Chapter 48

Christoph landed the plane as expertly as any pilot after airport control asked him to circle for about half an hour. The airport was open, but flights were being delayed with the freezing rain. Once exiting the plane, Cristoph escorted Katie into the airport, offering to find her a taxi. With the weather and time of day, he had to fly the plane back to New York.

"Ms. McKenzie, can I call a taxi for you?" Christoph inquired.

"No, thank you, Christoph. My car is in the parking garage so I'm all set." Katie thanked him. "Be careful on the way back to New York. It is getting nastier out there." She warned.

"I will, thank you, M'am." He replied and was off, tipping his hat towards her.

Katie rolled her suitcase through the covered walkway to the garage. Finding her SUV she loaded her suitcase in the back and prepared for a long drive home. After exiting the parking garage, Katie slowly made her way to the highway. Ice pellets were bouncing off the windshield as the wipers tried to clear her view. Finally making her way out of Boston, she took the exit to Route 2, figuring it would be safer than taking back roads since it was dark and slippery. There was not much traffic on the highway as she crept along at 30 MPH, stopping occasionally on the side of the road to clear off the windshield. It was just cold enough that ice would build up on the wipers and glass, obstructing her view. Katie felt the car slide at one point as she headed over a hill, her brakes locking up. Finally straightening the car back out, she noticed what appeared to be headlights coming towards her in her lane. She kept driving waiting for the lights to move over to the other lane, but saw as they got closer they were heading straight for her. She turned the wheel to the right, trying to avoid the oncoming vehicle as it barreled past her car, out of control. Realizing she had missed it, she felt her car start to slide. She panicked, trying to turn the wheel back into the lane, but could not gain control as the car picked up speed, sliding. Realizing she could not control the car she braced herself as she heard metal against metal, the car hitting the side rail of the highway. The car hit the rail, bounced off of it and flipped over in the breakdown lane. Katie screamed, covering her face as she felt the car bounce into the air, landing on the wet pavement. Katie's scream was silenced as she felt a sharp stabbing pain in her head, and felt herself slip into blackness.

A woman spotted the car on the side of the road and called 911. She waited next to the vehicle until a fire truck, police car, and ambulance showed up a few minutes later. After finally prying the door open the EMTs gently removed Katie from the car and put her on a board, not sure the extent of her injuries. Feeling a pulse they covered her up and carried her to the back of the ambulance. There did not appear to be any visible bleeding or obvious injury, so putting an oxygen mask on her they rushed her to the hospital in Concord. Once in the emergency room her pulse started to race and blood pressure dropped. The emergency room doctor on call ordered a CAT scan suspecting possible internal hemorrhaging. Spotting some bleeding in her abdominal area, he ordered her into emergency surgery. While in surgery one of the nurses took Katie's belongings, going through her bag trying to find some contact information. Finding her cell phone the nurse dialed the first number under the call history.


Just as she was finishing up dinner Becca heard her cell phone ring. Seeing Katie's number she answered, figuring she must have just gotten back home.

"Hey, Kat. Welcome home." She answered, cheerfully.

"Hello. This is the nurse at the Emerson Hospital emergency room. There has been accident and I am trying to locate a contact for Katherine McKenzie." The nurse said.

Becca's hand went to her mouth, nervously, "Oh my God. Yes, you can talk to me. Is she ok? What happened? Please tell me, is she ok?" Becca asked anxiously.

The nurse answered, "She is alive and in emergency surgery. She was in a car accident on Route 2, most likely from the road conditions, and her car was flipped." The nurse's voice was calm, trying to give just enough information without scaring Becca too much. "She has some internal bleeding but there doesn't appear to be other broken bones or injury at this point. May I ask who is this?"

"Oh my God! Oh yes, this is her best friend, Becca. Emerson, you said? Is she going to be ok?" Becca answered, shaking. She ran around trying to find her purse and coat, grabbing her keys on the way out the door.

"Right now I don't know any more information. Only that they felt the need to rush her into surgery. As of right now it is touch and go. Is there anyone else I should contact?" the nurse inquired.

Sliding into her car, Becca answered. "No, I will call her family. It might be better coming from me. Thank you, I'm on my way." She hung up her cell, starting the car, and then thought if she should call anyone else right now. She would call Kevin from the hospital once she had a bit more information. She decided to call Jon before making the ride to the hospital, knowing he would want to know and may want to come to Boston as soon as he could.

