Unexpected Love (12 page)

Twenty-nine

Maggie called her the next morning.  “Can you go with me to the mall?  I need to get some curtain rods.  Buddy pulled down the curtains when we were out painting and bent the rods.  I should have put him out but he was so comfortable in his bed, I didn’t have the heart to do it.”

They headed to the mall.  Taylor couldn’t help herself as she glanced into the restaurant she and Sean had gone to.  She did not see the waitress.  Not that she was likely to see her from out here.  She still felt a little guilty about what she had said, but Sean had seemed fine with it.

As they passed a lingerie store, Maggie stopped and pointed out a skimpy, sexy red lace bra and matching panties.  “You never know when you might need them.”  She winked.

Taylor said sassily, “I already have a pair of electric blue and it’s very comfortable and no one is going to see it but me.”  Oops, someone already had, she thought.  Sean.  But she wasn’t going to talk about that.

“We can still go in there.  I’m sure you can find something.”

“Don’t need anything from there, thanks.”

Maggie grinned. 

“Why don’t you go in there and get something for Walter?”

Maggie laughed, “Nothing in there would fit Walter.”

Taylor rolled her eyes at her and Maggie gave her a quick shoulder squeeze.

They went into a clothing store and Taylor bought a new coral cotton shirt and light green t-shirt on sale.  Maggie nodded her approval, “You can’t beat that price.”  Maggie bought a different shirt and they left with their purchases.

They stopped and got lunch in the food court.  Taylor listened as Maggie told her about when she had first met Walter.

“Yep, he was a brand new vet and I had a dog named Rocky and I thought he was so cute. Walter, not Rocky, but Rocky was cute too.  Anyways, I made another appointment for Rocky for some silly reason and he didn’t say anything.  He was all professional.  So I went back a couple of weeks later.  Rocky had a tiny cut on his paw.  He gave me some medicine and then we left.  I was about to give up but we ran into each other in line at a restaurant and we sat together and started talking and that was it.”

“How long have you two been married?”

“Twenty-nine years.  Next August will be thirty.”

Taylor told her about her grandmother meeting granddad.

Maggie gave her a wink, “Sounds like you need to get working on Sean.  I know he is really into you.”

Taylor looked down at her empty plate.  “How do you know that?”

“Taylor, think about it.  I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

What?  Sure Sean had kissed her, but not often and not passionately.  They were comfortable, like they had known each other a long time.  Were they just friends?  Sean was definitely her best friend now.   Was she more than a friend to him? Was she hoping for too much? Probably, love wasn’t likely to find her.

Maggie laughed at her, “Honey, you’re thinking too much.  Go with your heart.”

Did Taylor dare trust her heart?  And what exactly was her heart telling her?  She could not decide. Was she afraid to trust her heart? Or afraid her heart would be broken?  Was she really falling for Sean?  Or was she just grateful?

Thirty

After they left the mall, it began to pour down rain.  Maggie stopped at a florist and ordered some flowers for delivery to the clinic.  She told Taylor she did that once a month.  It was her contribution to Walter’s office.  They usually put them behind the front desk for the clients and employees to enjoy.

Taylor loved flowers and went around as Maggie put her order in to look at the beautiful variety of colors and types.  She smelled some of them and found there were several with a wonderful scent.

Maggie came over. “I love flowers.”

“Me too.”

Maggie smiled inside, she’d have to get that tidbit to Sean.

When they were driving back to Sean’s, Taylor looked over at Maggie, “Do you really think he likes me?”

Maggie laughed, “That much is obvious.  Don’t make it harder than it is.  Like I said, he’s really into you and if you listened to what I said you should be able to figure that out.  I don’t think I have ever seen him that with any other woman.”

“You know him better than I do.”

“I doubt that.  I bet you can tell things about him that I do not know nor does anyone else.”

Taylor thought about that.  She was right.  Sean was a private person to most people.  She suspected that she knew a lot more about Sean than others did.  Even Maggie and Walter who had known him for four years.

Her thoughts were interrupted as they rounded a bend in the road.  A dark green minivan coming towards them swerved to avoid a raccoon in the road, lost control on the slick, wet road, and rolled four times before ending up in the ditch.  Maggie stopped and they both sat there in shock for a moment.  It had happened so fast.  Without thinking about it, Taylor got out of the car. 

She could hear children screaming inside the twisted, mangled vehicle.  Taylor called to Maggie, “Call 911,” as she went to the vehicle. 

Maggie joined her, “I’ll check the front passengers.”  Taylor nodded.

Taylor made her way around the car, looking for a way in.  All she could find was a very small opening through the broken back passenger side window that had been crushed smaller during the rolls.  The other side was pressed down on the incline of the ditch and completely inaccessible. 

The children were pitifully screaming and crying.  “Help.  Mommy.  Help.  Mommy.”

Taylor took her jacket off.  Sizing up the opening, she decided if she squeezed, she could make it in.  It was going to be tight but she was sure she could do it.  The kids needed help now not when rescue got here.  Her heart went out to the small crying voices.  There was broken glass everywhere so she laid her jacket on the opening to avoid getting cut.  She hoped there was no gas leaking.

