Chapter
37
Nick sat in the rapidly cooling car hoping and praying that someone
would find their car and call for help. He knew that even if it was too late to
help Harry that each and every second that passed was a second less that Brian
had left to live.
Nick slightly turned his head towards the driver's side of the car and
felt his eyes again fill with tears as he thought about how brave Brian’s brother
had been.
"I'm so sorry this happened Harry." Nick whispered hoarsely
“This is all my fault. If I wouldn’t have left Brian and gone to LA, he
wouldn’t have been so upset and he wouldn’t have had that heart attack. Even
though I know Dr. Adele said it wasn’t my fault I know deep down inside that it
is. And now look what happened to you Harry. If I wouldn’t have collapsed from
exhaustion and ordered to rest, we would have never left the hospital to go to
the hotel and you will still be alive. But you were right Harry, something good
is actually coming out of this tragedy, Brian now has another chance at life
but I wish that it didn’t involve you dying. You was, are, such a great person
and I know everyone will miss you.” Nick said while looking at the spider web
pattern of the broken windshield.
He sat and wondered if Harry’s family and friends would ever forgive
him for what happened, because no matter what anyone said, he knew everything
that had happened was a horrible tragedy and it was all his fault. He found
himself wishing it were him that had died instead so he wouldn’t have to face
the anger and pain he figured he would experience.
He was so lost in thought that he didn’t even hear the sound of an
engine in the distance. He screamed out in fright as he suddenly seen the beam
of what seemed to be a flashlight out of the corner of his left eye. He lifted
his eyes and looked in the rear view mirror and seen a tractor trailer a few
yards behind them. He then watched silently as the truck driver looked inside
the car and ran back towards the tractor-trailer. Nick felt tears of
frustration fill his eyes as he assumed that the truck driver didn’t want to be
involved in what had happened and was going to leave them stranded. He cried
out in joy when he heard someone tapping on his passenger’s side window and
seen the truck driver trying to pull the door open. He silently thanked God as
he barely heard the truck driver talk on a cell phone explaining to who Nick
assumed was the 911 operator the details of what he knew about the wreck and
the location of the accident.
Nick sat quietly, the shock of the events that just happened finally
reaching him as he watched the truck driver push a button on his cell phone and
throw the phone in the grass and run to the driver’s side of the car and tug on
the door handle to try and open the door. After a few moments, Nick heard the
truck driver scream, “DAMMIT!!” and run back to Nick’s side to try again to get
his door open. A few moments later, Nick heard the groaning sound of the metal
as the driver finally got Nick’s door open enough to get him out.
“Son, don’t be scared I’m here to help you,” said the truck driver as
he looked over Nick’s body to see if he could see any visible injuries. He
immediately seen the blood stains on the young man’s shirt and began to act
fast.
The truck driver cried out in triumph moments later as he lifted Nick’s
body out of the car and gently placed him in the grass near the crash scene.
“Stay still son, I need to get your friend out,” said the truck driver as he
got up and started to walk towards the nearly totaled car.
“Sir wait!!” Nick cried out in a hoarse voice.
The truck driver spun around quickly and looked at the scared young man
in front of him. “Yeah son?” he asked
“My friend didn't make it, but he wanted me to tell the paramedics that
he wanted to donate his heart to his brother who needs a transplant. Can you
please tell them when they come?” he asked weakly.
“Of course I will, son. You just rest here and save your energy, the
paramedics should be here soon.”
Nick nodded his head slightly and looked on as the truck driver crawled
through the halfway opened door and came back out minutes later with the body
of his best friend’s brother in his arms and laid him near Nick. Nick watched
silently as the truck driver checked to make sure Harry didn't have a pulse.
“How long has he been gone, son?” the truck driver asked gently as
looked at Nick through sympathetic eyes.
Nick cleared his throat and willed the tears behind his eyes to stay
back, “He died a few moments after the crash, sir. His last request was that
his brother gets his heart. His brother is very sick and needs a transplant
soon.” Nick whispered.
The truck driver nodded and stood up and ran a little distance up the road
waving his arms wildly. It was then Nick realized that he heard sirens above
the roaring sound in his ears. The last thing Nick remembered moments later was
hearing the truck driver tell the paramedic about Harry’s last request and he
then slipped into unconsciousness, a place where nothing could hurt him and a
place where he could forget about everything at least for a little while.