Jenna Cassali had a death grip on the steering wheel of the Hummer she drove, and a murderous glint in her eye. She’d like to wring her sister’s neck right now. Cindy had to be the most inconsiderate … No forget that, the most reckless person in the world. She had her five-month-old baby in the backseat of her car, but raced down I95 like it was the Daytona speedway, with no regard for anyone’s safety. For the past several miles, Jenna tried to keep up, but she wasn’t used to big cars or driving in heavy traffic. As a New Yorker, she took cabs everywhere.

She’d only arrived in Palm Beach yesterday for a three day visit, and this morning her sister had to take her Mercedes to the dealership for service. Jenna had asked to drive the E350 Coupe, a smaller, sportier vehicle, but Cindy didn’t want to waste time putting the baby-seat in the Hummer, so she was stuck driving the gas-guzzling truck.

A familiar ring caught her attention. Oh no. She looked down at the Blackberry on the passenger seat, knowing she’d have to answer. She relinquished one hand from the wheel, picked up the phone and spoke. “Yes?”

“Hey, sis. You’re lagging behind. If you can’t keep up, remember we’re getting off on Okeechobee. It’s the next exit.”

“So, why aren’t you in the right lane? Slow down, will you?”

She’d always had suspicions about her sister, but now she knew Cindy was certifiably nuts. For the past several miles she’d watched her weaving in and out of traffic, dashing around huge trucks, driving at least ten miles over the speed limit.

“I’m living life in the fast lane,” Cindy laughed.

“Not funny. You’re a moron.”

“And you need to put your big girl panties on, and have some fun. You’re driving a tank, for heavens sake. Live a little.”

If this was living, Cindy could have it. It was all Jenna could do to keep the truck in the center of her lane and keep an eye on her sister’s car.

A mile back, Jenna had seen a warning sign that construction was ahead, and she could see the traffic slowing, but Cindy had pulled out to pass another SUV.

What was she doing? Jenna thought. Didn’t she see cars braking ahead of her, slowing down to a stop?

“Cindy! Watch out. The cars are….”

The brake lights on Cindy’s Mercedes suddenly flashed, and the car went into a skid. Jenna watched in horror as it smashed into a Chevy Suburban, stopped in the left lane. The car behind her swerved onto the shoulder to avoid a rear-end collision.

“Cindy! Cindy!” There was no answer.

Tears blurred her vision as Jenna stopped the Hummer. All around her vehicles stopped and people raced to the scene of the accident, yet she sat there trembling, more scared than she’d ever been in her life. She no longer wanted to kill her sister—she wanted to see her walk away from that smashed vehicle and thumb her nose at death.

She still had her Blackberry in hand and punched in 911. When the dispatcher answered, she reported the accident and their location on 95, and then was out of the Hummer and running for Cindy’s car. When she got close enough to clearly see the damage, she stopped and clutched at her stomach. She felt as though she’d been hit by a cannonball. Thoughts swirled like a cyclone inside her brain. She was light-headed, dizzy and nauseous. Cindy was dead. She had to be. Nobody could survive that. The front of the car was crumpled like an accordion.

She lurched toward the car, but strong hands held her back.

“That’s my sister!” she cried, trying to twist free. “Let me go. Please, let me go.”

“You should wait for the ambulance.” A big man stepped in front of her. “It looks bad, miss. You don’t want to see her right now.”

She pushed past him and saw Cindy’s head against the driver’s window. The shattered glass was covered in blood, and her sister looked like a broken doll, her head twisted at an odd angle.

A moan escaped her lips, and Jenna felt her knees give way. She started to sink to the ground, but the big man grabbed her and held her up.

“She has a baby in the back. Please let me see the baby.”

“It’s okay, miss. The baby looks fine.”

In the distance she heard the wail of a siren. Looking around at the stalled vehicles in every lane of the highway, she wondered how long it would take them to get there. How long it would take them to get Cindy out? How long it would take to get to the hospital and—

Rob! She suddenly remembered her sister’s husband. She pulled out her Blackberry and punched in his number. She sobbed the second she heard his voice.

“Jenna? Is that you? Is something wrong?”

“Yes. Yes, Rob.” She sucked in a breath. “I’m so sorry, but there’s been an accident.”

“Tell me. Who’s hurt?”

“Cindy, and Amy was with her.” She stopped as the sound of sirens got louder. Looking around, she saw two ambulances arrive, driving on the shoulder to get around the stalled traffic.  A Fire Department Rescue truck followed them. The vehicles stopped, sirens still blaring, and paramedics and firefighters rushed to Cindy’s car.

Jenna stayed on the phone with Rob, reporting what she was seeing.

“They’ve got Amy out and I can hear her crying. But they can’t get Cindy’s door open. One of the firemen just said something about using Jaws. Oh Rob, I’m so scared.”

