Chapter 1
John woke up, sweat pouring from his brow. He looked around to find the familiar sight of his bedroom; his wife Rose fast asleep beside him. He breathed a sigh of relief; he thought to himself thank God, it was only a dream!
In his mind, he could still see the crashed car on its roof and hear the people screaming.
He could still feel the heat from the fire it seemed so real. He got up and went to the bathroom to get a drink and to splash his face with cold water, how could a dream seem so real?
She looked at him, with half-open eyes “What’s up? Not another nightmare?”
“No.,” he replied.
She fell back into a deep sleep.
Unsure whether to try to return to his sleep, he looked at the clock it was one thirty, he had only been in bed for a couple of hours, or so although it felt like longer. Slowly he felt himself being; dragged down into a deep sleep, which he did not want to enter.
Soon he was fast asleep. The next thing he knew the alarm was going off. To his relief he had not returned to his dream nor had the dream returned to him.
She came into the room carrying a tea tray which had on it two cups of coffee and some toast, as she passed him the tray “Here you go.”
Looking at her and smiling he asked, “What’s this? It is not my birthday. What’s with the breakfast in bed, I’ve work to go to.”
She looked down at him, smiled. “What was your dream about last night?”
“Oh, nothing just a dream”
“Come on, tell me!”
“You won’t like it if I tell you.”
“Try me then.”
He sat up taking his cup and plate of toast from the tray, trying to figure out how he was going to explain a dream even he found difficult to comprehend.
Therefore, he reluctantly started to explain about the car in his dreams.
He stressed how it came around the corner at such a speed, and how the other driver did not stand a chance.
He realised how absurd this all sounded, but it all felt so real, he explained, how he was in the back of the car.
How he could see the face of the young driver in his flashy car - which was more than likely a company car - talking on the phone as he came around the corner on the wrong side of the road and how he did not seem to notice the car coming towards him.
Seeing he was getting agitated, she smiled “You don’t need to tell me if it is going to upset you so much.”
“No, I need to tell you” He put down his plate and wiped a tear which running down his cheek.
He looked at her and continued to explain, how he watched the driver as he was writing something down on the pad attached to his dashboard, and how it was only, the sound, of the horn, from the other car, causing him to look up?
By then it was too late: the oncoming vehicle swerved to avoid a head-on collision,
Pausing he took a mouthful of coffee, he then continued.
She could see how much this was upsetting him she listened as he explained how from the back seat of the car he witnessed, the vehicle as it passed them hit the bank catapulting it into the air and over the embankment.
He was now shouting, “The bastard never even stopped to help, he never even slowed down.”
As she put down the tray, she sat next to him, “Is this not third night running you have had this dream!
Is it always the same?”
“No…every night I seem to get a little bit closer.
But the car is on its roof there are people screaming inside; their voices seem familiar, but I can’t get close enough to see.
Last night just as I was close enough to look inside, it car burst into flames with the people inside.
It was horrible: the heat, the smell and the cry for help; if only I could have helped them.” She stopped him, “It was only a dream.” “Yes, I know, but the voices, I recognised them.”
She looked at the clock.
“If you don’t get a move on you, will be hearing other familiar voices like, ‘You’re bloody late again John.’
He got out of bed and heading towards the bathroom, turned around, “It could not have been anyone we know as I didn’t recognise the car, it was a brand new Volkswagen Golf.”
As she left the room, he crossed the landing to the bathroom, just as he was about to close the door the sound of the doorbell echoed, upstairs.
She called out “Don’t be, long. I’ll see who this is at the door then put some fresh coffee on.”
Walking down the stairs, she could see silhouettes of two dark-clothed figures through the opaque glass door.
As she opened the door, there stood two policemen and a policewoman please can we speak with Mr and Mrs William’s?”
Rose replied, “I’m Mrs Williams, Mr Williams is upstairs in the shower” The older police officer spoke first.
“Allow me to introduce us. I am Sergeant Tony Charge, and this is Constable Peter Thorn and WPC Mary Jones. Can you call your husband down, please?
Rose replied. “Yes,”
As she stepped aside, she beckoned to them “You had better come in, I will just be a minute” She opened the door of the lounge, “Please make yourself comfortable.”
As she stood transfixed at the sight of these three uniformed officers in her home, she had a feeling something was wrong.
The Policewoman took Rose by the arm, “Could we speak to you and Mr William’s together please?”
Apologising “Sorry” As she started making her way upstairs, what do I tell him. He was out of the shower when she got upstairs; he was getting dressed.
“Who was at the door.”
“You need to get dressed quickly, and come down; it’s the police.”
Sensing she was, being serious; he quickly got dressed.
When they both came down they found the two police officers in the lounge, the WPC was in the kitchen. “Where do you keep the cups and coffee?” she called out
Rose felt this was a little presumptuous of them making their own, coffee’s, but then thought I should have offered them a drink.
She walked through to the kitchen and noticed only two cups were out, so she pointed this out.
As she returned to the lounge, all three men stood looking at each other but saying nothing.
The younger officer spoke “Mr and Mrs William’s I think you had both better sit down we have some very difficult news for you both.”
John looked up, “If this is one of my father’s practical jokes then I’m impressed you almost look like real coppers.”
He got up and looked out of the window to find parked outside the house was a police car. “You sure know how to go all the way with this prank don’t you?”
Sargeant, Charge stood up, walked over to John, and produced a warrant card. John slowly turned towards Rose, “They are the police.”
If I may continue “Mr and Mrs William’s I’m afraid we have some terrible news for you both: you see there was an accident in the very early hours of last Friday morning…”
Looking over at Rose, John replied “What sort of accident?”
Continuing “We regret to inform you your parents were travelling back from a party when their car left the road, went over an embankment, and burst into flames.
