So Much For Your Guardian Angel {{Ezzie, NPC's}}

[Carson McGreggor H6]

((This is a continuation of Mercy Street, set for the morning after the accident.))

Carson went home a nervous wreck. Part of him wanted to teach Casey a lesson. He’d go visit Casey in the morning or wait until Monday at school to talk to her and he wouldn’t pity her at all for the aching hangover she would probably have. But he’d forgive her. He’d have to, wouldn’t he? He cared about Casey too much to lose her. He remembered what life was like for him when they were fighting and it wasn’t pretty. He wasn’t about to go back there again. Of course, there would probably have to be some apologizing to be done on his part as well, but Carson was willing to do that. He knew that he was a bit harsh last night and he did need to get it in his house that he didn’t always need to be Casey’s protector. It was essential that she knew how much she needed to be taken care of sometimes though. But despite all that had happened last night, he was determined to make amends with his girlfriend. He was sure she couldn’t stay mad at him after seeing his little birthday/Valentine’s Day gift. He’s had the painting set up on a small pedestal surrounded by candles and roses last night, but Casey never came home to go see it. Carson was a bit worried, but he was sure she made it home okay. He knew she could be reckless at times, but she was a smart person. Carson was showing her that he knew she could take care of herself from time to time. He’d come over to TJ’s place later on where he’d bring over some medicine for her and he was sure Julie would want to go see her.

Carson had just emerged from the shower to find Julie in the kitchen making eggs and bacon. Julie didn’t cook very often before, (which was why Carson tended to seek refuge in the home of the Jacobs, where there was a home cooked meal three times a day) but after her trip to wherever it was she went, she was an expert at home cooked meals. It was odd that she didn’t talk much about her travels, so he assumed she simply stayed in one general place. When he walked out dressed and ready to go, Julie was not cooking breakfast, but in the living room sitting on the couch. She wore a serious expression and her hands were resting tensely on her round stomach. Julie was almost six months pregnant now, and Carson had only found out yesterday. But he wasn’t concerned with his sister’s belly at the moment. She looked like she’d been crying. “Julie…what’s wrong?” Carson said, stepping forward tentatively. She opened her mouth as if to speak, then closed it again. She thought for a moment. The silence killed Carson because he knew something wasn’t right. When she spoke, Carson suddenly wished she had kept quiet. “Carson…I just got a call from the hospital in London. Your friends got into an accident last night. They wanted to tell you earlier, but visiting hours for non-family didn’t start til ten minutes ago and they didn’t want to worry you until you could come and see her.” Julie said in a quiet, serious voice. Her eyes were full of sadness. Something had happened…he needed to find out what and he needed to know within the minute. He couldn’t even imagine the possibility that something could have happened to Casey. “What...what happened? Is Casey ok? What about Ezzie?” Carson grabbed his jacket. He didn’t even glance at the huge surely comforting breakfast Julie cooked for him. Just the thought of food at a time like this made him feel sick.

“Ezzie’s fine. She just has a broken arm that’ll be fixed when she gets back to Hogwarts. She’s also pretty bruised up, but as soon as they’re out of the public eye she should be fine.” Carson nodded, but he could tell Julie was leaving something out. “What about Casey? She’s alright too, right?” Carson pleaded. Julie merely looked at him with those same sad, sympathetic eyes. “She wasn’t wearing her seatbelt. Her head crashed into the window. She hasn’t woken up since the accident. There’s still hope though. Thankfully, the crash didn’t kill her.” Carson didn’t know what to say. He was totally and completely at a loss for words. The room went cold, his head began to spin, and suddenly, nothing mattered anymore. He needed to go see Casey. It wasn’t an option now. He needed to see for himself that this wasn’t all just some bad dream. “Take me there? I need to see her.”

