22.10

22.10

She wondered as she listened to the chatter that if they knew who was sitting behind them, would poison so quickly flow from their tongues? She silently cried in the pew, heartbroken.. heart shattered.

***

He wore that same sweater Christmas day. The blue really brought out his eyes, he looked so handsome. It was the first time Ally and Stuart didn’t fight. Certainly the promise of marriage on the Eve of Christmas had softened Ally’s hard cold heart, as Lon had proposed that night she said yes. It was the happiest day of her life. Amazing how the idea of love ever after can change a person. She had a softness to her all a sudden, she was happy.  
They fought so much, like brother and sister. Kait had asked her if she could just try to get along. Stuart and Ally had a mutual love, her sister. Ally and Kait, only 18 months apart, they were more than sisters, they were best friends. Kait was in love. Ally had a hard time accepting someone as good enough for Kait but she tried. Stuart loved her. So much so, before nightfall the day after Christmas he asked for her hand in marriage. Kait said yes.

***

She dropped her head and began praying to a God she didn’t know, that He wake her up and the chatter continued. Thomas was still critical, in ICU at the Med in Memphis. The prognosis wasn’t promising. Mom and Dad stayed with him, missing the funeral. Kait stood, never leaving Stuart’s side as friends and family passed. 

“I heard he’s going die, he should. He shouldn’t live after this. He doesn’t deserve it.” 

“I hope he rots in hell.”

“If he does recover I hope his life is miserable.”

“Murderer.”

“Please, God, wake me up. This can’t be real.”  She left the pew and stepped outside. Ally couldn’t listen to the slanderers any longer. She wanted to run away.

***

After a week and days later Thomas woke up, he didn’t even remember Christmas. He thought he was still in Chicago. They decided to  wait a day before they told him the details of the wreck. Ally wasn’t there that day when he woke up. Mom and Dad told Ally to stay and take care of Kait and they would take care of him for now. 
Stuart’s funeral and burial had already taken place. Life was forever changed. Kait needed her sister, her best friend. 

***

“Hey baby, will you bring me a cheeseburger on your way home?” It was 1:30 am the 27th of December and Ally had just finished a night feeding with their 5 month old son. 
“Of course I will. I love you. I’ll be home soon.” Lon replied.  She stayed awake waiting on him and finally a little after 2 he showed up with a bag from McDonalds. He looked distressed. 
“What’s troubling you? Is everything ok? Did y'all have fun tonight?” she asked him.
“Yeah we did but I left just shortly after you called and then Kait called me asking if I had talked to Stuart or Thomas. I told her I hadn’t and asked if everything was ok. She told me she hated him and that she wasn’t going to marry him if he didn’t answer her calls… That she couldn’t reach either one of them.”  
Ally sighed as she took a bite, “She’s probably just drunk and being dramatic.” 

The phone rang, it was Kait again. “Call Thomas right now” she demanded. So Allly called with no answer. She called Kait back, “He didn’t answer, what’s going on?” Kait proceeded to tell her that they left together in Thomas’s sports car and neither were answering and she was scared they got pulled over for a DUI. Lon had some friends that worked for JPD so he said he would call and check.

Ally sat beside Lon as they made the call via speakerphone.

“Hey bud, I need to see if my brother-in-law to be may have been pulled over tonight for a DUI. No one can reach him or the guy with him and we are just wondering if they might be in custody.”  
Officer Cobb obliged and asked his name and what he was driving.
“It’s a two seater Honda S2000, little sports car. His name is Thomas Carter.” Lon replied
After a moment of silence, Cobb asked, “Is it a black car?”
“Yeah, you got him?”
“Oh man… dude… let me make sure it’s not him…”
“What?” Ally screamed
Ally screamed louder. “WHAT?”
She heard voices thru the static of the police radio.
“Lon, man… they had really bad wreck.”
In the background she heard over the police radio, “Passenger DOA driver non-responsive. Medical response is on the scene.”
“They had the top down and went flying by an officer who clocked them at 100 mph. By the time the officer had caught up he saw the car hit the wall and flip about 6 times down the ramp. The road was wet, the curve was sharp and he was going too fast. I”m sorry man. I’ll let you know more when I have more to share.”

3:15 am
“Mom, I’m sorry to wake you up but you need to get here right now. Thomas and Stuart had a wreck. Stuart didn’t survive and Thomas is in Jackson and they  are about to take him to Memphis. They don’t think he’s gonna make it. Lon’s parents are on the way to the house to get the kids and we are about to go to the hospital.” 
“I”m on my way.”

“Kait, can you come over?” Ally asked. “Why, what’s wrong? Are they in jail?”
“Look, just get here.” 

Reluctantly Kait showed up. “So where are they? What’s going on? Ally why are you crying? What is happening?”

Ally just held her and told her what happened. Louder pain has never been expressed as she screamed in horror. 

3:45 am
“Please just let me go in.” Ally begged the doctors as she saw her brother laying in the hospital bed dirty, bloody and lacerated. “I may never get to see him alive again, please…” The doctors finally said okay, and the officers guarding the door showed mercy. Lon stood outside, she needed to be alone with him. There were only minutes before they would be taking him to the MED. 

4:30
The doctors sedated Kait. She couldn’t handle what was happening, Ally barely could. Kait laid in the hospital bed and Lon embraced Ally on the hospital floor. The officers came back and asked if they knew the passenger. Ally replied, “Yes, it’ was my sister’s fiancé. They had just got engaged hours before all of this.” 
“Maam, can you identify the body then?”

***

"Ma'am, I know you don't know me but I got your number out of Kait's phone. You're Stuart's mother, correct?" Ally took a deep breath.

"Yes and who are you?" she replied.

"I'm Ally, Kait's sister. I hate to do this but I have some bad news."

"What is it?"

"Stuart was involved in a car accident with our brother." Ally's voice trembled.

"Is Stuart ok?" she asked. She was in Wisconsin with Stuart's twin sister for a wedding. Ten years to the day prior she had lost her husband and was about to find out she had just lost her son. Ally didn't know what to say or how to say it but there was no one else to tell her and she had to know.

"No ma'am he's not." 

"Is my son dead Ally?" 

Crying hysterically, "Yes. He died on impact."

"Thank you." She said as she hung up the phone.

***