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Ohand--

"Honey, you awake?" Dad sat on the edge of the bed, and I realized his shirt rinkled So were his khakis Actually, he rinkled "Andrea?"

I forced ue off the roof ofout a long and low breath "You’ve been asleep for over a day I know it’s normal after these kinds of injuries, but I didn’t want to leave this roo to be so upset to know she decided to pick up food for us at this exacthurt--aze drifted toIV hooked up to it was the culprit

"Injuries?" I rasped out

Dad reached out, picking up ently "You hit your head pretty hard It’s a concussion And you’re pretty banged up, but the…" He squeezedit It had to be removed, and you needed a blood transfusion Without a spleen, there are going to be so off infections and…"

He continued on, but I wasn’t really hearing hier had one Blood transfusion? A concussion? My mind raced back to the car, to the seconds before I heard theway

"Did I hit so the raw pain in my throat "Did I hurt so that panic built in my chest "Oh my God," I croaked "Did I hit someone? Did I? Oh God, I can’t--"

"You didn’t hit anyone, Andrea" His throat worked as he stared down at en of relief filtered through ood, but I could’ve hit someone Oh God, I could’ve killed soal lies, brittle "You were drinking and driving"

Pressure increased as those words settled in, seeped through the confusion and took root I’d drunk and drove Had I done that before? Never I’d alaited at least an hour or more before I drove I always aze moved to the blinds over the"I’ve failed you"

His words jarred me "Dad--you didn’t fail me This… this was all me I…did this" Truer words had never been spoken Tears rolled down my face "I did this"

He shook his head "Your mother and I, even your brother, knew you drank We kept telling ourselves that it wasn’t that bad That you weren’t like aze shifted to , but I will not let you become me"