Rapid Falls(7)
That was three weeks ago. We haven’t spoken since. If I had a regular sister, I would have been able to call her this afternoon when Maggie collapsed. For once, Anna could have supported Rick and me as we waited for the results from Maggie’s testing.
As the doctor stares dolefully at the X-rays pinned to the light box, I’m thinking about spending an even more miserable night at the hospital with Maggie. Then the doctor breaks into a smile.
“I’m not seeing anything on these films, which is a fantastic sign. All our tests have come back negative: meningitis, strep bacteria, polio.” She speaks brightly, as if she’s not rattling off a list of my worst nightmares.
“So what is it?”
“The flu!” the doctor says, and I find myself cautiously returning her smile, though I am confused. “Kids grow so fast that some viruses can actually present in their hips and knees. It’s painful, which is why she is having problems moving around, but it’s completely normal.”
“What is the treatment?”
“Rest, fluids, and good healthy food. Soup, or whatever she will tolerate, and lots of liquids. Keep her on the ibuprofen for now, and it should resolve in the next day or two.”
“Okay. Thank you.” I take Maggie’s small body in my arms and walk back toward the waiting room.
I see relief flood through my husband’s eyes as we turn the corner. I go over the doctor’s simple instructions with him: let her sleep, prevent dehydration, and never forget that the things you don’t suspect can hurt you the most. The doctor didn’t tell me the last part. I figured that out for myself a long time ago.
CHAPTER TWO
June 1997
A mechanical hum woke me. I blinked hard, trying to figure out where the noise was coming from and where I was. Pain stabbed my forehead as I turned to the left, where a faint glow of light seeped under a door. A blocky shape beside me beeped, and I realized I was connected to it by a long line clipped to my finger. I turned to the other side, fighting dizziness. A large window was covered with pale green curtains. I was in the hospital. My body ached like I’d been violently tossing and turning all night. I’ve always been a restless sleeper, but I never felt like this. Both times Jesse and I managed to be away for long enough to fall asleep together after sex, Jesse compared the experience to lying with an oversize, easily startled squirrel.
“But a sexy one,” I had said, nuzzling his neck. “After all, squirrels know where to find the best nuts.”
“Prove it,” he said, shifting his hips toward me as he laughed. That was my favorite laugh: the one that spilled out because of something I said. I could tell he loved me every time I heard it.
The thought of Jesse made me jerk upright in bed, only to find that my other arm was also tethered to a machine by a plastic tube. Jesus. What had happened? Even in the dim light, I could see that my arm was covered in angry bruises. I spotted a call button and reached toward it, straining the cords that bound me. Summoning the nurse never looked this clumsy on TV. Seconds after I pressed it, I heard footsteps and voices out in the hallway.
“She’s awake now. I need a minute, and then you can come see her.” The door opened and light flooded in from the hallway. I caught a glimpse of my dad outside. He looked terrified. A jolt of fear hit me as I remembered the sound of metal destroying metal. And screams.
“Hi, Cara. I’m just going to take your blood pressure.” The middle-aged nurse looked familiar as she smiled kindly. “I’m Sandy’s mom. You’re going to be okay.” Sandy was Anna’s best friend. I had seen her at the prom last night. Prom.
“What happened?” I asked her as the band squeezed tighter around my arm. I could hear the fear in my voice. So could she.
Her smile faded. “There was a car accident.”
“Is everyone okay?”
She looked down, but I saw the tears fill her eyes. The ripping sound of the Velcro as she loosened the cuff made me wince.
“All done. Blood pressure looks good. I’m going to send your dad in now. And the . . . I think Sergeant Murphy wants to speak with you as well.”
I stared at her as she walked out of the room. What was I supposed to say to the police? The whole point of prom night was to avoid them.
Last night was supposed to have been the biggest night of my life. Prom began the same way every year. Before the dance, all the graduates draped themselves in overpriced dresses and rented tuxes to march around the hockey rink turned dance floor with nearly the entire town in attendance. Last night the procession had been both exciting and dutiful for me. Jesse and I had seen so many of our older peers go through the ritual that in some ways it felt as if we had already done it ourselves, like we’d seen the photos before our parents even took them. At the same time, I was almost sure he felt the same way as I did, that prom night was our first real step toward the future where he would become my husband. We weren’t engaged yet, but his mom had hinted to me a few months ago that he already had a ring. When we walked past Anna, I beamed at my sister, and she smiled back, though a bit slowly. No surprise. Anna was always jealous. I would be the first to graduate, the first to begin a real life.
After we finished our promenade, our parents and relatives filed out. A familiar guitar riff reverberated through the room to kick off the dancing portion of the evening. Anna appeared beside me.