Julien maneuvered his vehicle out of the parking lot. Soon after he made it to the highway, the traffic light and steady. He reached for the radio and switched it to a talk show radio station. 

The meeting went pleasantly well.  It was something he had been working on since before moving to California.  The large piece of land available for sale was now belonged to him, having just finalized the signatures–the deed expected to be in Julien's hands by next week.  It was a ten million dollar deal and the next hotel location to be under way for construction in the next year. 

Julien could not believe his luck, his life was running smoothly and in the right direction.  So much had happened in such a short amount of time, and all of it was positive. The best part was the love of his life, Angelica, his duchess...who was to be his wife sooner rather than later. 

However, his determination never wavered until the night of Annie's Birthday party.  The gypsy ladies voice kept chanting over and over again in his head. 

"You will lose her..." 

It made him uneasy as the negative thoughts swirling in his head started taking over the positive.  What would he possibly do to destroy what they had?  What would happen?  The constant bombardment of questions and possibilities running through his head always allowed a unwelcome tension headache by the end of each day.

He felt foolish believing a crazy gypsy woman but there was an inkling inside of him that sensed something terrible was about to happen, and each day it increased.  The tightness in his chest signified his bad feeling.  It was a gut instinct.  It never dissipated, even when he was around Annie. 

He could not shake it off. It worried and disturbed him.

Julien checked his rear view mirror, switching lanes to the left, now in the center passing the slower vehicle.  He released a deep breath calming his inner turmoil.

A large semi-cargo truck aligned with his car to the left. Julien's car appeared like a toy car next the truck and was dangerously close.  If the driver needed to switch into his lane he wouldn't be able to see him even with the wide side view mirrors.  Julien slowly increased his speed to pass the driver.

Now, head to head with the truck, he was about to accelerate further in order to completely pass, when the trucks front tire blew up forcing it swerve dangerously to the left lane. The truck diver lost control quickly. Trying to realign back into his lane, the driver turned the wheel too harshly into the right lane Julien was in.

Julien heard the explosive popping sound and witnessed the truck quickly lose control. He was nearly passed the truck before it hit the rear-left side of his Porsche before he could react fast enough. The steering wheel involuntarily turned to the side forcing him lose control of his vehicle. He stepped on the brake but that was a great error which resulted in another car hitting the right-front side of his car.

Julien's body slammed forward, but his seat belt held him back. Some of the air bags deployed to his sides, the last and most important airbag however– in his steering wheel never deployed.

The truck was losing further control as the screeching noise of metal clashing with metal shrieked loudly in the air. His vehicle was wedged tightly between the truck and the black SUV that hit his right.

A screech of protest came from Julien's car.

He felt the impact of his vehicles total destruction. His front windshield cracked and shattered all around him, cutting into the his skin of his hands which were tightly clutching the steering wheel.

He released his hold shielding his face and closed his eyes from the debris of glass cutting into his face. As much as he tried shielding his face, the glass pierced his skin like little daggers, the stinging sensation and the blood slowly alarmed him, making his realize the dangerous reality of the situation. 

His once calm demeanor was replaced with shock and panic. The truck was still moving at an alarming speed forcing his vehicle to move along with it. Julien heard another high pitched-smashing sound coming from the truck. It sounded as if another large truck crashed and slammed into the one stuck to his car.

The collisions happening around him alerted him of the severity of the situation. Julien listened to the damage the accident was causing in the background.

The driver was trying to brake, the steam erupted from the rubber tires as the truck attempted to slow down. In result, the freight container turned at a sharp angle as Julien glanced quickly in his rear view mirror. The back part of his vehicle was covered partially underneath the truck and looked dangerously close to tipping due to the force of its speed.

The foul smell of burnt rubber reached his nostrils as a thick haze of sadness engulfed him.  He knew the outcome before it happened. His last thoughts were of Annie. Her smiling, beautiful, angelic face flashing before him.

The gypsy's warning echoed in his ear, "...Your love will be threatened and destroyed by natural causes." This is what she meant Julien realized, making the hair against his neck stand up a chill of dread seeped into his bones.

Julien's life flashed before his eyes.

She was right...

The cargo's freight detached violently from the cab, falling, tipping over heavily on top of his car, deforming it badly. The metal colliding upon metal and the weight of heavy steel coming down on Julien's roof made the rest of his windows shatter. The windows no longer existed and the metal frame crushed, disappearing under the burdening size of the truck.

The dented roof caved in on him forcing his body in a uncomfortable hunched position. All motion seized, his car coming to a halt, crushed beneath the anchoring weight.   The engine of his car gave up in protest.

