A Twist of Fate (6 page)

The driver
rushed back to Mike and I, talking to the paramedic on my phone.
“Help me get him onto his back, he’s not breathing” I commanded. He
shoved the phone into his mouth so his hands were free and he
helped me lower Mike onto the hard, wet road. Instinctively I
started pumping his chest. C’mon Mike... C’mon... I kept pumping as
I felt his ribs crack beneath my palms. Mike was probably in his
late twenties or early thirties and, if not battered and barely
hanging onto life, would have been an attractive man. He looked
athletic, not the kind of body that worked out, more like the kind
of body who played sport. He had broad shoulders and was around
5’11”. He had ash blond hair which waved and kinked at the back and
was now matted with blood. His body, which would have otherwise
been strong and agile, lay motionless except for the recoil to my
compressions. A small but definite cough came from Mike’s throat so
I stopped pumping so I could listen. His breathing was shallow but
present so I rolled him onto his side. I scanned the rest of his
body and noticed blood was pouring out of his upper thigh. I had
nothing to staunch the flow but my own clothing so I pulled off my
t-shirt and improvised a tourniquet. My hand pressed down firmly
above the wound.

I could hear
the sirens getting closer. My hands were covered in blood and I was
sitting in the middle of the road in my bra. It felt so surreal.
The driver had been pacing beside me. “Are you ok? You hurt?” I
questioned without removing my hands from Mike’s leg.

“I don’t know,
I think my arm is broken, I don’t know.” He was clearly in
shock.

“What’s your
name?” I asked him, looking up at him from my uncomfortable
position on the ground.

“Jackson” he
uttered quietly.

“It’s going to
be okay Jackson, they are close” I said, gesturing with my head to
the now visible flashing lights.

The paramedics
took over, their years of experience and training obvious as they
asked me a barrage of questions while tending to Mike. I answered
as best I could “No I wasn’t hurt.” - “No I did not know the driver
or the passenger.” - “His name is Mike.”- “I don’t know how old he
is.” -“His leg is bleeding.”- “I had to perform CPR.”- “No I can’t
remember how long he was not breathing for.”

Everything
seemed to moving in slow motion. They hooked Mike up to different
machines, finally satisfied that he was stable enough to move onto
a stretcher. His head was strapped onto a board and an oxygen mask
covered most of his face. Jackson was being treated for a broken
arm and suspected broken ribs by another paramedic.

