Chapter 5

The next day, we met Rick after school at rascals and he told us about college. Then, he talked about how they were planning on a June wedding, and I was going to be the best man, while Tammy would be the maid of honor. He was starting to work on something soon to be called DARPA Net, and they were paying him really good, and he just really felt something would come from it. (Little did we know then?) But, he said we all ought to at least study some part of computers or business, because it really might now be the coming thing, with the stuff they were doing at the Xerox research facilities, and we could all grow and prosper with it.

Tammy told the tale of how she had gotten Diane's ring size, as directed by that call to Rick, and even snuck it on one night when she was sleeping over at Diane's, just to make sure the jeweler had gotten the size exactly right.

Diane had gotten accepted at a small California school, near enough to Stanford that they could live together after they were married, and still go to school. As it happened, this was to be almost an idyllic period for us, the first of many. We spent the vacation getting to know each other better, and Rick truly became my best friend. (Well, next to Tammy.)

Makeout sessions continued, and advanced, in my case, as I felt my first (gasp) real live girl between her legs, and continued finger-mapping Tammy's breasts and body. The presence of four in the car did keep it a bit under control for all (I'm sure much to the parents' relief), but that first Christmas, Tammy and I went into the church with arms firmly entwined.

About a week after Rick returned to Stanford, disaster struck.

That fall, Tammy had been working out on a new routine with a friend that included a spin and flip on the uneven parallel bars. With that, she was ready to go into competition. The first exercise of the night was the uneven bars. Being that she was taller than most gymnasts the coach said it may have been only a matter of time till she could not be an all-around gymnast, and would have to compete in selected events. The coach had tried to discourage her from competing this year, but Tammy was not to be stopped. That was part of her now, as she warmed up, smiled and waved at us, (her parents, Pammy, Diane and I were on the sidelines) she was ready to go.

As some things seem to happen, the music had just stopped for a floor exercise, and the applause had yet to begin. We all heard the sickening thunk as her head hit the lower bar, and she collapsed to the floor. Mercifully, there were paramedics and they were treating her even as the shock wore off. Pammy and Diane just hugged me and cried while her parents went down to the floor. As I watched, the girls both had their faces buried into my shoulders. Her dad gestured for us to head out the door and meet them there. The paramedics were putting Tammy on the stretcher as we left for the doorway.

I still can't describe what I felt then; just cold fear, I guess was the best description. The way she fell, it appeared that her neck had been broken, and, at the least from the thunk, she had a very bad concussion. While Diane looked and listened to Tammy's father tell which hospital we were going to due to, the possible neck injury, Pammy refused to look, as if doing so made it real, and not seeing would keep it away so it was only a bad dream.

As Diane and I got in the car, it felt really empty without Tammy; Diane sort of collapsed against me and just cried. Tammy's mom was in the ambulance with her, while her dad having physically pulled Pammy from me, was in their car. A sad, worried, and scared caravan headed down the road that night. We passed through the Hampton Roads tunnel, going into Norfolk from Hampton, seeing little of it, eyes on the car ahead and the flashing lights of the ambulance further ahead. It was then that I noticed the lights of a police car that had joined somewhere, flashing lights in the rear. The Browardmobile without a Broward in it was following my love.

Once we got to the hospital, we had to separate. The ambulance only could use the emergency entrance. By the time we got organized in the parking lot and went into the emergency room, Tammy's mom sat alone on a bench, her face buried, so lonely, so lost while one of her babies was hurting. All she could tell us was Tammy hadn't moved at all on the trip.

Steve's dad, the Chief of Police, had followed us over from the meet, and arrived in the emergency room. Steve had been at the gym and called him. He had picked up the last car as we were leaving town, and just put his flashers on. I hadn't noticed at all till we were in the tunnel. I had kept my eyes on the ambulance, thinking as long as the lights were flashing, there was hope. The doctors were with her now, and that long empty wait began. Within an hour, Diane's and my parents had arrived (Steve had called them as well, when his dad told him where we were going, he had moved from a maybe friend back to full friend that night.)

We took over one corner of the waiting room, and my mom was the angel watching over us all, giving hugs, coffee, and encouragement to all as the night crawled along. Coffee appeared and disappeared; Pammy had grown into Diane's side and mine as her parents were taken again and again to answer questions or get a briefing for all of us. When I saw a priest arrive, terrible thoughts of eternal loneliness filled my mind, maudlin scenes from all the old movies. Then I remembered we weren't catholic, so they wouldn't need a priest for Tammy. Relief filled my mind, only to empty when our minister and his wife walked through the door. My heart and mind sank so low as I saw them near us. Then, suddenly, Tammy's mom came through the door, a touch of a smile amid the tears.