Of course Julie obliged without a problem, getting him into the hospital within seconds. It didn’t surprise him that there would be so much paparazzi just waiting outside, but it still sickened him to see them try and intrude on Casey’s personal space. Carson didn’t even want to look at a magazine or television right now. He knew what he’d hear. But he didn’t want to see the tabloids. He wanted the truth. The second Carson found his way into the main lobby, he dashed to the nurse’s desk and practically yelled at the bored looking woman on the phone. Seeing him, she hung up immediately. “You looking for the famous kids from the accident last night? They’re up in room 3B. Take the elevator to the third floor. It’s the second door on the left.” She said with a kind smile. Carson wasn’t used to being recognized like this, but he took off toward the elevator the moment the woman finished speaking. When he arrived on the third floor, Carson noticed Bradley, Casey’s father waiting outside. Unable to even think straight through his panic, Carson slid to a halt right in front of his girlfriend’s father. He didn’t look pleased. Carson wasn’t surprised. Bradley was probably wondering why Carson hadn’t been there to stop Casey from getting into that car last night. Carson didn’t blame him. Right now, Carson was wondering the same thing.

((So Casey, send me a Bradley post when you get the time so I can add it in. I'm going to work on an NPC post for dear Julie )

[Esmeralda Mendez]

Told from the eyes of...

Bradley Allen.

Accident. The words had barely settled in Bradley’s head. Casey, his only daughter had been in an accident. It took moments upon hearing of the wreck for Bradley and Joel to apparate to the hospital. Casey was so young, so alone. She needed him and he wouldn’t let her down, not now. The phone call barely told him anything. The woman only said that Casey had been in a car accident and had been rushed to the hospital. That was it. She didn’t say what condition she was in or if she would even survive. Bradley didn’t want to even think about it, but that was all he could do. Joel was worse off. Casey and Joel fought constantly but his little sister meant more to him than she would ever know. She had to be okay. She just had to be. Bradley’s whole world would come crumbling down again if she wasn’t, just like it did when Heaven left. Casey was just like her mother: adorable, stubborn as hell, and full of life. Bradley had always loved that about his daughter. Then again, in the back of his mind, he always feared her stubbornness. It was the very thing that led to Heaven’s leaving and now it could be the very thing that killed Casey.

“I need to see my daughter.” Bradley demanded the nurse of the floor where Casey was taken. “Tests are still being run. She hasn’t been given a room yet.” Bradley could feel the anger rush through his face. He needed to see his daughter now. “How long?” Joel demanded this time. “Should be an hour. She only got here an half an hour ago. The doctors must work to stabilize her condition and find any problems that need to be addressed.” Bradley could only nod his head. He couldn’t say anything else. “Tell us the moment she is taken to a room.” Joel said for his father. The nurse agreed and led the two to the waiting room. This was the very thing Casey had hated for years. She hated waiting; she hated anything taking up any length of time. It was incredible that she loved performing shows that lasted hours. Bradley had always made fun of her for that. And now it was all he could think of as he sat and waited to find out about his daughter’s condition.

“Mr. Allen. I’m Dr. Reints. I’ll be looking after your daughter while she is here.” Bradley nodded. He had things to say but he could barely get the words out. “What is wrong with her?” He asked finally. Dr. Reints had a serious expression on his face. Bradley could tell this wasn’t a simple broken arm. “Your daughter wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. She was sharing the passenger’s seat another girl and she was sitting on the car door side. She hit her head very hard on the glass.” Bradley couldn’t speak. He couldn’t think. Joel was silent beside him. “She is in a coma due to the trauma to her head.” He said finally. Joel gasped. Bradley didn’t say a thing. “We have cleaned the wounds and successfully removed all the glass.” Joel flinched. “But we don’t think she will need surgery for the moment.” Bradley’s face was pale. He couldn’t think but he had to say something. “How..how long?” That was all he could say. “We’re not sure. Comas can last from days to years. The blow to her head was intense. You’re daughter is stable for now, but the next few days will be crucial. If she survives, then we predict a time to where she could wake up.” Joel gasped. “If?” Dr. Reints nodded. “She could make it out fine. But there is always a chance that she can end in a vegetative state or that she could die.” Bradley and Joel were perfectly still. Their eyes were wide with fear and anger. “We are not predicting anything right now. The next few days will give us more information. For now, all you can do is stay with her.” With that the doctor left. Bradley and Joel couldn’t even look at each other. They were in complete shock.

