His Betrayal Her Lies (23 page)

Through the clear glass windows, Kalon could
see the gurneys being pushed down the aisle, the people laying on
them hanging on for dear life. IV lines, pumping fluid into the
patients’ veins, were suspended from bags hanging above poles on
some of the gurneys. Doctors and nurses with blue scrubs on crowed
the hallways, running back and forth with distressed looks on their
faces. The stench of bleach filled the room. The cold air did
nothing for Kalon’s exposed arms and legs.

His head hung low. In his lap, his bloody
palms trembled fiercely as the accident played over and over in his
mind. The smell of burnt rubber from tires skidding across the
intersection invaded his nostrils. The sound of metal colliding,
scraping, bending, and crushing would not leave his ears. His heart
rate increased as the images became more vivid, especially Taylor’s
limp body being pulled from the car and the paramedics performing
CPR.

This woman was the love of his life and here
she was in the hospital on the brink of death. The thought of being
responsible for her accident made him fall from the cold steel
chair onto his knees. He had never prayed before in his life but
felt compelled to do so now. He didn’t know if there were certain
things you were expected to say in prayer; he only knew what was in
his heart. “I’m not sure what to call you, but I’ll call you what
many say you are, the God of peace, love, forgiveness, and healing.
I bow to you this day to ask for your mercy on Taylor. Please don’t
take her away from me.” Warm moist tears trickled down his face.
His voice cracked at the next words he spoke. “I love her.”

The door to the room swung open and Kalon,
still on his knees, turned around to see Mayor John Briggs, Tammy
Briggs, three women, and two men enter. He recognized two of the
women through his watery eyelids.

Before Mayor Briggs could utter a single
word, the ER doctor walked into the room, taking off her surgical
gloves and pulling down her mask.

“How is my daughter?” Tammy asked, standing
firm in front of her husband.

The doctor placed her hands on her hips and
sighed. “We did everything we could do; she lost a lot of
blood.”

Toni, Pam, and Libby all put their hands to
their mouths to restrain their sobs.

Tammy screamed, “Nooooo,” and she buried her
head into her husband’s chest.

The surgeon spoke loudly and urgently. “No,
no, it’s not that. She’s okay. She did lose a lot of blood but
she’s a fighter and is hanging in there. Right now we are just
waiting for her to wake up.”

The family breathed a collective sigh of
relief.

Tammy jerked her head up. “When will she wake
up? Can we see her? What happened?”

“Well it’s up to Taylor when she decides to
wake up. Her body is in a comatose stage, and people in this state
might wake up right away, the next day, or a week from now.”

Mayor Briggs tightened his grip on his wife’s
shoulders.

Dr. Yancy said, “You all can see her two at a
time.”

Tyler stepped to his mom and dad. “You both
go ahead and we all will stay out here and wait.”

Mayor Briggs’ bodyguard, Frank, came and
stood by his side, awaiting instructions. Mayor Briggs placed his
hand on Frank’s shoulder and stared him straight in the eyes. “I
need you to keep the media away from this hospital until I find out
what happened. And I need you to contact my lawyer, Mr. Fox, and
ask him to meet me here immediately.”

Frank nodded and walked swiftly out the
waiting area.

“Can you tell us what happened?” Tammy asked
again, sniffling through her tears.

Dr. Yancy gazed across the room. “You might
want to ask that young man over there.” She nodded her head toward
the corner of the room.

All eyes shifted to Kalon. The family hadn’t
noticed him until now.

“And who are you?” Mayor Briggs asked.

Kalon stood up on trembling legs,
straightened his wrinkled shirt as much as he could, rubbed his
face a few times and swallowed the lump in his throat. “My name is
Kalon Knight, and I’m the man who is in love with your
daughter.”