They woke up early the next morning with the sun streaming across the bed.
"Good morning," Amanda said as she reached over and brushed JC's hair out of his face.
"Hi," he replied. His nose wrinkled. He put his hand over his mouth just before he let out a huge sneeze. He looked at Amanda in surprise.
"Well, that's a heck of a greeting," she said with a sarcastic smile. He sneezed again. "Are you feeling ok," she asked with concern.
"Yeah," he replied. His voice sounded a bit stuffy. "I'll be fine, there must be something in the air," he said out loud as he got out of bed.
After bowls of cereal for breakfast, the couple headed out to the beach. They only spent an hour on the beach, cutting the morning short because JC started feeling worse and worse, and headed to the house to shower and pack for the drive back to Orlando.
"How does the Turnpike look," Amanda called out to JC while she packed her suitcase.
"It's Florida, you know the standard weather forecast," he called back with a laugh. "But to answer your question, right now the route looks clear, but when we're actually there will be a different story."
Amanda hoped any rain for the day would hold out till they were home; she hated driving in the rain, especially during Florida summers. She let out a loud sigh as she closed and zipped her suitcase. She looked around the room for signs she had left something, then she lifted the bag off the bed and rolled it behind her as she left the room. She entered the living room. JC was sitting on the couch with his back to her, watching the weather channel. "How are you feeling," she asked as she planted a kiss on his forehead.
"Eh, I'll live," he replied as he turned off the TV and picked up the duffel bag at his feet. They did a quick walk through of the house and then walked outside, locking the door behind them.
As they drove, they talked and sang with the radio. It was a beautiful Florida day. The sun was shining but in the distance, the clouds started to become thick and dark.
An hour into their drive, a few raindrops appeared on the windshield of the car. The drops soon came faster and harder and Amanda reduced the speed of the car. The driving conditions deteriorated rapidly and soon Amanda was barely able to see the lights of the car in front of her. She turned her hazard lights on in hopes the person behind her would find them easier to spot than her running lights. She searched the side of the road for the next exit or rest area. Driving was becoming too difficult and hazard for her tastes.
Just as she noticed an exit sign, the car in front of her came to a sudden stop. Amanda reacted quickly and was able to stop inches from the bumper in front of her. Suddenly, there was a loud jarring jolt from behind and before Amanda could react, she was pushed into the car in front of her. The impact was hard, enough so the airbags deployed.
As she shook her head in shock, Amanda heard more screeching tires and other cars colliding around her. She took inventory of herself. Her left shoulder hurt from being thrown against the shoulder harness of her seat belt. Her left knee was also painful. She surveyed the damage. The impact between her car and the car in front was significant. She could barely see over the hood. She could also tell she was a few inches closer to the steering wheel and the gas and brake pedals seemed closer. The door was also bent and rain was slowly seeping into the car.
She gently moved her head. Nothing felt out of place, but she also knew some neck injuries wouldn't present themselves for twenty-four hours and others couldn't be found without the assistance of x-rays. All in all, she felt she had come through the accident ok.
"I guess you won't have to be paying for my car now, huh, JC," she said as she turned to look at him. Her eyes widened in alarm. He appeared to be unconscious, his head draped to his right. "JC," she said loudly as she shook him hard. His head rolled to face her. She drew in a sharp breath. His lips were tinged in blue.
She felt panic rise in her throat. "JC," she screamed as she shook him harder. He did not respond. She drew in a deep breath and tried to open her door, it wouldn't budge. She threw her shoulder into the door. It gave a bit. She quickly unfastened her seat belt and turned so her feet were towards the door and started kicking. On the fifth or sixth kick, the door finally opened. With one last thrust, the door opened wide enough to allow her out of the car. She ran around the front of her car and grabbed at the handle of the passenger door. She pulled once, it didn't move. She tried a second time and it budged slightly. On the third attempt, she put all her weight into it and the door suddenly swung open. The force of the freely swinging door knocked her off balance and her right foot slipped out from under her. Her left leg twisted and she crumpled to the ground. She quickly scrambled to stand up and rushed over to JC’s lifeless body.
She checked him again and found he still wasn't breathing. Undoing his seat belt, she pulled him from the car and laid him flat on his back on the roadway. She kneeled over him, ignoring the pain now coursing through her left leg. "JC! Wake up," she commanded as she tilted his head back to open his airway. She put her cheek to his mouth and did not feel any air move. She pinched his nose and gave him two quick breaths, watching his chest rise and fall as she did. She listened again. He still wasn't breathing. She placed two fingers on his neck and felt for a pulse. She felt in several places on both sides of his neck. She didn't find a pulse. She quickly checked his wrist. Again, no pulse. She gave two more quick breaths before finding the base of his breastbone with her left hand. Measuring up two finger widths with her right hand, she placed her left hand on his chest, and put the right on top of it. She compressed his chest five times and gave a breath. She repeated the process for a full minute. She felt for a pulse. None.
"Dammit JC, you are not going to do this to me," she said as she compressed his chest five more times. She gave him a breath. "I will not lose you this way," she said through the compressions. She gave another breath. "You can not die this way." Compressions. Breath. "You are supposed to live…" Compressions. Breath. "…For seventy more years…" Compressions. Breath. “…You can not do this to me…" Compressions. Breath. "What about your mom and dad…" Compressions. Breath. "…Heather, Tyler, Lance, Joey, Chris…" Compressions. Breath. "Justin, Lynn, Kelly, Brianna, Phyllis…" Compressions. Breath. "…Joey, Sr., Gentian, Steve, Nicholas, Jenine…" Compressions. Breath. "Diane, Stacey, Ford, Jim, Randall…" Compressions. Breath. "…Beverly, all of Chris' sisters who I can't name…" Compressions. Breath. "…All the music you still have to make…" Compressions. Breath. "…All the groups you've worked with…" Compressions. Breath. "… You can not leave us like this…" Compressions. Breath. “…You can not leave me like this…” Compressions. Breath. “…I love you too much…” Compressions. Breath.
She was near sobs. It continued to rain hard. They were both drenched. Her hair dripped on his face as she put her hand to his throat. She withdrew it quickly and placed it over her mouth as her sobs overcame her.
