CHAPTER EIGHT
T he impact of the collision sent the car flying before coming to a stop on the verge.
Crystal heard the sound of glass breaking. Dazed, she groaned and rubbed the
back of her neck, feeling disoriented. She glanced at Emmett and held in a scream.
Still strapped in, his body hung forward. When he lifted his head and turned to look at her, blood dripped down his face.
“Oh, my God! You’re hurt!” She stretched and reached out to him, then unbuckled herself.
“I think my nose is broken and I’ve got a gash in my forehead,” he said more calmly than she would have. “I need a cloth to stop the flow.”
Crystal found her purse on the floor and took out a cloth handkerchief she’d bought at the Summer Faire one year. She’d chided herself in the past for carrying too much in her purse but now she was glad she did.
She handed it to him. “Stay there. I’m getting out and will come around to your side of the car to see what I can do to help. It looks like you may have shards of glass in your face. Be careful.”
She climbed out and stood a moment, weaving back and forth on unsteady legs. She heard a siren, and a police car drove toward her.
The driver of the truck was standing by the smashed front of it, looking scared. She guessed he wasn’t more than eighteen.
A policeman pulled up next to her and got out, talking on his mic.
“My passenger has been injured. He needs help,” she said.
“Okay. What happened,” he said, walking toward the passenger side of Crystal’s car.
“That teenager hit the side of my car as I was turning. He was driving too fast to stop,” she said, her voice quaking.
“Okay. Let’s see about your passenger.”
She watched helplessly as the policeman struggled to open the battered passenger door. The window was mostly gone, with bits of glass everywhere, including some in Emmett’s face. She realized he must have turned to see what was happening, making his face vulnerable, even with his air bag.
“I think we’d better get you to the hospital,” the policeman told Emmett. “The closest one is Portsmouth Regional Hospital.”
“I’m a doctor,” said Emmett. “I’m going to need some help with my face and my nose.” He turned to Crystal. “How are you?”
“I’m sore from the jolt, but I think I’m fine,” Crystal said. “My seat belt and the air bag saved me.”
“Can someone take us to the hospital?” said Emmett.
“I need to take a report, and that’s going to take time. Can you wait?”
“Yes. I’ll stay seated in the car.” He turned to her.” I think you’d better sit down for the interview. I’m concerned you may have suffered whiplash.”
“I’m going to call AAA. Hopefully, they can tow the car to the closest Toyota dealership where an insurance adjuster can look at it,” said Crystal.
The teen approached. “I’ve got my insurance information here. Can you give me yours?” He looked from Crystal to Emmett and sighed. “I’m sorry. I really am. But you turned awfully fast.”
“I wasn’t the one going too fast,” said Crystal firmly, and the young man gazed down and shuffled his feet.
Crystal glanced at his truck. It had suffered a lot of damage too.
“My Dad is going to kill me,” said the young man, and for a moment, Crystal felt sorry for him.
Then her anger flared. “You were driving too fast on a road where cars constantly enter and leave. What were you thinking?”
He studied her, and Crystal realized his eyes were glassy. Holding back her fury, she decided to leave him to the policeman, who was inspecting his driver’s license.
Crystal patiently went over the report with the policeman. Another officer was writing up a report with the teenager.
A firetruck pulled up beside them, behind the truck.
“What are they doing here?” asked Crystal.
“Just making sure there’s not going to be anything explosive happening with his motor,” the policeman answered. “The front of his truck got smashed. Your car is not in danger of that.”
Traffic had quickly backed up as the road narrowed down to one lane. A policewoman who’d arrived in the second car was directing traffic.
Another police car drove up, along with an EMT truck.
An EMT walked over to them as Emmett stood, holding the handkerchief to his forehead. Chips of glass fell to the ground around him.
“I’m a doctor,” said Emmett. “I think my nose is broken, and I’ve got cuts on my face. The gash on my forehead isn’t deep, just bloody.”
The EMT ran back to the truck and returned with a white cloth to stem the flow of blood and a bag of equipment. “I’m going to take your blood pressure and check for other injuries. Let’s move around to the other side of the car. You can sit in the back.”
“My date was driving and says she’s fine, but I suspect she might have a bit of a whiplash because she’s complained of a sore neck,” Emmett explained.
The EMT glanced at Crystal. “We’ll check her out. I think it’s best to get you, sir, to a hospital to have your face and nose checked. The nearest hospital is in Portsmouth. We can take you there.”
“No sirens or fuss,” Emmett said.
The EMT studied Crystal. “How are you doing?”
“I’m shook up, but okay,” she answered honestly. “It’s Emmett I’m worried about.”
