|
TITLE: The pride of Jesse By Darrel Bird 01/30/09 |
 SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
SEND ARTICLE TO A FRIEND
|
River
Foreword
Jesse Smallwood’s world comes crashing down when he is paralyzed from the waist down by a auto accident on the San Diego Freeway.
A guy his partner has hired turns out to be the most faithful friend he has as he faces the awful reality that he will never walk again.
The pride of Jesse
Jesse Smallwood awoke to the sound of the alarm buzzer and reached over and gave it a whack.
He showered and shaved while his coffee was perking.
He poured himself a cup and sat down at the little dinette and thought about Gail Dorsey, his bride to be.
Just a week away and he would be married to the prettiest girl in L.A.
He had met her six months ago while surfing at Laguna Beach and had fell in love with her.
He loved to surf and he loved to build cars.
He and his high school buddy Gil Smith had opened a shop in Costa Mesa and had made a good go of it. They had worked together on Hot Rods since they were teenagers; they were both now twenty Two years old.
As Jesse sat that January morning his thoughts turned to the new employee Gil had hired. He remembered how yesterday the fellow had asked him if he “Knew the Lord.”
Although Jesse hadn’t said anything he had thought plenty, and he resented the question.
He wondered why Gil had even hired this dude, he was nothing but a do gooder and Jesse didn’t want to hear the religious crap.
The dude did know his business around cars though Jesse had to admit and he was a hard worker.
Jesse had just glared at him and said “Let’s just get the body on this car.”
“Things couldn’t be better.” Jesse thought.
“I got a ’57 Corvette, a going business and a knock out chic I am going to be married too and I don’t need the God crap.”
“ I got the world by the tail.” Jesse said as he downed the last of his morning coffee and reached for the keys to the Vette.
He revved the engine and felt the power and also racked the pipes just to aggravate his neighbor who worked late and was always griping.
He drove through the North end of Redondo Beach and hooked the 405 freeway entrance and was doing ninety by the time he got on the freeway.
He let off the gas some and adjusted his speed. “I don’t need another ticket. I got three already.” He grumbled as he let the car settle to a smooth 80 miles an hour.
Up ahead he saw a fog bank, but didn’t think much of it, he slowed the car to 70 miles an hour.
Just as Jesse neared the fog he glanced over at a trucker hauling a load, the trucker was looking straight ahead.
The freeway was filled with cars on each side of him and in back and front as the cars neared the fog.
Jesse glanced over at the trucker again expecting him to slow down, but Jesse’s eyes went wide when he saw the trucker slump over the wheel.
The truck veered into Jesse’s lane glancing off the rear fender of the Vette and put Jesse into a spin as he lost control of the car.
Jesse heard the squall of brakes on either side as the truck slammed into one car after another and then Jesse hit the trucks trailer and Jesse Smallwood’s lights went out.
He awoke in deep pain and tried to figure out where he was and then he remembered the truck.
He couldn’t move his arms or legs. His arms were pinned by the steering wheel of the Vette and the passenger door.
Jesse heard a siren as it eased along side a fire truck which had pulled up a few feet away.
Jesse heard a motor crank up as they began cutting away the Vettes door and he screamed in pain as the door released the pressure from his arms and they laid him on a back board and strapped his head to the gurney.
Jesse got a glance at the wreckage on the freeway as they lifted him into the Ambulance.
His car was an unrecognizable piece of metal and splintered fiberglass and there were wrecked cars, fire trucks and ambulances everywhere. Black smoke was boiling up from one of the cars and he could see the rescuers working to free a person from the burning car.
Jesse passed out again as the ambulance attendant slammed the door shut on the scene of the wreckage.
Jesse awoke in a hospital bed with an I.V. hooked to his arm. There was some pain in his chest, but none in his legs.
A nurse came in and gave him a shot and he went to sleep again.
Three hours later a doctor came in and raised the covers on Jesse’s feet and poked around then asked “Did you feel that?”
“Feel what?” Jesse asked. The Doctor grumbled some words Jesse couldn’t make out and left again.
Jesse went back to sleep and slept all that day and through the night.
The next morning old grumbles came in with another Doctor and grumbles lifted back the covers on Jesse’s legs.
The other doctor said “We are going to use a pin to stick you in different places. Tell us when you feel it.”
He could see the doctor poking him up and down his legs, but he felt nothing. After a while the second doctor spoke “I’m doctor Gillespie and that is doctor Swan, I am a neurologist and he is a neurosurgeon.
“I am afraid you are paralyzed from the waist down. The accident crushed your spine.”
Doctor swan shook his head affirming.
Jesse was in shock, how could this be? How did he end up in a hospital paralyzed? But Jesse said nothing except “Are you sure?”
The doctor said “Yes, we’re sure.”
“I will be back around to see you later today.” Doctor Swan said as he turned to leave and they both went out mumbling something or other.
Jesse laid there trying to take it all in and toward noon the hospital staff allowed Gail in to see him.
“A-a-are you all right? She stuttered as she look at the I.V and the monitors hooked to Jesse.
His face was swelled and his words were thick from the pain medication as he told her what the doctors had told him.
Her eyes looked wild and frightened as she took his hand in hers and he did not recognize the eyes he saw. The eyes he saw now were calculating eyes that looked like a banker who had come up short.
“I must be dreaming all this.” Jesse thought as he looked into the eyes of some one he did not know.
After Gail left Jesse lay there thinking. “Surely I’ll be able to move my legs as I get my strength back, this is just too crazy. I have to help Gil get the Mustang finished.”
The Mustang was a car they were doing for one of the Hollywood crowd and it was worth big bucks.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.