The Gray Sisters: Family Matters

Outcome

Piper

I opened my eyes, and Lex was next to me in the car. I reached up and felt the gash on my forehead, but he looked worse.

“We have movement!” Someone said.

“Lex! Piper!” Another person said.

Everything felt like a dream as I closed my eyes.

The paramedics worked at getting us out of the car. Our families were frantic to know about our condition. They had to use the jaws of life to pull the car apart. Finally, they pulled us from the wreckage.

“Oh, God! Lex!” Maggie said as the paramedics pulled Lex from the car while Nash held her.

“Piper!” Mom said as the paramedics took me.

Everything was a blur. My eyes would open, then close. I remember the ambulance ride, then wheeled into the hospital.

They took Lex first since he was still alive but in critical condition, and I followed suit. They prepared him for surgery. But, unfortunately, his injuries were far worse than mine.

The doctor stitched up the gash and treated my scrapes before taking me to a room. They gave me something to help me sleep so I could rest.

*****

Nash

The emergency room doctor came out to speak to everyone.

“Doctor, what’s happening?” I asked him as the rest of the family stood there.

“Piper is fine. She sustained a gash on the forehead, and we gave her stitches. We treated her scrapes. She’s bruised, but she’ll be fine and is in a room resting. Lex is in surgery. We found internal bleeding and bleeding in the brain. All we can do is wait. I can take the parents of Piper Harper back,” the doctor said as Piper’s parents followed him.

They left the Harper family and us to worry and without answers. Until we knew what was happening, we were staying.

“I’ll get some coffee,” Nathan said.

“I’ll do some praying,” Nixon said.

“I’ll call Ma and Dad,” Noah said.

“We wait,” I told everyone, holding Mags.

It was the moment that would define that family matters. No matter what anyone said about the family. It was everything.

*****

3rd person

While Lex underwent surgery, one surgeon worked several hours on him. He tried to stop the bleeding and relieve the pressure on the brain. They were working against time, which at that moment, Lex was on borrowed time.

“Doctor, let someone else take over,” the attending nurse said.

“No, I made a promise, and I’ll keep my promise. Lex’s my nephew, and I refused to let him die. Come on, Lex, stay with me,” Jasper said, working on Lex. All the family could do was pray and hope that it would answer their prayers.

*****

Piper

I slept, then relived the crash. We had left Lyric and Michael’s reception. We were talking and laughing. Lex turned to me. “I love you, Piper.”

That’s when I saw it. “Lex! Watch out!”

Then someone slammed into us full force, causing us to go flying. Another car tried to stop and hit us on the other side.

I awoke from the hellish nightmare, gasping.

“Piper?” Dad said.

“Dad? Mom?” I asked, looking around in the dark.

“We’re here,” Mom said as my parents hugged me. God, I hurt so bad. I winced as they let go of me.

“Where’s Lex?” I asked.

“He’s in surgery, Hunny,” Dad told me.

“Is he okay?”

“We don’t know. Lex had internal bleeding and bleeding in the brain. The family is waiting on word.”

“He has to be okay. We’re getting married.” My voice cracked.

“The best thing you can do is rest. But, then, we’ll find out about Lex.”

I didn’t want to rest. I wanted to know how my fiancé was and needed to find out whether he was okay or not. But all I wanted was to forget that horrible moment. A moment I wish would have never happened.

There are times we wish we could have done things differently. Made a different choice, say something different, pick an unorthodox way. We go back to that one moment where everything changes. I wish we would have gone back and waited a few minutes longer.

Would it have made a difference if we did? Would we still have been in that car accident? Would Lex’s life be hanging in the balance? We had no answers but questions. I needed answers.

As of that moment, everything changed.