Chapter 69

Olivia and Mike had a swell time of enjoyment and adventure at the beach resort. They would have loved to spend more time but because of the next days business, they needed to get back to the city. The driver made sure he arrived on time and waited for them to finish up whatever they were doing. They finally walked out of the building cleared up what was left with the receptionist as regards check-out, then they proceeded to the car. They left the beach that evening back to the city. The driver took his time to navigate through the narrow road leading to the major one. Mike and Olivia were at the rear seat chatting and laughing, they had taken some lovely pictures at the beach, so they went through them one after the other. Mike was pointing out the most beautiful ones. Olivia would take some calls at intervals, then continue with the chat. The driver found his way the major road that lead to the town, he then accelerated the car, after a few minutes, it began to drizzle. Olivia who saw how fast he was going called his attention to slow down, he did, but while he moved, the weather was affecting his vision, and the rate at which the rain splash on the windshield was not helpful too. Mike had to ask him to park by the road side for some time to allow the weather clear a little bit. It was at that point that the unexpected happened. He had put on his right pointers, navigated toward that side to park,  what he did not know nor notice on time was that there was a truck that was stationed, in the middle of the road. He hit the car with his right front bumper, on realizing himself, he quickly engaged his reverse gear to enable him go back and navigate properly. Suddenly an on coming vehicle, on speed hit him from the back. The both cars rotated many times, before the next one hit them, then the next, until the entire road was blocked with damaged cars. The police rushed to the scene immediately as the helicopter ambulance accompanied them. Mike, Olivia and the driver were rushed into the ambulance, and flown out. Other victims were also taken away in different ambulance that came. 

While this happened, Lucy who had gone back to her room was sleeping when she heard a knock on her door. She got up reluctantly, opened the door and there was standing one of the waiters. She told her that the manager of the hotel asked that she tune the television channel to CNN. She did and there it was, breaking news. She asked the lady why she needed to watch it, the lady responded that they needed a confirmation that the two victims in the vehicle were the guests she came in with. Immediately she heard that, she went closer to the set, then Mike's and Olivia's name were flashed. Lucy could not hold her tears, she began to cry and rushed out of the room after she hurriedly changed into something better. At the managers office, with tears in her eyes, she asked that she be taking to the hospital. The manager arranged a vehicle immediately and joined her to the hospital. When the arrived, the entire place was in disarray. Nurses and doctors were seen running up and down. They asked a few people, but no positive response was given them as regards the name they mentioned. It then occured to Lucy not to ask for name, rather she asked for the emergency unit of the hospital. It was then someone directed them. They had to get back into the car and drive down to where the unit was sited. There they saw about three helicopters, one was just leaving the heli-pad, while the other two were being evacuated of the victims that it brought in. The nurses in the unit were all too busy and preoccupied with the rescue mission of the victims, that they hardly respond to anyone. Lucy could not wait protocols, she rushed into the the hall way with the last set of nurses who were pushing in the last victim that was evacuated from the chopper. When the manager saw her move, he followed immediately. As they walk through the hall way, Lucy was looking through the windows of each ward they passed, searching for where Olivia and Mike might be. Her eyes were filled with tears, and fear had enveloped her. She prayed that nothing happened to them. At a particular, point, she saw from a door, a two nurses and a doctor covering two bodies on a bed, she was frightened, out of fear and anxiety, she rushed into the room, before the doctor and nurses could stop her, she had already flipped open the materials covering the bodies, expecting to see whether the bodies were Olivia and Mike's. Fortunately for her, she was disappointed. Although they were dead bodies, they weren't that of her friends. She was held back by the Manager who told her to calm down, the doctor who was in the room then asked her why she behaved in such manner, her response made him promise to help. He took them to his personal office and asked them to wait while he did out about Mike and Olivia. As he left them, Lucy was still not okay, she continued stamping her feet on the floor, shaking her head and weeping. The manger of the hotel was trying his best to calm her down, but it seemed a tough job for him. Suddenly, Lucy's phone rang, she picked up and the voice she heard was that of Mary. 

Mary was about to leave her office that evening when she saw a breaking news of an accident that happens just then in the US. Unlike her, who normally do not put interest in such news, she watched with keen interested as the choppers hover, land and carry the victims. She was shocked when she heard the name;.

...one of the victim who was suspected to be from the Hart family...' 

she increased the volume and listened. For her, the person was suspected to be, so they weren't sure. She called Mira and enquired of Olivia's whereabout. That was when it occured to her that it must be Olivia they were taking about. Mira had told her that Olivia was in the US to finalize whatever is remained for the supplies. She couldn't wait any longer, so she called Olivia's, lines, they rang but no one picked. She tried again, before she decided to call Lucy. When Lucy picked the call, Mary asked her to confirm to her the trueness of the news. Her response returned positive amidst tears. Mary could notice she was crying, and she asked her if Olivia was dead. Immediately, the doctor who had gone to make inquiries, returned and told Lucy that they should follow him to the Medical directors office as he needed to see them immediately. Lucy told Mary to hold on for her to find out the state of things and confirm Olivia's status. They walked through another hallway, that was when she observed that the emergency unit was very large, there were rooms on the left and the right sides of the hallway, and each of the room had occupants who she could see from the transparent wide glass windows, that they were patients being attended to by a team of doctors and nurses. The Medical Directors office was at the end of the hall way, when they got there, some people were already seated, waiting for their turn to see him. They were asked to sit, the other visitors we're sitting according to the way the came, so Lucy and the manager joined the queue. While they sat their, a lot of things were going on in Lucy's mind, all she wanted was to confirm that Olivia and Mike were still alive. The news did not give detailed information on what happened, all they said was that it was a breaking news and that they were still following up to get more on it. She would see some nurses hurried pass, some carrying one medical equipment or he other, and she would feel like rushing to ask questions. Once she saw a stretcher with a covered body on it rolled pass, she jumped up and pulled off the cover, what she saw although not Olivia nor Mike, made her throw up. She was helped to the ladies where she cleaned up.