A searing pain in his head nearly made Julien pass out from the crushing impact. He forced his eyelids open as he felt the blood flow down his face. Unconsciousness forced it's heavy weight, trying to hinder him, but Julien refused to close his eyes, fighting to stay alive.

He attempted to move his body, in any direction, but he was wedged between the drivers seat which was now folding in, forcing his body forward against the steering wheel. His breaths came out in short gasps, as the steering wheel pressed heavily against his chest restricting the flow of oxygen.   The searing pain in his battered body nearly made him pass out yet again. It was so extreme, he felt every cut and abrasion on his skin.

The beating of his heart was erratic as it thudded his ears. His head was pounding in pain. For how long he stayed as he did, he could not recall, too paralyzed in shock and pain. His limbs were trapped and he was losing a lot of blood, feeling the wetness trickle from his fingertips.

He closed his eyes briefly trying to regulate what oxygen he could help reach his lungs.  Sirens wailed in the background. They flutter open as heard shouting in the faint distance. It was too far away and he was buried under too much debris that no light seeped through. He was trapped and could not be saved, feeling his control to stay awake slipping.

Julien felt nothing.

Dread filled him.

This was the end.

It was too late.

His vision blurred, an abyss of blackness took over his senses, slowly drowning the light inside of him.  But before he shut down, his ears heard his voice whisper hoarsely, "I love you Angelica..."
****

The firefighters, state police, and ambulances arrived on the scene. The police force had never seen such a horrendous sight. People all around them were crying out in panic, screaming. Countless piled up vehicles were completely destroyed. A fire started from amongst the many vehicles crushed under the flipped over truck.

Paramedics stayed back as the firefighter fought the roaring fire, finally extinguishing it after a few minutes. Shouts of help could be heard from under the debris.

One firefighter yelled, "Stand back!" To the paramedics that were eager to start saving whatever lives that were temporarily spared. "Come on guys, we have lives to save. Get the jaws of life over here!" They worked hard trying to dissect the wreckage and free the injured that were dead or partially alive.

Ambulances from other cities were called in to help and carry the injured to the hospital. The worst car was smashed and cubed under the wreckage. The firefighters worked hard trying to free the wrecked barely recognizable black Porsche.

"Damn! I've never seen something like this in all my twenty years!" A middle aged firefighter exclaimed, throwing the debris to the side as they cut piece by piece of the once black convertible.

"Someone's in there, I can see him! Saw down the roof!"

The men worked hard.

The intense sound of metal being cut through eliminated all other sounds. The light fire sparks fell like a fountain down upon the cement as they worked to free the bloodied and slumping man.

The paramedics scurried over to the broken and torn vehicle.  The unconscious victim was being carried by three firefighters.  Blood was everywhere, covering his face, clothing.  Blood kept dripping down the length of his fingers a they placed him gently on the rollaway.  A paramedic checked his pulse.

"No pulse!  Hurry lets get him going if we can!"

Julien's neck was placed in a brace, the front of his shirt ripped open. The paramedic held the defibrillator paddles, adding gel quickly, he pressed it to Julien's chest.

"Clear!" He called out.

His body lifted in shock, they checked the monitor once again.  "No heart beat, one more time!"  The medic pressed the paddles back down Julien's chest. The monitor beeped, coming to life with the faint beating of his heart. "We got him! But his pulse is weak, we might lose him before we get him to the hospital!"

Another paramedic prepared an intravenous infusion into his arm.

"No need carrying him in the ambulance! The choppers here!" A paramedic shouted above the helicopters rotors roaring loudly in the night. They wheeled him into the helicopter and it quickly lifted into the air, transporting him towards the hospital.

Victim upon victim was taken to the hospital, some severely injured, some dead, some barely alive. Annie worked hard alongside Mark working on the extensive injuries. All emergency doctors were called in to help with the heavy influx of patients from the fatal accident.

Annie wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and released a deep breath.

"Hey, I just got paged, another victim is being hauled in the air. They will be on the roof in two minutes." Mark informed her.

Annie nodded, following him to the roof top, waiting for the patient.

It was six o'clock in the evening, six more hours before Annie's shift ended. As she waited on the roof, she remembered Julien, feeling for the necklace he gifted on her neck, the stone lay softly against her chest. The studs were secured on her ears as well. The necklace was forever a constant reminder of him, whenever she touched it or saw it, his image would fill her view. She wore them for the bridal shower with her pink dress and hasn't taken them off since then. 

