Chapter Thirty-Five
ChapterThirty-Five
Riley
A hand smashes into my chest, waking me abruptly from my nap. When my eyes pop open, we’re spinning around in circles on the Gardiner Expressway, and another car has crashed further down the highway in front of us. My head spins as well, making me motion sick as I scream my lungs out.
“Riley, please,” Elissa pleads with me, but my logic isn’t listening right now. Piercing screams that could shatter the windows keep ripping out of me as Elissa tries to get ahold of the car again. I dig my heels into the floor of the car and squeeze my fingers around the door handle until my knuckles turn white. My throat is sore and ragged, but I can’t stop screaming. My eyes widen as we slide closer to the exit ramp, then slam straight into the wall.
The front end of the car hits the cement wall with a loud bang and there’s a thump to my side as another car from behind us taps into my side of the car. To my left, I see Elissa’s head bob like a rag doll. The air bags deploy, and then suddenly she goes limp.
“Elissa! Elissa!” I scream, but she’s not moving or waking. A visceral, bloodcurdling scream rips out of me; I’m losing it. Tears start streaming down my face, and my screaming turns to sobbing. “Please wake up,” I plead.
“Elissa…Elissa…” I bend forward to grab my phone from my purse and a sharp pain streaks through my stomach, causing me to scream again. Clutching my stomach with my one hand, I reach forward, breathing through the pain to grab my cell phone and call 911. The phone rings twice before being answered.
“911, where is your emergency?” a calm voice on the other end answers. Another scream breaks from my mouth and I try to breathe.
“We’re on the Gardiner Expressway in Toronto. Near the Yonge Street exit. We crashed into the wall. My friend is out cold, she was driving —” a scream breaks my words as another sharp pang ricochets through my body. “…and now she’s…she’s…passed out. I’m five months pregnant and something is wrong. Another car slammed into us as well.”
“Okay, ma’am. Please stay with me. I have a few questions to ask you. Can I please get your name?”
“Riley Jaimeson.”
“And your friend’s name?”
“Elissa Black.”
“And how did the accident happen?”
“Ahhhhh.” A groan rumbles from my lips. “I-I-I think we hit a patch of black ice. I-I’m not s-sure.” Breathe, Riley. Breathe through the pain. “I was asleep in the car when we started spinning, but it’s so icy outside and we just kept sliding.”
“Okay, Riley,” the 911 operator says calmly. “The ambulance is on its way now. I’m going to stay connected to you while we wait. They’re only one minute out. Why don’t you tell me what’s going on with you?”
I grunt before answering as I breathe through another sharp pain. It feels like it’s radiating through my middle to my back. “I…I don’t know. My stomach hurts. I think something is wrong with the baby.”
“And why do you think that?”
“Are you joking me? The pain is horrendous. It hurts to even —” Another pain comes shooting across my midsection. “— breathe.” In the distance, I can hear multiple sirens, and they slowly grow louder until I can finally see the glowing lights flashing. The sirens are deafening as the ambulance pulls up beside us and I say goodbye to the operator and hang up the phone. The driver’s door is being pried open, and a paramedic sticks his head in.
“We’re going to extract the driver right now. We’re working on moving the other car out of the way of your side of the car so we can get you out. It’ll be a few minutes.” I thank them and breathe patiently through the aches.
When they’ve finally moved the other car, I open my door and the paramedic hollers at me to stay still until they remove me from the car. I’m in so much pain, I’m clutching my stomach and just trying to focus on my breathing. A hand stretches out in front of me, and I grab it and allow the paramedic to hoist me out of the car. His powerful arms wrap around my back and behind my knees as he sets me on a stretcher, buckling me in. When we get into the back, he starts pulling my shirt up and strapping all kinds of wires and bands across my stomach and chest.
“I’m just putting a few things on you to monitor yours and the baby’s heart rates,” he explains, his voice velvety calm. I nod solemnly and pluck up some courage.
“Where’s my friend? Is she okay?” His face is blank, giving nothing away.
“She’s in excellent hands. They left a few minutes ago, and we’ll be following them in a second. Just try to stay calm and relaxed.” Well, thanks for that. A lot of information that was. The ambulance jerks as it pulls away and I can see the wreckage as we drive off. Elissa’s poor car is damaged beyond repair, and the front end looks crumpled like a piece of paper.
I still feel my heart racing in my chest and my breathing becomes a little more ragged. As the crash site gets smaller as we drive away, my anxiety increases. “Are you okay?” the paramedic asks. But I can’t reply. My breathing is rapid, and I feel like I can’t suck in enough air. There’s too much pain ripping through my stomach.
“Ahhhhhhhh…” I scream. The paramedic focuses on the screen hooked up to me, and then turns around, rummaging through the cupboards in the rig, finally extracting a needle and a vial. “Wh-wh-what are you d-d-d-oing?” I say through stuttering breaths.
“Don’t worry. This is just something to help you calm down,” he says gently. He pushes the needle into the IV port that he’s hooked me up to and presses the syringe down. A gradual calm overtakes me, lulling my senses to sleep. Lulling me to sleep. I feel every muscle in my body relax, and even though there’s pain, I’m finding it easy to let everything go. Slowly, I drift off to sleep.
···
I wake up and am surrounded by bright white, even though the lights are dim in the room. The last thing I remember was being in the ambulance.
I bolt upright.
