Chapter 23 - 23

It took Benjamin less than half an hour after the police had informed him about the accident to reach the scene.

He had driven there far faster than Lillian, his heart pounding with dread with each passing second

Sapphire, they had told him, was fine.

"And Isabella? My wife?"

There had been a brief pause.

"She is trapped in the back of the car. She must have thrown herself over the baby to protect her and the force of the collision has pushed the whole of the passenger seat of the car into the back seat and over her" they had told him

When Benjamin reached the scene of the accident it was crowded with people.

"Your wife will have to be cut free" the police officer told.

His heart buckled and twisted, tearing him apart.

He had to be with Isabella and nothing, no one was going to stop him.

"I must go to my wife" he told the policeman grimly.

"She is unconscious at the moment." The policeman frowned. "There has been a spillage of fuel caused by the collision. And it isn’t safe to allow anyone to get too close."

Benjamin handed over Sapphire to his parents and demanded quietly

"I have to be with my wife"

Without waiting for the policeman’s response, Benjamin pushed his way through the policemen surrounding the accident and then stopped, his head spinning.

This was worse than the accident that had killed Eleanor and John.

The small car had virtually been crushed to nothing by the force of the impact with the much heavier vehicle it had skidded into. Ironically the driver’s side of the vehicle was intact, but the passenger side…

"It is a miracle that your daughter is unhurt" the policeman told.

"Mother's love is a wonderful thing. Your wife risked her own life to save her baby. She threw herself over the baby and her body protected her. Unfortunately she is now trapped beneath the front of the car and the passenger seat. We cannot move her, and we do not know just how badly hurt she is. The doctor has just arrived and he is trying to talk to her."

His heart in his mouth, Benjamin strode over to the car.

A man was crouched down beside the open passenger door, stroking Isabella’s hand.

"Can you feel anything…any pain—any sensation?" he was asking her quietly.

Isabella was trying to concentrate on what she was being asked, but it was so very, very difficult!

All she wanted to do was to close her eyes and go to sleep.

Her body felt odd…heavy and yet somehow numb.

There was a dreadful pain in her head and a metallic taste in her mouth. Her hand looked unfamiliar to her…limp and odd.

"No, you must stay awake. Don’t close your eyes." the doctor said sternly

Isabella winced as he flicked his fingers painfully on the back of her hand.

He was turning his head to speak to someone out of her line of vision, and she couldn’t hear what he was saying.

Panic and fear swept through her as she tried to listen.

She felt so alone!

A fear, hundred times worse is coursing through Benjamin, as he reached the doctor and demanded to know what was happening.

"It is important that she remains conscious" the doctor informed Benjamin, who had heard Isabella’s small gasp of fear and was reaching out protectively towards her.

"We don’t know just what damage may have been caused as yet…and we won’t know until we can cut her free. I need to stay here with her and talk to her. Keep her conscious" the doctor explained patiently to Benjamin, recognising his feelings.

"Let me do that. She is my wife." Benjamin demanded immediately.

The doctor frowned, but Benjamin was insistent.

Isabella could hear Benjamin speaking to her; calling her name. Telling her that she must not go to sleep.

Hazily she tried to focus on his voice. How could he possibly be here?

Disbelievingly she forced her heavy eyelids to lift, her eyes widening in shock as she saw that she had not been imagining him, dreaming foolish dreams, he was here. Benjamin was here with her!

Joy filled her in an adrenalin, life-giving surge.

Tears filled her eyes. And she gave a small gasp as Benjamin gently started to wipe them away.

There was blood on the cloth in his hand.

"You must have cut yourself" she told him in concern.

"It’s nothing" Benjamin told her. His voice sounded rough, as though something was stuck in his throat, as though he was somehow having trouble speaking.

Benjamin dipped his head so that Isabella wouldn’t see the tears in his eyes. The blood was hers from the cuts on her face, which the doctor had insisted were only superficial, but he didn’t want to frighten her by telling her that.

It was hot inside the car, and his muscles were already aching from the crouched position he had taken so that he could get as close to her as he could.

Holding her free hand in his whilst he talked to her, telling her how brave she had been, reassuring her that Sapphire was safe.

"How do you feel? Are you in any pain?’ He asked her

"My back really hurt when it first happened, but the pain’s gone now." Isabella said

"Has it? That’s good" Benjamin responded, whilst inwardly he made himself a vow that, no matter how badly injured she was, he would devote the rest of his life to taking care of her and loving her.

This was all his fault. All of it…

He had dragged her into the mess he was in with Lillian. And Isabella had paid the price.

"Where’s Lillian?" Isabella asked him.

"I don’t know" Benjamin answered her truthfully.

One of the witnesses had stated that they had seen a woman running away from the scene of the accident and he had assumed that she must have been Lillian.

The truck with the cutting gear had arrived and the police were warning Benjamin that for his own safety he would have to move away.

Fiercely he refused.

"What a lot of noise" Isabella whispered as the machines were put to work.

"Mmm…You’ll soon be free now" Benjamin comforted her.

An ambulance was standing by and he could see the doctor watching and waiting.

From somewhere Isabella was bleeding. He could see the red stickiness as they started to move the wreckage away from her.

"It hurts!" Isabella whispered shakily. Her face was paper-white, her eyes huge and dazed with pain.

"Try to be brave just a little while longer, darling" Benjamin whispered to her, barely able to choke out the words.

The doctor was moving towards them, a syringe in his hand…

"This is just going to relax you so that we can move you safely" he told Alice.

She squeezed Benjamin's hand tightly as the needle slid into her vein.