“No! Let me go! I want my daughter!” Carmen tried to fight her way out of Shane’s arms, but she was too strong.  “Melody!”

“Mommy!” Melody yelled out of her mother, and Carmen cried out for her again.

“Melody!” Shane opened the door and threw Carmen out.  Carmen got up from the pavement and went towards the house. Shane pushed her back and closed the door. “Shane! I want my baby!” Shane went to grab Carmen’s things and grabbed her keys off the table. “Shane! I want her!” Shane walked to the door and opened it. She threw Carmen’s things out and dropped the keys. 

“Leave my fuckin’ house!” She slammed the door in Carmen’s face and locked it.

“Mommy!” Melody began to run towards the door, but Shane stopped. “I want mommy!”

“Shhhh—it’s okay babe. Mommy’s right here.”

“I want mommy!” Melody cried in Shane’s arms as she tried to reach out to Carmen.

“Melody!” Carmen banged on the door. She stopped banging on the doors and slowly picked her self up off the ground.  She grabbed her things and got into her Expedition. She started up the SUV and pulled out of the driveway with the tires squealing.  Shane finally got Melody calm down and put her to bed.

       Carmen cried uncontrollably as she drove towards her mother’s house. She was swerving in and out of traffic as she ran a stoplight. Cars slamming on the brakes, and the drivers honking their horns. Carmen continued to drive recklessly down the road.  She ran upon another stoplight and didn’t stop again. She turned her head and saw headlights coming towards her. The drivers honk their horn, but it was too late. The truck crashed into Carmen’s SUV and pushed her into light pole. The sound of Carmen’s horn blared as her head rested in the air bag.

                Shane ran through the ER doors with the girls behind her with Melody in Alice’s care. Shane ran to the desk, and the nurse looked up.

“Can you tell me what room Carmen Morales is in?”

“How are you related to Miss Morales?”

“She’s my wife,” she answered impatiently. “Please tell me what room she’s in.”

“You’ll have to wait until I hear further news from the doctor.”

“Look here lady—you don’t understand. I want to see my wife!”

“You’ll have to sit down and wait ma’am.”

“I want to see my wife!” The girls grabbed Shane away from the desk as Alice sat with Melody. Shane sat down in her chair and began to worry.

“Calm down—everything’s going to be okay.” Jenny rubbed Shane’s back as Shane rested her head in her hands. A man came walking out and went up to the nurse’s desk. The woman pointed towards Shane and the girls and nodded. Shane heard footsteps and looked up. She saw the man approaching them and stopped.

“Are you ladies here for Carmen de la Pica Morales?”

Shane stood up. “Y-yes we are.”

“I’m Dr. Driscoll, and you are?”

“Shane—Shane McCutcheon. Carmen’s my wife. Is she all right? Can I go see her? Please doc—tell me that she’s okay.”

“Carmen suffered some severe injuries. There was internally bleeding, and she had a crack skull from smacking the window with a lot of force—,” Shane shook her head.

“Is she all right? That’s all I want to fuckin’ know!”

Dr. Driscoll sighed heavily. “We did all we could do, but she didn’t make it. I’m sorry.” Shane felt her heart break inside of her body. She dropped to her knees as she screamed out of her wife.  Alice walked Melody over to Shane, and Shane wrapped her arms around her daughter.

“Mommy, why are you crying?”

Shane cried harder as she kissed her daughter on the head and held her tight. “Mommy’s gone baby, mommy’s gone.”

“Where did mommy go?” Shane closed her eyes and bit her bottom lip.

“She—went to heaven.” Shane sat in that same position with her daughter in her arms as the girls grieved after losing a dear friend.