The Love of a Latino (26 page)

“We’re fine!”  They answered in unison.

He quickly surveyed his sisters and when he was sure they
were okay, he scrambled out of his car and raced toward the overturned minivan.

Caleb maneuvered his way through the stalled cars, crossing
the highway with KC and Daphne following more carefully behind.

A large crowd had already gathered when he reached the other
side of the highway. Above the inaudible murmurs, he heard the faint screams of
a child.  Straining his ear, his head began to pound when he realized that the
screams were coming from the overturned vehicle that lay at the bottom of the
incline. Peering over the edge Caleb saw the minivan turned on its side about
twenty feet below. On impulse, he hoisted his weight over the severed railing
and edged his way along a protruding rock towards it.

“Hey buddy where do you think you’re going?” One guy yelled,
stretching a hand to halt Caleb.

 “To do what no one else is doing.” Caleb replied, shooting
the guy a move-or-else glance.

“Caleb, Caleb, wait!”

Ignoring Daphne’s pleas, he focused on his descent down the
slope. It had been years since he left the fire service but the years he served
as one of Washington’s finest were imprinted in his brain. He was more than
capable of doing this.

He could hear Daphne addressing the onlookers, her voice
fading as he climbed further down.

“He knows what he’s doing; he used to be a firefighter. I am
Dr. O’Connor. Does anybody here have any medical training? You check the driver
of the SUV. You two come with me. I need you…”

When his feet hit ground, he did what any firefighter would
do, scan the area for possible danger. The side where the SUV had collided with
it was folded in as if a wrecking ball smashed into it. All around the vehicle
was shattered glass, the wheels were still spinning and smoke was rising from
the hood. The child’s screams were replaced by a mere whimper and something
parallel to fear made his heart accelerate. Hold on little one, hold on. The
smell of leaking gas cut through the air and Caleb knew how fatal that could
be. One spark and the entire vehicle could go up in flames. Hurrying to the
crumpled hood, he assessed the interior looking for any signs of sparks. There
wasn’t any. After disconnecting the battery cables and making sure that there
was no imminent danger, he went around to the side. Peering into the front he
could see the driver, a woman, slumped against the driver’s side door. She was
not wearing her seat belt. Her face was hidden by a matte of curly hair fused
with blood. In the back seat, he saw what he was looking for. The child! The
little girl cries had died down and he strained to hear her soft cries. She was
calling out for her mother.

“Hush little one. I’ve got you!’ he whispered as he reached
into the vehicle unhooking the straps that held her to the car seat. At least
the mother was wise enough to strap her in. Gently, he eased the child through
the shattered car glass. She was no older than three, maybe four years.

She buried her little head in the crook of his neck, her
sobs muffled by his shirt. Her mop of curly black hair had a familiar scent,
but he couldn’t tell what it was.

“Shhh little one you’re safe now….Shhh!” 

Others were at his side trying to pry open the front
passenger door to get to the driver. He tried handing the child over to one of
the by standers, but she clasped her tiny hands around his neck tighter. Caleb
heart warmed at the thought of the child feeling safe with him. Standing nearby
he waited for the men to get the door open. When he was sure they could get to
the woman, he started up the hill. If the mother was dead, he didn’t want the
little girl to witness that.

Daphne was waiting at the top for him.

“Let me take a look at her. How many more people are there
in the car?” Daphne questioned, quickly examining the girl as best as she
could. It was difficult doing so because she refused to let go of Caleb.

Choosing his words carefully he looked over the little girls
head. “There is only the mother in car. I’m not sure how she is,” he responded.
Daphne nodded in understanding. He didn’t want to say anything that would upset
the little girl.

“She seems to be okay, just confused. Why don’t you sit over
there with her?” Daphne pointed to a spot a little distance from where she was
standing.

KC was at his side bending where he sat cradling the child
in his arms all the while murmuring soft, comforting words. She placed a hand
around his shoulder to comfort him.

Someone had called 911. In the distance, he could hear the
wailing of the sirens as it pierced through the air. Help was on the way. The
paramedics would help the mother but Daphne would assist until the ambulance
arrived.

He heard a commotion from down the incline and watched as
two of the men that he had left below struggled to get the unconscious woman
over the barrier. Daphne pushed her way through the crowd that gathered to get
a better view.