“Ma’am, we have
got to move him to the Alfred hospital, are you able to follow us
in your car to assist with any queries the hospital may have?” I
nodded my head and turned to face my car. They had already loaded
both Mike and Jackson into the ambulance when I reached my driver’s
side door. I looked at my blood stained hands and chest. My white
cotton bra had now become a rusty brown colour. I pulled my jacket
from my back seat and zipped it up. I slumped back into my seat and
drove. As if on autopilot, my car found its way to the emergency
department door of the Alfred hospital.

~~~~~~

The police had
arrived at the hospital and had wanted my statement, so I gave it
to them as best I could. I didn’t really know anything. I asked if
Jackson and Mike were ok but no one seemed to have any answers.
Someone asked me if it was ok to take a blood screening for HIV and
Hepatitis as I had been exposed to someone else’s blood. I nodded
silently, not really understanding what they were saying.

“Lexi is it?” a
tall blonde nurse asked. I read her name badge: GRACE. “I
understand you have been asking about the two gentlemen that were
involved in the collision. Unfortunately we can’t divulge any
personal information about their condition, except to their next of
kin. I can tell you though that what you did was an amazing thing;
you saved that young man’s life - without a doubt” She took a
breath before continuing “Jackson, the driver, would like to see
you if you are willing to speak with him?”

“Of course I’ll
talk to him.” I replied and I followed her into a curtained off
area.

“Hi.” Jackson
croaked, his voice horse. I studied him carefully. He was a little
shorter than Mike but looked roughly the same age. He too looked
athletic but seemed like he took a bit more care in his appearance.
He had definitely seen the inside of a gym. His hair was so closely
cropped to his head that it appeared he had no hair at all. His
vibe was strangely sexy and yet innocent at the same time. His
clear, light grey eyes were clouded with fear and turmoil.

“Hi, I’m
Lexi... I don’t think we’ve properly met” I touched his hand gently
not entirely sure what the correct procedure was for our
re-introduction but feeling the need to comfort him.

“Lexi, what you
did... you saved Mike’s life...” His voice trailed off, his eyes
filling with emotion.

“Hey, it’s
ok...” I said a little uncomfortably “Anyone would have done it.
You’re both ok and that’s the main thing” He eyed me for a second
as if to consider whether to offer any more information.

“Can I use your
phone again... there is a call I need to make” I didn’t even pause
before offering it.

“Of course,
here it is” I handed him my iPhone and watched him dial. “Would you
like me to step outside to give you a minute?” I asked.

“No! Please
stay” he pleaded “I just don’t want to be alone right now” he said,
fear evident in his eyes. Who the hell was he going to call and why
were they making him this nervous? He held the phone to his ear and
waited.

“Hey it’s
Jackson.” He paused to listen to the person on the other end. “I
need to talk to James.” I could hear the incredulity in the raised
voice answering him, but not the words. “Yes, I know what time it
is and that he has a show tonight but this is important so you are
going to have to wake him up.” Jackson eyed me as I started to
piece together his riddle. “James, I’m sorry man, I really am...
it’s Mike, we were in an accident. You need to get to the hospital
man...no he’s alive...he’s in surgery now. I’m ok a bit banged up
but nothing compared to Mike... You need to get here man... He
stopped breathing but this girl saved his life... The Alfred...
ok... see you soon.” He disconnected the call and handed me the
phone silently.

“Jackson, who
were you talking to?” I asked cautiously. Jackson faced me and his
eyes spelt out what his mouth was saying.

“James Bowden,
Mike’s his baby brother.”

News had spread
quickly that Mike Bowden, the younger brother of James Bowden,
leader singer of Power Station had been involved in a massive car
accident. James and his entourage had entered the main doors of the
emergency department and security was trying to keep press and fans
out. Mike was still in surgery and Jackson, who had minor injuries,
was being transferred to a ward.

My head had
still been spinning with the information overload I had just
received. Jackson didn’t want to let go of my hand, the fear for
his friend evident in his eyes.

“Time to go
Jackson” Nurse Grace said curtly as she re-entered the room.

“Is it ok if
Lexi comes too?” Jackson pleaded, not bothering to check if this
suited me.

“Yes, that’s
fine... we need to move you now though.” and with that, she wheeled
him out of Emergency into the waiting elevator.

I felt my phone
vibrate in my pocket. I checked my caller ID to see it was Matt
calling me. I let it go to voice mail; I didn’t want to upset Nurse
Grace any further. I felt it buzz again, this time a text.

- R U OK??? CALL
ME

It had been so
long since someone had worried about me, it was touching. I
discreetly messaged back as we walked out of the elevator and into
the hallway.

- I’m fine! Met up
with an old friend.... we’re “catching up”

I lied... it
was easier than telling the truth and I knew that Matt wouldn’t
question me further.

Nurse Grace got
Jackson settled into a private room, Jackson letting go of my hand
