AllFreeNovel
Share Us
An 18-wheeler ahead of me was swaying back and forth, out of control. At that point, everything went into slow motion. The truck side-swiped Riley as she came up beside it, sending her spinning in circles across the lanes and crashing into the concrete median.
“Noooo! God, noooo!” I screamed.
Traffic came to a dead stop, and I jumped out of Black Betty, running toward Riley with all my might. Her head was resting against her seat, and her eyes were closed when I reached her. Then she started spitting up blood.
I cratered and pleaded with God again while trying to open Riley’s door, but it was locked. I pounded on the window, hoping it’d get Riley to come to and open her door. It didn’t work, though.
“Dammit!” I yelled as other people approached Riley’s car, trying to open her door as I’d done.
I grabbed my head, not knowing what to do, and then I saw them. Rosalie and Joseph. They were standing on the other side of Riley’s Camaro and motioned for me to come to them. Could anyone else see them? Fuck, what did it matter?
After I ran over to them, Joseph pointed at Riley’s passenger-side window. Then he balled up his right hand and pointed at me. He wanted me to bust the window, but my hand was still in a cast. This was going to hurt, but never as much as losing Riley forever.
As I pulled back my arm, Joseph did, too, and we shattered the window together. I reached inside, unlocked the door, and opened it, immediately unbuckling Riley afterward, pulling her out of her smoking car, and holding her in my arms on the interstate.
“Mia bella, don’t you leave me!” I cried, kissing the side of her head.
She opened her eyes and looked up at me. Then she heaved, spitting up more blood and spraying my face with it. Seconds later, her body went limp.
When the ambulance showed up and the paramedics saw Riley, they called Flight For Life. As the helicopter took off, I looked around for Rosalie and Joseph. They were gone, but I didn’t know how long that’d been. Once I pulled Riley from her car, she was all I could focus on.
After running back to my truck, I slowly made my way out of the traffic pileup, exited the interstate, and sped to the hospital where Riley was being taken. On my way there, I called her family, mine, and Macie to tell them about Riley’s wreck. They were all on their way to see her now.
Standing in the hallway next to the waiting room, I noticed Noah walking toward me.
“Hey, Rhys! Macie called me and told me what happened,” he said. “Do you know what Riley’s injuries are?”
“Yeah, one of her ribs punctured her right lung. They’ve already taken her back for surgery.”
“I’m really sorry about all of this.”
“So am I. It’s my fault that it happened.”
“How is it your fault?”
“If I hadn’t confronted Riley at her parents’ house earlier and upset her, she wouldn’t have taken off like she did. No, I can go back even further. If I’d just put aside my ego and pride when I went to her duplex and saw her talking to Chad in her front yard, she and I would still be together, and none of this would’ve happened.”
“Don’t do that to yourself.”
“I can’t help it because it’s the truth.”
I heard a rush of footsteps and looked to my left. Mr. and Mrs. Martin, Riley’s grandpa, Rachel, Jackson, my mom, dad, and Macie were here. Riley’s parents hugged me, and then Mr. Martin asked if I’d received word from Riley’s surgeon, Dr. Abbott.
“Not yet, sir,” I told him.
He rubbed his forehead, visibly upset like all of us. “Okay.”
“Is that what I think it is on your shirt?” Macie asked me.
“Yes.”
“There’s some still on your face.”
I dragged my hand across my right cheek, seeing a tiny bit of Riley’s blood on my fingers. Then I started breaking down.
“Pastor Martin, Mr. and Mrs. Martin, and Rachel,” I said, looking at them. “I’m sorry. I’m so very sorry.”
“About what?” Mr. Martin asked.
