Chapter 23: Angel

            Darren splashed into the water moments after Chance had. He began to swim with the current, making it easier to regain control. The first thing that came to his mind when he re-emerged from the water was to search for Chance. By now, she was down river nearly 100 feet ahead of him. Darren began to frantically paddle with the current to reach her before the raging waters.

            As more time passed, Darren began to lose hope for Chance. It felt like an eternity passed ever since she flung herself into the river. His eyes suddenly caught a glimpse of a white object in the water just ahead of him, floating on a slow moving current towards the left wall. He swam towards it hoping to find Chance still alive.

            Darren had seen her shirt, but when he came along side her, he noticed that she was face down and not moving. There was blood in the water around Chance, and he quickly rolled her over to find a gash the size of a baseball on her forehead, blood oozing from it in a steady stream. Darren wrapper his arm around her and began to swim out to the center of the river where the current was faster and could carry them down river quicker. He knew that if he didn’t find help soon, she would die.

            Scanning each wall for an opening, Darren managed to spot a small sandy beach occupied by a tent, an SUV, and an old man with a fishing pole in his hands. He swam towards the beach with Chance gently resting over his shoulders. Upon seeing the two people emerging from the river, the man dropped his pole and ran to them.

            “We need help!” Darren panted, tenderly placing Chance’s body on the beach in front of him. He dropped to his knees from sheer exhaustion and added, “She’s bleeding from the head.”

            “What happened?” the man asked as he knelt down beside Darren and Chance.

            “She jumped off the bridge in an attempt to end her life, and after that, I don’t know what happened,” he nearly began to cry. This was the first time that Darren had thought about what the future would be like if he lost Chance.

            “This is a serious head injury,” the man said as he observed the baseball sized wound on her forehead. “It looks like it was caused by a sudden impact with a sharp object.”

            “What?” Darren replied, unable to figure out what he could possibly be referring to.

            “In layman’s terms, it looks like she hit a rock.” The man began to stand up and head for his SUV. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to call for a chopper and get some medical supplies.”

            Darren looked up at him and realized he was probably a doctor. His gaze fell upon Chance laying in front of him, her pale white skin making her appear as if she were dead. He leaned closer to her and put his head beside hers on the sand.

            “Oh, God,” he quietly cried. “Why, Chance? Why did you have to do this?”

            The old man came back carrying a black gym bag and laid it beside Chance. He moved quickly, taking out all the necessary materials such as antiseptic, gauze, gloves, and a wad of cotton.

            “Are you a doctor?” Darren asked, wiping tears out of his eyes as he looked up at him.

            “Yes, a surgeon to be exact. I’m Ian McAllister. You’re pretty damn lucky for drifting onto my campsite. Your girlfriend looks really bad, but don’t worry, she’s in good hands,” Ian replied as he pulled on his gloves.

            “She’s not my girlfriend,” Darren cleared up quickly. “We just live together. Nothing’s going on between us.”

            “Calm down, son. You’re still in shock. Just sit back and relax,” Ian told him. Darren did what he was told and lay back in the sand, his hands covering his face. He let out a sigh of relief. He never knew how lucky he could be up until now.

            “Hey, what’s you name, son?” Ian asked, beginning to clear out Chance’s wound.

            “Darren.”

            “Judging from that accent, you’re not from around here, are you?”

            “No, I’m from Australia.”

            “Boy, you sure are a long way from home. What’s her name?”

            “Chance.”

            “Hm, interesting name,” Ian said. All fell silent as he kept clearing the blood and debris from the lesion on Chance’s forehead. Neither of the two men wanted to speak. The awkward silence continued until a chopping sound could be heard in the distance.

            Darren looked up to see a helicopter landing above them on the edge of the cliff above the beach. Two men in uniforms hopped out with a stretcher and ran down the narrow road that winded along the side cliff.

            Upon reaching Ian, Darren, and Chance, Ian yelled, “We’ve got a girl with a nasty head injury, probable brain swelling and/or damage, and a guy in shock. You guys take her and I’ll bring him to County General in my car.”

            The two men gently picked up Chance and laid her out onto the stretcher careful not to cause her any more injury than she already had. Darren watched as they climbed back up the dirt road to the helicopter and take off. His eyes wouldn’t pull away from the departing aircraft even when Ian pulled his arm for him to stand up and go to the SUV.

            “Come on, Darren. We need to get to the hospital. Don’t worry about Chance. She’s going to be fine. Right now, I’m more worried about you catching a chill in those wet clothes,” Ian said as he dragged Darren to his SUV. From the back he pulled out a thick blanket and draped it over Darren’s shoulders. “That should keep you warm during the trip. If you want, I can stop for a hot cup of coffee.”

