Date: Mon, 3 Oct 2011 19:48:57 -0400
From: Barry Gold <barry.gold69@gmail.com>
Subject: The Accident

THE ACCIDENT

By

Donal/Gold


Beth and Sally were sitting on the couch in the family room in Beth's house
kissing. Sally's right arm was around Beth's neck keeping her in place,
while Beth's right arm was around Sally's neck and her left hand gently
caressing Sally's right breast. Their tongues were sparring with each
other, back and forth and finally they had to separate so they could
breathe.

"Baby, we really do need to do some studying. I have my algebra midterm in
two days and you have your English midterm coming up."

"I know Beth, but I can't keep my hands off of you. I know my GPA is
finally up because of you, but sometimes I find it very difficult to keep
my hands off of you when we're around each other."

The television set was on in the background while they were talking when
some news came on.  Both Sally and Beth were barely listening to the news
but when news of a car accident came on, they started listening a little
more intently. The news person started mentioning where the accident
occurred; downtown near a Hallmark Gold Crown card shop.  Before Sally and
Beth could do or say anything, Stephanie and Lisa came bursting into the
house out of breath.

Stephanie was crying and trying to talk at the same time, "Sally, did you
hear about the accident downtown? There was a major accident in front of
Mom's card shop. They showed some pictures of it on the TV and one of the
cars' was Moms!" Stephanie started crying harder as Lisa came up to her and
wrapped her arms around Stephanie.

Sally was stunned and couldn't talk. She wanted to say something but
couldn't, the tears rolled down her face before she realized it. The girls
then turned toward the TV to see the pictures that were being shown
again. They were showing a couple of ambulance's pulling up to the accident
site but because the feed was not a live one, the pictures they were
showing were almost an hour old.  Just as Sally was about to start talking,
Beth's phone rang. Beth walked slowly towards the phone and picked it up,
"Hello, Wilson residence, can I help you?"  Beth said shaking.

"Hi Beth, are my daughters over there?" Mr. Krieger asked Beth cautiously.

"Yes sir, as a matter of fact they are. Would you like to talk to them?"
Beth asked, really starting to shake now.

"Please put Sally on."

"Dad, what's going on?"  Sally said quietly with tears in her eyes.

"Sally, I'm sure you've heard about the accident by now. It's been all over
the news for the last 45 minutes. You're mother was hurt pretty
badly. She's got internal injuries, along with a broken right arm." He
hesitated before continuing. "Sally, your mother is also in a coma." Sally
could hear father start to weep.

"Dad, is she going to be okay?"  Sally asked quietly crying.

"Right now I'm not so sure, honey. They have her in the operating room and
are working on her. I've talked to Beth's parents and they are coming by to
pick you and Stephanie up so they can bring you down here to the hospital."
Her father couldn't keep his composure any longer and started to cry on the
phone.

Before Sally could reply to her father, Beth's parents walked in the
door. "Sally, Stephanie, are you ready to go to the hospital?" Beth's
mother asked them.

Sally was too petrified to answer so Stephanie answered for the both of
them, "Yes, we're ready to go. Can Lisa come too?"

"Of course she can sweetheart. Her parents will be waiting there for us."

Sally was listening to all of this and realized she was still on the phone
with her father, "Dad, Beth's parents just came in and we're on our way
down."

Between sobs, her father tried to answer as best he could, "Please hurry
Sally."
						***

On the way down to the hospital, Sally explained to all of them what had
transpired over the phone with her father. When she got to the part about
her mother being in a coma, Stephanie started crying again. Lisa wrapped
her arms around Stephanie and tried to soothe her. "Your mother is a very
strong person, baby. She will pull through."

"I can't help it Lisa. I feel so helpless that I can't do anything for
her. I love her so much." Stephanie continued crying.

Beth had been listening to all of this and looked down at Sally who was
wrapped up in her arms. Tears were rolling down Sally's beautiful face and
there was nothing Beth could do to stop them, so she just held her
tighter. She felt Sally's arms tighten around her even more and wished she
could do something more for her.
						***

Beth's father pulled up to the entrance of the Emergency Room and let the
ladies out while he went to find a parking space. As they entered the lobby
of the emergency room, they saw Lisa's parents sitting and as they walked
in, Lisa's parents got up and walked towards them.