Maggie came around and told her the front seat occupants, a man and woman, were unconscious and hurt but help was on the way.  When she saw what Taylor intended to do she said, “Taylor, honey, are you sure?  You don’t know what it’s like in there and you might not fit.”

“They need help, Maggie.  I can’t stand here and do nothing.  They are terrified.”  Taylor gave no thought to the fact that her legs might not be strong enough to get her out once she got in.

Maggie nodded her understanding, “Be careful.”

“Can you give me a boost?”

Maggie took her folded leg and gave her a leg up into the window. 

Maggie called out, “Careful.”

Taylor had to twist and hold her breath to crawl through the small opening.  She made some small grunts as she pushed, pulled and twisted.  She got stuck and had to keep herself from panicking since she was only part way in.  She had to get in now.  She could not back out.  She struggled and squirmed and was finally able to get in. 

She regretted it almost immediately.  It was very crushed down and the children were sprawled all over the seat. The jagged edges of metal surrounded her.  There was a strong odor of blood and urine.  She felt like she was in a coffin, buried underground.  The twisted sides closed in around her.  She had to worry about getting cut.  The floor sloped downwards.  Concentrate on the kids.

She looked at the children.  There were three of them.  One boy and two little girls.  They looked so small and helpless.  She shook off her own fears when the children quieted as she smiled at them. 

“Hey there guys.  My name is Taylor.”  She looked at a boy with a mop of curly brown hair around six and asked him his name.

“Matt.”

“Hi, Matt.  Help is coming and we’ll get you out of here, okay?” 

She heard sirens in the distance; relief washed over her.  She took a good look at him and saw that he had a compound fracture of his right arm, some lacerations, and a big bump on his forehead.  It looked awful.  She wasn’t squeamish at the sight of a little blood, but the bone sticking out and the amount of blood were hard to cope with.  Her stomach churned.  She felt like she might lose her lunch. 
 

Thirty-one

She swallowed hard.  Don’t panic, Taylor.  Stay calm.  Getting upset would not help.  She tried to suck in a deep breath, but the air reeked.

She was a cook, not a medic, but none of the kids looked good to her.  She wasn’t sure what she could do.  And she wasn’t used to seeing blood and injuries like this.  She came very close to gagging.  That wasn’t a gas smell, was it?

She turned to look at the other two children.  One looked about four and the littlest one looked to be around two.  Their eyes were round with fear.  The four year old had wispy brown hair and her cheeks with streaked with blood and tears.  She told Taylor her name was Alice.

“My tummy hurts.”  She held her small hands on her stomach.  Like the others, she was covered in blood.  Hers or the others or a combination, she couldn’t tell.  Taylor swallowed back nausea.

The little girl pointed at her sister, “Her name is Beth.”

Blood ran out of Beth’s ears and nose.  Taylor felt helpless.  She had crawled in here to help them, but what could she do?

The children began to cry again.  They were so scared.  Taylor didn’t blame them, she was scared too.  The closed space, the horrid smell.  The injured kids.  Taylor asked them if they liked music.  It was all she could think of.  All three nodded. 

Calm down, Taylor, you can help them.  Really you can.  She wanted out of the tiny, smelly place.  But she could not leave them, no matter how bad she wanted out of there. 

“Do you want me to sing you a song?” They all nodded so Taylor sang a song to them from a Disney movie.  One thing she did know, she had a decent voice so she wouldn’t scare them.  As she sang, the children stared at her and quieted down. 

Taylor finally heard voices.  A fireman was peering into the car.  He asked Taylor about the children and she told him what she could.  He told her to hold on; he would be right back.  She started singing to them again and held their hands and they quieted again.

Tears streamed down their faces.  Matt said his arm hurt.  Taylor held his good hand and gave it a little squeeze.

Taylor could hear the firemen checking the car and talking, but not what they were saying.  She heard them trying to open the front doors.

Outside, the paramedics had arrived along with two police officers.  Sean and John had responded.  They arrived to help as the paramedics pulled up.

When he spotted Maggie, Sean jogged over to her and asked what happened.  She told them what she had seen and John took her statement. 

Sean looked at him, “I’ll go check out the van.”

John nodded, “I’ll set up traffic control.” 

Maggie touched Sean’s arm as he turned to go, “Sean,” her voice shaky, “Taylor’s in the car.”

“What?”  He was stunned.

“She crawled inside to help the kids in the back.”

Dammit Taylor, he thought.  Why was she jumping in where trouble followed?  He jogged over to the car and heard singing.  The fireman looked at him and gave him a smile.  “Apparently a woman crawled in to help the kids.  Not sure how she got in there, but it was gutsy.  She’s singing to calm the kids.  It seems to be working.  If I weren’t married, I think I’d have to marry her.”

Sean refused to look at him.  He was thinking about decking him, but he did not move.

The paramedic called in and asked more questions.  Taylor told him the kids were small enough to fit through the opening.  They sent in a splint to immobilize the boy’s arm before trying to move him.  Taylor did the best she could to put it on as he gave her instructions.  She hadn’t thought she was squeamish but she had a hard time with the splint.  The little boy cried out as she held his arm and she was afraid to look at the bone jutting out.  She was scared of hurting him even more.