Hours passed. Early morning came and went. Bradley went and saw his daughter but he couldn’t stay in the room. He couldn’t bear to look at her. She didn’t look like Casey. She was so pale. Bradley had never seen his daughter that pale. Her face was bruised pretty badly. The purple splotches looked that they were permanent even though they weren’t. Part of her head was bandaged. The rest of her body was wrapped in blankets. Her wrist was broken from hitting the dashboard as well as the numerous glass cuts that marked her legs. The one thing that bothered Bradley the most was that for the first time in her life, Casey wasn’t smiling. Joel stayed in the room, talking to her; he was begging her to wake up. But Bradley paced out in front of her doors. It would be days before he knew if his daughter would live. He couldn’t stand it. When Bradley wasn’t thinking about his daughter, he was thinking about the drunken idiot that cause this. Where the hell was he? This was all his fault. And where had Carson been? Why did he not stop this? And Ezzie? Bradley was mad at them all but he wanted to rip TJ to shreds. It didn’t take long for Carson to show up. His face was full of fear and questions. Bradley was angry at first of course he was but he tried to suppress it. Carson wasn’t the enemy. “I want to blame you, but that won’t help Casey wake up.” He said sternly. Bradley tried to relax. “She’s in a coma. They don’t know when she will wake up..” He paused. “Or if she even will.” He finished. Bradley opened the door to the room. “But, for now, she needs you.” Hemotioned for Carson to go in. Carson needed to see her himself to believe it. This wouldn’t be easy for him just like it hadn’t been easy for Bradley.

((post written by Casey Allen. )

[Carson McGreggor H6]

Carson McGreggor couldn’t move. He couldn’t think, he couldn’t walk, he couldn’t breathe…it felt like the entire world had stopped the moment Bradley Allen told Carson his girlfriend was in a coma. He wanted to say something to make the situation better, but there was nothing that could be said or done. Everything had already happened. Carson always knew that certain actions had their consequences, but he never would have thought that walking away from her little birthday celebration would affect her life like this. If it wasn’t for Carson’s stupidity and selfishness, Casey would be home safe right now. She wouldn’t be lying on a hospital bed barely alive from some sort of freak car crash. And what of Ezzie? Julie said she was fine, but Carson wanted to know what had happened last night. Why did they get into that car? Surely Casey wasn’t dumb enough to actually get into a car with a drunken TJ Turner. Carson cursed himself. He should have seen this coming. Casey wasn’t an idiot…that much was obvious. But she was very trusting; especially of TJ. TJ put the smile back on Ezzie’s face, so he was untouchable. Of course Casey would trust him enough to get into that car with him. But what if he forced her and Ezzie in? Carson didn’t even want to think about the possibilities. They were too depressing. Carson knew he should have at least been mad at TJ, but he wasn’t. Well, of course he was furious with him, but that was nothing new. Carson’s fury was nothing compared to the power of worthlessness and self-doubt that he felt for himself right now. How could he let this happen to Casey? He was her friend, her protector, and most of all; her boyfriend. He was an idiot. What kind of hot headed idiot would ever leave their vulnerable girlfriend in a club with the biggest creeps known to the world?

It was really odd indeed that Carson didn’t automatically go into a fit of rage the second he heard about Casey’s condition. Anger and rage were normal reactions. Even when it had been he that made her so sad and angry, he still didn’t go into this sort of self-hating depression. Right now Carson was devastated. He couldn’t explain the amount of grief that was flooding through his system. The grief was so intense in fact that just hearing her father say her name in such a way made Carson’s knees go weak with pain. This couldn’t be happening. He couldn’t believe he let this happen to the one thing that was so important in his life. Carson couldn’t take it. He just couldn’t. But he needed to see Casey at the same time. He couldn’t just sit here feeling sorry for himself, he knew he had to go see for himself what he had managed to do to Casey. He sighed, trying to find the strength and the courage to look at her. He could barely even look her father in the face right now. He could hear the pain in his voice. He also looked like he was suppressing some serious anger too. Why wouldn’t he? If only Bradley knew just why his daughter was in there right now. If only he knew that his daughter’s guardian angel decided to take a night off. He didn’t want to blame himself, but he couldn’t help it. Carson knew for a fact that Casey wouldn’t have gotten anywhere near that car if Carson had decided to grow up and stick with her the whole night. Just the mere thought that Carson could be responsible for this made him freeze in sadness and self pity. He stepped forward, placing his hands on the doorknob just as Julie appeared in the hallway. She kept her distance though. Carson glanced back at his big sister and she smiled encouragingly at him. He could see one tear streak down her face. Carson turned away quickly. He couldn’t take the pain. But whether he could take it or not, he had to face it.