They were not able to separate from one another for too long. Julien always called her and set up time to be together. They were getting closer as the days passed by. Annie soaked up all his attention and love.  She was attached to him even more then before, missing him when he wasn't near.

Her heart raced and a chill seeped into her bones. The feeling foreign, she frowned down at her arms when goosebumps erupted across her skin. A bad feeling settled down in the pit of her stomach. Usually Annie's instincts were never wrong. It was a warning that something bad was going to happen.

She hoped her family was all right, not being able to shake the burdening feeling. Julien was supposed to be done with his meeting two hours ago and safely home by now, checking her watch.

"The medics called in.  The males stats don't look good, so we're going to have to work extra hard to keep his body going.  There's head trauma and his injuries are extensive.  They claimed he was buried under the wreckage, he wasn't breathing and had no pulse.  They got his heart beating but his pulse is weak."  Mark informed her while reading off of his notes attached to the clipboard a nurse handed him earlier.

Annie shuddered.  Her bad feeling just increased tenfold.

"Hey, you okay?  You're pale."  Mark observed looking from his clipboard. 

"I'm fine."  She whispered, unable to say more.  Mark barely heard her,  his attention went to the sharp sounds of the helicopters arrival. 

"Get ready!"  Mark shouted to his staff, clutching his doctors coat as it flew behind him from the force of the strong wind caused by the chopper.

Annie's hands wrapped around her waist.  Her fingers digging into her flesh to ward off the coolness of the air and the wind beating against her. 

Ignoring the warning in her head, they took possession of the victim and transferred his quickly to the ICU.

"Schedule an MRI immediately, we need to see of the there's any brain trauma.  Get an IV started."  Mark commanded, checking the unconscious man's vitals.

Annie was hooking up the unidentifiable male to an IV while another nurse rushed out to get an MRI ready.  The males face was bruised and battered.  A large gash was open to the side of his forehead.  A larger wound tore down the length of his chest, ripping into muscle. 

"Do we know the name of this John Doe yet?"  Mark asked, while checking the open wound to his head.   He placed gauze, dabbing the area and disinfecting it.  He then prepped a needle to draw blood, rubbing alcohol on the mans arm and inserted the needle, drawing the blood.  "I need his blood test results immediately.  This man has lost a lot of blood."

"Not yet.  The police are still running the plates of his car..."

"I'm right on it."  Another nurse replied, taking the tube filled with blood and rushing to the lab to test.

An EKG recorded the man's faint heartbeat.  Annie could not make out his features as she pushed the stray black hair away from his face.  He was still wearing black trousers, his shirt ripped open, blood everywhere on his body.  She couldn't even make out his skin color. 

"Let's get him cleaned up a bit to see if he sustained any other injuries. His BP is low but he's stable for now.  I don't know for how much longer though..." Mark said with a sigh while working on the deep gash on his chest.

"The MRI is ready Doctor."  The nurse came in rushing through the door.

"Alright, let's wheel him in!"  Mark and Annie push the bed down the hallway toward imaging.  A breathing mask placed over John Doe's mouth and nose to help him breath. 

Once they entered, they both released the bed as the technicians prepped him for the image.  Annie and Mark waited in the imaging room watching from a big glass window. 

John Doe enters the large x-ray machine. 

"I need the images up immediately.  I suspect the victim has suffered a severe brain injury.  I hope we're not too late and the damage hasn't already been done." 

Annie nodded, keeping silent.

Her nerves were on edge as she waited. The chill that suffused her would not leave her be.

After a few minutes images appeared one after the other, Mark and Annie glued themselves up to the computer screen, focusing and zooming in the image of the man's brain.

"Look here, there's some slight swelling to the brain. The prefrontal cortex, which is part of the brain's frontal lobe, is the region responsible for short-term memory." Pointing to the part of the males brain against the computer screen with his pen.  "I was told the truck fell over his cars roof. It must have jostled the brain, the skull looks to be intact, no fractures."  Mark continued.   "Okay lets get him set up in the ICU and start him on steroids, it may decrease the swelling and if not I need the neurological surgeon on standby just incase we need to perform surgery." 

After some time later, the nameless man lay there lifeless except for the beating monitor to his left.  The IV drip was releasing the steroid and in an hour they'll have to recheck with another MRI.  Another drip was inserted for the blood transfusion.

Annie was cleansing the male's chest, it was chiseled, clearly defined and shaped with muscle. They stitched the open wound on his chest which was now wrapped up in large white bandage.   The x-ray showed four fractured ribs, barely missing his lungs,  but no other fractured bones. He was extremely lucky no other body parts were damaged.