“I know you are. Focus on Amy for now. Where is she? How is she?”

Jenna ran over to the ambulance where one of the paramedics was checking Amy. The medic wouldn’t tell her anything other than that the child was conscious and did not have any apparent life-threatening injuries, and that she’d be transported to St. Mary’s hospital.

“I know where that is,” Rob said, “and I can meet you there. What’s happening with Cindy?”

Jenna stayed on the phone, telling Rob everything that was happening as the rescue team went to work. A giant cutter that resembled scissors sliced through the roof of the car, snapping the car-door post like a twig in a matter of seconds. Powerful pincers were inserted into the side of the vehicle and pulled a section out.

The machines tore the car apart as easily as if it were a can of sardines. But sardines weren’t inside. It was her sister.

When the firefighters eased Cindy’s body from the wrecked car and onto a stretcher, she had to fight down a sob. Cindy looked so lifeless.

She stepped up to one of the firefighters. “Please. . .is she alive?”

He looked like he wasn’t going to answer, but then thought better of it. “Yes. There’s a pulse.”

“Thank you.” She spoke into her phone. “Did you hear that, Rob? She’s unconscious, but alive. I’ll see you at the hospital.”

*

Jenna had no recollection of the drive to the hospital, but she arrived a few minutes after both patients were wheeled into emergency.

“Are you her mother or next of kin?” the admitting nurse in the children’s ward asked her. “We need some paperwork filled out.”

“Yes, I’m her aunt. Her mother was in the car with her and was brought in separately.”

The nurse handed her a clipboard of papers and told her to fill them out the best she could. Still feeling shell-shocked, Jenna headed to the waiting room, a bright, happy room, with children in mind and plenty of toys.

She forced herself to focus on the paperwork, but she didn’t have any of her sister’s insurance information. Still, Amy wouldn’t simply be Baby Jane Doe. She returned the mostly blank forms, and went back to the waiting room. She didn’t know how long she sat there, staring blankly at a brightly colored painting of children at a playground, when a man entered the room.

“Ms. Madison?”

She looked up. A tall man wearing a white lab coat stood in front of her. He looked to be in his mid forties, with salt-and-pepper hair and deep creases around his mouth. She wondered if they came from smiling or the stress of the job. She figured the latter.

She stood. Her knees were wobbling so badly, she didn’t know if they would keep her up. “I’m Jenna Cassali, Amy Madison’s aunt.”

“I’m Dr. Marshall.” He shook her hand. “Are Amy’s parents here?”

“Her mother was in the car with her, but …” She spotted Rob coming down the hall. “Here comes the father.”

“Is Amy okay?” Rob asked when he reached them, his chest heaving as though he’d sprinted from the parking lot.

The doctor answered. “Amy is fine. She’s resting right now. We’ll need permission to keep her overnight.”

“Keep her?” Rob’s raised voice showed his strain. “Can’t I take her home?”

“No, I’m afraid not. She needs to be observed.”

“But you said nothing was wrong.” He spoke harshly, and Jenna knew it was from fear.

“Rob?” She put her hand on his arm. “The doctor knows what’s best for her, I’m sure. What’s happening with Cindy?”

“It’ll be hours before we hear anything. She has a head injury, that’s all I’ve been told.”

“Would you like to see Amy?” Dr. Marshall asked. “She has some bruises where the straps from her car seat held her, but no other injuries.”

They followed Dr. Marshall down the hall to Amy’s room, and Jenna wondered how he could do this sort of thing every day and apparently stay so calm and uninvolved. Must have ice in his veins, she decided.

He led them to Amy’s crib. She was sleeping, and the doctor rubbed the baby’s cheek with the back of his fingers, smiling down at her.

Rob was on the other side, and his voice shook as he looked at his daughter. “You’re sure she’s okay? She’s going to wake up, isn’t she?” He swiped at a tear. “I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to her.”

Jenna swallowed a big lump in her throat as she looked at Rob and the baby. He loved her so much.

“She’s going to be just fine,” the doctor answered. “I won’t let anything happen to her, I promise.” He smiled, and Jenna saw something in his face. Something genuine, something that instilled trust.

There was no ice in this man’s veins.

She said softly, “Thank you for taking care of her.” She ran a hand over Amy’s back, remembering how her little body had felt in her arms just an hour earlier. “I know she’s in good hands.”

The doctor’s gaze met hers over the crib, and she thought irrationally that his eyes were like melted honey. “I love the babies. But I’m happiest when I see them leave.”

She smiled. “We’ll be back in a little while. What time are the visiting hours over?”

“Come anytime. I’ll leave word with the nurses to expect you regardless of the hour.”

Rob reached out to shake his hand. “We appreciate that. Thank you.” With a last kiss for Amy, he followed Jenna into the hall.

“Let’s go see how her mother is.” Rob’s expression was grim. It was obvious to Jenna that he feared the worst.