Carson turned the doorknob slowly, battling with the instinctive thought to run into one of the far corners of the earth and hide there until this was all over and done with and Casey would feel better. She had to feel better…didn’t she? Carson would never be able to forgive himself if Casey died because of the accident. There was a very real possibility that this could happen, but he didn’t want to give up hope. He couldn’t give up hope. Hope was all Carson had right now. Hope and a big huge ball of nervous emotions that were just begging to see the light of day. But Carson wasn’t going to let them. There was still a small possibility that Casey would wake up from this coma in a few hours or even a few days and be back to normal, just like she used to be. Carson was hanging onto that one possibility with every ounce of strength he had in him.

But then he saw her.

The moment Carson saw his girlfriend, (or what was left of her anyway) he lost all hope. She looked like a poor broken paper doll. She was so frail, so remarkably breakable. That feather-light girl that was lying peacefully on the hospital bed was not his Casey. It couldn’t be. Casey was strong, courageous, and beautiful. This girl was beautiful too of course, but he didn’t see the eyes. Casey was always so full of life. This Casey substitute looked like she had been drained of it. But Carson couldn’t keep denying himself. No matter how incredibly different this Casey Allen looked, this girl was still Casey Allen. And that simple thought alone brought tears to his eyes. For the first time since he was a toddler, Carson was crying. There was not an ounce of rage or anger in his bones. How could there be when he was staring at what had to have been the weakest, most defenseless little person he had ever seen? Carson rushed to her bedside, only just noticing Casey’s brother Joel sitting in the corner of the room. He wasn’t worried about Joel though. There was not a single thought in Carson’s mind that wasn’t focused entirely on what he had done to this poor girl. Carson held Casey’s hand in hopes of finding some proof on her that she was still alive. But her hand was as cold and lifeless as Ethan’s was on the day of his funeral. Carson stared down at her, clutching her as best he could without causing any more harm to her already frail body. “I’m so sorry Casey. I’m so sorry I failed you.” He said between sobs. He wasn’t going to leave her side no matter what happened. “It won’t happen again though, I promise! I won’t ever leave you.” Carson exclaimed again, realizing he probably sounded like a downright crazy person. But he didn’t care though. He was planning to stay true to this promise. He wouldn’t leave her until he knew she’d be okay.

[Carson McGreggor H6]

From the eyes of...

Joel Allen.

Joel could feel everything fall apart around him. He never liked to admit it, but Casey was his world. She was his little sister and even though they fought a lot, they loved each other. And even if Casey didn’t admit it, she liked getting picked on by her older brother. Casey and Joel were just two siblings that fought and then made up all the time. This happened everyday and Joel never thought that something would ever break the pattern. Joel was at school when he heard the news. The Seventh Year was just about to go to the Blind Date Party when the Head of Hufflepuff House took him aside and told him that his baby sister had been in a serious accident. At first, Joel didn’t believe it. Casey had everything in the world going for her. She always had. She had an amazing voice, she had a real gift. Casey could sing, dance, act, model and still be normal. She had always been his kid-sister and he always thought it would be that way. But the mold was broken. His little sister had been hurt for the very first time and Joel couldn’t stand it.

He hated waiting more than anything. But at least he had something to do. Bradley could barely think. Joel could see the pain on his face. Joel took over with handling the medical forms and talking to doctors when he could. They would have to wait until Casey was brought into the room to see her. Joel didn’t really want to. He wanted to be there for his sister but he didn’t want to believe that this had happened. Joel never thought that Casey would end up like this. She was a smart girl, but what the hell had she been thinking? She never should have been in that car! And why didn’t Carson stop her? Where was he when this happened? Joel had to blame someone but he couldn’t bring himself to blame Casey. So he decided on TJ and Carson. Really, Carson had done nothing wrong, but Joel couldn’t accept that. Casey was in the hospital. Someone had to take the blame and TJ was nowhere in sight. This was a good thing because there was no telling what Joel would do to that slimy idiot. He drank, drove, and hurt Joel’s sister. He could never be forgiven and he was the one who should be where Casey was.

