Comedy or Tragedy-Part 2

I don't like waiting, but I had no other choice. I peeled potatoes, put chicken in the oven, and prayed. I was pretty sure Hilary would be ok, or surely she would have said something on the phone to her dad.

The phone rings again. Michael's voice sounds eerily strange, as if something has changed. "Well, it wasn't Hilary in the accident. It was Elisabeth. Apparently, Brian (her friend) got here before I did. He took her to the hospital....so you may want to go over there." He didn't have anymore information than that. I hung up the phone and immediately tried calling my mother-in-law.

"Hey, just checking to see if you were finished with your appointment or what was going on?" I tried to sound calm. She answered that she was already finished and driving back. What???? You are driving? Why would you answer the phone while driving? It's not wise at my age, but at 82 it most certainly is NOT a good idea to multitask when operating a motor vehicle. That isn't what I told her, but I quickly got off the phone. What-to-do, what-to-do.

I decided to phone Brian to see how Elisabeth was doing. I wanted to know that my mother-in-law had made it safely home before I ran out. But I didn't have Brian's number. My phone rings. It is Hilary. "Mom, what is going on? Brian just called me because he didn't have your number. He's on his way to the hospital to see Elisabeth." Things are not making sense to me.

"Hilary, I thought Brian was with Elisabeth."

"No, they took her by ambulance."

"Okay, give me Brian's phone number."

Sheesh! How did this get so complicated? I called Brian. He was at the hospital, but they wouldn't allow him back yet because they were checking her vitals. He said when he got to the scene of the accident, the paramedics had Elisabeth on a stretcher and were loading her into the ambulance. He said she was crying, but talking, so he thought she was ok but was in a lot of pain.

Alright, that did it. I couldn't wait any longer. I needed to see Elisabeth. I call Michael back. "Did you know Elisabeth went by ambulance? Was her car towed yet? Are you on your way to the hospital?"

It was then that Michael explained his situation. As he'd neared the accident, he was looking for Hilary's car. But he didn't see it. Instead He saw a crunched blue car. It was then that he realized it was Elisabeth's car. It dawned on him that it was Elisabeth who'd phoned him, not Hilary. Mistaken identity. While taking in the scope of the situation, he missed seeing the truck parked in the middle of the street up ahead. He swerved, but clipped the corner of the truck. The same truck that had hit Elisabeth. The same driver that had made a left turn, slamming into the side of Elisabeth's car as she went through the intersection. The truck that pushed her car into a pole, smashing in the back of it. Michael had to wait longer at the site of the accident so the police officer could write him a ticket. That cinched it for me. I couldn't take any more drama. I needed to know if Elisabeth was okay.

Since it was snowing and I had no idea how long I'd be at the hospital, I decided against taking my car. It does not do well on slick roads. The last thing I wanted to do was rush down the hospital and get into an accident. (My dad warned me of this sort of thing a long time ago, as he'd seen it happen too many times when he worked for the highway patrol-just the thing that Michael had just experienced.) I grabbed the keys for the suburban as it has 4-wheel drive. I was torn. I was concerned about my mother-in-law getting home safely, but felt I needed to get to the hospital. My decision was made for me when I tried to start the car. Nothing. The battery was completely dead. Guess I would be staying put for a little longer.

This is Elisabeth's beloved car before the accident:


This is her car after: