Chapter 4

The sound of the impact was terrifying. The windshield burst in. Rachel felt the enormous force that pressed down on her body. Then, abruptly everything went black.

A couple of minutes later, she regained consciousness. The first thing she saw was the twisted dashboard. Knuckles white, her hands were still clutched on the steering wheel. The front of the car was crushed. The hood had turned into surrealistic sculpture. She nearly laughed at the thought.

"Do you hear me, ma'am?"

Rachel turned to the left and saw a man was trying to open the driver's door.

"Yep," she answered perkily, trying to regain composure.

"Are you all right? Do you feel any pain?" the man inquired as he was fumbling with the door.

"I am not really sure. My head is still dizzy..."

"Didn't you see the red light?"

"Of course I saw it, but the car didn't stop. I think there is something wrong with the brakes."

Rachel looked at the rear- view mirror and saw her frightened face. There was a tiny scratch on her forehead. She examined it closely and took her purse. She was about to open it when she felt that the fingers of her left hand were numb. Her little finger was twitching spasmodically. As she was moving her fingers, the pain exploded. It shot up her forearm, toward her shoulder.

"Oh, that's not good" Rachel whispered to herself.

Then she saw a bruise just below her left elbow, and a second later, a slight, but nasty looking bent.

"We will get you out here in a minute," the man said worriedly.

"My arm is broken," Rachel announced.

The man pulled the door harder. It didn't even budge. Rachel looked down to see if the cast was damaged. There was no way to find out. Her lower body was covered with large pieces of the broken dashboard. She tried to move her legs, but they were trapped in the wreckage.

A group of paramedics arrived at the crash scene. One of them examined Rachel's eyes.

"I think my arm is broken," Rachel said.

"I'll take care of you as soon as the firefighters cut the door open," the paramedic answered.

"Thanks! Are they coming yet?"

"They will be here in a minute, young lady. Now tell me is it just your arm that hurts?" the paramedic ask and stared at the smashed front of the car.

"Yes. I am pretty sure my legs are intact. They are stuck, but I don't feel any pain there. Just an unpleasant tingling," Rachel explained.

"Can you wiggle your toes?"

"My legs are so numb that I am not sure if my toes move at all."

The firefighters arrived and immediately prepared to cut the door. Rachel gave them a faint smile, then closed her eyes and waited to be freed from the wreckage. A minute later the door fell off with a screech of metal.

"Have you been in an accident before? Your leg is casted." one of the firefighters said.

"I broke my ankle a month ago."

"Was it a car crash?" he asked and removed a large piece of the ruined dashboard.

"No, I slipped in the bathroom. I am a good driver," she said, laughing.

"I didn't want to offend you."

"No problem," Rachel said, and bent over to see if the cast is damaged.

"You better stay put, young lady," the paramedic piped out.

"I just wanted to..."

"Let's get her out, guys," the paramedic said.

Rachel felt a pair of strong hands slipped under her armpits, and another pair, beneath her knees. She cradled her injured arm with her good one. They lifted her as gently as possible. Her right knee bent slightly and the bone fragments in her fractured femur grated against each other. Finally, the pain was unleashed. Her eyes bulging, Rachel started to writhe, screaming uncontrollably.

"Hold her tight! Keep her legs straight!" the paramedic roared.

"Ohhhh, what has happened to my legs?" she managed to moan out.

"What a brave girl you are! Stay still, dear. Please!" said the paramedic and prepared to place a mask on Rachel's face.

"My boy is alone..."

A minute later, she slipped into merciful unconsciousness.