Chapter 88: Aftermath

“HATH!” David shouted, his voice clogged with emotion. Ang was by his side in minutes, and the two of them were running up the platform as far and as fast as they could go. There was no sign of Hath anywhere, though they did see her car in the lot.

Ang and David saw people staggering up the embankment, took one look at each other, and took off running full-tilt toward them. They scoured the faces of everyone they passed, but no Hath. They ran for what seemed like a mile, and when the got to the train, David cried out when he got a view of what had happened. There were no fatalities, but people were laying in the grass, some were loading onto buses, others were just standing, shell shocked.

David looked at each of their faces. “I can’t see her, Ang,” he said, his voice approaching panic. “Where the Christ is she?” David ran up to an EMT with a clipboard. “Hello, I’m trying to find my wife,” he said.

“What’s her name?” the EMT answered calmly. David wanted to wring his neck.

“Gengras,” David said, “Hath – Jenilee – Gengras.”

He scanned the sheets on his clipboard. “She didn’t get on any of the buses or into any ambulance, Mr. Gengras.” The EMT looked over at the train. “Everyone is out of the train, she must be over with the others who haven’t been picked up yet, or she’s headed back up the tracks to the station.”

With a strangled curse, David took off with Ang right behind him. As they rounded the front of the train, Ang stopped him. “THERE!” she shouted, and pointed halfway down the car.

David swore. “What the fuck is she doing?” he asked.

He saw his Hath, kneeling on the ground next to a woman who was bleeding. Hath had blood all over her skirt, and as he watched, she held her arms up to a tall man who tore Hath’s silk sleeves from her blouse. Hath poured water onto one of them, and gently mopped blood from the woman’s face. With the other sleeve, she gently patted the woman’s face dry.

Hath smiled at the woman and touched her hair, and the woman pulled Hath into a hug. Hath, not caring that the woman was bleeding all over her, held the woman close. The EMTs finally took the woman gently from Hath’s arms, and David watched as she picked up the woman’s belongings, and followed her to a bus. Once the woman was on board, Hath went back to another person sitting on the ground crying and just put her arm around her. The woman leaned into Hath, and his girl kissed the woman’s forehead. She said something to her that made the woman laugh, and David smiled.

Then he got angry.

David ran toward her. “HATH!” he called.

“David,” she said, giving the woman on the ground a squeeze before standing. She held out her arms, and started forward, but stopped. “I’m all bloody,” she said, holding up her hands.

“Get your ass over here,” David said, and pulled Hath in close, crushing her to his chest, lifting her wholly off the ground and spinning her around. “Thank God you’re okay,” he said. He held her at arm’s length and searched her face. Her beautiful face was covered with dozens of little cuts and there was a big bruise on her temple. Her hands and arms were cut too, but weren’t bleeding, and ironically, none of her nails were broken. Her nylons were torn, and one sleeve was torn from her blouse. She looked like she’d been through a war. He pulled her to him again, and gave her a long, sweet kiss, and just held her close.

“David, baby, I’m okay,” she said, crying with relief that he was there. “How did you find me?”

He pulled Ang in with them. “Ang drove to the train station. We followed the trail of people back here, and Ang spotted you.”

Ang gave Hath a hug, then pulled back to look in her face. “Are you really okay, sweetie?”

Hath nodded. “I’m okay. Just a few cuts scrapes and bruises, and,” she laughed, motioning to her clothes, “a suit that will never be the same again.”

David wanted to shake her. “What were you doing? Why didn’t you get back to the station or get on a bus or --”

Hath put up a hand. “Baby, I wasn’t really hurt,” she said, “and others were.”

“You’re not a nurse! It’s not your responsibility --” but Hath cut him off.

“David, please don’t yell at me for doing the right thing.” Hath’s voice was soft and soothing. “I may not be a nurse or EMT, but I can hold someone’s hand or clean blood off her face. And it is my responsibility, my moral responsibility, to be a decent person.”

David gently traced his hands over her face. “You are something else,” he said. “Did you get checked out by the EMTs?”

Hath shook her head. “No, I was OK, and didn’t want to bother them.”

