LEFT BEHIND

Part 1

BY Meloira

Summary: Ryan and Vicky die in an accident and Carl must pick up the pieces.

Disclaimer: Characters aren’t mine. Darn.

The buzzing woke Carl from an unusually deep sleep and for a moment he couldn’t place it. He pushed himself into a sitting position and rubbed his eyes. Ah, the doorbell.

"Alright, I’m coming. Just stop that infernal buzzing before you wake the children." Carl managed to reach the front door without stubbing his toes.

"This had better be good," he barked as he wrenched the door open. Before him stood Gary Sinclair.

"Officer Sinclair. How good of you to drop by so unexpectedly in the middle of the night. I don’t mean to be rude, but you will rock my granddaughter back to sleep if your insistent buzzing has roused her from her hard-fought slumber. By the way, happy New Year."

"I’m sorry sir, but this is an urgent matter in regards to the Captain."

"Ryan? He’s not here at the moment, but I assume he told you where he was going this weekend?"

"Yes sir, he told me in great detail."

"Then you’ll also know he won’t return until late tomorrow."

"Yes sir, I know that."

"Then forgive me, but why in blazes are you here officer?" Carl was becoming inpatient with the man.

"I’m sorry Mr. Hutchins, it’s just so hard to say the words." Gary tightened his grip on his hat until he thought it would break. "Mr. Hutchins. Carl. I regret to inform you that your son Ryan was involved in an accident this evening out on Piney Knot Road. He and the others…"

"Accident? Dear God, are they all right? Have they been taken to hospital already?" Carl started for the phone. "I’ll call Frankie and have her come over to watch the kids. Then you can take me to my son."

Gary followed the man quietly. "Carl, listen to me."

Carl stopped. "There’s more, isn’t there?" He looked into Gary’s eyes. Already Carl could see the pity.

"I’m sorry Carl, but they’re all gone."

Carl let the words wash over him. Ryan, his son, dead. Impossible.

"Are you positive? Surely there’s been some mistake."

"I wish I could say it was, but it’s no mistake. They were in an area of Piney Knot that’s very narrow and doesn’t have any escape routes. The car hit them head on." Gary struggled with the last words, on the verge of tears. "When help arrived at the scene, three of the four victims in your son’s vehicle were dead and the fourth died en route. The driver of the other car is in critical condition."

"Bully for him."

"I’m sorry sir. That’s all I know to say. I know it’s not what you want to hear right now, but Ryan was a great captain and a fine man. He was a good friend and I’ll miss him."

Carl nodded at Gary’s words, the reality of the situation just beginning to sink in.

"Thank you officer. Thank you, but I want to see my son."

"Carl, I just told you…"

"I won’t believe it until I can see him, touch him. You can take me to him can’t you?"

Gary was taken aback by the wild look in the old man’s eyes. "Of course."

"Of course." Carl sprang into action. "Just let me call Frankie and I’ll be right out to your car."

Gary took the words as dismissal. Carl gripped the receiver and bolstered himself. Yes, he wanted to see his son one last time, just to be sure.

+++++++++++

Carl’s call hadn’t surprised Frankie. Her senses had been on edge all day and she’d felt something terrible was on its way. So now she sat in her best friend’s house waiting for Carl to return. Being Carl, he hadn’t given her any explanation for his abrupt departure, but she knew it couldn’t be good.

She was about to call Cass when she heard the front door open.

"Carl?" Frankie stood as he entered the room. The man before her was a sorry sight.

"Carl," she whispered, "please, tell me what’s wrong."

At her quiet entreaty, he lifted his eyes and Frankie could see the unshed tears. For what felt like a lifetime, Frankie watched the weary man and waited.

"He’s gone."

Carl’s hoarse words nearly escaped her.

"He’s gone? Who’s gone Carl?" Frankie began to tremble.

"He’s gone Frankie. My boy is dead." Carl’s body swayed slightly. "I’ve just come from the morgue. They let me see him, touch him. I had to see for myself." Carl’s face crumpled under the onslaught of his emotions. "He looked so peaceful, as if he were merely sleeping. But I couldn’t wake him. I tried Frankie, but I couldn’t wake him."
Frankie caught him as he fell to the floor and held him as they both cried.

"How Carl? I don’t understand."

"They were returning from their trip a day early. I can only assume they’d planned on surprising us." Carl wiped away the tears with the back of his hand. "They were on Piney Knot Road when a car struck the minivan head-on. According to Gary, there was no way Ryan could have avoided the crash."

"What about the others? Are they…?"

"Vicky and Ryan both died at the scene." Carl paused and took a deep breath. "Michael also died before the ambulance arrived. Poor Bella survived, but ah, she, she died before they could get her to hospital."

Frankie’s eyes widened in shock. "All four of them? Dear Lord." Frankie’s grip on the man tightened. "This is wrong. This can’t be happening."

"Yes, it is wrong, but it can’t be changed no matter how hard we wish it. When Gary gave me the news, I didn’t want to believe. I still don’t."

Frankie angrily wiped away her own tears. "It’s not fair! Ryan and Vicky were happy. And Donna and Michael had finally managed to get themselves on the right track. It doesn’t make any sense."

"No it doesn’t. However, now is not the time to indulge my own sorrow and anger. There are far more important duties that must be attended to."

The realization hit her. "Oh no, the children."

"Yes, the children. No matter how much I want to crawl away and hide, I cannot. There’s simply no time for it. The children must come first." Carl picked himself up from where he’d fallen. "I just don’t know if I can do it. How do you tell little babies that the people they love most in the world are never coming home? How can we expect them to understand."

"I don’t know Carl. We’ll just do the best we can."

"Thank you, my heart. Thank you for being Ryan’s best friend." Carl smiled and hugged her. "Now my dear, there are a few calls I must make before dawn arrives and the children wake. Marley must be told, as well as Peter and countless others. I suppose that task falls to me." Wearily, Carl raked his hands through his mussed hair and sighed. "I’m still hoping I’ll wake up and this will all have been a horrible dream."

"That makes two of us." Frankie mopped away the remains of her tears. "I’ll call Cass on my cell and let him know I’m staying with you tonight, and then I’ll check on the kids."

Carl barely noticed her departure as a thousand thoughts rushed through his brain. How was he supposed to carry on? What would happen to the children? He collapsed onto the nearest chair in defeat. This was one time Carl Hutchins did not have all the answers.