Lisa ran over to her parents and hugged them. "Mom, have you heard anything
about Stephanie's mother?"

"No, honey, not yet. But a doctor came out not too long ago and talked to
Stephanie's father. When the doctor went back in, Stephanie's father looked
very tired. We've been waiting for all of you to get here so we can find
out what happened." Her mother said quietly.

Sally and Stephanie's father looked up and saw his two daughters walking
towards him. At the look their father gave them, they both started getting
more worried.

"Dad, how's mom doing?"  Stephanie asked shaking.

Mr. Krieger looked at his two daughters lovingly and hugged them. "Girls,
one of the doctors' came out not too long ago and gave me some news on your
mom. While they were performing surgery on her, she went into cardiac
arrest and they had to resuscitate her. Luckily, they were able to bring
her back and the doctor said that she should make it through surgery. The
doctor also told me that the next 24 hours will be critical. But the longer
she stays in a coma, the worse it will be. The doctor also told me that if
she can make it through the next day, her chances will be much better but
her recovery will be long."

Sally looked shaken at the news, and seeing this Beth came over and placed
her arms around her waist.

"Oh Beth, I don't know what I'm going to do if something happens to my
mother." Sally just let it all out and Beth held her giving what comfort
she could.

"Try not to worry Sally. Your mother is a fighter and you have to believe
that she will pull through. Just have faith." Beth said looking at her
girlfriend with hope and love in her eyes.

Stephanie was still over by her father when Lisa came over and hugged
her. "Baby, have you heard anything about your mother?"

Stephanie looked up at Lisa with tears in her eyes, "Lisa, a doctor came
out to talk to my dad and told him that she has internal bleeding and a
broken right arm. The doctor also told us that she went into cardiac arrest
but they were able to bring her back and continue with the operation."  At
that point, Stephanie just let the flood of tears that she was holding
back, pour out of her.

Lisa just held Stephanie in her arms and just let her cry.  She felt
Stephanie's arms tighten around her waist and she in turn, tightened her
arms around Stephanie.
						***

It had been a couple of hours since they walked into the hospital. Sally,
Beth, Stephanie and Lisa were all sitting together trying to sleep.  Beth's
parents and Lisa's parents were gathered by Mr. Krieger when a doctor
finally came out of the operating room.

"Mr. Krieger?" The doctor asked.

Mr. Krieger stood up and approached the doctor. "I'm Mr. Krieger doctor."
He stood up and shook the doctor's hand.

"Mr. Krieger, I'm Doctor Samuels. I just finished the operation on your
wife."

"How is she doing doctor?" Mr. Krieger asked shaking.

"Well, considering her injuries and the cardiac arrest that she went
through during the operation, it looks as if she will pull through. She's
still in a coma though, but the x-rays that we took didn't show any trauma
to the brain.  The next 24 hours is very critical for her.  We're about to
move her to the ICU so we can keep a close watch on her." Dr. Samuels
finally finished with his summarization.

"Can we stay and wait to see what happens doctor?" Mr. Krieger asked.

"Of course you can.  There are a couple of chairs in the room that we just
moved your wife into, plus there's the waiting room that you've been in for
the last couple of hours. If you go into the room though, please only have
the immediate family in there, okay?"

"Sure doctor and thank you for all you've done so far." Mr. Krieger told
the doctor shaking his hand again.

"Dad, what did the doctor just tell you?" Sally asked walking up to her
father.

"Honey, they are moving her into a room in the ICU to keep a closer watch
on her. The doctor said that she will pull through but that she is still in
a coma and that the next 24 hours is going to be very critical.  The doctor
also said that they X-rayed her and could not find any trauma to the head.
We can only hope that she will wake up shortly."  Sally's father said still
shaking.

Stephanie was listening to the entire conversation and trying not to
cry. Lisa was holding onto her left hand as the both of them were walking
up to Stephanie's father. "Dad, can I go into the room with you first?"

