The Journey Home

Jack quickly jerked the wheel, just barely missing the other boat, but Cale was still moving toward it. The moment I saw Cale hit the side of the other boat, my world felt like was moving in slow motion. I screamed, spun around, and ran out of the bedroom.

“Maddie, what’s wrong?” Mary called out after me.

I ran so fast that I almost fell down the stairs. Michelle stood up as I ran by her toward the back sliding door. I pushed it open as she yelled out, “Maddie! My God, Maddie…what’s wrong?”

I screamed out Cale’s name as I saw Tim in the water with him, pulling him back to the boat. Jack was bringing the boat back around to where Tim and Cale were in the water. I ran onto the dock and was about to jump into the water when my father grabbed me.

“Daddy!” I shouted. “Daddy, let me go!”

I watched Cale’s father swimming out. Cale looked like he was passed out. He was limp and…oh God…oh God. Please don’t take him from me.

“Cale!” I screamed out as my father held me closer. I could barely see him through my blurred vision. “Daddy…please do something. Let me go. Please.”

“Baby, it’s okay. Tim is out there, and he’s a trauma doctor. Just take a deep breath.”

I kept staring out over the water. They were now scrambling around the boat. “What are they doing? Why is he not moving? What…”

I tried to suck in a deep breath. “He hit the side of the boat. He hit the side of the boat!” I screamed out.

I barely heard Monica talking on the phone. She was saying something about what had happened. For them to please hurry. I watched as Jack ran back to the steering wheel and began to bring the boat to shore.

I grabbed onto my father. “Is he okay? Dad, can you see him?”

“I can’t see him, honey. I can’t see anything. I need you to calm down.”

Everything started to fade away. All the voices sounded like they were in tunnels. I heard crying. Lily was crying. Sirens. Monica was crying. The boat’s motor as it grew closer to us. More sirens, closer.

As Jack brought the boat up to the dock I could see Tim doing CPR on Cale. I threw my hands up to my mouth. “No! No! Cale!”

I tried to run to the boat, but my father held me back. “Maddison,” he said. I need you to calm down. Please.”

I pulled on his arms. I needed to get to Cale. I needed to be there for him. “He needs me,” I shouted. “Daddy, let me go.”

Two men in uniforms ran by me. Everything was happening so fast. I looked around and saw Monica crying as she stood next to Mary. Mary didn’t have Lily. I panicked at not knowing where my daughter was.

I spun around and saw Michelle pacing back and forth trying to soothe Lily, who was crying. When I turned back to the boat, I saw that they had Cale’s head turned the side. He had blood all over his face. I could barely recognize him. My father held onto me tightly as I tried to make my way over to him.

“Baby, let Tim and the paramedics do what they have to do,” he said.

I stood there helplessly as they worked on Cale. I glanced over to Jack who seemed stunned. Out on the lake, two police boats flanked the boat that had hit Cale.

“He’s breathing. Let’s move,” the paramedic shouted as they carefully lifted Cale onto a stretcher.

Another man walked by quickly talking on a radio. “Dispatch we’re going to need StarFlight to go ahead and land.”

StarFlight? I grabbed onto my father’s arm. “Daddy?”

“Roger that. There’s a cul-de-sac in front of the home. Roger. We’ll be transporting the patient in less than a minute.”

That’s when I saw the helicopter. I looked at my father. “Please let me go,” I said. “I’m calm, but I need to know what is going on. Dad. Please.”

He nodded and let me go as I approached the paramedic. “Please tell me what’s happening. I’m his fiancée. Please.”

He took my arm and led me up to the house. I turned back to see them carefully carrying Cale. Jack and Tim were helping the other two paramedics.

“Ms.…”

“Powers,” I whispered.

“Ms. Powers, your fiancé has sustained a head trauma. He has a compound fracture of his leg and possibly some broken ribs. The doctor who was out on the lake with your fiancé said he passed out on impact. He wasn’t wearing a life jacket.”

I closed my eyes and held back my sobs as best I could.

“Your friend got to him rather quickly and began CPR in the boat. He’s breathing now and, since there could possibly be internal bleeding, it’s best to transport him to Mercy by helicopter.”

“Can I go, too?” I asked.

“I’m sorry, ma’am I can’t let you ride with him in the helicopter. But you can ride with me in my vehicle and I’ll get you there as fast as possible.

I nodded as I looked up to see a helicopter landing in front of our house. The wind blew leaves and small branches around, and people were ducking.

As the paramedics walked by, I ran over to Cale. “Cale! I love you!” I shouted. “I love you!”

Three other people jumped out of the helicopter and helped to get Cale in. Jack stepped back as Tim jumped in. Jack came over and held me close to his side.

“Tim! Please don’t let…don’t…” I covered my mouth and began crying.

Tim nodded. “I won’t leave his side, Maddie. I promise.”

I SAT CURLED up in the chair as Mary gently played with my hair. Cale had been in surgery for three hours. Tim was in the operating room with the surgeons. No one could really tell us anything. When StarFlight landed, they took Cale in for a CT scan and then immediately into surgery.

I looked across the waiting room and saw Mitchel. He was leaning with his elbows on his legs. My father was on one side of him and Michelle was on the other. He was crying. My heart broke as I closed my eyes. I didn’t have any tears left to cry.

Mary gasped as I looked up to find Zoey’s mother standing in front of us. She had a smile on her face as she stared at me.

“Looks like I’ll be getting custody of the child after all,” she said with an evil grin.

I stood and looked her in the eye.

“You will never, ever, with God as my witness, get custody of my daughter. You won’t be allowed within fifty feet near her.”

She gave me a once-over. “If he dies, she’s mine.”

I wasn’t sure how I found the strength, but I pulled my arm back and punched her as hard as I could. Michelle and Mary both screamed as my father and ran to m

e.

Mrs. Jones stumbled backward and grabbed a chair to keep from falling.

“How dare you! I’m going to sue your ass for hitting me.”

Monica came and stood between us, holding up a video on her phone.

“I suggest you leave now,” Monica said. “Once a judge sees you saying that you want your granddaughter’s father to die, you’ll never be allowed anywhere near Lily.”

Jack walked up to Mrs. Jones. “I also think the judge would be very interested in knowing that Zoey took out a life insurance policy while she was pregnant. When she died, Lily became the sole beneficiary. It’s a pretty big number I might add.”

Mrs. Jones’ jaw dropped and she stared at Jack, incredulous. “How did you…?”

Jack shook his head and took another step toward her. “How did we find out about the insurance policy? It was rather simple, really. Oh, one more thing.” Jack smiled as he said, “Cale and Maddie’s lawyers should be alerting your lawyers of Maddie’s adoption of Lily any day now.”

Zoey’s mother straightened up and squared her shoulders. Security came rushing in and surveyed the situation. “What’s the problem here?”

I shook my head. “There’s no problem. Mrs. Jones was just leaving.”

Zoey’s mom glared at me, then turned and left. I watched as she walked to the elevator, escorted by a security guard. The moment the elevator doors closed, I hit the ground and began crying. Jack picked me up and carried me back to the chairs.

“Why is she doing this?” I sobbed “Why?”

Mary sat back down with me and Jack squatted on the floor in front of me.

“Don’t worry about her,” Jack said. “She’ll never be able to take Lily away. Ever.”

I looked into Jack’s eyes. All I saw was fear. Fear of the unknown. I shook my head. “He can’t leave me, Jack. I can’t breathe without him. I don’t want to be without him. He’s my entire life.” I cried as Jack placed his head in my lap and cried with me.

Pain that shot through my abdomen caused me to immediately stop crying. Oh God, I thought. The baby.