Annie trailed her gloved hands over his arms which were muscular and large signifying his strength. She started tending to the small cuts and bruises as Mark stood opposite her, closing the open gash to his forehead, snipping the last of the stitches. 

His strength did not help him when the crisis hit him, Annie thought sadly. It was for nothing. The human body was fragile, easily breakable. The force of the blow from the accident just signified how prone and weak they all were. His life could have been easily taken away. It was a miracle this man was alive.

A nurse rushed in holding a file. "We have an accurate identification on John Doe. This fax just came in." Mark discarded his bloodied examination gloves, leaving the room with the file the nurse handed him.

Annie was left alone with him. Small cuts, and wedged glass was still embedded in his skin. Reaching for the tweezers from the tools tray, she started to carefully pluck the glass gently from his face. Reaching for the spot light within hands reach, she brought it closer to view the small pieces as she removed all the broken glass covered in blood.

After some time, Annie started wiping away the blood with gauze and antiseptic. She first started with his hands which were long and defined slowly working her way up to his neck and finally to his face.

Taking a white clothed towel she dipped it in antiseptic and wiped the blood from his cheeks and jaw. John Doe had at least two days growth on his face as his features slowly uncovered. But he was so busied and swollen from the traumatic impact of the collision it would have to be days before his features cleared.

From what she could tell from his body he was tall, strong and somewhat handsome. She glanced at his fingers noticing no wedding band. Not married...But he must have family out there somewhere, a lover perhaps.

Annie sighed while she discarded her gloves. His BP was slightly low due to the loss of blood but otherwise stable at the moment. She went to the computer attached to the wall, updating his chart notes. The door behind her opened revealing Mark again.

"What is it?" Annie asked quietly, glancing back at him over her shoulder. He appeared bothered and disturbed as a frown creased his dark brows.

"Uh...nothing, we need to get another MRI for John Doe." Mark couldn't look her In the eyes.

"What's John Doe's name? I thought he was finally identified." Annie asked, turning fully in his direction. Mark's behavior was a little suspicious as he fidgeted with his ID badge, avoiding eye contact.

"Something didn't add up. Everything is being re-checked." His lie was not the best but he couldn't tell her, striding to Julien St. James' bedside. If Annie found out, Mark didn't know what would happen. 

The man was a complete wreck.  His face was badly bruised, his eyes nearly shut due to the swelling.  The big slash on the side of his forehead would most likely leave a scar if he survived.  The cuts marring his chest, hands and face were likely to heal on their own without leaving a mark.  The large open wound to his chest was closed, the muscle was torn but repaired now, that too was going to leave a scar. The four broken ribs never punctured his lungs which was a miracle. 

Mark ran a hand down his face, his nerves at their highest peak.  He needed to keep a lid on it.  Mark couldn't risk Annie finding out now.  He needed to withhold the information he just learned long enough until Julien's prognosis improved, hopefully.

They were in love, Mark could see it that day at her birthday party.    He had never witnessed Annie so happy before. 

It would crush her, break her heart.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned his face towards Annie's concerned eyes.  "Hey, you okay?"  She asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just been a long day."  Supplying her with a tight smile and squeezing her hand.  "Come on, let's get this guy in imaging."
*****

"Look here...In a matter of an hour the swelling went down significantly." Mark observed while viewing the recent scans. Annie sighed in relief, rubbing her cold hands up and down her thighs. "We will just have to wait until he wakes up to see the extent of damage..."

Annie stilled her movements.

"What are you expecting?" She asked afraid of his answer. Annie knew what kind of damage head trauma caused but she felt she needed to hear it from him.

"Well..." Mark rubbed his neck uncomfortably. He hesitated. It was best to prepare for the worst. If she knew now what to expect, it'll make the weight of the bad news a little more bearable. "He may have partial or complete memory loss of the events that occurred before the trauma.  It may be temporary or permanent. Again, we will not know until he wakes up. I maybe wrong. But from the images, that part of his brain is where memory is stored." Eyeing Annie carefully. She was starring at the images carefully. "Since he hasn't suffered further health complications since we got him, things are looking up slightly."

"It was a miracle he survived all the wreckage..." Annie murmured.

How awful, she thought.  No memories. 

"Yeah, he's one lucky guy." 

Mark felt sorry for her. 

She looked worried and tense.  It's as if she sensed him, which Mark thought was so odd.  Annie was always a compassionate person, feeling with the patients, their pain was hers, but this was different.  She was feeling more. 

"The sooner he wakes up the better the outlook."
____________________________________
Extra long chapter.  A bit Intense.  Thanks for taking a second to vote, share.

Thanks Shaz.