The shock instantly wore off and my instincts kicked in. I didn't bother turning off the engine before I sprinted out my car and ran towards his vehicle.
"River!" I screeched as I tried to yank the door open, but it was locked from the inside. "Fuck!" I frantically tapped on his cracked glass, hoping he would gain consciousness. "River, fucking wake up!" Dread took hold of me when my efforts worked to no avail.
The heat of the fire was stifling, its scorching heat almost burning me.
"Miss, get out of there. The car might blow up!" someone yelled at me from somewhere.
"Help's on its way!" another person hollered, trying to shoot some sense into me.
"Are you deaf? Get out of there before you kill yourself!" another stranger grated somewhere.
The car might blow up.
The car might blow up, and none of them offered to help!
"Fuck you all," I muttered under my breath. Then, with all my might, all my strength, I elbowed the cracked glass, but it didn't shatter. However, I could hear the sharp splitting, cracking sound, indicating that it was working.
I placed my right hand over my left knuckle, gripping it with all my might before I smashed my elbow as hard as I could. I did it several times until the glass gave in, shattering into shards all over River's lap.
"Wake up!" I shook his shoulders, but he remained unconscious. My eyes darted towards his limp body facing forward. He wasn't wearing seatbelt. "Damn you!"
Blood oozed from the side of his head, giving me flashbacks of Juan. My insides withered at the thought of losing River.
"You're not going to fucking die on me, too, over my dead body!" I screamed at his lifeless body, hating the fact that he was too incensed to bother with a seatbelt. "You're not dying on me, fucker!"
I cowered down, hooked his arm around my shoulder and began to slide him off the seat. His body sagged against my hip before I maneuvered my body so I could place my arms underneath his and began to drag him slowly as his shoes grazed the asphalt. His body was so heavy, but I somehow garnered enough strength to drag him away from his wrecked car.
I managed to get him ten feet before my body shut down. I remembered having difficulty breathing before everything became a blur. Then I completely blacked out.
//
My head ached. I groaned as my eyes flickered open and found a nurse hovering over me, checking something.
"Hi, good of you to finally join us," she warmly greeted me with her sunny smile. "I'm Dorothy, your nurse for today."
I flinched when I felt my elbow throb. "What happened?" My eyes darted to the cause of my pain, and then I deeply sighed when I saw it was heavily bandaged up.
River. The crash. Blackout.
"You fainted at the scene."
Of all the places to pass out, I couldn't believe I did it in the middle of a freeway and right after saving River. Where was he, anyway?
"How long have I been here?" I took in the machines next to me. I frowned, wondering why I was hooked to any of them when I only needed bandages for my elbow.
"A few hours," she murmured before gazing down on me with that warm smile of hers.
This was good and all, but I didn't want to stay here more than necessary.
"Can I go home now?" There was always something about hospital smells that made me feel uneasy. It was that staleness, the white walls, the antiseptic scent, the sound of death littering the halls, and the sounds of newborns being welcomed to the world, some loved, some abandoned. Yes, hospitals and I didn't get on so well.
"You can go home, sweetie. But before you do … there's more." She took hold of my hand and threw me the same smile again, but this time there was sadness, maybe a little pity in those pale blue eyes of hers. "You also miscarried. I'm so sorry for your loss."
I froze. "I was pregnant?" Then Sweden came to mind. One pill. I only skipped it once …
She nodded. "Barely five weeks. These things happen all the time. These are the delicate stages during pregnancy. From the strain you endured helping at the scene, it was probably too much for your body. But we're also concerned because we found a lot of traces of illegal substances in your system. If you need help, counseling, rehabilitation, or just to speak to a therapist to address addiction, we'd be more than willing to assist you."
My baby died to save its father. What kind of sick joke was that?
"Thank you, but I'm good for now." My guards were up. Gaining back my strength, I addressed the nurse, "Where are my clothes?"