Chapter 24

• Narrated by Abel.
• I immediately called an old friend, Officer Smith, to find out if there had been any recent traffic accidents reported. He confirmed what I didn’t want to be true: Luciana, the taxi driver, and the truck driver had been taken to the hospital downtown. The journey felt like an eternity. When I arrived, I ran towards the emergency room door, asked a nurse if I could see her. She led me in; my chest tightened at the sight of her head wrapped in bandages, as well as her arm and leg. The doctor came in and told me she had a concussion, a twisted wrist, a fractured ankle, and some broken ribs, but she was lucky to be alive. He informed me that the truck driver was pronounced dead upon arrival, as was the taxi driver; Luciana was the only one who survived the accident.
• I held her hand all night, but she didn’t wake up. When the doctor made his rounds in the morning, he told me her vital signs looked good and to have faith. Then Ericka arrived.