Abbey's Road

It hurt so badly. God, it hurt. It felt as if some sort of bug with a stinging bite had burrowed its way into Abbey's side and settled just below her ribs. It hurt so bad that she could hardly move. It probably didn't help that she hadn't been able to keep anything solid down for nearly three days, so her body was weak and shaky. She'd spent nearly her whole time in Nashville, Tennessee curled into the fetal position in her hotel bed, only leaving its comfort to crawl to the bathroom.

With a deep breath to steady herself, Abbey forced herself into a sitting position. Her entire body lurched with pain. "Shit," she cursed. With wobbling limbs, she got to her feet and carefully made her way to her suitcase. "Where is that Tylenol?" she grumbled, shoving things aside. She finally found it buried beneath her clothes, next to her toothbrush and toothpaste. She grabbed these as well, thinking that she could use an all-over cleaning after her two days of bed rest.

"Come on Abbey, you can do this," she said out loud to cheer herself on. "You need this. You smell like the inside of a barn on a hot summer day." In spite of her pain, she smiled to herself. It was sayings like this that conjured smiles in California, and especially in Zacky. Abbey couldn't count how many times he'd told her that her southern mannerisms were one of the main things he loved about her. It reminded him of simpler times, he'd said. Like the Old West. And then Abbey would laugh and hit him and say that Georgia wasn't in the west.

God, I miss that, Abbey thought to herself. Looking towards the ceiling, she silently asked, God, why did you have to do this to us? We were so happy.

"Why?" she asked again, and this time it was out loud. She was angry all of a sudden, and the anger gave her a newfound source of energy. She threw her toothpaste, which she still had in her hand, across the room. It bounced off the bathroom door with a resounding thud and fell to the floor. "I loved him so much and you drove us apart."

The choice to leave was yours.

The answer hit Abbey so hard and suddenly that she fell to her knees on the dingy carpet of the hotel room. Of course, she'd known this all along, but she didn't want to admit it. She was a selfish person; she knew that. She knew that everything that had transpired was her fault and hers alone. But why had God put these events into action? Why had He planted this terrible disease in her body? Why had He guided her away from Zacky? All Abbey wanted was answers, answers that she knew she would never get.

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By the next day, Abbey was feeling considerably better. She'd actually managed to keep her dinner down last night, and by taking a few melatonin that she'd purchased at WalMart, she'd been able to get a good, full night's sleep. The ache in her side was still there, but it was dull now. Nowhere near as bad as it had been the past two days.

Today was her last day in Nashville before she headed on to her next destination, so she'd gotten a rental car and was headed to the Grand Ole Opry. Even being so close to the boys from Avenged Sevenfold and loving their style of music, Abbey still harbored a soft spot for country music. Before she moved to California, she'd always dreamed of visiting the Grand Ole Opry to see a show, but once her family left Georgia, she'd had to put it on the back-burner. But now she finally had the chance.

Abbey reached over and punched the radio knob, and the speakers burst to life. "That was Smashing Pumpkins with Cherub Rock," the emcee was saying. "This song is a real favorite of mine. We've got a little Avenged Sevenfold coming at you right now. Here's 'Bat Country'. Her attention captured, Abbey directed her eyes to the radio as she came to a stop at a red light. She turned the volume up and leaned her head back against the seat, reveling in the comforting sounds of her friends' music.

Suddenly there was the loud screech of a car horn, and then a horrendous crashing sound. Abbey's head jerked up, no longer concerned with the music playing on the radio, and the scene in front of her brought a feeling of sickness to her stomach. It appeared that a car heading in Abbey's direction had tried to speed through the intersection during the red light, but had been t-boned by a larger truck. Jagged pieces of metal littered the highway, and Abbey could hear the sounds of agony coming from inside the vehicles.

Not even bothering to turn off her car, Abbey catapulted out and headed towards the wreckage. She headed first to the smaller car, which had sustained more damage. Inside there was only one person: a young woman, close to Abbey's age. Abbey could tell she was grievously injured. "Miss?" she asked tentatively. The woman let out a soft groan. "Miss, can you hear me? Are you alright?"

"Everything...hurts," the woman breathed out.

"What's your name?" Abbey asked next. She had no medical training, so there was nothing she could do for the woman on that front, but she could at least try and keep her conscious. She could show her that someone was there, that she wasn't alone.

"Shelley," the woman said, gritting her teeth.

"I'm Abbey," Abbey replied. "And I just wanted to let you know that you're not alone."

