BOOM. And here is my contribution to the fic... CHAPTER TWO!! Enjoy...
Two.
It took a few seconds to completely wake herself up. Her eyes darted to the kitchen window; it was just before dawn. Her heart was beating loudly in her chest. Jumping from the table, she dashed through the hall and out the front door. Squinting in the pre-dawn light, she managed to make out a flickering, fading beam amidst twisted metal and swirling smoke. Without thinking, she ran across the front yard, through the gate and across the road to the scene.
The car was in a ditch at the side of the road. Cautiously, Jade jumped into the ditch and picked her way through the wreckage to the driver’s side. Her eyes widened with fear when she saw a young man in the driver’s seat, air bag blown up in his face, obscuring her view of him. But there was blood everywhere and she winced at the sight of his leg. It was out at an odd angle, which told her that it was broken.
What were you meant to do in situations like these? she thought to herself. You can’t move the victim, in case of damaging, right? She plunged her hand into her pocket, shaking with fear and cold. Pulling out her old battered cell, she checked the signal; nothing. Sh.it!
Looking around, she realised no one was going to help her or this young man, so she clenched her eyes shut, sucked in some air, and crouched down to figure out how best to remove the man from the wreckage with least possible resistance. The arctic wind whipped around her, sending her hair up in all different directions. As she crouched, she shivered involuntarily and rubbed her arms. Goosebumps were prominent and the cold nipped away at her. She could feel tears burning behind her eyes at the entire situation. This stranger’s life was in her hands, and she could hardly keep on top of her bills. How was she meant to save a life?
Blinking them back, she reprimanded herself and pushed all thoughts of money aside. Gingerly, she pushed the airbag aside and flinched at the sight of the blood trickling down his face. There was something familiar about him but the situation did not allow her to think further on the subject. His eyes flickered open for a second, revealing pools of dark chocolate, but they were gone as soon as they appeared. His dark brown, almost black, wavy hair was matted and stuck to his head with blood. She checked for a pulse and was relieved when she felt a surprisingly strong one in his neck.
Jade ignored the fear, the shock, the nausea she was feeling, and slung his arm around her neck. Easing him towards her, she managed to drag him up the slope, cringing every time he hit a rock. She didn’t have the physical strength to pick him up and carry him to her car. Instead, she hooked her arms under his shoulders and hauled him across the dirt track, and onto the unkempt lawn. Leaving him where she was, she rushed back inside to find her car keys. As she got to the door, she remembered Abby. She couldn’t leave her six year old sister in the house alone. Racing upstairs, she opened the door to Abby’s room and hurriedly tried to wake her.
“Jade? What’s happening?” she asked sleepily.
“Shh, nothing to worry about. We just have to take a little trip, okay?” Jade reassured her. She picked Abby up and allowed her to cling around her neck. The little girl rested her head on her sister’s shoulder and fell asleep again. Jade ran back down the stairs, careful not to jostle Abby too much; she didn’t feel like explaining why there was a bloodied young man in the car with them.
Jade glanced over at where she had left the young man and saw that he had not moved. Frantically, she ran around to the side of the house where her car was. She prayed to God that it would work. It had been playing up lately and she wasn’t in the frame of mind to remain calm if it wouldn’t start. Carefully putting Abby in the passenger seat, she fastened her seatbelt and made her way back over to the young man.
Resuming her technique in moving him, she managed to get to the car. She looked through the window and saw that Abby was still asleep. One less thing to worry about. She turned her attention back to the task at hand and shuddered when she looked at the leg again. Concentrating on the man’s angular features and dark stubble, she heaved him inside the car. Once he was fully lying across the back seat, she slammed the door shut and rushed to the driver’s side.
She jammed the key in the ignition and twisted it. It coughed and it spluttered but it refused to start. Jade sat there for ten minutes, desperately trying to start the car, but with each failed try, her heart sunk even further. She gave up and laid her head on the steering wheel, allowing the tears to come thick and fast.
This man might possibly die and it would all be her fault because her stupid cell wouldn’t work and her stupid car wouldn’t work. She completely forgot about Abby sitting beside her and choked out sobs, gasping for breath and wishing she had a life that was anything but this.
A small warm hand placed itself on her arm, bringing her back out of her thoughts and self pity. She jerked her head around and saw Abby hazing at her wide-eyed.
“Jade, what’s wrong?” she asked, concern etched on her young face.
“A lot of things are wrong right now, but there’s nothing I can do about it.” Jade sniffed and pulled herself together for her little sister.
“Does this have to do with the sleepy man in the back?” Abby asked.
Despite herself, Jade gave her sister a small smile and nodded. “A little bit.”
“What’s wrong with him? There’s blood everywhere. He’s not going to die, is he?” Abby looked over at the man and bit her tiny bottom lip.
“He’ll be fine. Come on,” Jade said, taking in a deep breath. “Let’s get you back to bed.”
When she had tucked Abby back in her room, she went back to the car, realising that she’d have to look after the man until she could get more help. She brought him inside and set him up in one of the vacant bedrooms. With bed sheets as make shift bandages, she managed to stem the bleeding from his head. Once she had washed away the excess blood, she turned to his leg, knowing that this needed to be done.
She found an old broom and took off the head. Then, sawing it in half with her father’s old tools, she brought the two pieces back to his room, setting them aside for later. She cut away his jeans with difficulty; they were so tight that she was afraid she’d cut the skin. After much painstaking snipping, she finally had a bare leg. The bruising was already showing and there was a lot of swelling just underneath his knee, around the shin bone. She braced herself and straightened the leg as best she could, flicking her gaze at the unconscious man every few seconds to gauge any reaction. There was none and she decided before she set his leg, to check his pulse again. It was still there but a little less stronger than earlier. She grabbed the make-shift splint and strapped the broom handle to his leg with torn pieces of cloth and some duct tape to keep it in place.
Grabbing a few books from the book shelf, she propped his leg up, then stood back to survey the scene. Her eyes landed on the duvet that she had carelessly thrown off the bed when she brought him up here. Grabbing it, she put it over him to made sure he remained warm. This was when she took the time to study his features; his thick eyebrows, his full lips and angular jaw line. Dark hair was peeping from under the head bandage, falling softly over his olive skin. He looked like he hadn’t shaved for days.
She stopped still, her heart pounding in her chest. She practically ran to her sister’s room, but slowed down when she reached the door. Carefully, she pulled down the handle and tip-toed into the room. Her eyes found what she was looking for and she carefully took the poster off the wall. In the dark of Abby’s room, she couldn’t quite see, so she stepped back into the hall, eyes studying the face of the man looking back at her, the man that was currently unconscious in the room just a few doors down.
When she got to the door, she looked up at the bed, at the figure lying limply in it. There was no doubt about it; this was Joe Jonas.
Keeping her shock in check, she managed to roll up the poster and shove it under the bed. She’d put it back in Abby’s room later. Finding a spare comforter, she dragged an old arm chair in the corner of the room and curled up on it. She decided it would be best if she remained with him, in case he woke up and panicked at the unfamiliar surroundings.
The adrenaline was starting to wear off and fatigue was setting in. Before she fully succumbed to sleep, she checked the time. It was twelve minutes past six in the morning and the sun was just peeking up over the horizon as she closed her eyes.
Anyways. Yeah. LOVE IT BI.TCHES. XD Man. I'm far too agressive in my language sometimes. Whatevs. Point is... Yeah. *ahem* there you go.