Her father looked over at Stephanie and realized how much she had grown and
matured over the last year.  He felt real pride in both of his daughters
even though they were really his stepdaughters.  He loved them as they were
his own.  "Sure sweetheart. Sally, do you mind if Stephanie goes in there
first with me?"

Sally looked over at Stephanie and saw the look of real fear on her
sisters' face.  "That will be fine dad. I'll wait out here with Beth and
everyone else."

						***

As soon as Stephanie walked into the room where her mother was, the first
thing she saw was all the pieces of equipment that were hooked up to her
mother; an IV going into her left arm, feeding her antibiotics, a machine
to breathe for her and finally a machine that was keeping track of her
pulse.  The breathing machine was needed because being in a coma, her
mother could not breathe for herself.  Stephanie's father looked stunned;
He had never felt so helpless before.

Stephanie walked slowly over to her mother and gently picked up her left
hand, holding it. "Mom, if you can hear me, I'm here for you. Please wake
up, we need you." Stephanie started to cry again as she started stroking
her mother's left hand.

Her father came over to stand by Stephanie's side and gently held his
daughter while she continued to hold her mothers left hand. "Please mom,
wake up. We all need you very much." Stephanie continued to stroke her
mothers' hand and cry at the same time.

"Honey, why don't you go sit down, okay?"

"Okay Dad."  Stephanie went to sit down in one of the provided chairs in
the room while she watched her father sit on the edge of the bed, holding
her mother's left hand.

"We're all here sweetheart. Stephanie is here with me and Sally is outside
with Beth, Lisa and the rest of the parents. They're all waiting to see and
talk to you.  We all love you very much. Please come back to us."
Stephanie's father started to cry and Stephanie walked over to her father
and wrapped her arms around him while tears flowed from his eyes.

"I'm sorry sweetheart; I can't seem to stop crying. Your mother means
everything to me, just like you and Sally mean everything to me."

"I know Dad. It's hard seeing her laying there with all those machines
hooked up to her.  I think I'll go and see if Sally wants to come in now."

Stephanie walked out of the room, leaving her father still sitting on the
side of the bed.
						***

Stephanie found Sally where she left her 15 minutes ago; sitting with her
arms tightly wrapped around Beth. Sally looked up as Stephanie approached
her.  "Do you want to go in and see Mom now, sis?"

"Of course I do. How's she doing Stephanie?"

"Just be prepared Sally. She's hooked up to three different machines."

Sally disengaged herself from Beth who looked at her with a look that said
"I Love You and I will be here for you" and gave Beth a quick kiss on the
lips and walked over to the room that her mother was in.

As Sally walked in, she saw that her father was still sitting on the bed
next to her mother and holding her left hand very tenderly.  He was also
talking to her, telling her about his day (before the accident happened)
and about the girls.

"Hey Dad, how's Mom doing?" Sally asked him shaking.

"She's still the same sweetheart, no change but we can hope for the best.
Why don't you come over here next to your Mom and let me sit in the chair
for now."

As her father got up off the bed so she could take his place, Sally threw
her arms around her father's waist, hugged him hard and started crying
again.  After Sally got her crying under control, she sat down where her
father had been and picked up her Mom's left hand. "Mom, I'm here with you
now." Sally then proceeded to tell her Mom about her day at school and her
study session with Beth. She then told her Mom that over the course of the
last year, she started giving some serious thought to what she wanted to do
with her life and a possible career.  While Sally was telling her Mom all
of this, her father stepped outside to stretch and to talk with everyone
else that was waiting for any news.

Sally was still letting her Mom know what she wanted to do with her life
when she felt her Mom's hand grasp hers tightly.  As Sally was looking down
while she had been talking, she raised her head to look at her Mom, and
found her smiling at Sally.
						***

They were all out in the lounge talking about what would happen if Judy
didn't make it when they all heard Sally scream "Mom!"

The first one through the door was Sally's father. He was about to ask
Sally what was wrong, when he saw his wife and Sally holding each other and
talking to each other.

"Judy! Oh my god, you're up." Eugene gasped out.

"Hello to you too sweetheart. " Judy said quietly as Sally got up to let
her father sit down beside her mother.

"How do you feel, honey?"

