Page 55 of Our Moon
“You can’t come back here,” a police officer standing just outside the barricade states.
“You don’t understand, our parents and sister are missing. They may have come this way,” Trevor tells him. “Please just let us see if it’s their car down there.”
A shadow seems to fall over the officer’s face once Trevor mentions his parents and sister, and I just know. I just know it’s them. I’m sure this officer knows enough about the occupants of the vehicle to know that they match Trevor’s description.
“Look, son, just step on back, and I will have an officer come speak with you, okay?”
Trevor takes a step back, but Alex doesn’t move.
“Come on, Al,” Trevor says, pulling on his arm.
Alex doesn’t leave his spot, he’s staring down at the ground just beyond the police officer. I follow his gaze and freeze.
“We gave mom so much shit for that little tie-dyed monstrosity and refused to ride in the car with her so long as she had it on her antennae. Remember, Trev?” Alex says quietlyas he looks at the small Mickey Mouse antennae ball on the pavement.
I look over at Trevor and he, too, is staring at it the small souvenir.
“We gave her such grief for it.” A sob breaks free and Trevor pulls his little brother in his arms. “Why, Trev? Why did this happen to them?” Alex cries.
“I don’t know,” Trevor answers, his voice breaking. “I don’t know.”
Seeing my best friends, my brothers, falling apart causes my own tears to spill over.
Ally.
The police officer is still standing only a few feet away, watching the scene unfold, the brothers breaking in front of him. I take a brave step towards him. “Please,” I beg. “Can you please tell us if they’re still down there, if there were any…any survivors?” More tears spill down my cheeks, and my voice breaks as I say that last part.
The officer sighs, looks over to Trevor and Alex, then looks back at me. “Look, I’m in charge of traffic control, so I don’t know what’s going on down there,” he gestures behind him. “But two ambulances have already left transporting victims to the hospital. Memorial General,” he adds.
“Thank you,” I tell him and step over to the guys. “Come on, we’ll go to the hospital. The officer said ambulances have already brought people over. There’s nothing we can do here, let’s go, I’ll drive.”
The brothers seem strengthened by this information, and we all run back to the car and get in. I turn it around and head back to the main road, driving as carefully as I can despite the fact that I want to break every traffic law imaginable to get to the hospital. If they were taken away in an ambulance, that means they’re alive, right?
Chapter Twenty-Three
Because of the nature of the car accident, which I don’t even want to begin to wonder about, the victims were brought in anonymously. Which means we can’t get an update on anything until the police officers that were on the scene arrive with their identification. So we’re just as clueless now as we were at the crash site.
It takes three hours before a police officer comes out and finds us in the waiting room of the emergency wing. “Monroe family?”
We all stand and Alex and Trevor approach the officer. Joey and I watch from behind as the officer speaks, trying to understand the range of emotions movingacross Trevor and Alex’s faces. First there’s anger, then relief, then fear, then devastation. Total and complete devastation. The kind that can only come from losing someone you love.
As the officer walks away, Trevor and Alex fall into the seats directly behind them, tears pouring down their faces. Trevor puts his arm around Alex’s shoulder and pulls him in. Joey and I get up and walk over. I need to know. I need to know if it’s her. But I don’t know how to ask. I can’t find words.
Thankfully, Trevor speaks before I have to. “It was a drunk driver. Didn’t wait for their car to finish crossing the bridge, just charged at them, tried to squeeze through I guess.” This was the anger.
Alex leans forward in his seat and rests his head on his knees. Joey sits next to him and puts his hand on his back to let him know he’s there.
“Dad,” Trevor starts, then stops. He shakes his head as more tears flow. “He didn’t make it. The car fell off the bridge and landed in the creek on his side. The officer said he died before they even got there; h-he drowned.” And the devastation.
I look away. That man was a father figure to me. I don’t even know how to process this.
“Mom is in really bad shape. She’s in surgery. They say it doesn’t look good. A lot of internal injuries.” The fear.
“And Ally?” I rasp out, finally finding my voice.
“She has a couple broken bones and she hit her head pretty hard. She’s unconscious, but that looks to be the extent of her injuries.” And the relief. Oh God, the relief.
I breathe for what seems like the first time in hours. She’s going to be okay. Ally is going to be okay. But how okay is she going to be if she comes through this without both of her parents? They were her world. They were all of our world. They were better parents to me and Joey than our own parents ever were.