Where’s Elissa?
I look around the room and notice I’m at the hospital, still hooked up to a bunch of machines and this big, bulky belt is wrapped around my midsection. I’m in a private suite and Elissa is nowhere to be seen. I press the call button on the side of the bed, and moments later a nurse rushes into the room.
“Oh, Ms. Jaimeson, you’re finally awake! How are you feeling?” I rub my eyes and think about her question. Things are coming to me foggy, and jumbled.
“Uh, a little groggy. I’m not quite sure what happened. But where’s my friend?” I look to the nurse and her pinched nose, crinkled eyes, and pursed lips give nothing away. She’s a middle-aged woman with fine lines rimming her mouth and eyes. She looks a bit crotchety, but sounds pleasant.
“I’m sorry, sweetie. I’m not sure right at this moment, but let me see what I can find out for you. Okay? You’re in the maternity ward and she’s in another part of the hospital. How are you feeling?” she asks me again.
“Better now.”
“No more pain?”
“No…what happened to me? Is the baby okay?” The nurse offers me a sweet smile and places her bony, wrinkly fingers on my forearm.
“The baby is just fine. It was in distress earlier when you got here — between the crash, your levels of distress, and the stress triggering early labour, it sent your body into a tizzy, making that little one go bananas. But the doctors got everything back to normal, and it looks like you’re in the clear. We’re just going to keep you a few days to make sure everything is all right.”
A huge crushing weight lifts off me as I hear her words. The baby is okay. My heart squeezes with happiness as I rub my little belly.
“There’s a bit of swelling and some internal bruising from the crash, but there’s nothing to worry about.” The nurse walks over to the table by the door, grabs my purse, and walks it over to me, resting it beside me on the bed. “Your phone’s been going a bit crazy, all these text messages from a guy named Rhys. Apologies, but we did have to check it to get an emergency contact. We called your parents and they’re on their way.” She asks me again if I’m okay before leaving me in peace and quiet.
Extracting my phone out of my purse I see about twenty missed text messages from Rhys. The last few are pretty awful.
Rhys: Fuck you, Riley. You can’t do this to me. You can’t ignore me and shut me out. I’m the baby’s father.
Rhys: God damnit, Riley. If you don’t answer me, so help me God I am going to come over to your place and knock down the fucking door.
Rhys: Why aren’t you answering me? Where the fuck are you? You’re not home. You should be home by now, you work in the morning.
I check the time and it’s still in the early hours of the morning, about 7 AM. The last message from him is different, and only from an hour ago.
Rhys: Please, Riley. Let me know you’re at least okay…
I type out a quick reply to Rhys.
Me: Sorry. I don’t appreciate all those messages you sent. Elissa and I were in an accident on the way back into town…we’re at the hospital. I’ll talk to you when I have a chance.
The message appears to be read instantly. Dots appear and disappear as I wait for him to respond, but it never comes.
···
An hour later, the nurse walks in with my mom and dad following close behind her. Tears well in my eyes and I try to hold them back when I see them. My mother’s face is white as a ghost and splotchy from crying. My father’s eyes are bloodshot, and his bottom lip is quivering like a leaf in the wind. When our eyes meet, we all break down and sob together, and the nurse bows out of the room.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” my mother sobs. “I was so worried about you and the baby!” She collapses her body on top of mine, surrounding me in an embrace. Tears pour down her face, wetting my hospital gown. My father grunts from behind her, wiping his eyes before he walks over to the other side of my bed and grabs my hand.
Suddenly, a pounding set of footsteps comes racing down the hallway, and a familiar voice that tugs at my heartstrings yells my name. “Riley! Riley?!” A flash passes by my room, and then I hear backtracking, and…it’s Rhys. He’s doubled over in the doorway, heaving massive breaths. His jet-black hair is chaotic, sticking up everywhere. His face is flushed and his eyes are full of worry. “Riley!” He barrels into the room, throws himself over to me — slightly wedging my mother out of the way — and crashes to his knees. His eyes are full of tears and unsaid emotions. “Are you okay? Is the baby okay?” I nod my head, my mouth fails to say anything. I think I’m in shock. I didn’t think he’d show up here when I sent him that message.
“Baby,” he cries. His hands cup my face as he presses his forehead to mine. “Baby, I am so sorry. For everything. I was a dick, and I know it. I was just hurt and dealing with the stress of the company. And I know it’s no excuse, but I fucking love you, baby. I am so incredibly sorry. I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you and the baby, I promise.” Tears are streaming down my face, and I can’t explain how happy I feel in this moment to hear those words. He pulls away from me and digs in his pocket, then pulls out a tiny leather box. My heart leaps in my chest. What the fuck is he doing? “Riley Mikayla Jaimeson, I need you in my life. And I’m so sorry it took me so long to stop being such a jerk. I promise to love you and our baby. I can’t imagine my life without you, and I can’t believe I almost lost you. Both of you. I need you, Riles. Please, please forgive me. And please marry me.”
He opens the box, and my mother gasps. Sitting in the middle of the cushion is a white gold band embedded with tiny little diamonds. At the centre of the ring, a one-carat diamond sits boldly, glimmering brilliantly under the terrible fluorescent lighting. My breath hitches. I am completely speechless.
My eyes find his, and they’re pleading with me, begging me to say yes. And, in this moment, I want nothing more than to be his wife.
“Yes,” I whisper.