Joel sat in the chair next to his sister in silence. He couldn’t keep his eyes from her. Bradley couldn’t stay in the room. It hurt him too much to see her this way. Joel on the other hand couldn’t leave her alone. She needed someone. Casey hated being alone so he would never leave her now. Casey Allen was many things. But she had never been quiet. As a baby Casey used to coo different things. Joel would later think that this was the beginning of her music. Casey loved music more than almost anything. She started in her music career so early and kept it going and now she was a star all her own. Casey hated to be silent and still. It was killing Joel to see her like this. She should be on a stage singing somewhere. Instead, she was lying in a hospital in a coma. They didn’t know when she would wake up or if she would. Joel didn’t know what he would do without her bugging him to do better all the time. What would his world be like without her? Joel did not want to find out.

Joel sat like that for a long time. Nothing changed. Casey was still. The only things that made noise were the various machines hooked up to her. Bradley never came in. He couldn’t bear to look at his daughter in this state but Joel could watch over her for now. Nurses and doctors came in from time to time but Joel ignored them. Carson and Ezzie hadn’t showed up yet but it would only be a matter of time. Joel had heard that Ezzie had been injured but he didn’t know if she was in the hospital still or what. Joel didn’t know what he would say to Carson. He was mad at him. Not as mad as he was at TJ, but mad all the same. Carson had always protected Casey and Joel always had respect for him. Carson never let anything happen to her she was in the hospital. What had happened? Where had Carson been? Right when Joel started to ask himself these questions Carson walked in the room. He ignored Joel, focusing solely on Casey. It didn’t take long for him to start crying. Joel had never seen Carson cry, ever. Carson held her hand and promised that he would never leave her. Joel stared at the two of them. He waited for Carson to stop talking to her. “You won’t ever leave her again?” Joel muttered bitterly with pure rage in his voice. “Where were you when this happened, Carson. Huh? Where were you then?” He asked with rage and spite coming through his tone. “You and TJ are fine. You left her with him and he crashed the car! Casey shouldn't be in that hospital bed. You should.” He finished angrily. Joel would never forgive Carson for this. Not even if he lived forever.

((written by Casey Allen))

[Carson McGreggor H6]

Carson was crushed. Before Casey, Carson would have never believe that one single human being could cause him to feel like the world was crashing down upon him. He didn’t understand it, nor did he want to. He didn’t want to try and understand why Casey had been put in a coma. He didn’t want to even think about the possibility that TJ would be able to get away with committing such a crime as taking away the one thing that Carson still held dear. He was glad of course that Ezzie was okay, but he was jealous. Ezzie was still peacefully asleep, completely unaware of what was going on with her two best friends. As much as Carson was disappointed in his friend for ever deciding to get anywhere near that dirty little slime ball, he still found that he turned to Ezzie a lot for help and advice, just like she turned to him for any of her issues. When Ethan first introduced Ezzie to him, Carson figured she was just another fling. He didn’t recognize the shine in Ethan’s eye when he said Ezzie’s name until much later, when Ethan’s days were numbered.

Now, Ethan was the bond that held Ezzie and Carson together as friends, almost like brother and sister now. Now Ezzie would be in Carson’s position. Carson lost his best friend and her love--now the tables were turned and Ezzie’s best friend was the one lying unconscious on the hospital bed. Oh, how he couldn’t wait for her to wake. She had to wake. If Casey died because of that one stupid fight, he’d never be able to forgive himself. What was he thinking, leaving her alone in a place like that? Carson acted childish. He let his foolish emotions get in the way of the most important thing in the world to him. How could he do that? Now Casey was here; the last place a teenage girl should ever be. Carson never liked hospitals and doctors to begin with. He would always purposely skip his appointments with the doctors just because he just wasn’t up to dealing with the personal questions, the constant smell of rubbing alcohol, and the constant whining and crying of the young children as they were dragged by their ears into the examining room to get their shots. Despite the sickeningly bright colors of the offices, medical places like this always reminded him of one thing--sickness. But that was just as a child. After he’d spent all that time waiting outside of Ethan’s hospital room hoping for good news just like he was now, Carson’s thoughts on doctor’s had definitely worsened. Now he didn’t just associate hospitals with sickness, but with death.

