Christmas Crash

Christmas Crash

I cried and I knew that this was on me. I know that life is precious and I know that you get one chance at it. I know that you only get one chance to make memories. I felt responsible and I felt as I was drowning deeper and deeper by the second and by the minute. I had been in that hospital many times but the remembrance of Jimmy filled my dark brown eyes with tears. I remember driving through the cold winter as I suddenly felt a stop and my life felt as if it was over.

The white snow covered, icy ground, and bare trees gave me the chills as my dad was driving down the cold and slippery road in New York City. Millions of cars were packed onto the big road in which was next to Macy's. People were running into stores and running through traffic so that they would be able to have the best Christmas ever. Carolers were ringing doorbells and entertaining all of those who had the spirit to answer their door. The aroma of freshly made cookies warmed the air along with my body in which was numb since the weather outside was at least 8 degrees below 0.

All I could hear was the sound of “Jingle bell, Jingle bell, Jingle bell rock,” which was being operated by all of the festive citizens in New York City.

All of this cheer had made me want to pull out my shiny black hair. Now I had thought twice about this action, especially because I had just just gotten bright, vibrant, blue streaks in my hair. My mom was sitting in the front seat of our black mini-van while I was slouched in the back with all of our gifts for family members that we would see in two hours after we got out of this dreadful traffic.

So far my Christmas had gone from my parents forgetting my gift to my parents giving me one of their old telescopes. What would I do with a telescope? All I had asked for was some new clothes but parents didn’t know that because they hardly know me. They are always at work and always out of the house on business trips.

My dad looked over his right shoulder slowly twisting his back, stiff from all the hard work this holiday season. He carried and loaded all the gifts into the car and I knew by the look of them that there were a few heavier than me. His face finally straightened looking at me in the back seat of our car. He opened his mouth wide his eyebrows rising and spoke telling me “Mary, don’t wrinkle those clothes back their, your cousin will be mad.”

As we were driving slowly with occasional moments where the cars ahead of us moved we moved too. But the traffic wasn't going to go away. Finally when the cars began to slowly speed quicker my dad turned the wheel and took off like a rocket ship ready for blast off. A deer dashed across the highway followed with another slightly bigger. My dad tried to hit the brakes, turned the wheel, spun it and spun it but it was hopeless. The dear smashed on our front window shield, my face frozen as if I had been watching a horror movie.

My head banged against the back of the seat as I heard my mom holler, “Marry, are you okay?”

My response was a slight nod as I heard our car bang into another car as they were speeding. Our car had perched sideways on the white, fluffy, cold snow. I had then realized that my life flashed before my eyes.

“Mom, Dad,” I cried but to my luck I received a cold shoulder and no one had given me a response.

My mind was filled with the worst possible thoughts and my head had been throbbing from when it had banged against the back seat. The windows were shattered like when I broke a clear glass kitchen plate after taking it out of the dishwasher. As all of this commotion happened I didn't even realize my bruised arm that had been leaning up against my left thigh. My arm had without a doubt either been sprained or fractured. Having to come up with a way to get help I then called my mom and dad once more but no answer.

“Mom, Dad,” I hollered again and again until I finally got the idea into my head that no one was responding.

Finally I got the idea to grab my mom and dad’s phone so I could call someone. I had no idea who to call so I had then realized there would be no purpose in going through the trouble of climbing into the front seat of a slanted, crowded, present filled car. So I sat there and just waited. The silence of our family gave me the sense I had finally gotten my parents to shut up about how much I was on my phone.

To my surprise I then heard the alarms of the ambulance and the police sirens as I was starting to slowly get out of our slanted, black, scratched up mini-van. Who had called for help? It wasn’t me. It wasn’t my mom. It wasn’t my dad. My mom then started to stretch after hearing the awaking alarms but my dad was as still as a rock.

The nurses soon jumped out of the ambulance and came over to our car to help everyone out and to make sure everyone was okay. To my luck I was able to sit off to the side and I did not need to go in the back of the ambulance. I was able to sit in the front seat with one of the medics because I was not hurt extremely bad. Of course when we got to the hospital I would have to get an X-ray taken but until then I was okay.

My heart was beating and my face was bright red. I was shaking and my nails were slowly getting smaller at the second. My mom says it is disgusting but I just can’t help myself, I bite my nails when I am nervous or scared. Lately, I have even been biting my nails when I feel guilty about something. I didn't even know what I was feeling I was just scared. As soon as we arrived at the hospital I was slowly starting to worry even more. As I had walked down the hallway with a nurse named Lauren I saw holiday cards thrown in the garbage by those who had given up on ever getting out of this gray hospital. Their faces looked as if they had just seen a ghost.

“Hi, my name is Lauren and I will be helping you get around for the next week. If you have any questions or concerns feel free to ask. I hope you enjoy how hard we work trying to make the holidays great. Please remember no visitors from 9 am.-6 pm.” exclaimed Lauren in the kindest possible way.

“Hi, Im Mary,” I whispered not really sure what she was talking about.

When we were walking by my parent’s room I saw that my dad had a cast on his right leg and his right wrist. According to all of those who I had spoken to I was very lucky to only have sprained my left arm which only hurt if I held something heavy. There was no cast or wrapping which was very good. All of the nurses had told me numerous times that my parents had been lucky to survive and I should be thankful for the blessing of Christmas day. My mom on the other hand had thought