Highlights to Heaven (9 page)

Marla swerved to the right, but she swung too sharply. The Lexus veered straight for the shoulder. To correct the imbalance, she yanked the steering column to the left. Her heart raced when their car careened into the next lane at high speed. “Lord help us,” she cried, fighting to regain control, but it felt like the SUV tilted off-balance.
/ need to slow us down, but if I step on the brake, we might spin around to face oncoming traffic
.

Her grip slippery from sweat, she swung the steering wheel again in an attempt to straighten the wheels. Tires squealed as they sped toward the shoulder. Marla glimpsed what appeared to be a parallel flat stretch of grass. Maybe she could slow the car off the road, where they wouldn’t crash into anyone else. Again, the car veered too sharply to the right.

Directly ahead of them, a white pole rose out of the ground. “Hold on!” she yelled. Her mind quickly calculated the odds of clearing the obstacle if she steered to the left. The wheels were already twisted to the right, so it made sense to go in that direction.

Fate no longer resided in her hands. Whatever was going to happen, would happen. There was nothing else she could do. Her heart pounding wildly, she felt an icy calm. This was it.

She twisted the wheel toward the right. They cleared the pole. Tapping the brake, she meant to reduce speed, but then the world tipped. She heard a scream. Hers? Brianna’s?

Images collided in front of her. Thrust against the seat belt, her body seemed detached from her brain as she was tossed in different directions. It all happened so fast that her mind reeled. Something cracked the left side of her head.

In the next instant, the car halted, ignition still running. Sitting upright, she stared at the shattered windshield.
This didn’t happen. It’s a nightmare. I didn’t crash the car
.

“Are you all right?” a small voice asked.

In slow motion, Marla turned her head. Miraculously, Brianna’s side of the car seemed perfectly intact. The teen didn’t have a single scratch and looked to be moving all body parts. Marla tested her limbs. “My head hit something,” she said, exploring her left temple. “Otherwise, I’m okay. How about you?”

“I’m fine.” Brianna’s lower lip trembled.

Faces, two men and a woman, appeared at their windows. Brianna recoiled, but Marla realized they were Good Samaritans coming to help. She fumbled for the window controls and remembered to unlock the car doors.

“Ma’am, are you all right?” said the younger man when she’d rolled down their windows.

“You might want to turn off the engine,” the woman added.

She twisted the key, but the ignition wouldn’t shut off. “I don’t know what’s wrong,” she said, frowning in puzzlement.

“Try putting the gearshift into park.”

“Oh.” She noticed the car had shifted into neutral on its own. No wonder she couldn’t kill the engine. Her mind must be blurrier than she’d realized. She pushed the knob into PARK and turned the ignition key. The engine went silent. Her gaze took in the cracked windshield and crumpled frame. How amazing that neither of them had been cut by shards of glass.

“I can’t believe this happened. It’s my fault; I should have looked more carefully before changing lanes. I didn’t see that car.” She spoke aloud to no one in particular.

“At least you didn’t hit anyone else,” said the second man.

“Thank God.” She pressed a shaking hand to her head in the spot where it throbbed. A goose-egg size lump met her touch.

“Did you know you rolled over?”

“What?”

“Your car went over, once or twice, I’m not sure. I was behind you, and I saw the whole thing. You flipped over down a ditch, hit a small tree, and that’s what stopped you.”

They must have crashed into it on her side, she realized, surveying the damage. Although the cabin was intact, her door was dented in, and the frame was mangled by her side of the windshield. Oh no. What would her mother say? How would she explain to Vail that his daughter had been in an accident?

“I called for help,” said the second man on the scene, holding up a cell phone. “Do you want to go to the hospital?”

“I guess I should. I hit my head. It needs to get checked out.” She knew enough about medical ailments to realize it could turn into something more than a bump, like an internal bleed. Marla shuddered, realizing less detectable injuries might be present. “Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked Brianna anxiously.

When the girl nodded, Marla gave a silent prayer of thanks. It could have been worse. They’d landed upright. The cabin interior stayed intact. There had been no water in the ditch. Most importantly, they were alive and mobile.

It could have been much worse.