He didn’t want Casey to be just another lost patient. The doctors seemed sorry when they went and told you that your loved one had passed, but to them that life was just another patient. Carson wouldn’t let Casey become just another dead accident case. She was getting out of that coma, and Carson wasn’t going to leave her bedside until she did. There was no way he was leaving. “Casey, I’ve lived a life while you were angry with me, and even that was hell. I can’t lose you, not now because of this--” Carson was immediately cut off by the incredibly angry voice of none other than Casey’s older brother; Joel Allen. Carson heard the tone before he heard the words. All he heard was anger, hurt, and just plain rage. Everything that Carson was feeling, only without the spiteful hate. But that was just because TJ was nowhere to be found. Once Carson saw that piece of filth, Joel’s anger would be nothing compared to what Carson would unleash on him. Even though Carson could definitely tell where Joel was coming from, Casey’s brother’s words stabbed him in the heart with every hurtful word he spoke.

“Listen Joel, this isn’t the time. This isn’t my fault. I tried to get Casey out of that club and into her home where she’d be safe.” He spat, though he didn’t sound all too convinced. Of course he wasn’t convincing. Carson didn’t even believe the words he was speaking himself. It was his fault. “We both know that I should have been there to stop her getting into that car. But I wasn’t and you know I’m sorry for that. But I wasn’t the one who steered your little sister and my girlfriend into a tree. Why don’t you save the anger for the slime ball who deserves it?!” Carson growled loudly, unable to control his anger. Suddenly, he heard a voice. The frail female voice sounded weak, but it was definitely there. Carson immediately looked to Casey, but it wasn’t her who had spoken. It was someone from the next room--Ezzie. “STOP.” Ezzie yelled. Her voice sounded weak and scratchy, but there was no denying the authority in her voice. “Open the curtain.” Utterly confused, Carson obliged. The plastic white hospital curtain revealed quite a weak looking Ezzie Mendez with an angry expression. Ezzie was trying to get herself to sit up, but it looked like it took a lot of strength to do so. Carson winced. The doctors reported that Ezzie had received the best of the accident.

“Will you two quit yelling?! They gave me enough drugs to keep me asleep for weeks, but I can’t do that with you all screaming. I’m surprised you didn’t wake Casey up as well.” Ezzie complained angrily, clearly still groggy from whatever sleep medication she was given. Carson could only blink in shock. Ezzie didn’t even know what had happened to her best friend. “Ezzie, we could have been screaming in front of Casey’s face and she wouldn’t have woken up. She’s in a coma.”

[Esmeralda Mendez]

The nurses and orderlies rushed to Ezzie’s side, poking her with needles while looking for open wounds and broken bones. She didn’t have many that needed to be mended, but she felt like her entire body was bruised. Ezzie woke in frenzy, gasping for air because of the anxiety of the unknown and searching around for any more survivors. “Where’s Casey?” Ezzie cried out, tears streaming down her face. She winced from the pain of the sudden movement. The panic attack came almost as suddenly as it went. Ezzie woke up, realized where she was, and started to fear for who else had made it there alive. “And the others! WHERE ARE THEY DAMNIT?!” Ezzie tried to scream, but her throat was too sore. The nurse stuck her with another needle, and in seconds she felt the pressure of sleepiness overcome her. But she wasn’t about to give up yet. Ezzie struggled to stay awake, though her eyes had already closed. She felt them move her into a stationary bed. Suddenly, she felt a new pair of hands resting on the side of her neck, as if feeling for a pulse. Ezzie tried to relax herself. “The sedatives haven’t exactly kicked in yet, but they’re working their magic.” The doctor said to one of the nurses with a small smile. “This is the Mendez girl, correct?” Another nurse nodded as she placed a cast on Ezzie’s clearly broken arm. The doctor managed a weak chuckle. “It must be. I’ve never seen that many reporters in my life. But they’re not finding any big story with this case. I give it a few months in physical therapy before the bones heal completely. I’m not too sure about her friends though…they might be a bit more difficult. Such a shame too…they were so young.” Ezzie wanted to scream or shout, but the sedatives were taking over her body and in minutes, she was asleep.