            “No thanks,” Darren distantly replied as he stepped into the passenger’s side of the vehicle and onto the soft black leather seat. His eyes never turned away from the window as Ian revved the engine and pulled away from the beach onto the main road that led away from the river and into the city. He began to think about what he had heard Ian tell the two guys from the helicopter. Chance had possible brain damage. Darren couldn’t bring himself to think about what that could possibly mean in the long run. He was still trying to recover from seeing Chance jump off the bridge. With all these thoughts running through his mind, the little voices from before began to come back again.

            ‘Nice on, stupid,’ the first one said. ‘You should’ve listened to me when I told you something was wrong with her.’

            ‘Leave him alone, he’s been through enough,’ came the other one to his defense.

            ‘I’m just trying to make a point,’ the first one replied.

            ‘Well, you shouldn’t be so rude about it. Can’t you see he’s devastated?’

            “Darren?” Ian’s voice rolled in over the other two battling in Darren’s head.

            “Huh?” he replied.

            “I just asked you, what do you do for a living?” Ian repeated.

            “Oh…” Darren began to wonder if he should just tell him the truth or give him the lie he usually told people who couldn’t figure out he was a pop star. Darren decided on the truth. Maybe it would get Chance better treatment was his reason. “I’m the lead singer of an international band,” he said finally.

            “That’s interesting. Are you on the road a lot?” Ian began his questioning.

            “We used to be. We’re taking a break for the next year or so to peruse individual projects.”

            “Oh. So, what’s your band called?”

            “Savage Garden.”

            “Really? I think my granddaughter is into your music.”

            “Really? How old is she?”

            “She’s only 15. She really loves your music, though. Every time she spends the weekend over at my place she plays your CD non-stop. I can see why. You’ve got some damn good music,” Ian commented.

            Darren smiled for the first time in hours. He liked receiving compliments from fans, especially when it involved the music he and Dan wrote. “Thanks. Do you have a copy of the CD with you?”

            “It’s kinda the law that I keep one in all the cars or Jamie goes crazy.” Ian flipped down his visor and handed Darren a copy of “Affirmation.”

            “Got a pen?” Darren asked as he took the case from Ian. He was handed one, then began to write a message on the front cover. Darren quickly signed his name and handed the CD back to Ian. He looked down at the autograph in awe.

            ‘To: Jamie. From: Darren. Glad to hear you love Savage Garden so much. Thanx! Daz,’ the message read.

            “Thank you so much, Darren. Jamie’s gonna be very surprised when she sees this. I don’t even think she’s gonna believe me when I tell her I met you.”

            Darren gave a hesitant laugh. “Well, now you have proof,” he replied, running his hands through his still damp hair.

            “I can see you’re probably still thinking about Chance. Don’t worry about her. I’ll make sure she gets the best medical team in the country,” Ian said. Darren looked at him. The old man was becoming more than just the doctor that might have saved Chance he was becoming a friend.

