A Second Chance (14 page)

I’m almost out the door when my phone rings. I hesitate to answer it because I’m already late. I glance at the phone, but didn’t recognize the number.

“Hello?” I say into the receiver.

“Hi, is this Lily De Luca?” the voice asks.

“This is she,” I say nervously.

“This is Memorial Hospital. I’m calling to inform you that your mom has been in an accident. You need to come down here right away.”

My heart sinks as I listen to those words. How can this be? I just talked to my mom this morning, she was perfectly fine. My heart beats rapidly. I race around looking for my car keys,
where did I last see them?
I think to myself. Finally, I see them on the table by the door. I grab my purse as I head out the door quickly. Inside the car, my hands are shaky as I insert the key in the ignition. I get the key in and barely have it in drive before I am on the road racing toward the hospital. On the way, I hope that nothing serious is wrong with my mom. Maybe she only has a broken arm or leg or something. “Please don’t let it be any worse, please please please.” I plead out loud.

After weaving in and out of traffic for ten minutes I pull into the hospital emergency room parking lot, pulling into the closest parking spot I can find. In a rush, I throw the car into park, grab my purse, and run inside.

Looking around quickly I spot the front desk with a gray haired woman behind it. Her eyes meet mine as she lifts her head and she nods in greeting. “Hi, I was told my mom is here. Can you tell me where she is? She’s been in an accident,” I say, rushing out the words.

“Slow down. What is her name?” The gray haired woman asks me.

“Her name is Cynthia, Cynthia De Luca. Please hurry; I need to know where she is?”

The woman types my mom’s name into the computer system and directs me down the hall to the left. My legs carry me quickly toward the direction the woman sent me. I make a last minute plea that my mom is okay, and approach the emergency room to see a woman behind a glass window. Other people are waiting in the room; some waiting to be admitted, and others look like they are waiting to hear news about their loved one. I approach the glass window, informing her that I was called about my mom being admitted.

“She was in an accident. Her name is Cynthia De Luca,” I wait impatiently while she looks up the information, it seems like I’m waiting forever.

“Ma’am, you can take a seat in the waiting room. A nurse will be out shortly to talk with you,” the lady sitting behind the window says, sliding the glass shut.

“Can you at least tell me if my mom is okay?” I plead.

“Please take a seat, a nurse will be out shortly.”

I let out a sigh and sit in an empty chair I find located in the center of the room. I am sick with worry if my mom is okay or not. My heart has not slowed its pace. I shake my foot against the floor a million miles a minute as I wait. I just can’t sit still.

I glance to my right and spot a guy around my age, maybe in his early or middle twenties. He has dark, almost black hair and the lightest blue eyes I have even seen. His face is somber, with his elbow resting on the arm of the chair and his hand holding his head cocked to the side. His eyes meet mine, but we don’t speak. What do you say to someone in a waiting room? Glancing at my left, I see an elderly woman holding her wrist as her face expresses the pain she’s likely feeling, as a young woman sits next to her, trying to comfort her until they can be seen by the doctor.

My stomach rumbles and I’m not sure if it’s the nerves or if I am actually hungry. I haven’t eaten yet today. About ten minutes pass before a nurse enters the room. “Lily De Luca?” The nurse glances around the room. I stand to walk toward her. She leads me out in the hall for privacy.

“Lily, I’m Nurse Anne and I’m on your mother’s case.”

Before she gets anything else out I ask, “Is she alright? Can I see her?”

“Your mom has been in a serious car accident. She is being prepped for surgery as we speak. She has suffered some serious trauma, and we need to get her stabilized before you can see her. I will keep you informed,” she says, leaving me in the hall. She rushes down the corridor through the swinging double doors. My mom is just beyond those doors. She is probably frightened and there is no one there to hold her hand. I walk back into the waiting room. I take a seat in the chair I was previously sitting in.

“Bad news?” the young man sitting next to me asks.

“My mom was in a car accident. It’s pretty serious. She is being prepped for surgery now.”

“I hope she makes it. I’m waiting on news about my dad. He was in a car accident as well and I am waiting to hear how he’s doing,” he says with a sorrowful look in his eyes.