I am afraid there were no survivors. We’re very sorry, is there anyone we can contact, for you?”
Both John and Rose looked at one another, and both were reluctant to ask, but as if rehearsed “Whose parents?”
“BOTH” was the hesitant reply from the young Constable.
“Mr Williams, can you confirm your parents were called Mike and Pat?”…And you Mrs Williams can you confirm your parents were Bob and Sue,?
“Yes, are you sure it’s our parents”,
“I am afraid we found documents around the car, and with other information, we have managed to put names to the bodies.”
He looked over at both of them. “ We are so, sorry for your loss.”
John suddenly felt the ground rush up to him, the young constable caught him and lowered him to the sofa. Rose just stared into space; WPC handed her, a coffee “Drink this.” Rose just fell to her knees and burst into tears.
John pleaded “Tell me this is a joke, please, please tell me this is not real. Please tell this is not happening!”
The WPC spoke, “I’m so very sorry, I’m going to stay with you until a relative or neighbour comes.”
John tried to stand up saying “I can’t stay here talking all day I have to get to work,” but when he tried to get up nothing happened.
The WPC called out to the young constable “Go out into the hallway and see if they have an address book with their doctor’s number in it. “ If so ring him and ask him to come over straight away. Also, check if there are any relatives in the area.”
Rose, through her tears, replied, “No, John and I are only children. Mum had a brother: he died years ago, and dad has no brothers or sisters, but I don’t know about John’s relatives: he never talks about them.”
“The doctors on his way.”
John felt his head start to pound and spin then he blacked out.
He could hear muffled voices but could not see anyone, in the distance saw a car on its side on fire with people screaming for help inside. Confused but wanted to help
He knew he had to get up and go to work.
He tried standing up but felt as though he was in a dream; he went to walk, but his legs would not move; not sure at this point whether he was standing up or was he still on the floor?
Rose looked down at him and shouted for help.
He seemed to be having difficulty breathing: she screamed for help as she watched him gasping for air: he appeared to be having a sort of seizure, his face contorted and he let out an eerie shriek.
The constable ran over to him and tried to bring him around. The WPC started to lead her away, but she would not go. She fell to her knees, pushed the police constable away, and began to cradle Johns’ head.
She never heard the knock at the door; neither did she see the doctor standing beside her.
The doctor immediately took out a syringe and took hold of her arm, upon doing so he instructed the young constable to go to his car and bring in the oxygen cylinder he would find in the boot; he then instructed the WPC to ring for an ambulance.
Rose was, helped to the sofa, where she was, led down.
The doctor then started to revive John. He came around twice but lapsed back into unconsciousness again.
The ambulance arrived, and the two paramedics came into the house, where they saw Rose sitting on the sofa with the WPC sat beside her, John was on the floor being, given oxygen by the constable.
The doctor came in from the kitchen where he had been using the phone.
Two paramedics walked through the door; the doctor greeted them “I’m sorry chaps, false alarm I’m afraid, I did not like the look of him when I first came in; I thought we might have a bit of a fight, on our hands, but he seems stable now.”
The older of the two paramedics spoke: “We will just check him over while we are here”.
As he was attending to John and the young female was taking notes from the doctor. “He seems to be stable now…Sorry to have wasted your time.”
The senior paramedic spoke, “Oh no trouble, glad we’re not needed.”
The doctor advised the WPC “I’ve made arrangements for a local nurse to stay with them for a couple of days, she should be here within the hour so if you and your colleagues don’t mind waiting, ’til she gets here I would very much appreciate it.
The WPC replied, “No, problem, we can hang around.”
As the paramedics left, Rose looked up and though her sedated eyes could see these figures in green leaving the house. She called out in an incoherent voice “Thank you for coming, call in any time.”
As she drifted into an induced sleep, she felt more relaxed, what seems like hours, waking up on the sofa. She heard sounds coming from the kitchen, thinking to herself oh it was all a dream.
She got up and tried to make her way to the kitchen expecting to see John in there, as she staggered towards the door, she felt so unsteady, she pushed open the kitchen door, there was tall, fair-haired girl standing at the sink.
“WHO THE HELL ARE YOU AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING, IN MY KITCHEN?”
The girl jumped and spun around “They call me Anna, Anna-Melissa Caraway, but you can just call me Anna. I am a private nurse.
Snapping and trying to retain her balance “YOU ARE STILL NOT ANSWERING MY QUESTION?”
“The doctor sent me round to take care of you and your husband.”
Rose found it challenging to stay upright, this was bloody liberty, they had been, married for nearly ten years, she knew how to look after herself and John, but right now, sleep was the only thing on her mind, feeling unsteady and tired
Anna stepped forward just as Rose started to fall forward.
“ I think we better get you upstairs to bed,” She held onto Roses’ arm and helped her up the stairs; she walked past her bedroom and took her into the spare room.
Trying to get her brain and speech to function.
“What are you doing, this is not my room!”
But as soon as Anna put her on the bed and her head touched the pillow she fell asleep.
The next thing she remembered was the birds singing.
She had slept nearly twenty-four hours: then it all came flooding back to her: the police, the doctor, the nurse, John! Oh no, how is he? She got up, still a bit shaky, and went into their bedroom.
He wasn’t there; she thought it had all been a dream. Noises were coming from downstairs, she tried to run down, but her legs would only take her at a slow pace. When she reached the bottom, she expected to find John standing in the kitchen, but it was Anna.
“Oh no, it’s not a dream. Where is John?”
“Rose I think you had better sit down.”
“No! Tell me where John is Anna?”
“I had to call the doctor back last night, John suffered a major seizure, and they took him to the hospital for observation. He’s okay now, so there’s nothing to worry about, it’s just precautionary, and he will probably be out within a day or two.”