            This was the first time Darren had felt at ease with his situation. His mind became less cluttered with the annoying voices, and his thoughts were less focused on Chance. He sighed, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, and finally felt peace.

~~~~~~~~~~

            A cool, calming breeze swept over Chance’s body as she lay still in the warm sunlight, her mystifying brown eyes closed even as she began to wake up. She could smell the sweet scent of roses, daises, violets, lilies, and tulips all around her. In the background she could hear the distant lull of rolling waves. Her eyes opened to reveal a world she had only seen in her daydreams. It was her heaven exactly the way she had pictured it.

            Chance sat up and surveyed the landscape around her. In the distance just ahead of her, high snow capped mountains rose into the crystal blue sky. Behind her, the gently waves she had heard slowly crashed into the beach for a deep blue ocean that stretched out as far as the eye could see. Around her was a flower filled meadow exploding into an expansive rainbow of colors. A few feet to her left, Chance could see a willow tree gently rocking in the breeze; its long weeping branches swaying as the wind flew through them.

            This place was more beautiful than she could possibly imagine. ‘Is this really heaven?’ Chance though, looking out towards the mountains in the distance. A smile creased her face remembering the last few minutes before the end of her horrible life. ‘It is,’ she answered herself, the smile growing even wider. She stood up and began to head for the willow tree.

            Chance noticed that the clothes she had been wearing earlier that day were replaced with a beautiful plain white spring dress. It was light, being made of pure silk, and reflected the suns rays keeping her cool as she walked towards the willow tree and into the shade. Upon sneaking behind the sweeping branches, Chance noticed a pair of legs wearing white trousers poking out from the other side of the tree. She slowly made her way towards them careful not to disturb whoever was behind the tree. They disappeared as she came closer.

            Chance nearly jumped back when she felt a pair of hands wrap around her waist and pulled her into a tight hold. Looking behind her, she saw a pair of soft brown eyes with a hint of green staring back at her. A broad smile emerged from her lips as she turned to look at the man behind her and her eyes filled with tears.

            “Scott,” Chance cried, burying her face into his jacketed shoulder.

            He bent down and lightly kissed the top of her head, holding her like he’d never be able to let go. He breath in the sweet scent of her hair, locking the intoxicating fragrance in his mind. “I missed you,” Scott whispered. “I missed you so much.”

            “I missed you too,” she replied, holding him tenderly. Chance pulled away and gazed at him. She leaned back in and kissed him with all the passion she had built up from the day she lost him in the accident. Tears streamed down her face as he tore her away from his lips.

            “Scott, what is it?” Chance asked immediately. “What’s wrong? Why did you let go?”

            Scott pulled away from her hold and turned around. “Why did God have to send me here to do this?” he asked, looking up at the sky. He could feel Chance’s hand over his shoulder and turned back towards her. The look of wonder and concern was written all over her face.

            “Scott?” Chance repeated.

            “Chance, you’re not dead,” Scott calmly replied. “On Earth, you’re hanging on by a thread, but you’re still alive. This wasn’t supposed to be the way you died. You have a long time left down there.”

            “What do you mean? I thought I was finally going to be with you and my parents. How can I not be dead? I’m in Heaven, right?” Chance asked, her eyes filling with more tears.

            “This place you’re in right now, it doesn’t exist. It’s a not exactly a dream, but it’s not exactly reality either. I was sent here to give you a message, one that I really don’t want to give you because it hurts me to tell you, and it’ll hurt you to hear it. We weren’t supposed to be together. That wasn’t our destiny. God let me die so you could realize that Darren was the one.”

            Chance screamed, “No!” Falling to her knees, she realized that what she had felt for Darren was true. She couldn’t deny that she was in love with him. It was written in the stars for them to be together, and she had to let her best friend get killed because she wouldn’t listen. She looked up at Scott and said, “I’m so sorry.”

            Scott knelt down beside her and said, “Chance, it’s okay. Don’t be sorry. It wasn’t your fault.”

            “But it was. I didn’t follow God’s plan. I’m the one to blame for your death.”

            “No, you’re not. I’m the one to blame. I let you fall in love even though I wasn’t supposed to. It’s okay. I’m in a better place now. You don’t have to worry about me anymore. There’s no more Brad to worry about, no more gang.”

            Chance stared at him for what seemed like an eternity. She didn’t want to believe the things that she had just been told. After their long silence, she finally said, “You were right, it did hurt to hear what you told me, but I understand now. I’ve been missing you every day since the accident, and I’ll always miss you. Thank you for telling me all this, though. At least now I can stop blaming myself for everything, and I can stop blaming Darren, too.”

            Scott wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. “I miss you too. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about you and the love we shared for that very brief period of time. I’ll never forget that one night that we stepped into the realm of our deepest desires. It made my life complete. I don’t know if I ever thanked you for it.”

            Chance smiled. “I know. That was the one night that I never dreamed could be so wonderful. Thank you.”

            They sat on the ground holding each other as the time passed. Chance could feel Scott breathe in her scent trying to lock it into his mind so he’d never forget every little thing about her. She did the same, hoping that one day she could look back on this and remember everything, even thought it might bring back painful memories. A tear dripped down her face as she cuddled closer to his warm body. This was where she wanted to be forever, but it would never happen. Destiny had separated them, and it would always be a key factor in determining whom each one was really meant to be with. Yes, Darren was her soul mate, but Scott would always have the special place in her heart.

~~~~~~~~~~

            Darren sat in the cold, dimly lit room on an old maroon couch and just stared at the off white wall in front of him. He had been sitting in that confined little room for nearly six hours waiting for any news on how Chance was doing. He knew it was bad if it was taking this long for any information. A few cool beads of water dripped down his face from his hair and he shivered, pulling the warm blanket as close as he possibly could to his body.

            Ian had brought him a cup of coffee, but he hadn’t touched if for the last three hours. Darren’s nerves were already on the fritz. He didn’t need a dose of caffeine to shock him more than he already was. He slowly rubbed his temples hoping to relieve pressure from the migraine he knew was coming. This had not been his day.

            Darren began to reflect on the events that had taken place in the last few hours. He knew from the days before that Chance was suffering from severe depression after losing Scott, but he had no idea that it would lead her to want to kill herself. The signs had been so clear, why hadn’t he bothered to act on instinct and take her to a psychiatrist? That question would haunt him for the rest of his life if she died.

            The solid oak door carefully opened and Darren shot up like a rocket, startled and confused. Ian walked into the room carrying a manila folder in his left hand and a cup of coffee in his right hand. His appearance had changed. He was now wearing green scrubs and a lab coat.

            Ian handed Darren the cup of coffee and said, “Drink some of this and sit down. I have a few things to discuss with you concerning Chance.”