"Well, with the exception of a headache and a broken arm, not too bad."

As Stephanie and the rest of the "Extended family" came into the room, they
saw Eugene and Judy tenderly kissing each other.

Stephanie came up to her Mom and gave her a kiss on her right cheek. "Mom,
we were so worried about you. Thank god you're up. I love you so much."

Stephanie couldn't stop talking, so Lisa hugged her just to shut her up.
Everyone started laughing, including her mother.

Alyssa came up to her next. "Judy, when we heard what happened, we were all
so worried about you. They showed the accident on TV and when we recognized
your car, we rushed right over here. Liz and Bill stopped by to pick up
Sally, Beth, Lisa and Stephanie and brought them down here as quick as
possible."

Judy looked up at Alyssa and all of her old feelings toward her friend
started to come back. She quickly realized what was happening and pushed
her feelings back down before anyone realized what had happened with her.
Her husband did notice something but didn't say anything for now.  She
picked up Alyssa's right hand, "Thank you for being here for me. All of
you; thank you for being here for me.  And also, thanks Liz, for bringing
the girls down here."

Liz smiled at Judy warmly, "You know I'd do anything for you Judy. Just
hurry and get better, okay?"

Judy was about to answer, when the doctor came through the door.

"I thought I heard some noise coming from this room. And just what is
everyone doing in here anyway?" Dr. Samuels said with a big grin on his
face.

"Well, Doctor, as you can see, my wife is up and talking." Eugene said with
pride in his voice.

"Yes, I can see that Mr. Krieger. And to tell you the truth, I can't blame
everyone for being in here. I can see that she means a lot to everyone in
this room. Okay, now that that's out of the way, can everyone please clear
the room so I can examine my patient? Thank you."  Dr. Samuels said
smiling.
						***

They had been waiting a good 30 minutes in the waiting room when
Dr. Samuels walked out of the room. "Mr. Krieger. I just finished examining
your wife and with the exception of her broken arm and her headache, she's
not in bad condition given the circumstances. She will need a lot of caring
for and rehab for the next few weeks for her arm, but I don't see why she
can't go home in a couple of days. She was a very lucky lady.  We were able
to take care of all of her internal injuries because none of her vital
organs were injured."

"Thank you Dr. Samuels. Can I go in and see her now?" Eugene asked
hopefully.

"Sure, go in, but keep it short. She's very tired and needs her rest. You
can all come back tomorrow when visiting hours starts at 10:00am."
						***

As Eugene walked into the room, he could see that his wife had her eyes
shut and was trying to rest.  He started to walk back out when she opened
her eyes to look at him. "Dear, come on in."

"How are you feeling honey?"

"Very tired. But I'm glad you came back in."

Eugene walked over to the side of the bed and took his wife's' left hand in
his and sat down next to her. "You're looking better sweetheart. How's your
headache?"

"I still have it, but the doctor gave me something for it. I need to talk
to you before you go back home.  I saw the look you gave me right after
Alyssa talked to me earlier and I just wanted to say something.  When I saw
her looking at me earlier, all of my old feelings for her almost surfaced,
but the one thing that kept them from completely surfacing were my feelings
for you. I love you so much sweetheart, along with the girls that I would
never do anything to hurt any of you."

"I know that. I did see that look in your eyes for just a second but then
when you looked back at me, I noticed that smile on your face and
everything was okay."  Eugene bent over a little and gave his wife a very
tender kiss on her lips. "I love you very much, honey. We are going to go
now so I can get the girls home and get some rest myself. We will back
tomorrow morning at 10:00. I love you."

As she watched her husband get off the bed and walk out of the room, she
realized that she could never love Alyssa the way she had when they were
younger and that her love for her husband was so strong, it would survive
anything. With that thought, Judy closed her eyes and fell asleep.

						***
Since the following day was Saturday, everyone came back to see Judy.
When they arrived at the Hospital and walked in the door, Judy was sitting up
trying to eat some breakfast; Orange Juice with some Oatmeal, and eggs.
Eugene walked over to her and helped her with the rest of the breakfast.  After
the breakfast was cleared away, they all sat or stood around Judy's bed discussing
what would happen when Judy came home on Monday. As they were talking, Dr. Samuels
walked in.

