Cemetery Tours (30 page)

January 6 of That Year

Gavin Avery was content.  

No, he was more than content.
  It was a gray winter day and with a rare layer of fresh snow on the ground outside his apartment, a fire crackling in the fireplace, and a beautiful girl in his arms, he had to admit he had it pretty damn good.

“You know what sounds really yummy right now?” Tiffany Stanford asked, nuzzling his neck.
  Gavin could think of several responses, none of them very appropriate, but the last time he’d made a dirty joke, it had ended up as Tiffany’s Facebook status.  It might not have been as embarrassing if she hadn’t tagged him in it, but what was done was done.

“What’s that?” he asked.

“Eggnog,” she sighed and wrapped her arms around him.

“That
does
sound good,” Gavin said with a huge stretch.  “Too bad I haven’t been to the store this week.”  Even if he had, he wouldn’t have picked up eggnog.  Not that he had anything against eggnog.  But given the choice, he’d almost always pick something else.    

“We could go right now,” Tiffany suggested.

“Uh...” Gavin glanced out the window.  It was snowing again.  Although he was fairly certain he could handle driving to the grocery store at the end of his street, there was a reason all of the businesses were closed that day.  Most Texans were bad enough drivers without the threat of ice on the road.  Snow made the streets of Dallas downright hazardous.  “Sorry, Hon, but I don’t feel like risking my life for a cup of eggnog.”

“Gavin, there is a Wal-Mart at the other end of the block.”

“Yeah, and there are lunatics out there who think they know how to drive in snow.”

“So does that mean we’re canceling on Kate and Trevor tonight?”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Gavin replied, though he didn’t want to.  They were supposed to meet his sister and her new fiancé at Olive Garden that evening for a belated New Years/engagement celebration.  Although Gavin thought she was a little young to be engaged, he had to admit that he was happy for Kate.  Trevor was a good guy, and anyone with eyes could see how much they loved each other.  

Kate had met Trevor during her senior year of college.
  He was the friend of another friend’s boyfriend, and they had actually been trying to set him up with someone else.  One look at Kate, however, and Trevor never looked away.  

Their parents weren’t quite as enthusiastic about the relationship.
  They thought Trevor, who was twenty-five at the time, was too old for their daughter.  And they didn’t think much of his occupation as a part-time construction worker, part-time college student.  But Trevor was determined to make something of himself.  Within a year of meeting Kate, he had spent a semester at the University of Texas at Dallas, studying to become an engineer.  Their parents had warmed up to him a little, but recently, in the midst of their divorce filings, they’d both been pretty distant.  Gavin guessed that needed to change, considering Trevor was about to become their son-in-law.

“Well, since we’re going to spend the evening in, why don’t you go open a bottle of wine while I change into something sexy?” Tiffany grinned.

“But you didn’t bring any other clothes.”

“I know,” she winked.
 
That
Gavin understood. 

~*~

Hours later, the persistent ringing of Gavin’s cell phone stirred him from a wine-induced slumber.  He opened his eyes and looked around the living room, trying to remember what had happened before he fell asleep.  A quick glance at the brunette lying across his chest answered all his hazy questions.  

It was worth it
, he decided, despite the pounding headache that plagued him every time he drank too much red wine.  

His phone rang again.
  Who the hell was calling him?  He was pretty sure most of his friends were spending the day inside, warm, maybe even the way he was spending it.  Who would want to be out on a night like this?  Unless...

Oh, God
.  He’d forgotten to call Kate and Trevor to tell them that he and Tiffany were opting out of dinner.  Man, Kate was gonna be pissed.  

Miraculously, he managed to slip off the couch without waking his girlfriend.
  He stumbled hastily into the kitchen, where he’d left his phone, and answered without checking to see who was calling.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I fell asleep.
  Please don’t be mad,” he mumbled.  

“Gavin?” his mother whimpered.
  It sounded like she was crying.

“Mom?” Gavin asked, instantly sobered by the sound of her tears.
  “Mom, what’s the matter?”

“It’s K-Kate...”  S
he was crying so hard, she could barely get the words out.  “She was in an accident.”  

In that moment, time stood still.
  Suddenly, it felt like everything in Gavin’s body was shutting down, as though it had somehow forgotten how to exist.  He couldn’t tell one sense from another.  He was numb and in excruciating pain and for a few seconds, he was certain he was going to throw up.  He took a few deep breaths and waited for the world to set itself right.  A few seconds ago, everything was fine.  If he could just figure out how to go back to that moment, then maybe this one wouldn’t have to happen.  

And then, just like that, he found his voice again.
 

“What happened?
  Is she okay?”

“I don’t know.
  They won’t tell us anything,” Terri sobbed.  “I’m so scared, Gavin...”

“Mom, where are you?
  Is Dad with you?”  But his mother didn’t answer.  A few seconds later, his father’s voice was on the line.

“Hello?”

“Dad?  What’s happening?  Where are you?” 

“
Medical City Plano.”  His father wasn’t crying, but he was clearly shaken.  

“Okay, I’ll be right there,” Gavin assured him.
  He’d begun to tremble.  He needed to get to the hospital.  He needed to know that Kate was going to be okay. 

“Gavin,” his father implored.
  “Please be careful out there, son.”  

As soon as he hung up the phone, Gavin dashed into his room and threw on a ratty pair of jeans and the first T-shirt he found lying around.
  Then, he grabbed his phone, keys, wallet, and a jacket and was almost out the door before a sleepy voice from the couch asked him what was going on.