The woman looked over at Abbey for the first time since Abbey had greeted her. Her eyes were glassy, fuzzy, and unfocused. Abbey could tell she was having a hard time staying conscious. "Thank you," she whispered, and then she slumped over, finally giving in to the pull of her injuries.

Abbey stood there in shock for only a few minutes before she felt a hand on her shoulder. Jumping, she turned to see that the paramedics had arrived and that she was in the way. She walked away, feeling numb. She couldn't help but think that she'd just watched a woman die right before her eyes. She sat down on the curb and placed her head in her hands, finally giving in to the memory that she'd been fighting to suppress since she seen the two cars collide.

"I love nights like this," Abbey whispered, her lips pressed to Zacky's temple. "When all we have is a bottle of Jack and time to waste." She pressed her body against his, loving the heat that the close contact was bringing. She fluttered her fingers along the bottom of his shirt, ghosting her fingers over the sensitive skin, and she felt his heart-rate skyrocket. "Oh Zack, you get excited far too easily," she teased, retracting her hand. Zacky let out a gasp of breath in response.

"Well you're just so talented," Zacky replied with a smirk. Abbey rolled her gray eyes and shoved him away. He just laughed. "What?"

"You're silly," was all Abbey said, tickling his nose. They did this quite often; the flip-flopping between intimate and playful. It was one of the things Abbey loved most about their relationship. She climbed onto his lap and kissed his lips once. "So what do you say we break open the Jack and have a little fun?"

"Hmm, what kind of fun?" Zacky asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

Abbey giggled. Her boyfriend was incredibly goofy. "I think you know," she told him, slowly running her finger down his chest.

"Sounds like a--" Zacky started, but he was cut off by the sound of Abbey's phone ringing.

"Dammit," she cursed, getting to her feet. She ran a hand back through her hair as she walked across the room to where her phone sat on the kitchen counter. When she saw that it was her mother, she was confused. Her mother usually only called during the day. "Hello?"

"Abbey," was all she heard.

"Ma, what's wrong?" she asked. "You sound like you've been crying."

"It's Whitney," her mom replied. Abbey's heart dropped. Whitney was her sister, her only sister, and it terrified Abbey to know that something had happened to her. "She and Seth were in a car accident. A really bad one. Seth...Seth was pronounced dead at the scene, but they took Whitney to the hospital. It's...it's bad, dear. They don't know if she's gonna survive."

"I'll be right there, Ma," she said dryly. She hung up the phone and turned to Zacky, who seemed surprised to see the tears welling in her eyes. "It's Whitney," she said before he could ask. "Her and Seth were in a car accident. Seth...Seth is dead, and-and Whitney...they don't know if she'll survive."

Zacky was off the couch in an instant. "Well let's go, then," he said. Abbey didn't need to be told twice and she took off out the door like a shot.

When the two of them arrived at the hospital, Abbey's entire immediate family - and Seth's as well - was there, save for Abbey's brother Derek, who was stationed overseas. All Abbey needed to do was survey her family's faces to know that something was terribly wrong. "Ma?" she croaked. "Is Whitney--"

"She's gone, Abbey," her mom cried. "She didn't even make it to the hospital. She..." At this point, her mom's voice broke and she collapsed against Abbey's father as sobs racked her body.

Numbness filled Abbey's body. How could Whitney be dead? She'd just seen Whitney and Seth the other day at the grocery store, picking out vegetables. She'd asked them about their upcoming wedding. A wedding that would never happen. Abbey was vaguely aware of being crushed against Zacky's strong frame, his arms wrapped around her slender shoulders. She was vaguely aware that her tears were soaking his black Iron Maiden t-shirt. But one thing she was aware of. Her life would never be the same.

This prediction was right, in more ways than one. Not long after Whitney's death, Abbey had learned that she was carrying Zacky's child, and had terminated her pregnancy. And then God had dealt her this terrible blow, this horrible force that was driving her away from Zacky and everyone else she loved. It was like a domino effect; once one thing went terribly wrong, nothing else would ever be alright. Without a word, Abbey got to her feet and numbly walked back to her rental car. She glanced at the clock on the dashboard. 3:36. She still had time to make it to the Grand Ole Opry in time for the show.

"I'd better get going," Abbey said quietly to herself, shifting the car into drive. She made a quick U-turn and headed in the opposite direction, looking for an alternate route. Things were silent now; no radio, no music, no Avenged Sevenfold. The only thing Abbey could listen to now were the voices in her head.

Notes