            “I can’t drink the coffee. I’m going to start bouncing off the walls if I do,” Darren complained, placing the Styrofoam cup onto the glass coffee table in front of him.

            “It’s decaf. Just drink it. The coffee’s not gonna make you squirm. It’ll give you a little bit of energy and hopefully calm you down because you’re too jumpy as it is,” Ian replied as he handed the cup back to Darren. He glared back at the old man, but took a sip of the warm liquid, letting it filter down his throat and warm him from the inside out.

            Darren stopped shivering and sat back with the coffee in his hands. His eyes were droopy and he was ready to fall asleep. “Now, what did you want to talk to me about?” he asked.

            “Chance,” Ian said. “She’s out of surgery and in recovery. Her head injury was much worse than most of us expected. Come with me and I’ll show you what I mean.” Darren and Ian walked out of the waiting room and into another, darker room across the hall. Ian took a few x-rays out of the manila folder and held them up to a light source. He pointed to an area with a large amount of white material and said, “You see this mass?” Darren nodded. “This is the swelling that has occurred around the area Chance was hit. It has caused her to slip into a coma, and it’s difficult to tell when she’ll wake up, if ever. As of right now, she’s got a 50/50 survival chance.”

            Darren could feel his feet nearly give way beneath him. This wasn’t the kind of news he wanted to hear. He steadied himself by placing his shoulder on the wall and hoping that it didn’t slip from the position it was in. His mind was sent racing with what he was going to do now that Chance was so far away. He could feel the hot tears as they began to drip from his eyes. There was nothing worse than thinking about how life would be like without her smile, her gentle touch, and her sweet kisses. He would never be able to hear her sweet voice singing one of the new songs she wrote, or watching her learn a new instrument with Dan’s help.

            ‘Oh, God. What am I going to tell Dan?’ Darren thought instantly. He hadn’t even thought about his best friend nearly 10,000 miles away in Australia. All this time, his mind had been fixed on Chance, and never did he once wonder how Dan would take the news.

            “Do you know where I can make an overseas call?” Darren asked as he tried to choke in his tears.

            “Yeah, come with me. I’ll take you there,” Ian replied. He put down the folder and the x-rays, then led Darren down the hall a few doors to yet another darkened room. He opened the door to an office and turned on the light. “The phone’s on the desk. I’ll leave you alone so you can make your call,” he said, leaving Darren in the room alone.

            The office was decorated in red oak panels with a matching desk, chairs, and cabinets. The chairs had soft leather coverings over the seats making them comfortable to sit on. The cabinets spanned the room and were decorated with medals, trophies, and certificates. The room smelled faintly of tobacco suggesting someone had recently smoked in it. Darren made his way towards the desk and looked down at the floor to feel his feet making a squish-squish sound on the imported Chinese rug. His shoes were still wet and be began to feel bad for wearing them on the colorful rug.

            Darren sat down on the comfortable chair behind the desk and reached for the phone in the right hand corner. It was a regular cordless phone with caller ID and an answering machine. Darren dialed Dan’s number hoping he wasn’t catching him at a bad time. After about ten rings, he was ready to hang up and try again later when a panting Dan finally answered.

            “Hello?” he took a few breaths.

            “Hey,” Darren miserably replied.

            “Daz, what’s wrong?” Dan immediately knew his best friend was in trouble by the tone of his voice.

            Another voice came from Dan’s end. It was female and had a harmonic quality to it. “Honey, who’s on the phone?” she quietly asked.

            Dan pulled the phone from his ear and replied, “It’s Darren. Could you hold on for a few minutes?”

            When the commotion was over from Dan’s end, Darren asked, “Where do I start?” He leaned back in the chair for a more comfortable position.

            “How about at the beginning?”

            Darren hesitated for a moment before he began to ramble about what had happened that afternoon with Chance and her attempt to end her life by jumping off a bridge. “I jumped in after her,” Darren said before he was cut off.

            “What the hell were you thinking?” Dan nearly yelled at him from the other end. “You could have gotten yourself killed.”

            “Let me finish, damnit!” Darren yelled back, his nerves being jolted from the mixture of caffeine and adrenaline in his system. He sat up in his chair and put his elbow on the desk, his forehead resting on top of his hand. Dan kept his mouth shut after hearing Darren’s almost threatening voice. “Chance is in the hospital with a severe head injury and the doctors say she might die. If I hadn’t jumped in to save her, she’d be dead by now,” he began to cry, remembering his experience.

            Dan was left speechless. He didn’t know what to say, or even where to begin his apology to Darren. When the realization of losing Chance became as clear to him as it had become to Darren, he too was in tears. Neither of the two men spoke for a long time, each one wallowing in his own self-pity.

            “Could you please come down here?” Darren finally broke the silence with his question. “This may be the last time we ever see Chance again.”