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Her mom looked up, and Janessa could see the strain on her face.
“Oh, darling. I’m so glad to see your beautiful eyes. How are you feeling?”
Janessa took a moment to orientate herself. Clearly, she was in the hospital. Her gaze dropped to her body, which was covered by a blanket.
Pain was present in varying degrees as she lifted her hand to touch her head.
“Does your head hurt?” her mom asked.
“Yeah. What’s wrong with me?”
Her mom reached for a cup of water that sat on the table beside her and offered it to Janessa as she answered. “You have a slight concussion from where your head hit the window. You’ve got a fracture in your lower leg. And there’s also plenty of bruising along your right side. I imagine you’re dealing with the effects of whiplash, too.”
Janessa felt a persistent pain at the locations on her body that her mom had mentioned, along with a few others. She must have been given some strong painkillers already because the pain wasn’t anywhere near as intense as it had been immediately following the accident.
“There’s some pain,” she told her mom. “But it’s like at a four at the moment.”
“Okay. Let me know if it worsens,” her mom said, squeezing her hand lightly.
Janessa let her eyelids fall closed again. She didn’t want to talk. Didn’t want to discuss what had happened. Didn’t want to hear that Will might not have survived the accident.
The fear she’d been dealing with tightened like a vice around her chest, and breathing became difficult.
“Take a deep breath, darling.” Her mom’s gentle voice cut through the anxiety that was taking over her body. “Come on. You can do it. Take a breath and hold it.”
Janessa tried to follow her mom’s instruction to regulate her breathing, and while it helped a bit with the panic, it did nothing for the fear.
The accident had been like pouring gasoline on a fire. Her fear blazed through her like a forest fire, filling every corner of her being. She didn’t think she would ever be free of it again. Nothing she could do would distract her from it.
“Are you okay?” Her mom’s words were spoken softly. “Can I get you anything?”
Janessa shook her head, wincing at the pain the movement brought. “Just tired.”
Weary, actually. Exhausted. Desperately wanting the oblivion of sleep.
“Just rest then. I’ll be right here if you need anything.”
“Thank you, Mom.”
“No need to thank me, darling. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be than with you.”
Janessa wished that her tired, aching body would fall asleep, but her mind had kicked in, and her fear-drenched thoughts wouldn’t let her rest. But she didn’t open her eyes, didn’t do anything but lie there and wish that they’d made different decisions. That they’d checked the forecast before leaving Serenity and changed their plans.
But they hadn’t, and now they had to deal with the consequences. Perhaps the worst she could imagine.
As long as no one told her what had happened to Will, she could hope that he was okay. However, the memory of the stillness of his body in the car, along with not being able to find his pulse, made her fear that the worst had happened.
And she didn’t want to know that.
At some point, exhaustion finally claimed her. But the fearful thoughts followed her into sleep, and a nightmare dragged her to consciousness again.
“You’re okay. You’re okay.” Her mom’s voice was soothing, as were the gentle strokes on her arm. “Wake up, darling.”
Janessa blinked wearily at her. “How long was I asleep?”
“Not long. Maybe an hour.”
She wished it had been hours, or even days. “Bad dream.”