When Ezzie regained some consciousness, she remembered it all. Even through what must have been a whole bottle of pain killers and sleep medications, Ezzie could still picture the entire night in her head. And that was the worst part. She didn’t want to remember.

Ezzie just wanted to sleep; to forget. She didn’t want to think that the man she thought she loved would put so many lives at risk just for the thrill of the ride. It was horrible, and she shouldn’t have let it happen. Of course she was bitter and spiteful and all those negative things, but she didn’t want to deal with confronting TJ. Knowing him, he had already thought of some clever escape plan to get himself out of the mess he’d gotten himself into. In fact, TJ used to brag about how many run-ins with the law he had so closely dodged. His stories used to make her laugh, now just the memory of hearing them made her sick. Ezzie’s head was clouded with memories and flashbacks. First the image of her dressing room before the concert entered her subconscious mind; how she had swooned over a couple of roses and a bracelet. Ezzie was almost positive she was still wearing TJ’s d**n bracelet, but she wasn’t ready to enter the horrifying realm of reality yet.

Ezzie had spent almost her entire childhood in a hospital, due to some odd respiratory problem the doctors could never quite figure out. She knew how they worked and operated and in turn, how to work and operate with them. Everything was fine and dandy when you were asleep. If you stuck to your bed and closed your eyes, you could imagine like there wasn’t some little girl dying of cancer sharing a room with you or some old beloved grandfather struggling to recover from a sudden heart attack. Now, years later, Ezzie was doing the very same thing. She didn’t want to think about the accident or what had become of it. Ezzie remembered being hauled into the ambulance. She was barely conscious then. All her senses picked up on were the sounds of a busy emergency rescue team, some bright flashes, and the smell of a hospital. She couldn’t move though. She couldn’t speak either. But now it was time to face the music. She could feel her body slowly bringing itself back to reality. There were voices not too far off that were disrupting the very last remnants of that sedative. She didn’t want it to disappear just yet. As much as she wanted the peace of mind to know everyone was okay, the idea of sleeping a few more hours away seemed like a pretty tempting offer as well.

But of course, fate didn’t seem to like the idea of Ezzie sleeping her troubles away, so it made the two speakers in the background even louder than before, causing one of Ezzie’s eyes to flutter open. She looked down at herself amidst the argument. There was a large heavy cast around her right wrist and arm, and there were various other protective bandages around her body. Two more seconds of listening revealed the two voices to be Carson’s and Casey’s brother Joel’s. That’s odd…Joel and Carson never fight. Ezzie thought to herself. But she didn’t care what the argument was about. She just wanted to go back to sleep. She tried yelling for them to stop, but her throat burned with pain. Even though her voice was weak though, both of them seemed to hear it. Carson’s baffled face appeared from behind the curtain. Just behind him was Casey’s hospital bed and a very angry looking Joel Allen. Ezzie glared at Carson. With that loud voice of his, he could wake the entire ward. “Will you two quit yelling?” Ezzie protested. “They gave me enough drugs to keep me asleep for weeks, but I can’t do that with all you screaming. I’m surprised you didn’t wake Casey up as well.” Ezzie growled, glancing at a fragile pale faced Casey Allen. Ezzie then looked back at Carson, who now looked pained. “She’s in a coma.”

Ezzie’s mouth dropped in shock and horror. “But…she’s going to wake up right? I mean, she’s not…” Ezzie didn’t even want to say the word. She swallowed, trying to get rid of the cottonmouth feeling and the queasiness in the pit of her stomach. How quickly Casey’s night of birthday fun had turned into a bittersweet game of survivor. Ezzie tried to hold back tears, but it was no use. “They don’t know when or if she’ll ever wake up. She got hit pretty bad. What happened in there Ezzie? He didn’t like... force you guys into the car, did he?” Ezzie shook her head slowly, tears streaming down her cheeks. “We um..we were all pretty bad you know?” Ezzie said in a shaky voice, already crying from the memory of it all. Casey was in a coma and it was all her fault. Why would she place her life and the life of her best friend in danger just to show her a good time? Now Casey would probably never be her normal bubbly self again, and it was all Ezzie’s fault. She stifled a sob. “Casey wasn’t even gonna drink but then she was all upset over..over you and..and we just got in Carson I’m so sorry! I tried to get him to pull over but he just wouldn’t listen!” Ezzie pleaded, her eyes wide with horror and regret. “He thought it was all some stupid game…and then…we just crashed. Right into Mercy Street. I’m so sorry Carson.” Ezzie cried as Carson arrived at her side to comfort her. “Don’t cry Ez, we’ve all got the blame. It’s not all your fault, but it is pretty easy to blame it all on yourself. Trust me on that one.” He said. Ezzie noticed tears rolling down his cheeks as well. It was pretty clear that Carson was speaking as the voice of experience. He blamed it all on himself too.

