Top Dog

The ride over to the hospital had been a blur. Landon dropped me off at the emergency room door to go find parking. My legs were like jelly, and I stumbled into the hospital, holding on to everything I could for support. I was swerving around so much, I probably looked drunk. A nurse at the counter looked up at me and smiled politely. I remembered thinking that she had a nice smile. Why in the hell had I thought that?

“What can I help you with?” she asked.

Her name tag said, Tina.

“Tina, I was told my wife and daughter had been in an accident,” I said.

Her smile wavered as if she knew exactly who I was talking about. A voice called to me from down the hall.

“Drake.”

It was my mom. When she saw me, she burst into tears. I refused to give into my emotions. Everything was fine. My girls were fine.

“Oh sweetie,” mom said, burying her head in my shoulder. “I'm sorry.”

“Sorry for what, Mom?” I asked.

I didn't ask if they were alive or okay because they had to be. They just had to be. I just needed to know what happened so I could start processing it all and figuring out how we were going to move forward. Together. As a family.

“We're not sure yet, but it looks like they were hit by a drunk driver,” she said. “Driver died on impact and Shannon... ”

Her voice trailed off, her words turning to sobs.

“Shannon?” I asked. “Can I see her?”

Mom shook her head. “Shannon didn't make it, sweetie.”

The room went dark.

I couldn't remember what happened after that, or how I ended up being held up by Landon. My world went black, and my vision wavered badly. Landon had ahold of my shoulders when I came to, and I could hear my mom's sobs echoing through the waiting room. Tina, the nurse with the nice smile, came over to us and offered to show us to the chapel, to give us a little privacy.

“No,” I said, my voice barely a croak. “I need to see my baby girl.”

Tina's eyes looked pained, and she was the one who had to give me the news.

“Your daughter is in critical condition, Mr. Blackthorn,” she said.

“But she's alive? I need to see her, please,” I said.

“I'll talk to the doctor,” she said. “Just give me a second.”

My cheeks were wet, but I don't remember crying. Watching Tina walk over to her desk and pick up the phone, everything seemed to slow down. Maybe this was a dream, I thought. A nightmare. I'd wake up, and it would all be over.

Please, God, let that be true.

Nothing felt real, so I convinced myself I'd wake up sooner or later. I'd wake up beside my beautiful wife and daughter.

&

nbsp; I swallowed the lump in my throat as Landon helped me get to my feet.

My head was throbbing. That's when I realized it couldn't be a dream.

Shannon was gone. The realization of it sucked the air from my lungs.

Please, let my little girl make it.

Tina came back to us, her voice thick with emotion and her face solemn as she said to me, “The doctor said you can see her, but that you need to be prepared for the worst.”