Matt started crying.  “Matt,” they heard her say, “I’m sorry, I know it hurts.  You are so brave.  I wish I was as brave as you.  Hold on, I’m almost done, then you are going to go through that hole and the people waiting for you will get you and take good care of you.  It’s going to be okay.”

Matt panicked and froze.  Taylor put her arms around him, “You can do this.  You’re going to be fine.  Who is your favorite superhero?”

“Spiderman,” he said in a small voice.

“Spiderman?  Wow, he can use his web to go anywhere.  You can do that too.  Pretend you are Spiderman, okay?  You can make a web and get right out of here.  I know you can.  And don’t forget how brave Spiderman is.”

He nodded.  Taylor was able to help him crawl across her and edge to the opening.  Hands reached in and pulled him out.  She tried to turn around to face the opening but there was still not enough room in the tiny space with the children sprawled all over. 

She felt a moment of panic, trapped.  Not what she needed right now.  Calm down.  The kids needed her.  She closed her eyes briefly and gathered her courage.

Sean stood next to the fireman and the paramedic.  There were other firemen were cutting the vehicle to get out the adults and an ambulance had arrived.  Sean knew the fireman since their paths crossed regularly. 

  One of the paramedics had carried the little boy with the badly broken arm to the ambulance.  Another ambulance arrived.  One of the firemen, Gabe, ran up and said in a low voice, “Sean we have to get them out fast.  Gas is leaking under the vehicle.”

Dammit it.  He wanted to get Taylor out of there.  A gas leak meant everyone in the car was in danger.  He knew she did not have a lot of strength and could tell by her voice she was upset and scared.  He couldn’t imagine what she had felt when she saw the boy’s arm and tried to put a splint on it.  Even he would have had trouble with it.  Right now she had to get out.

The fireman asked, “Two more?  Let’s get them out fast.”

Taylor replied, “Okay.”

Taylor turned her attention to Alice.  She reached up and clung to Taylor’s neck.  Taylor talked to her in soothing tones, “It’s going to be okay, baby girl.  There are people out there who want to help you and take care of you.  Don’t be afraid.”

The paramedic told her he was waiting for her, she would be okay.  Alice tried to scoot forward but she could not move.  Taylor realized there was a seat belt around her.

She tried to unlock it but it wouldn’t budge.  Taylor pushed and pulled as hard as she could.  She realized the metal piece was bent and would not push in. 

She called out, “I need something to cut her out.  I can’t get the seat belt off her.  It’s bent.”

After what seemed like a very long time but was only a few seconds, she heard, “Here you go.”

She reached behind her and felt a pair of large scissors.  “Okay Alice, hold still and I’ll get this off of you so you can get out of here.”

“Is mommy and daddy out there?”

Taylor swallowed but gave her a smile, “Yes, they’re out there too.”  What condition they were in was a different story and Taylor did not know. 

The scissors had a hard time cutting through the seat belt fabric. 

“Get the belt off her as fast as you can.”

“I’m trying.  Do you think I like it in here?”  She was sorry she said it but the fireman was not helping the situation.  She wanted to stop and give her fingers a rest, but she kept going.  It took her a little time but she was finally able to cut through the belt.  Taylor had to lift Alice up to the opening, she did not seem like she could move much.  It was awkward but she got her to the opening and was relieved to see her pulled carefully out.

Taylor was not claustrophobic but she was feeling the tight space and the blood smell of the air.  She was sure she smelled a faint odor of gas.  Maybe it was normal in a bad accident.  Beth had wet herself again so a strong urine smell mixed in.  Keep calm, Taylor, she told herself.  She was breathing hard.  She turned her attention to Beth who was sitting the farthest away.

“Beth.”  She reached out and took her tiny hand.  Her blonde pigtails were streaked with blood.  Beth held onto her hand and stared at her with glazed eyes.

“It’s okay, baby.  You’ll be okay.”  Taylor’s heart broke when a tear ran down the little girl’s cheek.  She wiped it away, “I’m here with you.”  Taylor unbuckled her seat belt.

Beth fell forward and started to convulse. 

Taylor called out in a panicky voice, “She’s convulsing, what should I do?”

The paramedic told her and she did her best.  When the convulsions stopped, Beth grabbed her hand and gasped. 

“Beth, please hang in there.  We’ll get you out.  Please.”  She sang to her in a cracking voice.  Beth looked at her and gave her a little smile.

Outside, the fireman murmured admiringly, “Yep, I should marry that woman.”

Sean’s fists clenched tightly at his side but he said nothing.  He looked over at John who was directing the few cars coming by.  He wanted Taylor out of the wreck now, not later.  He felt sick thinking about her in there.  He could tell she was close to losing it.  So was he.

In the car, Taylor’s voice dropped as Beth slumped forward.  “Please be okay.”   She shook her slightly.  “Beth?” she asked in a trembling voice.

She called out to the paramedics, “She’s limp and not moving.”

With the other children gone, Taylor was able to get turned towards the opening holding Beth in her arms.  She pushed the little girl into waiting hands and saw Beth being dragged out.