Marla had enough presence of mind to remove her earrings and hand her purse to Brianna along with her cell phone. She still couldn’t conceive of the fact that they had been in an accident, much less wrecked the car. Her mother would be glad they could walk and talk, but Vail would go through the roof when Brianna called him.

Let’s hold on the walking part
, she told herself when a wave of dizziness struck. With gratitude, she gave herself up to the ministrations of rescue personnel, who stopped her when she attempted to rise.

“Don’t move, we’ll get you out,” said a uniformed medic. “You could end up being paralyzed if you’ve injured your spine.”

Marla didn’t think anything was wrong with her neck, because she’d twisted it to look at Brianna. Besides, the side of her head hurt, not her nape. Nonetheless, the possibility of paralysis loomed real enough that she obeyed the rescuer’s commands. He fastened a collar around her neck and, with the help of another man, lifted her onto a stretcher. Under the open sky, she had her first look at the ditch they’d rolled down. She hadn’t even seen it from the road. A red truck with flashing lights stood parked on the shoulder.

I was never unconscious
. That’s a good sign, she considered, reviewing her mental files on head injuries. On the other hand, her slightest movement made the world spin. She heard a medic questioning Brianna, who replied in a calm voice that she was unhurt.

“Your daughter can take whatever you want her to bring from the car. She’ll ride in the truck with us.”

Marla didn’t correct his assumption. She felt a surge of pride for the way Brianna was handling the situation.

“Here’s my business card,” said one of the bystanders, “in case you need a witness.” He handed it to Brianna.

Marla swallowed her thanks as the medics pushed her gurney up an incline. Images swirled as she bumped over mounds of grass. Closing her eyes against rising nausea, she kept them shut until they reached level road. Someone squeezed her hand. Cracking open her lids, she gave Brianna a wan smile.

While the girl headed for the passenger’s seat up front, the two medics slid Marla’s stretcher into the back of the rescue truck. One of them jumped in, fastened the door, and crouched beside her. He straightened her arm to check her blood pressure.

“I shouldn’t have eaten so much for breakfast,” she complained.

“I can feel the food sitting in my stomach.”

The mustached tech gave her a curious glance, as though he was assessing her cognitive abilities. “Don’t worry; it’s a short ride.” He scribbled some notes on a chart, then covered her with a blanket. A stethoscope dangled around his neck.

“Have you got any ice?” she asked, touching the lump on her head. You’d think he would know to apply ice to an injury to reduce swelling. It might help stop any further bleeding, too.

“Sure,” he agreed, offering her an ice bag.

She endured the ride in silence, stifling the queasiness in her stomach. This wasn’t really happening, she said to herself for the umpteenth time.
How can we have been in an accident? I should’ve looked more carefully. I would have seen that car
.

They arrived at the hospital. In a blur of action, she was wheeled into the emergency room and brought to a stop in front of the nurse’s station. After murmuring to the rescuers, a white-coated doctor hastened to her side.

“Hi, my name is Doctor Segal. I’m the emergency room physician. Does your neck hurt?” He probed around the stiff collar, examining her shoulders and neck.

“No, nothing hurts there. I hit the side of my head.”

“Okay, we’ll look at that in a minute.” Very carefully, he removed the collar while observing her reaction. “How does this feel?”

“Better.”

He tested her limbs, prodded her abdomen, and evaluated her neurological signs. So far so good. But when he raised the head of the stretcher to a slight angle, dots swam before her eyes.

She shut her lids against the overwhelming dizziness. “I can’t…I’m light-headed.”

Supporting her shoulders, the doctor lowered her into a flat position. “I’m going to order an X ray.” He walked away to confer with a handsome male nurse.

“Brie, are you here?”

“I’m sitting on a chair right behind you.”

“You’d better call your father. He won’t be so worried if he hears your voice. Use my cell phone.”

“I have to go outside. There’s a sign that you can’t use cellular phones in here.”

“Go ahead.” Her eyelids sank shut. She felt shaky and cold, no doubt from the shock. Her body trembled like a seedling in a storm.

“Ma’am?”

She opened her eyes to see a police officer bending over her.