[Esmeralda Mendez]

Told from the eyes of...

Joel Allen.

Joel could feel the blood boil in his veins. He knew this wasn’t Carson’s fault. This all had to do with TJ. But he wasn’t around for Joel to blame him. Joel wasn’t really sure what to do. Casey was in a coma. His baby sister might never walk away from this. True, Joel and Casey fought a lot. But, they were family. They were supposed to fight and they were supposed to make up. They were supposed to grow up and become good friends when they were older. What if Casey never woke up? Joel didn’t want to think about it. But that was all he could do. She was so silent, so still. It was unnatural for her. Casey hated standing still or being quite. She was a vibrant girl. She loved to dance and sing. She was a world famous singer for God’s sake! All she ever wanted to do was shine. And now she was dull. She wasn’t the star that she always had been. She was supposed to be so much more. Joel shook his head back and forth. She had to wake up!

“Don’t you think I know that?” Joel asked angrily to Carson when Carson said it wasn’t his fault. “But look at her!” She pointed to Casey. “I know that I’m being dumb by yelling at you, but Casey is in a coma. She might die and screaming at you is easier than just waiting for her to blink! She may never open her eyes again.” He whispered finally, unable to say anything else. “I know that and I will kill TJ when I find him? Where is that devil anyways? How can he get off perfectly when he does this to my baby sister?” This was unbelievable. TJ was walking freely and Casey was unable to ever breathe on her own. Something was terribly wrong about that. Joel wanted to just get a timer tuner and go back to the moment that Casey got in that car. He wanted to make her realize how stupid she was being. But Joel knew better than to mess with time. Things would surely end up worse if he did.

Joel had forgotten that Ezzie was in the room until Carson pulled back the curtain. The nurse told Joel this, but he had been too preoccupied by his sister’s condition. Obviously Ezzie didn’t know what was going on. Joel had to look away when Carson told her that Casey was in a coma. He didn’t want to see the look on her face. Ezzie wasn’t taking it well. He listened to Carson try and comfort her. If Casey was here, she would giggle and tell them to be quite. But she wasn’t. She was in the room, but she wasn’t that Casey Joel knew and loved. She didn’t smile and blink or sing one of her songs. She was in her own little world and only she could bring herself out of it. What if she gave up? What if she got tired of fighting and just gave up? Casey had never given anything up in her life. She was so stubborn, so alive. Joel hoped she kept up her stubbornness. She had to fight. She had to fight herself out of this and hopefully she would win.

Joel shook his head listening to Carson and Ezzie. “She looks like a doll.” Joel commented. “She doesn’t even look like Casey.” He let one tear fall and then shook his head. “I can’t..watching her won’t help her wake up.” He announced and left the room. Joel bumped into Bradley in the hall. “What now?” He asked with true anger in his voice. “We wait? We hope? We pray? What good will that do?” He paused. “I’d rather go find and kill TJ.” He said trying to step past Bradley. Bradley stopped him. “The cops will find him. They’re all looking for him. The entire world will know tomorrow and everyone will be looking for him. You need to stay here.” He said nodding. “Casey needs you and me. She needs us here even if she doesn’t know we’re here.” Joel nodded. “I don’t think I can watch her die.” He said letting a tear fall. Bradley shook his head, trying to stay strong. “She’ll get through this. Casey always pushes her way through.” And maybe she would. All they could do was hope for now. And maybe Casey would open her eyes.