“Sucks,” is all I can muster out. I continue to wait on the news of my own family member. My heart wrenches with hurt, and my stomach continues to rumble and tumble. I remember seeing a vending machine outside in the hall. I grab my purse and fumble inside, digging for change. Approaching the vending machine, I examine the contents inside. Glancing from top to bottom I notice that there is obviously nothing healthy inside, except a bag of pretzels. Continuing to dig through my purse for change, I find just enough to get the pretzels. I insert the quarters in and press the button. The machine whirs and whines’, showing its age as it pushes the bag of pretzels to the forefront. Then they get stuck on the metal prong and don’t drop down for me to retrieve them.

“Damnit!” I say aloud, hitting the machine that took the only change I had. Now I only have my ATM card and this machine doesn’t take ATM cards like most do nowadays. I shake the machine as best as I can, but it doesn’t budge an ounce. I don’t have the strength to get them. Hearing footsteps behind me, I turn to meet the eyes of the man that was sitting next to me in the emergency waiting room.

“Need some help with that?” He asks, standing beside me. He is quite tall and lean. I look up into his eyes; they are so light in contrast to his dark hair.

“Yes, the pretzels are stuck in there,” I say, frustrated.

He shakes the machine a few times and it budges easily as the pretzel bag falls to the bottom. He bends down to retrieve them for me. “Here you go,” he says as he hands them over. I accidentally touch his hand as I receive them and a shock shoots through my body. Looking up, our eyes meet for what seems like an eternity, yet it’s merely seconds that pass before he glances away.

I think to myself,
it must be my nerves or the feeling of not eating that makes me feel this way. I mean how odd is it to connect with someone in a hospital, of all places.
I shake the thoughts out of my head, feeling guilty, bringing my thoughts back to my mom and waiting to hear from the nurse. As I go inside the waiting room, a nurse approaches him and they talk in private.

Sitting in the same seat as before, I open the pretzels to try and get something in my stomach. I glance upward to the TV. The local news is on. As I listen to some mundane news story, the same young man takes his seat by me.

“Bad news?” I ask, looking over at him

He shuffles his position and runs his hands through his hair. “Yes. The nurse said my dad probably won’t make it through the night.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Me too,” he stands, about to exit, when he turns to say, “I hope your mom pulls through.”

I watch as he leaves to go see his father. Inside, I hope he is able to provide comfort for his father as he passes.

Another two hours pass when the nurse steps inside the waiting room again. "Lily De Luca," she announces.

Stepping out to the hall once more, I brace myself for the news. "Yes?"

"I'm afraid your mom did not make it through the surgery. Her wounds were too severe to save her. I'm really sorry, we did everything we could.”

When the words escape her mouth, my knees buckle. I crumple right there in the hallway as the tears fill my eyes. I have just lost my best friend. My mom was my-everything. She raised me as a single parent.

"Why don’t I take you somewhere else more private?" The nurse says with a somber tone. She helps me steady my legs as I stand to follow her.

My emotions are raw and I can't stop the tears. I don't want to stop the tears. In my mind, I hope that she didn't suffer in any way. The nurse guides me into an examine room, so I can mourn in peace. I am in no shape to drive right now, so I gladly let her steer me to the room. The nurse steps out of the room, giving me a few moments.

"If you want, I can take you to her so you can say your goodbye before we release her to the morgue." All I can do is shake my head up and down to nod yes.

Leading the way through the long corridor, we make it to the room where my mom lays. Again, the nurse steps out to give me privacy. Holding myself steady, I reach for my mom's hand for comfort; comfort for both her and me. The tears fall more steadily now as I see my mom is gone. This is real; this is not a nightmare, as I had long hoped for.

I say goodbye to my mom and sit with her a little while longer. A few hours later I manage to get myself home in one piece. I dread making the phone calls I need to make. I don't really have anyone in my life except for my Aunt Becca, who is my mom's sister. My dad left when I was young, and he hasn’t been in contact with me since I was about eight years old. My mom was always enough for me. Sitting on the chair, I grab the phone from my pocket, take a deep breath, and dial my Aunt's number.

