Breaking Point

Once Again

"No, we're all in some sick, twisted dream. This is not happening!" she screamed, nearly waking up half of the hospital. She went up to the nurse's station and pounded on the desk. "You tell those motherfucking doctors that they better be doing all they can on my friend! They better fucking bring her back!"

Alex ran over and engulfed Maribelle in his arms as she continued to scream and rant to anybody who looked at her. Finally, the doctor's had to force anti-depressants and more medicine into Maribelle's bloodstream, causing her to eventually fall asleep.

Justin stared at the clock in pain. It's been seven hours. How long is this gonna take?

They'd already brought in the other person from the accident. A man who fell asleep at the wheel. Justin watched as he merely got stitches on his forehead, arm, and a cast on his leg.

You might have killed her, he thought venemously toward him. I'll kill you if you killed her.

More minutes crept by, and Justin waited for the doctors to return and tell him that Jennifer was all right. That she'd wake up in a few more hours. That she'd have to stay in the hospital for a few more days, then she'd go home with pain pills and a huge scar.

Finally, after what felt like twenty-eight lifetimes, the surgeon appeared, looking tired but finished. Every single person in the waiting room stood to their feet.

"Well??" Justin asked, after the doctor spent a few moments fiddling with her surgical cap. "Is Jen all right, is she okay?"

The doctor sighed and looked at him. "She made it out of the surgery ok," there was a collective sigh of relief as the news sinked in, but Justin waited for the rest.

"But?" he urged.

The doctor nodded. "But... there was a slight complication. Apparently Jennifer suffered a bit of head trauma. Has she been hitting her head lately?"

Justin nodded impatiently.

"Well... due to that, plus the impact of the accident, she didn't wear her seatbelt, but the impact her head took was pretty powerful."

"Can you just get to the point please?" Maribelle snapped. The doctor looked around the group sympathetically and took a deep breath.

"Jennifer is in a coma." She said, and the group stopped breathing for a moment as the news sank in. "She took a pretty bad hit. We'll have to put her under life support and see if it clears up in a few days. I think it may be wise to call her parents."

Scooter nodded, tears pooling in his eyes. The women had started crying, and leaned against each other for support.

Justin couldn't breathe. He couldn't even think straight. Jennifer is in a coma. Bounced around in his head like a swarm of bees.

Jennifer is in a coma.

She'll probably never wake up.

Jennifer is in a coma.

How could Justin apologize when she might never wake up?

Jennifer is in a coma. Justin sank to his knees. It's all my fault. He thought to himself. Is this what she felt like, for him? This is all my fault.

"Can we... can we see her?" Scooter choked out.

"A few at a time, yes."

They broke off into groups of three, Maribelle, Justin, and Scooter in the first group. They prepared themselves for whatever it was that was to come, and opened her hospital room door.

Justin felt more tears stream down his face, and Maribelle sobbed softly onto his shoulder. Scooter watched in pain as they stared at Jennifer's seemingly broken body.

Jennifer had a tube sticking out from her mouth, connected to a machine. Her chest moved up and down in a robotic way, and there was a beeping that recorded her heartbeat in an even way. She had stitches on several different parts of her arms, even on some places on her face. They had dressed her in a hospital gown and, with the way they laid her on the hospital bed, she looked like a corpse.

"Scooter," Maribelle sobbed, and held onto him as tight as physically possible.

"I know Belle, I know." Scooter said, his voice cracking. Justin felt a hand on his shoulder and his mom's shocked and mournful face was staring at Jennifer.

"Come here, babe." Pattie said softly, and Justin leaned down to rest his head on his mom's shoulder. "I know, Justin. I know. You just gotta pray."

"This is all my fault, mom. I shouldn't have let her walk out that door." Justin sobbed, and Pattie guided them both down on a nearby chair.

"Shh, Justin. Calm down."

Justin and Maribelle sobbed onto the adult's shoulders as more hours crept by. Nobody kept track of the time, they just cried with each other every time they stole a glance at Jennifer's body.

This is all my fault, Justin chanted in his head. How could you be such an idiot, Justin?! This is all your fault!