Chapter 10

I smelled a strong scent of gasoline. I thought it was a dream.

I tried to open my eyes, but I couldn't. Everything hurt. My body was sprawled inside the car.

Someone approached. I wasn't fully conscious of my body, but I could hear what was happening around me.

"My God, we have to help this woman. She's injured. Call an ambulance."

Another man replied:

"Look at the gasoline. We need to get her out of there now. The car could explode."

"Wow, how are we going to get a woman this size out?"

Even at a moment like this, I was being judged because of my body. I tried to cry, but I blacked out.

I woke up a little while later, lying on the side of the road. I tried to get up.

"Stay there, ma'am. An ambulance will be here shortly. Are you okay?"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I still wanted to believe that all of this was a nightmare.

But I felt pain throughout my body. Pain strong enough to wake me from any state of illusion.

"My God. It hurts so much. Help me."

I lay back down on the ground. I couldn't see the faces of the people around me clearly. There were many people trying to help me.

"My husband. I need to call George. Where is my car? Where is my phone?"

"Here's your bag, ma'am. I put your phone inside. When I found you, you were holding it."

I didn't have the strength to pick up the bag, or even the phone.

"Please, get it for me. I can't lift my arm. Call my husband, please. What is this pain? My God! I'm going to die."

The pain was indescribable. I thought I was reaching the end.

Someone picked up the phone and called George, but he didn't answer.

"Your husband isn't answering, ma'am. Is there another number I can call?"

That left me in tears. Where was George when I needed him the most?

My thoughts were interrupted by an explosion. It was my car.

The gasoline had spread underneath it. All it needed was a spark. If those men hadn't gotten me out of there, I would have been dead.

All I could do was scream, "My God."

I blacked out again. I felt a weight at the back of my neck. The ambulance arrived, and I came back to life after hearing the sirens.

The paramedic treated me right there on the ground. He checked to see if I had broken any bones and looked for any obvious bruising. Luckily, it seemed he hadn't found anything.

"Are you feeling pain anywhere, ma'am? What was your name again?"

"It's Candy. Everything hurts. I can't stand up. Help me."

"Calm down, Candy. We're here to help you. Can you move your left foot? And your right? Rotate both of them for me, please."

I did what the paramedic asked. I moved my left foot, and everything was fine. But when I tried to do the same with my right foot, I felt an enormous pain shoot through my entire leg and travel all the way to my spine.

"I can't, doctor. This foot hurts so much."

"Wait. Let me examine it. Nurse, bring the stretcher. We need to take her. Are you feeling pain anywhere else? In your arms, your stomach?"

"My head hurts really badly. And my foot? What happened to it?"

"I don't know, Candy. We need to run more tests. But you may have only sprained your leg, or you may have broken it. The only way to know for sure is after we take an X-ray."

I had been going after George and ended up in an accident. Since he hadn't answered me, I decided to call Lucy.

"Could you call a friend for me, please?"

"Wait, Mrs. Candy. We're going to transfer you to the main hospital in Ohio now."

Luckily, I was still close to home when the accident happened. I would be transferred to the city hospital. Lucy could meet me there.

The two men tried to put me on the stretcher, but they needed help. About six men lifted me off the ground. Even through all that pain, those malicious smiles were still there.

They were more discreet, but it still happened. Those men were laughing at me, and I felt embarrassed. I just wanted to get to the hospital and make sure I was okay. I remembered that I had lost a car.

But that wasn't the time to think about material possessions. All that mattered to me was my life.

Besides, we had insurance for both cars. That explosion had certainly totaled the car. After that, I would need to contact the insurance company.

That was why I wasn't too worried. I was only in a lot of pain. I got into the ambulance with some difficulty, and the treatment began. The doors closed, and the vehicle started moving.

A nurse checked my blood pressure and heart rate. Everything was normal. I had many bruises all over my body, and he began taking care of them.

The most serious injury seemed to be my leg. I couldn't bring myself to look at it. After lying on that stretcher, I stared at the ceiling of the ambulance. I was so fat that my eyes couldn't reach my foot while I was lying down.

"Everything is going to be okay, Candy. You were very lucky in that accident. Thank God."

"I know that, nurse. I'm still desperate and in disbelief over everything that happened."

"Where were you going? Were you driving too fast?"

"No, sir. I drive well. I'm very careful in traffic. What happened was an accident. I tried to get my phone from my bag without looking at it, but I couldn't. When I reached into the bag trying to find it, the accident happened."

"But did you roll over by yourself?"

"No, there was a car behind me. It hit the back of my car, and everything happened."

"Then it's his fault and the phone's fault."

"But I can't say anything about the phone. I have to file an insurance claim for the car."

"Don't worry. We'll put that in your accident report."

"Wow, thank you so much. You're going to save my life again."

"Don't worry. Have you managed to contact anyone?"

"I completely forgot about that. Can you get my phone, please?"

I called Lucy.

"Hey, friend, are you already on the road?"

"Hi, Lucy. More or less."

"What do you mean, more or less? What happened?"

"Friend, I left home early, but something happened."

"What was it? Tell me. This is killing me."

"I had an accident. But I'm okay. The car rolled over and exploded."

"What did you say? Are you serious? Where are you, Candy?"

"I'm going to the city hospital. Meet me there."

"My God. Is this real? Are you okay? Did anything happen to you? Are you hurt?"

"I think I broke my leg. I'm alone, and George still hasn't answered me."

"Of course. Don't worry. I'll stay with you at the hospital. I'll be there in twenty minutes."

"I don't know how to thank you, my friend."

"Stay safe. Keep calm, Candy. We'll tell your husband afterward."

I hung up the phone and tried to adjust myself on the stretcher. The more I tried to move, the more my body hurt.

"Stay still, ma'am. It's better not to move until we get to the hospital."

"All right. Thank you so much for your help, nurse."

"You're welcome. It's our job. Were you traveling?"

"Yes, I was going to meet my husband. His mother is sick, and now I'm the one going to the hospital."

I started crying in despair. I realized I was alone in that city, without my husband. As good a friend as Lucy was, it was different when you had your husband by your side.

He still hadn't called me back. That was even stranger. I remembered that I had been traveling to leave him, and the sobs began.

"You don't need to cry like that, ma'am. You're okay."

"But I'm not crying because of the accident. I was traveling to end my marriage."

The nurse was left speechless. He wanted to comfort me, but couldn't find the words.

"Maybe this is a sign from God that you should stay with him."

"I'm sorry, but I can't believe that's the best plan God has for me. That man is a monster."

The nurse realized the subject was sensitive and didn't ask about George anymore. A few minutes passed, and we arrived at the hospital.

The medical team rushed the stretcher directly to the X-ray room. The results came out within a few minutes. I couldn't see my leg, which was in terrible pain.

Someone approached and gave me an injection.

"What is that? Can I know?"

"Don't worry, ma'am. This injection is to stop the pain. A good dose of morphine."

The injection began to take effect. I felt my body becoming heavy. I was waiting for the results.

The same nurse who had given me the injection wheeled my stretcher into a room. I realized I would be staying at that hospital longer than I had planned.

I was settled into the room, but I was still on the stretcher. I didn't understand what was happening.

"Can you help me get onto the bed, please?"

I asked the nurse for help, but she refused my request.

"I can't, ma'am. We need to wait for the doctor to arrive."

She said that, and a man entered through the door without knocking or introducing himself.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Candy. How are you?"

I nodded yes without saying anything. He pointed toward me with several papers in his hand.

"I'm here with the results of your tests. Unfortunately, I don't have good news for you."