“She’s going to make it, Rob. I know Cindy. It’ll take more than this to keep her down.”

He attempted to smile, but it came out as a twisted curl of his lips, and the sorry effort tore at her heart.

They didn’t say another word, simply retraced their steps to the main wing of the hospital. When they reached the waiting room in the ER, Jenna said she’d go find some coffee and sandwiches.

“I can’t eat.” He looked at her with the saddest eyes she’d ever seen on a man. “I guess I need to call your mother. And mine.” He ran a hand over his face, and his shoulders shook. A second or two later, he whispered, “How am I going to tell the kids?”

Besides the baby, Rob and Cindy had two teenagers, Kelly and Nick. “You’ll know what to say,” Jenna said, and put a hand on his arm. “Do you want me to go get them?”

“Nick has his car. I’ll call the school and have the kids meet us here.”

“Yes, that’s good.” She stood, looking down at him for a moment. “Make the phone calls. I’ll get the coffee.”

She walked down the hall and got them both a cup of coffee from a dispenser, and then returned to sit by his side. He had his long legs spread out in front of him and was staring at his feet.

“Here, Rob. I didn’t know if you took it loaded or black, so I added cream and sugar.”

He lifted his eyes to look at her. “Thanks.” He sipped the steaming liquid, but she was pretty sure he didn’t taste a thing. “Did you see her, Jenna? Was she cut up bad?”

“I saw her, but not up close. There was some blood, but her head didn’t go through the windshield. The seatbelt and airbags protected her. She was unconscious.”

Jenna tilted her head back and closed her eyes. Cindy had survived more than one catastrophe, and she would survive another. Was there ever a time, she wondered, when Cindy hadn’t walked the edge of disaster—and Jenna had been there to save her?

“Did Cindy ever tell you about the time we got stung by bees?”

Rob shook his head, still staring at the floor.

“She was about six, and even then she was fearless. We had a rope swing tied to a tree, and Mom told us not to play on it because the bees had build a hive near the swing.”

Jenna shook her head, and smiled at the memory. “You know Cindy. She didn’t pay Mom any mind, or the bees either, and got up on that rope, having a gay old time. The bees buzzed around her as she swung, and she’d swat at them, but for some reason they left her alone.”

Jenna couldn’t tell if Rob was listening or not, but she continued with the story. “Eventually Cindy got tired of having to deal with them, and before I could stop her, she picked up a stick and hit the hive. Well, that was it. She’d pissed them off good, and now the bees swarmed out and attacked.”

“What happened?” Rob asked.

“Cindy dropped to the ground, and she was rolling around and screaming, and the damned bees were all over her. I jumped in, and then Mom came running. She fought the bees off with a kitchen towel, grabbed us both and got us inside.”

“Jesus. She never mentioned it.”

She nodded. “Maybe she forgot about it, but I never did.” She drew in a shaky breath and continued, “We were both hospitalized, but Cindy had so many stings, the doctors thought she might die. I got blamed for allowing her to get too close to the hive.”

“That was hardly fair.”

“I didn’t care. I just wanted her well.”

When Cindy was lying in that hospital bed, her face swollen so bad that she couldn’t open her eyes, Jenna prayed to God, promising if He spared Cindy’s life, she’d take better care of her.

She’d had lots of opportunities to make good on that promise when Cindy was in her teens. But she didn’t regret one of them. Hell, if she lived to be a hundred, taking care of her sister would always be a priority.

And more than anything, she wanted to be in the room with her right now, holding her hand and whispering encouragement in her ear. To let Cindy know that she was not alone and never would be.

Time passed slowly.  After an hour, Rob gave voice to his fears.

“If she has a head injury, it could take months for her to get better. Could be as long as a year. I had a chef once whose wife had a brain injury after she drove into a pole, and she was hospitalized for almost a year. Then she had to go through months of rehab.” He dropped his head in his hands and drew in a shaky breath. “I don’t care how long it takes,” he said, his voice rough with unshed tears. “I just want her back.”

Jenna rubbed his back. “Rob, we don’t know anything yet. As far as we know, she might already be awake and talking.”

He lifted his head to glare at her. “They would have shared the good news, don’t you think?” His tone was bitter, but she didn’t take offense. She was as frightened as he was.

Eventually a tall, dark-skinned man in a white lab coat walked toward them. “Are you Cindy Madison’s next of kin?”

Rob stood up. “I’m her husband, and this is her sister. How is she?”

The doctor looked at them both. Jenna noticed his dark eyes were warm and steady, and she relaxed a little.

“She’s stabilized,” he said in a deep baritone. “We had to insert a peg tube into the brain to reduce the swelling, and now we have to watch and wait.”

“Is she awake?” Rob asked.

“No. I’m sorry. She’s in a coma.”
 
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