Precious

Daniel's POV

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She was walking across the street. The green walk sign was alight as she made her way calmly on my side of the intersection. All of a sudden, a giant SUV turned left instead of right. At that moment, the very moment that defined my life, that SUV smashed into her and hit my car.

My vision became foggy with the rising smoke. The airbag inflated and I coughed, trying to get out of the car. I got out just in time to watch the SUV drive away from the intersection. 

I ran to the girl, now bleeding in front of my car. "Help her!" I screamed. Blood was splattered on the road and there were black tire marks on her arms. Her head was encased in blood as well. I panicked. What was the proper medical procedure? What do you do when someone's head is cracked open?  Should I pick her up? Or should I keep her head elevated? I looked around for help. People started to get out of their cars and gather around us.

I gulped as a horrid thought came to mind. Was she...alive? My hand shook as I held it over her open mouth. "She's alive!" The gathering crowd seemed to have been wondering the same thing, because their was a collective sigh of relief. The crowd seemed to have been rendered speechless.

"I called for an ambulance!" one woman managed to say. 

"How are they going to get here?" Someone else wondered out loud.

I looked up and felt my heart drop even deeper. I surveyed the scene, a tangle of cars were in the middle of the intersection. There was smoke rising from the heap as people tried to help the caught drivers out. The SUV must have hurriedly put the car in reverse in order to drive away, and caused the mess in the middle.

I looked back down at the girl. Her eyes were closed, hiding their blue-grey color. It was difficult seeing someone so pretty in this wrecked state. I knew her. Katariina was the quiet girl I had always admired from afar. 

The sound of sirens filled the air and I silently thanked God. 

The next couple of hours passed in a blur for me. Life came to a dreadful standstill, and I wished that awful moment did not have to keep playing over and over in my mind.

I stayed in the hospital all night that night, not because I was hurt but because I was worried for Kateriina. And her family, who seemed to be in more of a emotional mess than Kateriina was in physically. I spent the night full of worry.

And with regret.

Matias' POV

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Mom screamed at the top of her lungs and her face fell into her hands. We had been urgently called to the hospital, unaware of what exactly had happened to Kati. She sobbed violently, her knees on the ground. The people around us in the ER regarded her with pity as she bent over shaking her head. 

The ER and waiting rooms were crowded with other victims and their families. I could see other families looking away,having difficulties sympathizing with her when their own loved ones were hurt.

I kneeled down beside her. "Kati's going to be okay," I whispered- more as assurance to myself than as a comfort to Mom.

Dad was shaking his head while sitting in an odd sort of quiet. His normal lively face was gone. I had never seen him like this.

"Kati's going to be okay," I said again.  I helped Mom up and hugged her. She softened a bit after that. It was hard seeing her like this, she was usually a headstrong woman, the authoritative figure in the family. She seemed to have always known what to do up until today. Today, her slight figure seemed like something fragile on the brink of breaking.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Kati's...saver. Appearantly, he had taken care of her and carried her to the ambulance when it arrived. He seemed withdrawn from the whole situation, lost in his own thoughts. 

All night we waited in a dreaded silence. Mom weeped and Dad argued a lot with the nurses, who were sent back as messengers from ICU with news about Kati. One hour she would be getting better, and then the next hour we would hear she was doing worse. Like the old china doll she kept on the bookshelf, my sister sounded broken. Beyond repair. Broken arms, cracked skull, bleeding and a bunch of other conditions with complicated medical terms. 

The night was surreal. Random memories of her kept popping up from nowhere.  All of the memories that came to mind were painful- me being cold to her, the only person who had actually cared for me.

At one point, I remember turning to the dude sitting quietly in the corner.

"Why are you here?"

"I'm worried about your sister."

I shot him a questioning look.

"I knew her."

We left it at that, although I still didn't understand why he was here.

Near morning, the police came. All of us were still up, and were the only ones waiting in the hospital. A tall officer with a sheriff's badge came up to the guy in the corner. With a stern voice, he asked "Are you Daniel Ostrowski?" 

"Yes sir." Daniel responded with a raised eyebrow. Mom, dad and I were alarmed.

"You're under arrest." The sherrif brought Daniel to his feet, and put him in handcuffs.

"What are you talking about?!?!" We were all astounded. Somehow I found it hard to believe that the nice guy who waited with us through the night was capable of evil.

"At least tell us what crime he commited! And what proof do you have that he even commited a crime?"

The Sheriff regarded me with disdain, taking in my dyed spiked red hair, gaged ear, and dark clothing. I just oozed hoodlum-ness to him. Visibly shuddering at my hoodlum vibes, the Sheriff retorted  "We have reason to believe Daniel Ostrowski conspired with the driver who caused today's  vehicle accident."

I shot my middle finger at the Sheriff as he dragged Daniel away.