CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Samantha and Chloe got into the car and neither of them said another word on the thirty minute ride to the hospital, not even when they passed the place that they both knew had to be the place of the accident. Chloe could see the anguish in her mother’s eyes as they came upon the guard rail that was shattered and they saw the tow truck with a mangled piece of metal on the back of it now in the same Marlboro red color that Derek’s sport’s car had been.

Chloe felt sick…desperately ill.

She wanted to vomit until nothing was left inside of her. Maybe if she could throw up, the pain would stop. Right now, it was practically intolerable and she could hardly breathe.

Samantha drove the car into the lot that said, “Emergency” and they both quickly got out of the car. They made their way through the sea of ambulances and paramedics wheeling patients in through the automatic double doors and they went inside. The place was wall to wall people. There were old and young and every age in between. Some of them looked sick or hurt, and others of them looked as if they had just lost their best friend. Samantha went straight to the information desk and told the nurse sitting there, “My husband and son-in-law were in an accident.”

The only way that Chloe could tell what Samantha was feeling was by the strong quiver in her usually melodic voice. She had to clear her throat more than once like she was trying to get rid of the lump that had gathered there.

“Names please,” the nurse asked.

“Trevor Whitemore and Derek Stark.”

“I’m Derek’s father.”

Samantha and Chloe both turned to see Kevin Stark and another man that could only be Jake. He was the spitting image of Derek, only in Chloe’s opinion, not quite as handsome. The two men were dressed in expensive suits and looked like they had just come from a formal dinner party. The nurse punched something into the computer and then looked back up at Samantha with a somber expression.

“I’m going to get the doctor,” she said. “Please have a seat.”

Samantha, Kevin, and Jake stepped away from the counter. Chloe couldn’t. She couldn’t move. She stared at the double doors that led to the back and wondered how fast they could catch her if she just went inside. Would she be able to see him first before they dragged her kicking and screaming back into the hall? She suddenly felt Samantha’s warm hand on her arm and she pulled her eyes up from the highly polished linoleum floor and looked at her.

“Let’s step over here out of the way,” she said softly.

Chloe could feel the hot tears already beginning to roll down her cheeks. Stop it! She told herself. It’s not the time to cry. We don’t know anything. They could both be fine. Her mind went back to the vision of that twisted and burnt metal on the back end of that tow truck. If either of them walked away from this, it would be nothing short of a miracle.

“Mrs. Whitemore and Mr. Stark?”

This wasn’t the doctor. It was a police officer. Chloe wondered what he was doing here. Was he that worried about insurance information that he would intrude on their collective tragedy?

“I’m Officer Daniels. I was first on the scene of the accident.”

“What happened?” Samantha asked, still holding back the tears that were now swimming thickly in her eyes.

“It seems that Mr. Stark who was driving tried to take the curve too fast. He pulled back to keep from hitting the car that was coming up the hill head on.”

“Derek wouldn’t do that.” It was the first time that Jake spoke. Chloe saw Kevin put his hand on his older son’s shoulder as he said, “What about skid marks? Maybe the other car crossed over their line.”

“There are plenty of skid marks going west,” the officer said. He paused there and finally Jake said, “And?”

“Going east in the direction Mr. Stark and Mr. Whitemore were, there were none.”

“None?” Kevin said, furrowing his brow. “How can that be? Did Derek just not see him in time to hit the brakes?”

“I’m telling you,” Jake said, “Derek would not drive fast, especially when he had someone else in the car. He was devastated after…” he stopped there and looked at Samantha.

“It’s okay, Jake. When Sarah died, he was devastated and he blamed himself. I’m sure that he wasn’t speeding either.”

Jakes' eyes landed on Chloe then and for a few seconds, he gave her a puzzled look. He obviously didn’t know about her or her resemblance to Sarah. Chloe couldn’t help but think that this was a hell of a place for him to find out.

“Did you check the brakes?” Chloe asked.

