"I still can't believe he hit me. I mean, they told me he was drinking, but..." I shook my head slowly. "What happened to him, Rachel? I mean, why would he do that? It's just not like him."
Rachel sat very still for a moment, her brow furrowing slightly as she appraised me. I had always liked her when Robbie and I were kids. Rachel was one of the few people that Robbie always listened to, and as such, he always behaved for her. She had a fantastic sense of humor and could always send the two of us into hysterics.
"His dad is dying. He's having a hard time dealing with it. That's not an excuse or a justification, just the explanation," she added quickly. She pointed to the file now sitting on my hospital table. "I'd like to ask you not to press charges. The Saunders' family would like to reimburse you for all medical expenses, including any future care you may need with regard to this injury, as well as a payment to cover any work-related expenses this injury may have incurred."
Reimburse you for all medical expenses and payment to cover any work related expenses were the only words I heard. This could fix everything if I played my cards right.
"And if I said I still wanted to press charges, would I get all the shiny prizes?"
Rachel's eyebrows raised, and she cocked her head. "Yes. The Saunders family feels that they should make sure this accident does not end up changing your life. If you still feel the need to press charges and change Robbie's life, then that is purely your decision."
Her answer was obviously rehearsed, but it was what I wanted to hear. This wasn't supposed to be a bribe, but it was exactly what Grace, Avery, and I needed.
"I never intended to press charges against him. Call me sentimental, but I still consider him a friend." I shrugged. "I know that he must be going through something crazy hard if he broke his own rule. Besides, he saved me from drowning, so I would like to be able to thank him for that, even if he was the one who put me in the water."
Rachel's shoulders instantly relaxed. "Thank you. I really mean it too, not just as the Saunders' family representative, but as Robbie's friend. Thank you."
I remembered the skinny little boy with the bucket rolling around his feet. He was my best friend then, and I hadn't had another like him since. "He's my friend. Or at least he was a long time ago. And friends help each other with mistakes. He got me out of trouble a couple of times too."
Rachel looked for a moment as though she might ask what kind of trouble we had gotten into, but then she thought better of it. I grinned. There were things that would still get the two of us in trouble today if she found out about them.
"Out of curiosity, how much is the payment?" I asked.
Rachel answered, saying the number as though it were nothing. "Our standard is twenty-five thousand dollars. If you don't think that is going to be enough, I can always speak with the Saunders' lawyer and come up with a more equitable figure."
I swallowed hard. That was my year's salary. That would keep the roof over our head and groceries on the table. That would even get Avery a pretty decent Christmas. I tried to keep the excitement out of my voice. "Twenty-five thousand dollars? No, that's fine. That amount is just fine. It's good."
The rest of the meeting with Rachel went by in a blur. I read the papers as she put them in front of me; I didn't want to sign away my first-born or agree to donate a kidney if it was in the fine print. She waited patiently, indicating where I should sign and then collecting the forms in a neat stack.
"Thank you, Samantha. Can I get you anything before I go?" she asked.
"No thanks," I said, but then I thought of Robbie. If he was still the same caring person I knew as a kid, this would be eating him up from the inside. "Are you going to go see Robbie?"
She nodded, stowing her stylish glasses into a designer case and slipping them into the giant bag she called a purse.
"When you see him, will you tell him I'm all right? And that I'm not angry. I'd really like it if he came and visited me. For old time's sake." I hoped that wasn't overstepping some boundary, but despite everything that had happened, I wanted to see my old friend.
Rachel gave me a warm smile. "You got it. I'm sure he'll want to see you." She shouldered her bag and stood to leave. "Thank you again, Samantha. I hope I get to see you again soon, though preferably not in the hospital next time."
I laughed as she left the room, carefully closing the door behind her. I stared at the wooden door, a sense of relief flooding through me. Twenty-five. Thousand. Dollars! With that much money, I could relax. The medical bills weren't going to be a problem. While getting in a boat accident wasn't my idea of a lucky break, things were starting to look up.
Chapter 6
The water splashes against the hull of my boat, a soft comforting sound. The sky is bright blue without a cloud in sight. I am at peace. This part of the dream is always pleasant. I like this part of the dream. Evan is alive and happy with Grace. Mom and Dad are safe at home, and we are going to have meatloaf for dinner.
Then, the rigging starts to tangle. Impossible knots form on the lines, turning the sails into flying monsters that catch the wind and threaten to tear my boat apart. A storm is rising from the depths of hell, the sky going black in an instant. The peace and calm is gone. I have to move quickly; if I'm fast enough, I can escape the storm before it gets to me. If I just go fast enough, maybe this time I can avoid the storm. My hands fumble on the rigging, and every movement seems delayed.
Wind howls through the now ripped and tangled sails, and giant waves slosh over the deck, threatening my every step. I wasn't fast enough. The storm has found me, and I can't escape it. If I had help, I would have made it, but by myself, I am too slow. I cling desperately to the mast, praying that the storm will stop.
I see my parents, sailing on a boat in the distance. Dad is at the helm, tied to the wheel as he tries to steer into the storm. I scream at him, but he doesn't hear. Mom turns and waves, the wind and rain twisting her hair, but she smiles at me. She taps Dad on the shoulder, then points toward me. Her sundress flaps in the hurricane winds, but she looks toward my boat with relief. They were looking for me.
Dad turns the boat and smiles, his eyes twinkling as he carefully makes his way across the choppy water. He doesn't see the ropes holding him down. They don't seem concerned with the storm raging around them. Lightning flashes and a gaping hole appears in their hull, water surging inside their small vessel. They are going to drown.
I scream, wrenching my yellow sails to reach them faster, praying myself ragged that they'll let me get to them in time. Dad turns his head, confusion crossing his face as the water laps at his ankles. He keeps going, my mother urging him toward me. They are so close, but in this storm, they are never going to make it. Their ship sinks lower and lower, the dark waves gobbling it up long before I can reach it. They're gone, the water devours them as though they never existed.