A car turned into the driveway and a woman got out, carrying a pair of cases.
"That's my sleep study arriving," Blythe said. "Either she's early, or we've been out here longer than I thought."
"Both," Elam confirmed, after a glance at his watch. "I'll see you tomorrow?"
"I certainly hope so."
"Cool." He gave her a quick kiss before offering to carry the cases to the house.
The technician, Tina, gladly handed them to him. He took them to the guest room for her before saying good night once more.
"I'll call you tomorrow." Waving goodbye, he left.
Blythe waved goodbye and went in the house. Tina got her things set up while Blythe got ready for bed. She carefully put her engagement ring in an enamel box that Alec had used to present it to her. This went into the drawer of her dresser with her panties.
"Just sit here for me," Tina said, patting a low stool. "I apologize in advance for the stuff I have to use on your scalp. It's really gooey and never does completely dry. It will probably take extra shampooing to get it out of your hair." She showed it to Blythe.
"Gack! That's like super sticky snot."
The tech laughed, agreeing with her. She set about getting all the little sticky pads and goo on Blythe. It took about 30 minutes.
"If you have to go to the bathroom during the night, you unplug this and carry the pack with you to the bathroom. I'll be back about seven o'clock to disconnect you."
"So early? Ugh. I don't usually roll out of bed that early, on my days off."
"I'm sorry. That's the rule, I'm afraid. We should have the results in a couple of days."
"Thank you." Blythe climbed in bed and settled down for the night.
It took longer to go to sleep than usual. She wasn't in her own bed and she had a couple dozen sensors on her. Finally, she dropped off. Almost immediately, she was pulled into a nightmarish dream.
The world spun out of control. Glass flew toward her like bullets. Crunching, crashing, grinding noises filled the air. Above it all, someone screamed hysterically. It took several seconds to realize that the sound came from her in a constant, ceaseless screech. Her throat hurt from it, but she couldn't stop.
Finally, the vehicle shuddered to a halt, spinning rapidly on its roof. Blythe thought she was going to vomit. Instead, she passed out. When she came to, she was alone in the dark. She thought she might be in the woods, but couldn't be certain. It as too dark to see very much. There certainly were trees all around.
Blood trickled from her scalp, dripping onto the headliner of her car. It pounded in her ears and she was afraid she would pass out again. The distant sound of an engine greeted her ears, and she hoped the other driver would see her. She had no idea if she was on or off the road. Closing her eyes, she waited for impact. None came. Instead, she heard shouting, the pounding of footsteps and voices raised in warning.
"Don't get too close," a loud, masculine voice bellowed. "The gas is leaking out of it. For Christ sake, Bill! Put out the damn cigarette! You want to blow us all up?"
"Can you hear me?" she called.
"Yeah," a man crouched on the pavement. "How did you come out of that alive? Jesus, that was a hell of a wreck."
"I can't move my legs."
The man leaned in, gazing at the area behind the steering wheel where her legs were pinned. His eyes widened, but he said nothing.
"Yeah, we'll have to wait for the fire department. I don't think we can get you out of there easily. What's your name, honey?"
"Brenda," Blythe replied. Her mouth formed the unfamiliar name against her will.
"Hi, Brenda. You're gonna be okay. We'll get you out of there as soon as possible."
"Thank you. Thanks."
She closed her eyes and heard the man walk away. At a distance, she heard his voice.
"I don't know how she lived through that crash. I hate to tell her, doesn't look like she's gonna come out of this with both legs."
Tears oozed out of her eyes and dripped backward into her ears. Blood pounded in her head and she wondered how much longer she could stay like this. Then she heard the sirens. They were coming for her, she was safe.
Blythe couldn't make herself wake up. Until now, she'd always been able to check out of the dreams and find reality. This one dragged her deeper.
She dangled from her seat belt. The man reappeared in her line of vision.
"Hi, Brenda. We're going to get you out of there soon. I've got a couple friends who will be helping to get you out of the car.
"Thanks."
"You're stuck in there pretty good, but these guys know what they're doing. You'll be fine."
"My legs?"
He closed his eyes, pressing his lips. "I'm sorry. You heard that?"
"What's wrong? What's happened?"
"Nothing. My bad. You're gonna be okay."
©2022 Dellani Oakes
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