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“Jay! Can you hear me?”
Nothing.
By this time, Cooper and Blake are by my side pulling shit and throwing it to the side. I look around, and Nate has a guy he’s helping to a chair.
“Jay man! I need to get to y’all. Call out, and I’ll find you.”
Nothing.
“Dec, don’t lose it. We need to think.” Blake yells over me.
If he wasn’t my best friend, I might murder him. My fucking wife, my life, is under this shit, and I can’t find her. Then it hits me–their phones!!
I pull out my phone and motion for him to grab his. I tell him to call Jay, and I call Raven. If their phones aren’t crushed maybe, we can hear them and get close.
We call each phone five times while digging through and trying to be quiet enough to hear the ringtones. Each time Raven’s voicemail answers, my heart hurts hearing her. Cooper is beside me on his knees throwing anything in his way.
I hit send again and finally hear something. I motion for everyone to stop and the sounds is coming from our right. We all forge through the fucking pieces, and I almost lose my shit when the sound is right under us.
I start digging deeper calling Raven’s name while Blake screams for Jay. I feel a piece of wet cloth in my hands and go to throw it behind me until I notice it’s soaked in blood. Bile hits my throat, and I swallow praying to God.
“They’re here!” I scream. “Someone is hurt! Call for help now!”
Nate is the closest to the back, so he runs for help while the rest of us pull and dig. The first thing I see is blood everywhere. Raven’s dark hair is spread out, and her shirt is ripped. Jay is laying half on top of her and not moving. Her hand is covering a gash on his neck, and their eyes are closed.
“No, no, no. I’m here open your eyes. Raven! We’re here! Jay, Man open your eyes!” Panic sets in and I make enough room for me to scoot in beside her. When I find her arm I immediately go to her wrist and feel her pulse. It’s beating hard, but she still hasn’t opened her eyes.
I find Jay’s wrist and can’t find a pulse. I think I feel a small beating every few seconds but nothing consistent. When I look down Raven’s eye’s flutter and she takes me in.
“Yeah, baby, I found you. Medical help is on the way. Hang in there with me.” I beg her, but she looks to her side.
“Dec,” she rasps. “Please don’t let him die.” Then her eyes close again.
In my heart, I know it may be too late.
Chapter 52
Saved Each Other
The paramedics had to pry Raven from my arms when we arrived at Vanderbilt. She never woke again, and they were talking to each other about shock, concussion and possible internal bleeding.
Jay was taken immediately into surgery, and the outlook wasn’t good. He lost a lot of blood and had a possible spinal fracture from the way they fell.
Ella was on clinical rotations when the first group arrived, and she talked to an administrator about having our own waiting room. It doesn’t take long for the room to fill with family, friends, and label employees.
Everyone that comes in has the same scared look and question, ‘what happened?’ I repeat myself so many times, I want to scream. Mike makes a call to Jay’s parents who can’t get here until tomorrow morning. He assures them we are all here for him and will give updates as we can.
Looking around the room at the scene, I have an eerie sense of déjà vu remembering the hours following Raven’s rescue last year. Not knowing what Christie had done to her or if she was in pain was hell. But this is absolute torture.
The hospital waiting rooms are overcrowding with people waiting on the status of their friends and families. I watch several doctors approach those waiting and give updates. Reactions have been encouraging and heartbreaking. I pray ours will be the encouraging kind.
“Family of Jay Stevens?” an older woman wearing a white coat asks out group.
“Yes,” Mike answers.
“May I speak to you privately, please?” She motions to the door and he follows her down the hall.
When he rejoins us, his face is unreadable.