Shaking, the tears streaming down her face, she called Jon's number. Hearing his voice she tried to hold back the tears enough to speak.

"Jon? Jon, I need tell you something." Becca said, anxiously.

"What is it? Is everything ok, Becca?" Jon said, worried at the tone of her voice.

"Jon! There's been an accident! Jon, it's Katie!!....." Becca sobbed.

Jon let out a gasp, feeling the fear grasp his heart. "What do you mean an accident? What happened? Is she ok?" He screamed into the phone.

Becca took a deep breath, realizing she had to calm herself a bit in order not to scare him too much. "She is alive and in the hospital in surgery. There was a car accident. They said there is some internal bleeding and are going in to fix it. I am in my car right now ready to head to the hospital."

Jon ran his hand through his hair as he paced. "Ok. Alright. I am going to the airport and will fly out as soon as I can. Does anyone else know yet? Should I call anyone?" Jon asked, trying to gather his thoughts.

"The nurse called me from Katie's cell. I called you next and will call Kevin and her parents from the hospital once I have a little more information. So just take care of yourself, be careful and hurry..." Becca said through the tears.

"I will. I'm on my way." He said, his voice quivering. "Oh, Becca. Thank you for being there for her."

Becca sniffled, "No need to thank me. She is like a sister to me. I would do anything for her. And I know you would to, so hurry up!" She said, anxious to get to the hospital.

"On my way." Jon said, hanging up and dialed Christoph.

Christoph had just arrived back in New York, the plane still on the tarmac. Instructing Jon to take a taxi to the airport, he said they could fly out as soon as he got there. Jon threw a few things into a bag, ran downstairs to the lobby and Keith hailed a taxi for him. Once at the airport he sprinted through to the gate, running through the sleet to the plane. Christoph was there waiting, and arranged take off as Jon settled in for the quick flight to Boston. The landing was easy into Boston as quite a few flights had been canceled throughout the country due to the weather situation. Jon arranged for a car to be waiting for him at the airport. He exited the plane and located the car, supplying the driver with the hospital address. As they sped along Route 2, little did Jon know that he passed the exact location of the accident. The driver stopped right at the emergency room entrance, letting him out. Jon ran into the waiting room area, causing quite a few heads to turn. The nurse on duty at the check in desk looked up doing a double take.

"Can I..."

"I am here for Katie McKenzie." he said, cutting her off.

Seeing his anxious state the nurse composed herself and looked up the name. "One moment." She looked up at him, "She is still in surgery, but will be taken to the ICU afterward. So you can head up to the third floor. Check in at the nurses station, they should know more there." she instructed.

Jon thanked her and ran up the stairs, too impatient to wait for the elevator. Once on the third floor he located the door labeled Intensive Care Unit, and went through the doors. Becca, sitting in the waiting area, spotted him right away and came over to him.

Jon gave her a quick hug and asked, "Do you know anything more?" She led him over to the waiting area and sat down.

"The nurse just came out and said they are still working on her. They said she is holding her own, but won't tell me anything more. She did say that any type of injury like this just takes some time, so not to panic just because it was taking a while." She said, trying to convince herself and comfort him.

Jon squeezed her hand and let out a sigh. "Ok, well, I guess we just have to wait then."

Becca noticed what a mess he was. He was clearly shaken by the news, and she could see the fear in his eyes as tears threatened. She returned the squeeze and said, "Yes, we just have to wait and think positively. She is young and healthy. She will be ok." She said, looking into his eyes, trying to will them both into believing that.

Becca had called Katie's parents while she waited for Jon to arrive. They couldn't get a flight out of Nashville. Due to the weather the airport there was closed. They said they would fly out as soon as it opened back up in the morning, and thanked Becca for being there for her. She had also called Kevin, explaining the situation. He would tell the kids in the morning after they knew a little more information.

Becca excused herself for a moment, planning to get them both something to drink. When she came back from the vending machine with two bottles of water, she saw Jon sitting in the chair, his head in his hands, shaking. Seeing how distraught he was over Katie, she realized how deeply he loved her.

After Becca got up and left he tried not to think about what could happen and just focus on the fact that she was healthy and would likely be ok. He didn't know what he would do if she didn't pull through. Even the slightest thought of living without her tore him up so badly he couldn't breath. He heard Becca's footsteps and looked up at her, tears streaming down his face.