Tiffany.
  He’d completely forgotten she was there.

“I have to get to the hospital,” he announced hastily.
  “Kate was in an accident.”

“Oh my God, is she okay?” Tiffany asked.

“I don’t know.  I just have to get there.”

“Wait, Gavin!
  What about the roads?”

“I don’t
care
about the roads, Tiffany!  My sister might be dying!  I need to be at that hospital!”  Tiffany paled and her blue eyes widened.  Gavin was stunned himself.  He had never yelled at a woman before in his life.  But that didn’t matter now.  All that mattered was getting to the hospital to be with his family.  “Look, I’m sorry.  You can stay here.  I just need to go.”

“But, Gavin, - ”
 

He was out the door before she could finish.

~*~

He arrived at the hospital ten minutes and two run red lights later.
  One of them had probably caught him on camera, but he didn’t care.  He rushed into the hospital and was pointed in the direction of the trauma ICU waiting room.  

There, he found his distraught parents waiting with two people he’d never met before.
  They introduced themselves as Ted and Arlene Hanson, Trevor’s parents.  

As soon as she saw him, Terri Avery threw herself into her son’s arms and wept.
  Gavin held her, smoothed her hair, and tried his hardest not to break down himself.

“What happened?” he asked.

“We got the call about an hour ago,” Rex told him.  “Kate and Trevor hit a patch of black ice and ran head on into a tree.  Thankfully, someone witnessed it and called the paramedics, but we don’t know how... how bad it is.”  In other words, they didn’t know if either of them was going to survive.  

An hour ago... that would have been the time he was supposed to meet them for dinn
er.  And he’d never called to tell them that he didn’t want to risk driving in the ice and snow...

This time, Gavin knew he was going to be sick.
  Letting go of his mother, he ran across the hall to the men’s room and threw up.  His dad appeared a few moments later.  Gavin retched again.  When he finished, he wiped his mouth and his father grabbed him and crushed him against his chest.  

“It’s going to be okay, son,” he muttered as Gavin finally broke down.
 

“It’s my fault...” he whispered, his voice quivering.
 

“What?”

“It’s my fault!” Gavin cried, shoving away from his father.  “Tiffany and I were supposed to meet them tonight, but we decided to stay in, and I fell asleep before I could call them...” By now, tears were flowing freely down Gavin’s face.  “It’s my fault.”

“No, Gavin.
  It was no one’s fault.  It was an accident.”    

“But if I had just called them - ”

“Gavin.  I need you to listen to me.  It was not your fault.  Now I need you to be strong for your mother.  And for Kate.”  Gavin wiped his eyes with his sleeve and nodded.

“Okay.”

“They haven’t told us anything yet.  For all we know, Kate and Trevor are back there asking when they can go home.”  His father didn’t sound at all like he thought that was what was actually happening, but Gavin needed to believe that it was.  The thought of his little sister being hurt,
really
hurt, was more than he could handle.  

They returned to the waiting room, where they sat in silence until about twenty minutes later, when a doctor in green scrubs approached them.
  One look at the grim expression on her face told Gavin everything he needed to know.  Suddenly, he couldn’t breathe.  He didn’t want to hear what this woman had to say.  He just wanted to run.  As far away as possible.  But for some reason, he stayed planted in his seat.  He felt his mother’s cold fingers grip his wrist.  She remained seated next to him, her face white as a sheet.  Rex, Ted, and Arlene, however, rose to greet the doctor.  

“Mr. and Mrs. Hanson?”
 

“Yes?” Arlene asked, tearfully.

“My name is Dr. Harper.  I operated on your son.”

“Is he alright?
  Can we see him?”

Dr. Harper took a deep breath and began to explain Trevor’s extensive injuries.
  A rush in Gavin’s ears drowned out the doctor’s words.  The news wasn’t about Kate.  She was still in surgery.  Although he didn’t want to admit it, he felt the tiniest sliver of relief.  As long as they didn’t know what was going on, there was a chance that she was okay.  

That relief was short lived, however, as he tuned back in to hear the doctor say, “I’m so sorry to have to tell you this, but he didn’t make it.”

“Oh no.  No.  No!” Arlene moaned and collapsed, weeping, into her husband’s arms.  Ted held her tightly and cried with her.    

Gavin watched the sad scene unfolding before his eyes, but he was having trouble processing it.
  Trevor was gone.  It was unthinkable.  

Somewhere through the haze of disbelief, Gavin heard his father ask, “Doctor.
  Do you know anything about our daughter?”

“I’m sorry.
  She’s in another O.R.”  

“Okay.
  Thank you.”  

Shortly thereafter, the Hansons were escorted back to spend a few final moments with their son’s body.
  Gavin didn’t see them again for the rest of the evening.

~*~

He didn’t know how much time had passed.  Word had somehow gotten out about the accident.  Maybe Tiffany had posted something on Facebook.  Regardless, Gavin’s phone had been lighting up with missed calls and text messages from concerned friends and family member so much that it had almost run out of battery.  

By that point, the shock had warn off and the truth of what had happened was beginning to sink in.
  Gavin no longer felt like running.  He just wanted answers.   

Moments later, a man who, in Gavin’s opinion, looked far too young to be a doctor, appeared.
  All three Averys rose to greet him.

“I’m Dr. Singh.
  Are you with Kate Avery?” he asked.

“Yes.
  We’re her family,” Rex answered.