Love Survives (Love's Suicide #2)(102)

“Dad, I don’t know where they’re going. We need to call the police. There’s a restraining order against him.”

My dad pulled his phone out of his pocket and connected with the police. He told them we were on route 495 headed toward the 95 north. I gave him the description of Bobby’s truck, but at the exact moment I knew we didn’t need their help looking. Flipped upside down, in the center of the road, surrounded by other involved vehicles, sat his wrecked vehicle. Smoke was coming from the engine area, and I could clearly see two people inside seeming to be dead still.

“No, no no!” I slammed on my brakes and took off toward the truck, praying to God she’d be okay. “Kat. Kat, can you hear me?” She was unconscious. Blood was dripping from her head. The truck was too smashed to see Bobby on the opposite side, not that I cared whether he lived or died. My only concern was getting her out of there. “Kat, please wake up, baby. Open your eyes.”

I pulled with all of my might to get the door to budge, but it had been welded together with the frame as it slid across the pavement. In the distance I could hear sirens, and the sound of my dad’s voice.

Everything happened so fast after that. Two ambulances pulled in, and the paramedics shoved us aside to start attending to the injured. They worked to pull Kat from the wreckage. The whole time it was happening I stood there watching and praying she had a pulse. I knew that if they covered her up there was no hope, but if they got her secured properly she was still hanging on.

In those moments I thought about our perfect life, our little girl, and all the dreams that might not get to happen. I imagined raising my daughter alone, and how I’d never be able to cope with knowing I had a part in Kat’s death. I imagined the loss of her, how it would affect me, and of course little B. When I say I couldn’t live without her, I meant it. I’d been down that road, even knowing she was alive still. There was no way in hell I could live out my life knowing she was dead.

When I saw them strapping her to a stretcher I fell to my knees. There were no obvious signs of life, but I knew there was hope. I ran toward the ambulance. “Is she going to make it?” I had to know.

“Sir, do you know this person?”

I nodded. “She’s my girlfriend. Please let me go with you.”

My dad approached us. “Give me the keys. I’ll go pick up everyone at the house and meet you at the hospital.”

“Please hurry, dad. She needs us all there.” When I looked at my dad I could see nothing but fear. He knew if Kat died, he’d lose me forever. There was no way I’d ever be able to celebrate life. I’d be no good to my daughter because her mother’s death would end me.

I’d been in bad places before. I’d feared that I wouldn’t live to see another day. I’d watched fellow soldiers get burned and shot. I’d seen my best friend blown to pieces in front of me, but nothing compared to the anguish I was suffering from. This was so brutal I couldn’t snap out of it.

We had so many memories to make together. Our future was just over the horizon. We were so close to having it all. How could this be happening to us?

Why?

Hadn’t we suffered enough?

If there was a God, why wasn’t he looking out for us? Why weren’t her parents watching over her?

This wasn’t even about my sudden lack of faith. It was about not believing that anything could help the situation. The idea of losing her left me so vulnerable and petrified.

“We’ll be right behind you, Brooks. I promise.” My dad ran off toward my truck, leaving me there to deal with the paramedics. I kept asking them questions. Begging them to give me her vitals.

They pretended I didn’t exist, going so far as to prevent me from riding in the vehicle with her. I had to go with Bobby instead. He’d become conscious and was screaming profanities as they lifted him into the second ambulance. Even though he was strapped down for safety, he continued trying to swing his arms around to hit me.

Silently, I sat there listening to the men calling in Kat’s suspected injuries, and then Bobby’s. When he said head trauma I wanted to throw up. A brain injury is major. If Kat had a skull fracture or worse it could mean long-term memory loss.

I began letting my mind wander again, imagining her waking up and not knowing us. I’d spent every single second of my life loving her, but there was a chance she wouldn’t know me, or our beautiful daughter.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t put the bad thoughts out of my mind. It was as if I was only able to envision the terrible, instead of remaining hopeful. My throat burned, and I was sure that tears were falling down my face, yet I didn’t bother wiping them away. I was completely numb on the outside because I was being ripped apart on the inside.

Bobby kept yelling at me on the way. I heard the paramedic mention alcohol on his breath and hoped he was in big trouble for what he’d done. The whole time we were riding in the back he was steady trying to swing at me. “I’m going to f*ckin’ kill you. You’ll never see her when I get done with my plans. If I can’t have her neither will you.”

“I’ll f*cking kill you!” I jumped up and threw myself at his helpless body. “You won’t ever lay a hand on her again.”

The paramedic shoved himself between us. “Knock it off!”



I felt so disgusted being in the same vehicle with this man, but I knew it would get me to the hospital sooner than waiting for my dad and family. They’d have to sit through the wreckage traffic. It would take them hours.