––––––––

R
ocky Romance Series, Breaking Down, 

Release date "To Be Announced"

S
uddenly it hit me. Sitting here waiting for my best friend, pretending to be distracted by the music video in front of me, I realized exactly who this guy was. It was very brief, but last summer when I was visiting I had been introduced to him by a mutual acquaintance. Now here I was, embarrassed and soon to be, rather annoyed by this same guy. I’d thought he was breathtaking then too.

“I don’t know...I’ll ask.” He looks over at me as though he’s bothered. “What school do you go to?”

Ugh...I answer quickly and see a gleam briefly twinkle across his eyes, as it registers to him that we go to the same school. He rattles off a few more questions, repeating all of my answers to whoever he’s talking to on the other side of that phone. Really??! I roll my eyes and turn my attention back to the TV.

“Ok I love you too babe...bye.” He quickly hangs up and walks over to the couch, smoothly lowering himself down next to me. My nerves are dancing around in my stomach so I grab a couple of throw pillows and surround myself, hugging them to my body. He’s so cute and his proximity to me has my body immediately reacting. Jeez, I need to calm down! I’m trying to breathe, when I suddenly feel him yank away one of the pillows that I seem to be hanging onto for dear life.

“Do you really have to hog all of them?”

“I’m sorry, I ...” Embarrassed, my voice trails off and he immediately launches the pillow right at me. My mouth drops! “What the?!” I throw it back at him. I have no clue how it happened, but suddenly I’m on my back and he’s on top of me. My heart is getting ready to burst through my chest and his lips, OH MY GOD those lips! I’m staring into his beautiful brown eyes, my teeth holding my bottom lip prisoner. Clearly he has someone in his life, but none of that crosses my mind when his lips are this close to mine. He brushes a strand of hair from my face, which sends a jolt of electricity throughout my body. I feel the pull of the spell he’s casting on me, bringing our lips closer and closer. Just as I brace myself for what is about to be my undoing...

“Hey, you ready to go?” I hear her before I see her. My beautiful bestie and her boyfriend are walking down the hall towards us. We both scramble to opposite ends of the couch and I let out the breath I didn’t realize I had been holding all this time. What is wrong with me? Was I seriously about to let that happen? I quickly try to recover the pillows that we knocked onto the floor and rearrange them back onto the couch. I turn just in time to see the smirk spreading across his face. He is clearly enjoying how embarrassed I am. I resist the urge to stick my tongue out at him, or flip him off. Unaware of anything that just occurred, Nat kisses her boyfriend goodbye.

“You ready girly? Sorry we took so long in there, I hope you weren’t too bored.” Nat explains.

“Oh, she didn’t seem bored to me, in fact she seemed plenty entertained from what I could tell.” He smirks

I nearly choke when he answers her, “No worries, I was fine Nat, thank you. I’m ready to go whenever you are.” I answer her. She looks at me a little puzzled, but seems to just let it go. I know she is going to flip, when I tell her what almost happened. How could I be so careless? It’s definitely not like me to flirt, let alone nearly make out with someone who is clearly taken. As I struggle with my feelings of guilt and let’s be honest, intense lust for this guy, I say a quick goodbye to the guys and walk out the door. I have to resist the urge to look back. I wonder silently if he is watching me walk away and suddenly I’m completely self-conscious of the way I’m walking. I can’t get into the car fast enough and I end up smacking my head right into the top of the car on my way in. Great, my gracefulness is shining through for me today!

I am not looking forward to telling my best friend that I just lost my mind. Natalia keeps peering at me so I throw on my sunglasses, though the sun has already started to go down. I feel like she can see right through me and I know I have to spill the beans. I woman up and shamefully explain in full detail what went on.

“He has a girlfriend, you know. She’s pretty too. They’ve been together a long time, but from what Aiden tells me they’re not exclusive, or rather HE’s not. She goes to a different school though. Just be careful. I know I don’t even have to tell you of all people, but he has a bit of a rep and ...Just steer clear girlfriend! He’s not for you!” Nat warns.

“Call it a lapse in judgment, it won’t happen again. I don’t even know what was happening. I knew he had something going on, I wasn’t sure what kind of relationship it was. I think he was talking to her, just before we almost kissed and it sounded like she was grilling him. Anyway, she doesn’t need to worry about me. He is so not the kind of guy I am looking for. I think his eyes just put me in a trance...or his lips. No it was his eyes...”