Grief (a short story)

Grief – a short story 

A car horn was blaring continuously, and Sky could hear the distant shouts from concerned onlookers. She looked to her left, expecting to see her husband, Aaron, in the passenger seat. Instead, she realised she was no longer sat in the car. The crash must have thrown her from the driver’s seat and onto the side of the road. Sky winced as she pushed herself up to a seated position. The tarmac beneath her hands felt gritty. People were beginning to reach her. They were trying to speak to her. Their words didn’t make sense. The last thing Sky remembered was laughing at a joke Aaron had told her. It had been one of his awful cheesy jokes and yet she had still laughed. However, the momentary lapse in concentration had caused all this. The car in front had slammed on their brakes and Sky hadn’t noticed in time. She had ploughed into the back of the car, screams of anguish leaving her body on impact. 

Sky glanced towards the wreckage in front of her. She could just make out the mangled remains of her blue Peugeot. The Jeep behind her hadn’t had time to brake, and they had hurtled into the back of her beloved car. It looked as though nobody could have survived the crash and yet here Sky was, sitting up and staring right at the ruins. Fear rippled through her body as she realised Aaron was nowhere to be seen. What if he hadn’t been thrown out of the car? Nobody could have survived the crush. The car was sandwiched between two four-wheel drives. 

“Aaron?” Sky’s voice came out as a whisper. She wanted to scream his name, but her voice was hoarse. 

“Are you okay, love?” Sky turned her head to a woman who was kneeling down beside her. The woman looked kind and was reaching out to place a hand on Sky’s shoulder. 

“Where’s Aaron?” Sky sobbed. She clutched desperately at the woman’s arms. 

“Who’s Aaron?” The woman’s voice shook as she took Sky’s hand in hers. 

“My husband. We have to look for him. Will you help me up?” Sky didn’t care how injured she was, all she wanted was to find Aaron. 

“The ambulance and police will be here soon. They’ll find your husband.” 

How could Sky sit here and wait? She had to find Aaron. What if he was alone and scared? 

“Please, help me.” A sob wracked Sky’s body as she tried to stand. Her entire body felt bruised, and a searing pain from her chest suggested she had broken some ribs. However, none of that mattered. All that mattered was finding Aaron. 

The woman reached out to help Sky steady herself. Sky cried out in pain as she straightened into a standing position. Her legs were shaking, but she ignored the sensation and pushed on. Where was Aaron? 

Sky’s stomach churned as she took in the scene before her. The acrid smell of burnt tarmac filled her nostrils. There were mangled pieces of cars scattering the ground and cries of pain from the occupants. It was truly an awful scene to witness. Sky could see the driver of the car behind her being pulled from the wreckage; the side of their face was covered in blood, with their hair sticking to it. It looked as though the driver was unconscious. A sob built up in Sky’s chest. Was all of this her fault? She had been distracted by Aaron’s joke. What if someone died? It would all be her fault. Sky took a deep breath and turned her attention back to the scene, ignoring the protests from her ribs with every step she took. Glass crunched under her feet as she neared the scene. 

“I can’t find him!” Sky screamed in frustration. He had to be somewhere. Her entire body trembled as she approached her mangled Peugeot. She held her breath as she peered into the passenger side. The seat had crumpled under the impact and the glass from the shattered window was scattered all over the remains. Relief washed over Sky as she realised there was no sign of Aaron. There wasn’t even a bloodstain. He must have been thrown from the car like she was. 

“Come on, dear. The ambulance is here, let’s get you checked over and let someone else look for your husband.” The woman took a firm hold of Sky’s arm and led her towards the ambulance. 

The paramedic helped Sky onto the bed and started checking her over. 

“Can you make sure someone is looking for my husband?” Sky didn’t know what else to do. She had to leave the task in the hands of someone else. 

“I’ll ask my colleague to speak to the police, they’ve just arrived.” The kind paramedic left Sky alone for a minute. Sky tried to listen to the conversation, but everything felt like it was floating away from her. Her eyes began to blur and her head started spinning. 

“Aaron!” Sky cried out his name as she felt her consciousness slipping from her. 

….

“Ms Day, can you hear me?” Someone was calling her name. Sky fought with every ounce of energy inside of her to open her eyes. She glance around the room and realised she was in hospital. Flashbacks of the accident came back to her. Before Sky could ask any questions, further memories came flooding back to her. Aaron. She hadn’t been able to find him. 

“Where’s Aaron?” Sky’s voice was trembling. 

“Sky, your sister, Selena, is here.” The doctor stepped aside to reveal her sister sat in the chair beside the bed. 

“Sky, I’m so relieved to see you awake. How are you feeling?” Her sister stepped forward and took her hand in hers, squeezing it tightly. 

“Where’s Aaron?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“He was in the car next to me before the crash, but I couldn’t find him. Did the police find him? Please, tell me he’s okay.” 

“Sky, Aaron’s dead.” Her sister’s words lingered in the room as Sky allowed them to sink in. He couldn’t be dead. Her sweet, protective husband couldn’t be dead. 

“No. You’re wrong. He must have escaped the car. Have they checked by the side of the road? What if he’s lying somewhere injured?” Sky grabbed at the tubes, which were administering pain medication and monitoring her heart rate. She had to remove them so that she could go back to the scene of the crash. 

“Sky, Aaron didn’t die in the crash.” Her sister tried to calm her hands, which were ripping at the wires. She took Sky’s hands in hers. “Sky, Aaron died six months ago.” 

There was an eerie silence as Sky tried to understand her sister’s words. How could Aaron have died six months ago? He was sitting beside her in the car, making stupid jokes. Selena was wrong. Aaron was alive. 

“Sky, Aaron died just after Christmas, remember? He had cancer. You sat by his bedside every day caring for him.” Selena’s tone was filled with pain as she watched her sister try to understand. Her face fell as those painful memories started to come back to her. The nights sitting by his bed, wondering when his last breath would be. 

“He’s dead.” Sky’s voice trembled as she uttered those two words. Selena was right, Aaron had died six months ago. The memories were filling Sky’s mind as the pain wrapped around her heart. It was like losing him all over again. Grief had utterly consumed her since his death. Unable to go on without him, she had convinced herself that he was still beside her. But now, he was truly gone. Sky was alone in the world, without her husband. 

Her life, and her heart, would never be the same.