"Well hello everybody.  I thought only a couple of people at a time were
supposed to be in here?"

"I know Doctor, but everyone wanted to see how my wife was doing. It seems
that she's doing pretty well."

"Actually Mr. Krieger, your wife is doing extremely well, despite what she
went through yesterday.  I was coming in to check on her progress because
if she keeps it up, I will let her go come Monday morning. How's that sound
to you Mrs. Krieger?"

"Are you sure I will be well enough by then?  I know I've been feeling
pretty good but don't you think I should get medically checked out first?"

"And just what do you think I've been doing with you, playing doctor? Yes,
you will be ready to get out of here come Monday morning."

"If you say so, you're the doctor." Judy said smiling.

"Just remember to take it easy. You will have to come back here several
times a week for your Rehab on your arm. I imagine it will take about 3 to
4 weeks to get full use of that arm back. Now, everyone out. I would like
check my patient again before lunchtime."
						***

Over the weekend, Stephanie, Lisa, Sally and Beth all got together and
talked about what would happen once Stephanie's Mom came back home on
Monday morning. They all agreed on helping to take care of Stephanie's Mom
when Lisa and Beth were over doing their studying.  Sally and Beth were
upstairs in Sally's room talking on Sunday afternoon when there was a knock
on the door.  "Come in whoever you are."

"Hey honey. I just wanted to see what you and Beth were up to." Sally's
father asked amusedly.

"Well Dad, Beth and I were discussing how we would be able to take care of
Mom when she comes back tomorrow.  I know there's school tomorrow, but we
were about to come downstairs and ask if we could take off and help you
with her, that is if you need the help."

"Thank you for the offer honey, but I think I can handle it
myself. Besides, don't you have your English midterm test tomorrow?"

"Yeah, you're right Dad. I was just trying to see if you remembered. When
you pick Mom up, tell her I'll see her when I get home from school. I'm
dragging Beth back here with me after school whether or not she wants to or
not!" Sally said laughing.

"Well, all I have to say is that you will not have to drag me over here
because I want to see your mother. Mr. Krieger, how long will she be in
rehab for her arm?"

"Only about three weeks Beth. Her assistant manager at the store is ready
to hold down the fort, despite Judy telling her that she will not have to
work open to close everyday.  By the way Sally, where's your sister?"

"As far as I know, she's over at Lisa's."

No sooner than Sally had said that, they all heard a loud slam and then
Stephanie yelling, "Hey everyone, I'm home and Lisa's with me!"

Sally, Beth and Sally's father just couldn't help it and started laughing
when they heard Stephanie.  Stephanie walked upstairs with Lisa trailing
behind her and when she got to Sally's room, she found all three of them
laughing. "What are you laughing at?" Stephanie asked seriously.

"Honey, we just couldn't help it. I had asked your sister where you were
and as soon as she told us, you walked into the house announcing yourself
and Lisa." Her father said as his laughter started dying down.

"I really don't see why that was so funny. But then I guess I would have to
been here to appreciate it." Stephanie said smiling at Lisa.

Stephanie's father looked at the girls and realized that his two daughters
really had grown up over the past year. He was really proud of them and was
happy he had them with him right now.  As he continued looking at them
while they were talking with their girlfriends, he never realized before
now, how happy both of them were with Beth and Lisa. It's like they found
the person they were meant to be with the rest of their lives.

"Okay, ladies. I think it's time to talk about what we are going to do when
your Mother is home."

Sally looked over at her father and smiled somewhat mischievously,
"Actually Dad, Stephanie, myself, Beth and Lisa have already discussed what
we are going to do when Mom comes home. You are going to take care of Mom
during the day and then when we get home, we will take care of our
homework, then take care of her the rest of the evening.  Now, how's that
sound with you?"

Eugene sat there for a moment with his chin resting in his left hand
thinking, "Well ladies, I think you've thought this through pretty
good. Beth, Lisa, you don't mind helping out?"