“Well, I’m gonna,” David said, and brought her over to the man with the clipboard he had spoken to a few minutes ago.

“Mr. Gengras,” the EMT said. “I see you found your wife.”

Hath looked at David, eyebrow raised. David just smiled, and answered, “Yep, sure did. She’s pregnant, and I’d sure feel better if she got checked out.”

The EMT’s eyes went wide. “Pregnant? You should have told us right away. How far along are you? Any cramping?”

“A little over ten weeks,” Hath said, “and no.”

“She’s pregnant with twins,” David added.

The EMT made a note on the clipboard, and said, “You want to ride the next bus to the hospital? Or get there on your own?”

“I don’t need --” Hath started, but this time David interrupted her.

“Well get there on our own. Thank you,” he said.

Hath rolled her eyes. “Where are the buses taking everyone here?”

“Caritas,” the EMT said. “You may want to go to Good Samaritan, it’ll be less crowded.”

They turned to leave, and started the walk back up to the station. “Where’s your stuff, sweetie?” Ang asked.

Hath looked around. She had no earthly idea. “Probably over near where you found me,” she said, and Ang went off. She came back a few minutes later with Hath’s backpack and laptop.

“The woman you were talking to had them,” Ang said. “She said to thank you and that she saw what you did for that other lady.” Ang laughed. “She wants to buy you a new shirt.”

Hath laughed at that. She laughed good and hard, and had to either sit or fall down, so she dropped gracefully to the ground. She put her head in her hands and was hysterical, and couldn’t get herself under control. Ang and David looked at each other, then dropped down on the ground next to her. David gathered Hath into his arms, and Ang rubbed her back. After a few minutes, Hath’s laughter turned to great gulping sobs, and the tears flowed. It was a good long while until she had control of herself. “You feel better?” David said.

Hath nodded, sniffling. “Let’s get out of here,” she whispered, and they started back to the station.

David drove Hath to the hospital, and Ang followed in Hath’s car. “There’s no way I’m not coming with you,” Ang said. They pulled in to the emergency room, and went inside. A nurse caught sight of Hath and sucked in a breath.

“What happened?” she said. “Where are you bleeding?”

David explained everything as best he could, and the nurse relaxed a little when she realized the blood wasn’t Hath’s. She handed David a clipboard full of papers, and told him a nurse would be with them soon. Ang took the papers from David, and Hath’s purse from her, dug around until she found Hath’s insurance card, and started filling out the papers for her. She had to ask Hath a few questions, but got most of it done on her own.

When they got called back, Ang started to go with them. The nurse stopped her. “Just you and your husband, please,” she said curtly.

Hath spoke up. “She’s my sister, I want her.”

They trouped back to a curtained area, and Hath got up on the bed. She was so tired, she thought she could sleep for a week. That was shock, the nurse told her, wheeling around an ultrasound machine. “Let’s see what’s what,” she said, swiping the wand through the cold gel she squirted onto Hath’s belly.

Hath didn’t realize she was holding her breath until she let it out when she saw the two babies thrashing around. “Are they okay?” Hath asked.

“They look just fine,” the nurse said, peering at the screen. “They have good motion, and nothing looks swollen or bruised.” She flipped a button on the machine, and a whooshing sound filled the room. Then, the sound regulated, and they could hear three heartbeats: Hath’s and the LJs’.

Hath had tears in her eyes. She reached out a trembling finger to touch the screen, tracing the babies. “Hi guys,” she said softly. “Mommy loves you.”

The nurse looked at the screen again. “Do you want to know their sex?”

Hath didn’t but she looked to David. He just shook his head. “Not now,” he said. “We just want to make sure they’re ok.”

The nurse nodded. “OK,” she said . “They’re fine. Now,” she wiped the gel from Hath’s belly. “Let’s see how Mom is doing.”

Hath’s blood pressure was elevated, which was to be expected given the circumstances (“No shit, Dick Tracey,” Hath answered under her breath) but other than that, everything looked good. With an admonishment to get some rest, and a very mild sedative to help her if she needed it, Hath, David, and Ang headed for home.

It was nearly eleven, and Hath just wanted a hot bath and to go to bed.

