Trauma

Dani chuckles. "A picnic it is then. Everybody needs a picnic every once in a while."

"Dani, get off the phone!"

She turns and grimaces at her brother. Carson wasn't upset, but they did need her back out at the tables. "Sorry, Dalton, I gotta run. Duty calls. So tomorrow, at the lake, I'll meet you at noon, okay?"


Leo's face lights up. "Oh well then that's easy." He leans over as he drives, swerving just a little as he reaches over Ryan's lap to get into the glovebox. He pulls out part of a newspaper that lists that week's movies that were playing at the local theater, and hands it to her before getting the car back in the right lane again. "It's safer if I let you pick, then it can't be my fault if it's a bomb."

His silly grin remains as they continue towards the lake. "By the way..." He reaches over again, but this time up to flip down the visor that had a mirror before handing her a kleenex for the bit of grease that was on her cheek.


Smoke billows from the crash sight, lights from the emergency vehicles glimmering through the dense fog-like atmosphere. Sirens wailed. Shouting echoed through the mist of the spraying fire hose. Race personnel held back anyone who wanted to come near.

A large uniformed man reaches out to stop Charlotte from nearing the wreck. "I'm sorry, miss, you can't come any further." He yells at another man to stay back before looking down at Charlotte again. "You'll have to wait until the crew is finished. Give them room."

More lights flashed. Kirk was on the scene, skidding to his knees beside Bret's upturned car. "Bret... Bret! Can you hear me?!"

"Dang! What happened?" Landon pulls himself through the window of his car, falling to the ground with a thud before being pulled away from the engine's flames. "Hey... where's Bret? Is he okay?"

"Sir, calm down. Does your leg hurt?"

"My wha-" Landon looks down, only now seeing the gash in the side of his leg where blood was oozing through his suit. He starts to stagger. "Uh.. um..."

"Get a medic over here," the other man orders, helping Landon towards the emergency vehicle. "Laceration to his right leg, possible break and possible head trauma."

Landon groans as he's placed on a stretcher, the world seeming to spin. "But what about Bret?" he mumbles.

"Someone get over here!" Kirk yells, reaching into the car and trying to unbuckle Bret from his seat. "I could use some help here!"

Three men come running, prepared to get Bret's limp form from the car. It takes them a good ten minutes before they have him loose and are able to drag him from the car. Lying him on the ground, a light is shined into Bret's eyes, but he is unresponsive. Though breathing, he makes no moves. "We got head trauma, multiple lacerations and contusions, possible neck trauma. Get him on the stretcher, lets go, lets go!"

Kirk is forced to stand back lamely as he watches, the tension etched on his face. He sees his two drivers put into the ambulance, ready to be taken away. Glancing over his shoulder, he spots Charlotte, and goes to her quickly. "Come on. You can ride with me to the hospital."


Reese backs away as Katie comes out of the infirmary on her way to call Angel. "I thought Jeff was back at the ranch." He looks at her lamely. "He was on a brief security assignment, but that was over ages ago. I... I thought he was back."