Beth spoke up first, "Mr. Krieger, we consider this a second home. I love
Sally very much and would do anything for her. No, I don't mind helping you
out at all.  As a matter of fact, I don't know about Lisa, but my parents
would also like to come over and help you out during the day." Sally looked
over at Beth, blushed then beamed at her.

Then it was Lisa's turn, "Mr. Krieger, I also consider this my second home
too. I love Stephanie with all my heart and would love to help out. My
parents have also made mention of helping if they can." Lisa turned and saw
Stephanie blushing.

"Well, I guess that takes care of everything then. I would like to thank
you young ladies for everything you've done so far. I'll be picking Judy up
at about 10:00 tomorrow morning. Which ever one of your parents would like
to come over first, can they be here at 10:30?"

"I guess that means I will talk to my parents tonight and let them know."
Beth said smiling.

With that Mr. Krieger went downstairs into his office and finished up some
work that he started on before the accident happened. Sally and Beth went
into Sally's room and Stephanie and Lisa, went into Stephanie's room.

						***

The next day when Eugene picked up his wife and brought her home, Beth's
parents were there waiting for them.  Since Judy was still a little tender
from the surgery and the accident, she had to stay off of her feet. Eugene
waited on her hand and foot (which of course she loved), Beth's parents
kept them company and also did some of the housework for Judy, When the
girls got home from school, they did their homework first, then as
promised, they did the laundry, some more housework and made the dinner,

This actually went on for almost a month until Judy was pulling out her
hair from boredom. She thanked everyone for their help, especially her
daughters, along with Beth and Lisa, when she realized they put their own
lives on hold to help them out.  She and Eugene took a trip downtown to the
Four Seasons restaurant one day while the girls were still in school and
set up a nice dinner and whole weekend for them to show their appreciation
for all of their help. Since Eugene had some contacts in the printing
industry, he had some invitations made up for the girls, letting them know
the time and date for the dinner.  Now all Judy and Eugene had to do was
wait for the girls to come home from school.
						***

Judy and Eugene were sitting in the dining room talking about events of the
past month when all four of the girls walked in the door.

Sally and Stephanie walked over to their parents, gave them a kiss and a
hug. "Hey you two, catching up on old times?" Sally asked them smiling.

"As a matter of fact sweetheart, that's exactly what we're doing. Hello
Beth, Lisa. How was school today?"

"It was a good day, Mrs. Krieger. I aced my Geography test." Lisa said with
a big grin on her face.

"And I aced my Algebra exam." Beth said.

"What are you ladies planning to do this weekend now that it's Friday?"
Mr. Krieger asked.

"Well, Dad, we were on planning on going to the movies tomorrow to see the
new Harry Potter movie. They say it's the best one yet." Stephanie said as
she walked over to Lisa and placed her left arm around Lisa's waist.

"Sounds like a plan to me. Why don't you girls go upstairs and freshen up
and whatever else you have to do before dinner." Stephanie's mother said
with a slight smile on her face.

Sally and Beth led the way upstairs with Stephanie and Lisa following
them. Sally and Beth walked into Sally's room and closed the door, Lisa and
Stephanie walked into Stephanie's room and shut the door.  The next thing
Judy and Eugene heard were screams of joy coming from both rooms.  Before
they knew what hit them, the girls had come out of the rooms, ran down the
stairs and were enveloped by four teenage girls thanking them profusely.

"Thank you Mom, thank you Dad. You didn't really have to do this for
us. You know that. We love you both and would do anything for you."
Stephanie said to both of them with a big smile on her face.

"I know honey but you girls deserve it. All four of you put your lives on
hold for me and Eugene and I just wanted to show our appreciation. Enjoy
the weekend ladies."  Judy told them.

The girls then tramped back upstairs and planned what they were going to do
after dinner tomorrow night.

When Saturday night rolled around, the girls were dressed up and were ready
to enjoy themselves all weekend.  After the dinner, Sally and Beth went
back to Beth's house and Lisa and Stephanie went back to Lisa's house,
leaving Eugene and Judy alone for the weekend.  The loving in all three
homes lasted all weekend and was tender and all consuming.



Any comments would be welcome.

Krazydog@juno.com
Bgold49@myway.com


Copyright Donal/Gold 2005