“You have to eat something,” Ang said. “I’ll make some tea and toast, and David will get you into a hot bath.” Leaving no room for argument, she dropped a kiss on Hath’s cheek, and went to the kitchen. David brought Hath upstairs to the bathroom, and got the water going. He put in some bubble bath he found under the sink, and soon a white, frothy tub awaited. He helped Hath get undressed and into the tub.


The hot water felt like heaven. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this messed up. My body hurt and was sore, and I felt the fatigue, but I couldn’t sleep now if my very life depended on it. My mind was racing with a thousand thoughts, and though I know this wasn’t that bad an accident, all things considered, I couldn’t help think “what if”.

What if the engineer hadn’t stopped the train, and we barreled into that cargo flatbed car going forty miles an hour?

What if it was a fuel car instead?

What if the grease fire had caught under the engine?

What if… what if… what if…

The tears came again, and David reacted quickly. He knelt by the tub to hold me while I cried. He held me for a long time, rocking gently with me, and that soothing motion along with the warm water made me feel better. When my sobbing subsided, he let me go, and wiped my face gently with a soft towel. “Are you okay?” he asked.

I nodded and sunk back into the tub. There was a discreet knock on the door, and Ang poked her head in. “Want your tea, honey?” she asked.

“Come on in, Ang,” I said, and she did, sitting on the edge of the tub. She handed me the tea, and I took one of the little sedative pills with it (at David’s insistence), and the warm liquid felt good going down my throat. What I really wanted was a shot of bourbon, but with the LJs on deck, that wasn’t gonna happen. I nibbled on some toast, but all I really wanted to do was go to bed. With David.

Ang took my plate from me, and looked at David. “Wash her hair,” she said softly to him. She said something else I didn’t catch, then she left.

“What did Ang just say to you?” I asked him as he unwound my twist and started working lather into the locks.

“She just said that your hair smells a little of smoke,” he said gently, “and you wouldn’t want your pillows smelling like that.”

My eyes filled with tears again, and I nodded. “She’s right,” I said.

When he was done, David let the water out of the tub, and helped me into the shower to rinse off the suds. Then he wrapped me in a towel, stripped off his stained shirt, and carried me into the bedroom. He lay me gently on the bed, shucked his shoes and pants, and crawled in beside me, snuggling into me. I reached for him and drew him in for a kiss. “I love you, David,” I said. “Thank you for coming for me.”

David smiled. “Baby, don’t you know all you ever have to do is call for me, and I’ll drop everything to be there? I’m just glad Ang was here to help me get to you, or I would have had to call your mother.”

“My mother!” I exclaimed sitting upright. “David, this accident is going to be on the news; I have to call her.” David dialed and handed me the phone. My mother was shocked and alarmed, and wanted to come over to see for herself that I was okay, and I looked to David pleadingly. He took the phone from me.

“Mom, she’s okay,” David said. “I took her to the hospital and she and the babies are fine. She’s a bit battered, but nothing serious, and she’s about ready to pass out.” He waited a minute while my mother said something to him. “If you come and see her tomorrow morning that would be better. She’s going to sleep now.” He laughed. “Yes, Mom, with me. Alright, see you tomorrow then. Good night.”

David closed his phone and put it on the nightstand. “OK?” he asked, and I nodded.

I pulled him to me and kissed him. “Make love with me?” I asked him, needing the affirmation that I was okay.

David tenderly traced his hands over my body. He kissed each of the little cuts and scrapes on my face, neck, hands, and arms. He slipped his shorts off, and rolled over on top of me. Gently, he pressed into me, and I moaned. The adrenaline was starting to wear off, and the numbness was going away, and feeling David inside me was just what I needed. He started stroking gently and tenderly, and I eased up and over the edge slowly. As I came, David kissed me, drawing my tongue into his mouth. He tensed, then emptied into me, moaning into my mouth. He lay on me a long time, joined with me and kissing me, and it was just what I needed. He broke the kiss after a long while, and said “I love you.”

“I love you too, David,” I answered, and my eyes started to grow heavy.

“Sleep now, my love,” David said, and rolled off me.

He wrapped me in his arms, pulled the covers up and over me, and that’s just what I did.