“That’s an unusual name,” the EMT said to him. “Are you Emmett Chambers, the new doctor at Lilac Lake?”
Emmett appeared surprised. “Yes.”
“I’ve heard excellent things about you. C’mon, let’s take a careful look at you, and then, when you guys are ready, we’ll drive you to Portsmouth Regional. They’ve got a good ER team there.”
A tow truck with the AAA logo on it pulled onto the verge across the road. He got out and made his way through stopped traffic to her.
Crystal explained that she wanted her car towed to the car dealership in Portsmouth. After taking care of the paperwork, she called her insurance agent, who was able to confirm that they’d pay a portion of renting a replacement car until hers was either repaired or declared a total loss.
She got permission from a policeman to leave the scene with Emmett, and she joined him as he conversed with the two EMTs.
“I’m ready,” she told Emmett. “I want to ride with you to the hospital to make sure you’re all right.”
“I’ll drive,” said one of the EMTs.
“I’ll get in the back of the ambulance with the two of you,” said the other. “We have to keep an eye on you both until we deliver you to the ER at Portsmouth Regional Hospital.”
“Of course,” said Emmett. “A required policy.” He stood, and Crystal watched as more broken glass rolled off his clothing and fell to the ground.
One of the EMTs tried to make sure Emmett’s clothing was free of the glass and then assisted him to the ambulance. As Crystal took Emmett’s other arm, she noticed a television crew filming the scene.
“Guess you made the news,” said one of the EMTs. He helped them into the back of the ambulance and took a seat in a chair opposite Emmett and Crystal sitting on a bench-shaped container that held supplies.
The ambulance pulled away from the accident scene.
At the memory of the truck hurtling toward them, a tremor shook Crystal’s body. She couldn’t control the shivering as she thought of what could have happened to them.
Beside her, Emmett was aware that she was trying to hold it together and clasped her hand for support.
“I’m sorry,” she told him. “I saw the truck coming but wasn’t able to do anything but warn you to hang on as it hit us.”
Emmett squeezed her fingers. “It was an accident. That kid shouldn’t have been driving so fast. We were stuck with nowhere to go. Don’t blame yourself.”
“But your face, your nose... Thank God, you didn’t get glass in your eyes.”
“I have a feeling I’m going to have a couple of black eyes because of the injury to my nose. If that’s the worst of it, I consider myself lucky.” He studied her. “How are you?”
“Okay. I’m starting to get a little stiff but nothing serious. It was a big jolt.”
“Yes, you might have to take it easy for the next couple of days,” he said.
She didn’t respond. She knew she’d be needed in the Café, just as Emmett would be required to be in his medical office.
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T he EMTs delivered them to the emergency room at the hospital and bid them goodbye.
A doctor checked her over, quickly concluding with her that she was okay, but that she might get a headache, and if it got bad, she’d need to be seen by a doctor again for possible medication.
She left Emmett in his cubicle and went outside to make some calls. After informing her insurance company where the car was being towed and requesting the insurance adjuster to inspect it there, she got more details on the procedure for renting a car. Then she called the dealership and spoke to the manager. He agreed to handle the insurance company on a rental for her and said he’d have one ready to go.
Sighing with relief, shaking her head at what had happened, she made her way inside to check on Emmett.
He was sitting up on a gurney, talking to the doctor. He turned and smiled crookedly at Crystal. His nose had been taped into place. His facial cuts had been treated. Most were left as they were, but a couple were covered by small pads taped to the skin.
“This ENT specialist says my nose is going to be fine. He barely had to realign it and taped it just to help keep the position secure for the next couple of days. It looks worse than it is.”
“You’ll be a prime example of quality care for your patients,” said Crystal, standing by as the ENT doctor helped Emmett off the gurney.
She took hold of his arm. “I’ve got everything arranged. We’ll take an Uber to the dealership and pick up a rental car there. I’m anxious to get you home to give you time to rest. I know how busy you are.” She caught the edge of her lip between her teeth and fought tears. “I’m sorry this happened.”
“That stretch of road by the outlets can get very busy,” said the doctor.
“It’s not your fault, Crystal,” said Emmett. He shook hands with the ENT doctor. “Thanks for seeing me so quickly.”
“I’m glad I was in the hospital and able to help.” He bobbed his head at Crystal and left.
In the reception area, Crystal called an Uber driver and shortly after, a driver pulled up to the ER entrance.
As they made their way to the dealership, Crystal and Emmett were quiet. Crystal didn’t know what he was thinking, but she was reflecting on how lucky they were that it hadn’t been worse. Still, she’d never forget her helplessness at the sight of that truck coming at them.