Goodbye, Mr. Regret

Herbert caught Jessica in his arms just in time.

Her skin was icy cold, her face ghostly pale, and sweat beaded on her forehead.

She'd started vomiting a reaction to the sight of all that blood.

Moving quickly, Herbert laid her gently on the ground, then lifted her legs at a forty-five-degree angle, supporting her ankles in his hands.

A few minutes later, Jessica's eyes fluttered open, but she was so weak she could barely move.

Herbert lowered her legs and helped her sit up against the wall. Jessica tried to glance toward Timothy, but Herbert swiftly covered her eyes with his hand. "Don't look," he said softly. "You faint at the sight of blood. If you go into shock, it could be dangerous."

Just then, the distant wail of the ambulance siren reached Jessica's ears, and the tension in her chest eased a little.

"Okay," she whispered, "I won't look."

In what felt like no time at all, the ambulance arrived. Paramedics rushed Timothy onto a stretcher, and Herbert scooped Jessica up and climbed in after them.

He asked the medics for an ice pack and pressed it to Jessica's forehead, shielding her from the sight of Timothy's wound, blocking her view with his own body.

On the other side of the ambulance, paramedics scrambled to save Timothy.

"Heart rate dropping!"

"Quick, stop the bleeding!"

A medic turned to them. "Family member-what's his blood type?"

Jessica managed a weak reply: "O."

"Start a transfusion, now!"

heart rate's still

heart thudded erratically as she listened to

mind felt foggy and

move-I want

but there was worry in his eyes. “Don't blame me for being harsh. You really can't look, or

to

been in a car accident, he was chasing after her- Vince had told her. Her heart ached at the memory, but

his back had been

had them. Why else

beam had struck Timothy's head, splitting

a tremendous force could have

tightened

was a divorce. To leave him. To

hope for her life again,

dredge up old wounds, not to

peace. A simple life that belonged to

things ended up like

was scarred to the

was

wasn't the ending she

hands. "Save him. Please; save him. I can't

it, please, tell

to do whatever it takes.