The next call she received came from James, he asked where she was and told her he had been searching all over the place for her. He mama to hold herself and answer, but her voice have her away. James noticed the way she sounded and asked what was happening to her. Lucy told him exactly where she was and what had happened. James who has seen the scene in the news, hurriedly got into his cat and drove down to the hospital. Lucy was shocked when she saw him. Her surprise was more of the fact that he didn't call her to ask where they were, rather he came directly to them. James excused himself from them and walked into the Directors office without observation of protocols not waiting for turn. After about five minutes, he came out and asked that Lucy and the manager follow him. He was having some phones in his hands, aside his own. On their way along the hall way, he handed the phone to Lucy and told her not to worry, that the driver was not dead. Lucy was more interested in knowing about Lucy and Mike, so she asked him, James answered to her that from the way the accident happened, the driver's survival chance was less than fifty, but since he was alive, he would be surprise if those two passengers at the back died. Olivia's phones continued to ring as they walked, Lucy didn't want to pick the calls, since she hadn't any information to give the callers. She was waiting to see Olivia's condition before responding to anyone calling. James took the to a separate ward, there was only one patient, Lucy looked and saw that the patient was not covered totally, it made her relax a bit, as she thought to herself, that of that was Olivia, it meant that she was not dead yet. A closer observation, revealed the nurse that was seated at the bedside, for Lucy, it seemed James was wasting time, as James was busy asking the nurse to check her record for Olivia Hart, or Mike. Lucy who was somewhat desperate, had already taking another route and got closer to the bed where she was able to see the patients face and confirmed Olivia wasn't the one laying down there. She was becoming angry, but she tried her best to hold her anger down. James who was leading them saw how she was behaving, and calmed her down, reminding her that from the death recorded so far that day at the hospital, there was or were non from that particular accident.

News they say goes in a flash, indicating that it spread with great speed, and like wild fire. Mira didn't know the reason why Mary her aunt asked the question on Olivia's whereabout, she felt there was something that needed her attention business wise, so what she did in her response was to remind her that she had gone to roundup the pending ones they had handled previously. Mary on her part thought it wise to hold on till she heard from Lucy, to avoid unnecessary panick, but she never knew that Mira would be in the knowing very fast. Mira had gone to the Mall to pick few things she needed, when she saw people gather on a particular place where a big plasma TV was showing an accident scene. She decided to take a peep at what was going on, and why people are gathered the way they did, that was when she saw the news, and her sisters name. She took her phone and called her line, it rang many times, and no one picked. She called the second line, and the same thing happened. She then called back Mary. Mary noticed she was crying, so she asked that she come over to her place. She advised her not to tell her parents yet. Mira left all that she went to buy, returned back to the car and told her details that she was headed to aunt Marys place. The driver didn't waste any time, he turned the vehicle and drove to aunt Marys house. Once Mira got down from the car, seeing Mary, standing in front of her house, she quickly rushed her, held her and asked;

Aunty, tell me she is still alive.

Mary understood how she felt, and wished she had got feed from Lucy and a positive one at that, as that would help her calm the twin sister down. She told her to calm down as there was no information yet, but that the most important thing was that there was no bad news yet, as regards death. She told her Lucy was trying to get the news from the hospital. Mira could not wait but call Lucy. When Lucy saw Mira's call, she knew she had to move faster to get to see or hear about Olivia so as to reduce the tension that is in everyone. She refuse picking the call, rather she concentrated on her search through the windows of the rooms as they walked through the third hallway. They had almost got to the end of the hall way when she looked through one of the window as she does, behold, she saw a team of doctors and nurses, gather around a patient, she tried to get a view of the patient, but the team who formed a circle around the patient blocked her view. She hurried to the door, tried turning the knob, she noticed it was locked. She took a chair that was by the side, and climbed on it very close to the window, yet could not see anything. The more she tried to view, the more desperate she became, James was also making effort to get her through. He has stopped a nurse who was going into the room and enquired of her who the patient in the room was. He nurse only told him she was an accident victim and that they were trying to make sure she was saved. Immediately Lucy heard that, she timed the nurse who was holding the door knob, the nurse was ignorant of Lucy's plan, so she gradually unlocked the door, while she gave attention to James, Lucy quicky rushed into the room. Before the team of doctors and nurses could know what happened, she had already reached the bed where the patient was with an oxygen mask on her face, and her head tied with  bandages.