“No ma’am, we haven’t had time to do any of that yet. But, we will. Do you have reason to believe there was an issue with the brakes?”

Chloe looked at Kevin. He understood at once what she was concerned about and said, “Officer Daniels, I’m a criminal attorney and I’m also Derek Stark’s father. I have a hunch…but that’s all it is. Please be sure those brakes are checked out thoroughly in the lab. Make sure every surface that is left of that car is dusted for prints and make sure that protocol is followed from start to finish. That last part is the most important, okay? Make sure it is all done with the strictest protocol so that if this case goes to court, all of the evidence will hold up and will be admissible.”

The officer raised an eyebrow, but he nodded and said, “I’m sorry about your son, sir. You can be certain that we will follow protocol.” He turned back to Chloe and said, “Miss…?”

“Green, Chloe Green.”

“Miss Green, how are you involved in this?”

Samantha put her arm protectively around Chloe’s shoulders and said, “She’s my daughter. Trevor Whitemore is her father.”

Chloe could tell poor Samantha was hanging on by a thread that might snap at any moment. She needed to see Trevor and A.S.A.P.

She turned to look back towards the nurse’s station and caught Jake’s eye again. He was still staring at her, looking even more confused now. Chloe saw the nurse they had talked to and said to Samantha, “I’ll be right back, okay?”

Samantha nodded and watched Chloe walk to the nurse’s desk and said, “Excuse me. You were going to check on my father, Trevor Whitemore?”

“Yes Miss Whitemore, the doctor will be out in just a few moments.”

“Thank you.” Chloe started back towards Samantha and she saw a tall young man in a pair of blue scrubs and a long white coat come through the doors from the back.

“I’m looking for Mrs. Whitemore!”

Samantha started towards him, grabbing Chloe’s arm on the way over.

“I’m Dr. Grant.”

Chloe’s first thought was that he looked too young to be a doctor. He couldn’t be much older than her. How could someone who had been alive less than a quarter of a century be qualified to handle life and death situations?

“Let’s step back this way for just a moment,” he told them.

Chloe could feel Samantha shaking underneath her touch. Her own stomach was churning. She needed to see them both. She needed to see Derek alive and breathing. They followed the doctor into a small “quiet room.”

He invited them to sit down and he said, “Mr. Whitemore was lucky, considering the extent of the accident. He sustained a minor concussion, some contusions from the broken glass, and a broken femur. We’ve done x-rays and it doesn’t look like anything else is broken. He was unconscious but only for a short time. We’ll be keeping a close eye on his mental status and if all looks well in the morning, he’ll need surgery to set the bone in his leg.”

Samantha put her hand on her chest and turned her head into Chloe’s shoulder. “Oh thank God!” she said. She allowed herself a second of joy over the news that her husband was going to be okay and then she turned back to the young doctor and said, “What about my son-in-law?”

He looked from her to Chloe and said, “Are you Mr. Stark’s wife?”

“No,” Chloe said before Samantha had to answer any embarrassing questions. “He was married to my sister who is deceased now.”

“I need to speak with his family first…”

“We are his family,” she said through gritted teeth. Chloe’s composure was hanging by nothing more than a wisp of a thread. “Please, can’t you just tell us if he’s okay?”

“I was told his father and brother are here. I’m sorry, but I have to speak to them first.” The doctor was young enough that he at least looked like remaining cold and professional was hard for him. Feeling sicker by the second, she nodded and said, “Can my mother and I see my father?”

“You can go back one at a time,” he said. “The other one can wait here, or in the lobby.”

Chloe turned to Samantha and said, “Just tell him I’m here, okay? Keep me posted. I’ll wait in the lobby in case Kevin gets any word about Derek.”

Samantha hugged her so tightly then that she nearly cut off her oxygen. “I’m so glad that you’re here.”

Chloe didn’t say anything, but she wondered if Samantha and Trevor would feel the same when they found out it was her obsessed ex-boyfriend that had likely set this all in motion.