Becca leaned over giving him a tight hug, whispering, "She is going to be ok. We have to believe that."

He nodded, returning the hug. "She has to be, Becca. I can't live without her. I don't know what I would do." He admitted through more tears, choking on the last words.

She sat the water down on the table next to the waiting room chairs, neither of them drinking any. They sat grasping each others hand while waiting in silence.

After what seemed like an eternity the doctor came through the operating room doors in his scrubs, pulling his mask down around his neck. He walked over to Becca and Jon, stopping only for a moment as he took notice of who Jon was.

Jon and Becca walked quickly over to him, impatient for some sort of news. The doctor shook Jon's hand and patted Becca on the back, then led them back over to the chairs.

After they all sat down he said, "Well, everything went very well, as planned. Her internal injuries were not very extensive. We went in and got the bleeding under control and fixed the injury. She is stable and holding her own. There didn't appear to be any other serious injuries. She does have a nasty bump on her head, but that was the least of our worries. She is in recovery resting comfortably. She will be unconscious for a while, likely due to shock. As of now that is all we know. The next few hours will be telling. But with her age and physical health, her outlook should be favorable. But like I said, how she does over the next few hours will give us a better idea of her recovery. Do you have any questions?" He asked.

Neither Jon nor Becca could think of anything at the moment, both greatly relieved to hear she was at least stable for the time being..

Jon only had one question, "Can we see her?" he asked anxiously.

The doctor nodded, answering, "Yes, you can go on it. The nurse will take you to the recovery room."

They both thanked the doctor after he informed the nurse to take them to Katie's side. After entering the recovery room the nurse led to them Katie's bed, pulling the curtains back. They found her laying on the hospital bed, her eyes closed as if she was simply sleeping. Jon sat down on the chair next to the bed and took her hand, not tearing his eyes from her. Becca went to the other side of the bed, gently smoothing back her hair. Jon put her hand to his lips, kissing it lightly, being careful to avoid disturbing her IV. Neither of them said a word. Becca pulled up a chair and sat with Jon at Katie's side. After a while Becca decided to get a bite to eat, asking Jon if he wanted anything. He shook his head, thanking her. She decided she would bring something back for him anyway.

On her way out Becca talked to the nurse on duty, asking what would happen next. The nurse informed her if Katie did well over the next hour they would take her to a room. Becca thanked her and went to the cafeteria. Nothing much was left, and they were just closing up for the night. But she was able to find a couple of sandwiches and bags of chips. When she got back to the recovery room she found Jon still next to Katie, leaning over her kissing her forehead. She walked up to him, putting her hand on his back and offered him a sandwich. He sat down, taking it, but only choked down a few bites.

"I talked to the nurse on the way out and she said they would take Katie to a room if she stayed stable over the next hour." She informed him

Jon nodded, "That's good news, then."

"I think I'll wait until that happens, then head home and try to get some sleep. You should probably do the same." She suggested. "You are welcome to stay at my place, or I have an extra key to Katie's house." She offered.

"I am going to stay here as long as they let me, but thank you. I can take the key to her house, I guess." He said, still feeling numb and not ready to think about anything beyond the fact that Katie was here and so far ok.

The nurse eventually came back and checked Katie's vitals. She informed them they were going to take her to a private room. The nurse gave Becca a paper bag with Katie's clothes and purse in it. They followed as the staff wheeled Katie into a room down the hall in ICU. Even though she was stable, they wanted to watch her overnight. Once they had her all settled in, Becca decided she would go home for a bit, instructing them at the nurses station to call her if anything happened or changed. She went back into the room, putting her arm around Jon's shoulder as he sat on the chair next to Katie's bed.

"Are you going to be ok, Jon?" She asked, concerned.

He nodded, "Yeah, I'm ok. I just can't leave right now." He looked up at her.

She nodded, "I understand. You have my number. I just need to get some sleep and I will be back first thing in the morning. Try to rest though, there is a reclining chair by the window. Ok?"

He nodded, "Thanks, Becca." He stood up hugging her and giving her a kiss on the cheek. She smiled as she left, "Ok, I'll see you in the morning. Call at any time if you need, ok?"

Jon waved and sat back down next to Katie's bed.

On the way out Becca asked the night nurse for a couple of extra blankets and pillows for Jon, just in case he decided to try and sleep.

Chapter 49