Chapter Sixteen
At first, Treston thought he'd died and gone to heaven. He'd lost track of time, and for a moment or two he almost forgot about being left at the altar, so to speak, by Cooper Boon.
As the bright afternoon sun filtered through the cracked windshield of the rented van, Treston opened his eyes a few minutes after the accident and saw the face of Jesus looking down on him, framed with rays of glorious rays of sunshine, just like he'd seen in the movies.
But instead of harps playing and celestial choirs singing, he heard the sound of sirens approaching. Then Jesus unbuckled the seatbelt, scooped Treston up in his arms, and carried him away from the smashed-up van. He set Treston down on a grassy section so he could get a better look at him.
Treston was still in shock. It took a moment for him to realize this wasn't Jesus and he hadn't died and gone to heaven. When he realized who it was, he actually thought he might have died and gone to hell.
"Just sit still and don't move," said Chad. "You're going to be fine." He crouched down next to Treston on the grass and took a closer look at his face. When he realized a piece of glass had cut Treston's cheek, he pulled his white T-shirt off his back, rolled it up into a ball, and pressed it up against the wound.
Treston tried to push him away, but Chad only grabbed his arm, held the shirt to his face tighter, and said, "Calm down. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise. It's not a deep cut."
Then Chickey, J.D., and Lyon came running over to see what had happened. When Treston saw them, he wanted to hide behind a shrub not far from where he was resting, dig a deep hole, and cover himself with the dirt.
Lyon crouched down on his other side and asked, "What happened? Are you okay?"
Chad put his arm around Treston and glanced at Lyon. "He just pulled out of the parking lot without looking and my driver hit him. I didn't even know it was him until a minute ago when I ran over to the van. It's a good thing we weren't going fast, because we had no way of knowing he'd pull out like that. And thank God he was wearing a seatbelt."
Chickey stood over them and asked, "Is he okay?"
Lyon sent Chickey a backward glance. "I think so." Then he turned to Chad and asked, "Are you and the driver okay?"
Chad nodded. "We're fine." He gestured to his driver. He was walking around the limo with one hand in his pocket and the other scratching the back of his head, surveying the damage.
Treston looked up and saw all his friends from the club were looking down at him, all dressed for the wedding that would never happen. He figured Lyon had already told them everything and they knew Cooper would not return. On top of that, a crowd of other onlookers and gawkers had stopped to see what was going on. Although Chad was the one holding him, Treston reached for Lyon's hand and said, "Get me out of here. I just want to die."
But when Lyon reached out to help him get up, Chad stopped him and said, "I'll take care of him." Chad looked up at Chickey and said, "Why don't you try to get all these people to back up and give him some breathing room?"
As Chickey motioned to the crowd to step back and give them room, Lyon hesitated for a moment, as if he didn't trust Chad. But then Chickey put his hand on Lyon's shoulder and said, "Let Chad handle it. I've known him for years and he'll take good care of him." Then Chickey and Chad exchanged a quick nod.
Treston sighed and closed his eyes. He remembered Chad had been checking up on him through Chickey. Though he didn't like this, he knew he was in no position to make a scene.
Then Treston overheard onlookers whispering about Chad. "Is that Chad Pratt, the movie star?" And things like, "Is that Chad Pratt, the guy they call the Vegas Shark?" The fact that Chad was so well known seemed to make this all the more entertaining. At the very least, Treston figured it would take the attention off him and his pitiful circumstances. He just wished all his friends from the club would stop looking at him with such glum expressions. J.D. looked so devastated it made him ten years older than he really was.
When the police and paramedics arrived, the crowd was forced to back up in order for them to find out what had happened. When they established what had caused the accident and Treston hadn't been drinking and driving, Treston tried to stand up on his own so he wouldn't have to be taken to the hospital. But he wound up falling backward into Chad's arms, and three paramedics guided him onto a stretcher.
Treston tried to get Lyon to help. "I don't want to go to the hospital. I don't have insurance and I can't afford it. I'm fine. There's nothing wrong with me. Just get me out of here."
Chad glanced at Lyon and said, "I'll take care of any expenses. I want him to be examined. I promise he'll be okay with me."