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry to bother you, but if you feel all right, I have a few questions. Who is the owner of the car?”

“My mother. The registration is in her glove compartment.”

“Do you have automobile insurance?”

“Yes, with Allstate. The card is in my wallet. My health insurance cards are in there, too. Brianna has my purse.”

“She’s your daughter? Was she injured?”

“No, she’s not my daughter, and Brie says she’s all right. I’m dating her father, Detective Dalton Vail with the Palm Haven police force.”

His expression didn’t change. Cool blue eyes maintained their distance. “Can you describe the accident?”

Marla repeated the sequence of events. “I could swear I looked in the mirrors. That car wasn’t there. I checked my blind spot when I started to change lanes, and I saw a white car nearly on top of us. I swerved to avoid it and couldn’t regain control. It felt like my car was off-balance.”

“Were you wearing seat belts?”

“Yes.”

He thanked her and moved away to confer with the rescue personnel. Her ears picked up the words
phantom car
and
rollover
. She gritted her teeth, wondering how Brie was doing on the phone with her dad.

She watched the nurses bustling about the station until an orderly came to take her to the X-ray room. She submitted to the procedure, hoping the outcome would be favorable. Evidently she wasn’t deemed to be in serious enough condition to occupy a cubicle, because after the test she resumed her previous position in the hallway.
I hope it’s nothing more than a conk on the head
, she told herself.
If that’s the case, we’re very lucky. We could have been killed
. Her face blanched. She would have become the next hairstylist to meet with a fatal accident. Maybe it wasn’t an accident after all.

“I spoke to Daddy,” Brianna said, sidling up to her stretcher. The girl’s face looked pinched. “He’s on his way. The police officer talked to him.”

“Oh joy.” She anticipated his greeting with a flutter in her already queasy gut.

The doctor reappeared. “Your X ray is fine. You’ve had a mild concussion. You may have some residual dizziness or headaches, but I expect you’ll be okay. You need to rest at home for the next week or so, and I’ll prescribe some medicines.”

Marla’s heart sank. What would she tell her customers? How could she follow up on the trail with Goat? But then she rallied: Heck, she might not be able to raise her head, but she could talk with a clear mind. There was always the telephone until she got back on her feet.

Meanwhile, a more important urgency gripped her. How would she make it to the bathroom? Whenever she moved, her head spun and her stomach revolted. The nurse offered her two Antivert tablets so she could stabilize enough to stumble into the lavatory and do her business. When she was finished, she climbed gratefully back onto the stretcher and lay flat. She still wore the slacks and sweater she’d put on that morning. Slivers of glass stuck to the cashmere.
Briatina’s clothes must be messed up, too
, she thought idly. That was the least of their concerns.

Vail’s reaction was every bit as horrendous as she’d expected. He came charging into the emergency room looking like a bull in a fighting ring. When he spotted her supine position, his face crumbled. “Are you all right? Where’s Brianna?”

“Right here.” His daughter’s eyes flashed defiance. “Don’t be mad at Marla. I told her you gave me permission to come.”

“What?” His expression darkened. “I’ll have plenty of time later to deal with both of you. You could have been killed. What does the doctor say?”

“I have a mild concussion,” Marla said, reassured by his presence but not his words about “later.” “I should be okay in a week or two, not that I can afford the time off from work.”

“I notified your mother. She’s waiting to hear from me.”

Marla turned her face away, a motion that she immediately regretted as she shut her eyes momentarily against the spinning images. “I wrecked her car.”

“She doesn’t care about the car. She’s worried about you, and so am I. Brie, were you injured at all?”

Brianna shook her head, swishing her ponytail.

Marla gazed up at him. “She’s been wonderful. You should be proud of how she’s handled the whole thing.” She noticed his black suit and smelled his spice cologne. “Did you finish your workshop at the conference?”

He nodded, his face somber. “Let me talk to the doctor. If he releases you, I’ll take you home, but you can’t stay alone. You’ll have to come to my house or Anita’s.”

Marla didn’t protest. She couldn’t even get up, let alone care for herself. She’d never felt so helpless in her life.
You’re alive, and you didn’t break any bones. Be grateful. This, too, shall pass
.

