed down because of the truck, and as I was inching along, I noticed skid marks partially covered by the freezing rain. I saw your headlights, so I pulled over and came to check whether anyone was hurt.”
He blew into his hands, which was when I noticed he didn’t have any gloves, and he was only wearing a thin jacket, unlike me in my puffer coat.
“Here, put these on.” I gave him my gloves and shoved my hands in my pockets.
The paramedic snarled at him and said, “Come up to the bus and sign a refusal of medical treatment form. I don’t want you suing me.”
I chuckled at her snarky attitude, though I was sure she meant well. I reached for her large case.
“Come on. Let’s go help the lady out and see what the cops want to do about your car.”
The man nodded and followed the paramedic and me to the roadway.
The truck driver was sitting in the back of a squad car.
It was all too familiar a scene, though I only saw photos from the accident where Holly was killed.
I was pretty sure that what I was witnessing, glancing at the jack-knifed semi, was close to a repeat of my sister’s accident.
“Sign here,” the paramedic stated, none too thrilled the guy was refusing treatment.
“I don’t want to be any trouble, but I’d know if I was hurt, I swear. What’s your name?” He stuck out his hand to shake.
She rolled her eyes. “Frankie. Yours?”
They shook and he grinned, “Avery. Thank you, Frankie, for helping me. I appreciate it.”
Frankie sighed as she put a piece of gauze on his head before applying surgical tape to hold it in place. “If you start feeling nauseated or dizzy, go see a doctor, okay? Promise?”
Avery smiled. “Promise.” He handed the clipboard back to her.
Frankie turned her attention to me. “And you, good Samaritan?”
“I’m Holden Rose.” She was cute with big green eyes and short blonde hair, but he was definitely more my type.
Frankie gave me a smile. “Thank you for helping us find him. He could have gotten himself a serious case of hypothermia.”
We both looked at Avery. “I’m just glad that didn’t happen. So, uh, we’re going to go talk to the police to see what to do about Avery’s car. Was the truck driver hurt?”
Frankie glanced around. “High. Driving too fast, and the tires on the trailer were so low on tread that it wouldn’t pass inspection, according to the trooper. Anyway, nice to meet you, Holden Rose.”
She stared at me as if she wanted me to say something in return, but I turned to Avery. “Let’s go.”
The two of us walked over to a pair of Virginia State Troopers watching the tow truck driver trying to figure out how to get the truck from the middle of the damn highway so they could open traffic lanes. It was a fucking parking lot.
“This is Avery—” I turned to the beautiful man standing next to me, nudging my head toward the trooper.
“Oh, uh, I’m Avery Langhorn. The truck swatted me off the road. My car is over there—well, It’s not even my car, it belongs to my roommate. It’s pretty messed up. What should I do?”
“Lock it up and leave it until daylight. We’re probably going to be here for another four hours, so you won’t be able to get it out tonight.
Put a pin on your phone for the location of your car and call me tomorrow.
I’ll come out and help with traffic for you to get the car towed.
Here’s my card.” The trooper handed Avery a business card.
He glanced at the card and then met the cop’s stare. “Thank you, Trooper Jergens. I’ll call you after the snow stops.”
Trooper Jergens walked away to talk to the others working at the scene of the accident, and I turned to Avery. “You need a ride somewhere?”
Avery looked around. “I guess I do. Where are you going?”
“I live in Cedars, just outside of Baltimore. Where do you need to go?”
He chuckled. “Baltimore. I live in Baltimore, too.”
Avery Langhorn had my attention. I hadn’t even seen him during the light of day, but I knew there was something special about him.