only when forced too as his IV was adjusted.

“Jackson, I
should probably go. You are ok now... You should really get some
rest.” I used my most soothing tone of voice as I tried to free my
hand from his vice-like grip. He shook his head, but I could see
that the effects of the pain medication and sedatives were slowly
taking over and he was losing control of his will to stay awake. I
patiently waited until his eyes were shut before placing his now
relaxed hand on the bed.

“Are you Lexi?”
a foreign voice asked from the doorway. I KNEW that voice, it had
sung to me (or so I liked to imagine) so many times before and here
it was calling my name, like some strange dream.

My voice nodded
a little as I responded, “I am” not entirely sure what the protocol
was when you were having an impromptu conversation with one of your
idols.

“I’m James. I
would like to speak to you if I can have few moments of your time.”
Seriously? Did James Bowden just ask me for a few moments of MY
time?? How tired was I?? Perhaps I’d started hallucinating.

“Sure” I
mumbled and followed as he left the room.

He led me into
the ICU waiting room. It was empty except for his security and with
a nod of his head, they left too. He slumped into a tired looking
hospital couch and motioned for me to sit. I perched nervously
opposite him on one of the most uncomfortable arm chairs I’ve ever
had the misfortune of sitting in. He said nothing for a minute, he
just stared at me. He held his head in his hands, his eyes blood
shot from lack of sleep or excessive worry (possibly both) his
mouth trembled as he attempted to speak. I had been mistaken, this
was not the James Bowden I had seen on stage, this was a man who
was faced with a crisis and was in fear for the life of his younger
brother.

I got up and
walked over to the Coke machine. He studied me curiously as I moved
around the room. I fumbled with change and the machine spat out two
icy cold Cokes. I handed him a can and sat beside him. “Drink” I
commanded.

His eyes
searched mine for answers “Drink. When you go into shock your
insulin drops. Trust me, you’ll feel better.” I cracked open mine
and took a sip. As if given permission, he did the same, savouring
the mouthful.

I took a deep
breath, breaking the silence. “I know you must have a lot of
questions, but I really don’t have a lot of answers... I’m sorry,
but I will answer what I can.”

His eyes were
tormented “You’re covered in blood, is it Mike’s?” he finally
asked. I looked down at my blood splattered clothes, my jacket
gaped open at the top to reveal my blood stained bra. I became self
conscious about the fact I wasn’t wearing a shirt.

“Yes, he had a
deep cut to his thigh. I used my t-shirt to stop the bleeding” It
partly explained the blood and more importantly let him know that I
wasn’t some lunatic who chose to drive around in a bra at 4 in the
morning.

“What you did
for him... what you did... saved his life.” The words jutted from
his throat hoarsely. “I don’t know how to thank you. I don’t know
what to say... I want to thank you… I’ll give you anything you
want, just ask... I am just so grateful.” His eyes brimmed with
tears.

“Hey, it’s
okay.” I put my hand on his leg in reassurance, “I was just glad I
could help, it’s been a while since I did first aid... I’m just
glad I was there” He moved his arms around me and pulled me into an
embrace. I silently absorbed the moment, fatigue washing over me as
I smelt the rustiness of the blood emanating from my skin. “Have
you seen him, is he out of surgery yet?” I asked as I pulled
away.

“Yeah, he
sustained a deep cut to his femoral artery, they have repaired it
to stop the bleeding. He has concussion but the air bag saved his
head so there’s no swelling in the brain. He has some broken ribs,
and a break to his collar bone and his arm but he’ll live. They
have him sedated in ICU for now” James indicated toward the door.
“I was serious when I said I would give you anything” he whispered
“I have...” he paused “...a lot of money” he hesitated.

“I know who you
are James. In fact... I’m actually a fan.” I smiled “I don’t want
anything, I don’t need anything. Beside, you are just a guy whose
brother was injured in a car accident. We are just having a normal
conversation... I’m not going to try and take advantage of the
situation.” I wanted him to believe me.

“Why?” He
looked at me confused.

“Because that
isn’t the sort of person I am,” I continued “I didn’t know Mike was
your brother when I pulled him out the car, so it makes no
difference now.”

He looked at
me, pleading. “Surely there is something you want, something I can
give you?”

“I want a
shower, some clean clothes and a bed... Not necessarily in that
order.” I sighed, running my hands through my hair. Until that
exact moment, I hadn’t realised how exhausted I really was.

“I can give you
my shirt,” he smiled.

“Ahh... thanks
but no... I don’t want to be responsible for the riot that’s caused
when you walk out of here shirtless.” I was almost too tired to
grin at the thought.

“Oh yeah...
them” he breathed, knowing there were hordes of screaming fans
waiting outside for when he finally made his exit. I felt a bit
sorry for him; he seemed so embarrassed about the attention.

“You can’t help
the way people react to you, especially women... Don’t beat
yourself up.” I tried to comfort him.

“Obviously not
all women.” He eyed me curiously.