Brianna held Marla’s hand while her father pursued the physician. “I’ll take of care you if you come to our house.”

Her offer brought moisture to Marla’s eyes. She squeezed the tears back, afraid that if she let one slip, a deluge would follow. “You go to school, and your Dad has to work. It’ll be better for me to go to Ma’s place. Someone will have to bring Spooks over.” A stray thought surfaced. “Jenny is still expecting us. Can you call to let her know we’re not coming?”

After Dalton and Brianna left to get the car, and Marla was left alone, a flood of worries inundated her. She pushed them aside, wanting only to get better. Right now, she was in no position to deal with anything else.

Their ride home was an uncomfortable ordeal, with Marla reclining in the backseat and feeling queasy. When they arrived at her mother’s house, Anita rushed out to greet them. Marla didn’t hear the words she exchanged with Vail, but he ended up wheeling her inside using a desk chair. She couldn’t stand without the floor rushing up to meet her on a collision course.

Reaching the guest bedroom, she rose to walk a few feet to the bed. That simple effort made the room spin crazily. She collapsed onto the twin bed and leaned over the side to vomit.

Under her mother’s tender care, she managed to achieve a level of comfort. One day stretched into several more until she could finally walk upright again. A neurologist examined her, confirming her diagnosis and reassuring her that her symptoms would clear with time.

“This is my punishment for bringing Brianna against her father’s wishes,” she told her mother late Thursday afternoon. She’d taken the week off from work, hoping to resume her duties next Tuesday. Muscle spasms in her neck caused headaches that still debilitated her. “I should have verified with Vail that Brianna could go. I just took her word for it.”

“You believed Brianna because you want her to like you,” Anita said. “If you had been in another car, the accident might not have happened. SUVs are known for their instability. Newer models have things like traction and stability control.” She arched her eyebrows. “I hope the insurance people will tell me my car is totaled, so I can get a new one. In the meantime, they’re providing a rental.”

“I’ll pay for anything the insurance doesn’t cover.”

“You just worry about getting stronger.”

“When I’m better, Dalton is going to be really angry.”

Anita patted her arm. “If it helps, your detective wants to call the witness for a report. He said something about you being cut off by another car.” She was interrupted by the doorbell. Jumping off the side of the bed where she’d been sitting, Anita fluffed her short white hair. “I’ll just see who that is.”

Marla wondered who could be dropping by. She’d already had visits by her salon staff, concerned friends and neighbors, and Vail, who’d come twice, along with Brianna. Anita, who hadn’t met his daughter before, seemed charmed by the child.

“Hi ya, doll,” said Roger from the bedroom doorway. His florid face broadened in a smile. Carrying an enormous arrangement of flowers, he entered without waiting for an invitation. “Barry is here, too. We’ve come to visit the invalid.” He put the vase on her mother’s vanity chest.

“Gee, thanks.” Although her legs still felt wobbly, she’d showered that morning and pulled on a pair of slacks and a blouse. Her face had minimal makeup, but that mattered less to her now than it might have last week.

Barry followed his father into the room. He must have come from work, she surmised, because he wore a collared shirt and tie. “I was hoping to see you again, although not under these circumstances,” he said, his blue eyes sweeping over her.

“Are you gonna be all right?” Roger asked. “Your mom is taking good care of you, but she’s liable to wear herself down.”

“I can stay by myself now. She doesn’t have to baby-sit me. I even made it into the kitchen today to fix myself a sandwich.” Yeah, and she’d been so winded, she had lain in bed ever since.

“Would you mind if I take Anita out to dinner? Barry will be happy to keep you company.”

His son grinned, as though delighted by the prospect. She couldn’t help smiling in response. It got boring lying here all day. Her head hurt enough that she couldn’t watch television, and she couldn’t concentrate to read. Although the doctor had given her muscle relaxants, she didn’t like to take pills.

Barry hadn’t entertained her for long before someone knocked at the door. It was Lieutenant Vail. His craggy face didn’t look pleased when he entered her room. She hadn’t heard their introductory remarks to each other in the hallway, but whatever Barry said must have disturbed Vail.