“Please make some room!” Daphne was shouting and sure
enough, the people scattered. The men were over the barrier now and they placed
the woman on a spot Daphne was pointing to. He watched as his sister knelt
gingerly at the woman’s side and pushed the hair away from her face. Daphne
gasped, went still then covered her mouth stifling a cry. Something was wrong.
She looked up at him and from the short distance, he saw that his sister’s face
was as pale as if she’d seen a ghost. Something was wrong. Quickly she drew her
gaze away from him and resumed examining the woman.

He handed the little girl over to KC then moved forward, his
feet reluctantly taking toward his sister.  As he drew nearer, he surveyed the
unconscious woman’s face, and then froze.

No it couldn’t be. God no! It couldn’t be. His knees buckled
causing him to stumble backward. He crumpled to the grass not believing what he
was seeing.

“Caleb, I need you to keep it together. Please Caleb, keep
it together. She’s alive. She’s still alive.”

He opened his mouth, but no words came out. His tongue felt
heavy. His sister glanced at him again. The woman who lay fighting for her life
before her was Caleb’s wife, Neela Wilder.

***

Caleb looked on helplessly as Daphne focused her attention
on his wife. She was still kneeling next to Neela, her pregnant stomach making
the task a little more difficult than usual. She ripped open Neela’s blood
stained T shirt and placed an ear to her chest. She quickly probed Neela’s
body, starting at her chest, then lower to her feet searching for broken bones
or punctured organs. She examined the wound on her head pressing her hand to
stem the flow of blood.

Caleb heard the wail of the ambulance siren as it drew
closer. The knot in his stomach loosen a little with relief. Daphne may be a doctor
but there was only so much she could do without any medical equipment. She just
needed to keep Neela breathing until the ambulance arrived. What the hell was
taking them so long?

On trembling arms and legs, he crawled the few feet that
separated him from his wife. This woman he had not seen in five years, the
woman who haunted his dreams for all that time. Was she really lying here?
Where had she been all these years? He had so many questions.

He ached to touch her and not even hounds from hell could
stop him. When he raised his hand it was only then did he realize how much he
was shaking. Gently, oh so gently, he touched her face. Caleb felt emotions so
strong rise up in him that it made him lighted headed; hurt, anger, pain, fear…
love.

Yes love! Here in front of him lay the only women he ever
loved, the woman who owned the rights to his heart, whose heart he once held.
Her skin was even softer than he remembered, her cinnamon colored skin stood
out in comparison to his pale, milky one. Her eyes which he distinctly
remembered being brown, were hidden behind closed lids, lids that were accented
by long curling lashes. Long black curly hair now tainted in blood, was fanned
out below her head and her lips, those lips that he had kissed so many times were
slightly parted. Caleb could not stop his finger from gently tracing the
outline. Drawing in a long breath, he felt his lung constrict. God this could
not be real.

“Caleb, Caleb... Caleb. Please look at me!

He dragged his gaze away from his wife long enough to look
at his sister.

“She’s okay. She’s okay, Caleb. There doesn’t seem to be
anything broken, and her breathing is stable. I don’t know if there are any
internal injuries but she seems okay. I know it looks bad but the blood isn’t
that much. Caleb, are you listening to me?”

He must have nodded because she continued talking.

“I need you to stay with her; I need to talk to KC.”

Stay with her? There was no way in hell he was ever leaving
her side again. The devil himself couldn’t pry him away.

What did she need to speak to KC about? What she needed to
do was let KC take the child to the hospital and… The child! He swung around to
where his two sisters stood and once again Caleb felt breathing was the most
difficult thing to do. The girl had called out for her mother. She was Neela’s
daughter. The baby she was carrying when she left?

Daphne was saying something to KC and it must have been
about him because she looked at him and then to the little girl in her arms;
and, as recognition dawned, her body started shaking. Daphne reached her hand
out to wipe a tear from her sister’s face and said something to her again. KC
nodded and walked away from her.

Slowly, she came towards him, carrying the sleeping child
and without being prompted Caleb opened his arms to receive his daughter.

Sitting next to his wife he held her limp hand in one of his
and cradled his daughter in the other.

At the thought of how close he came to losing his wife and
the daughter he didn’t know existed, Caleb Seth Wilder sat at the side of the
road on a wet June afternoon and cried his heart out.