Release Day Blitz Ditch Lane Diaries

Ruby sat close to Reed on the drive back to Murfreesboro. There was a wintry chill in the

air, and the promise of snow lurked in the late October sky. The two-lane highway had double

yellow lines with no shoulder. As they approached the stretch of the road called Dead Man’s

Curve, Ruby looked up a second too late to see a deer run out of the woods and dart into the

highway in front of Reed’s car.

“Reed, watch out!” she screamed.

Reed was driving too fast to react and tried slamming on his brakes, but he hit the deer.

That was when everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Ruby heard the brakes screech and

smelled burning rubber. She heard the violent crunch of metal as the car skidded in the gravel

toward the ditch. She felt as if they were slowly floating through the air—and then, all at once,

everything sped up, as Ruby heard the deafening grind of metal, and the car flipped on its side.

Ruby’s head hit the windshield, and then there was nothing.

****

Reed woke to a coppery taste in his mouth and the smell of burnt rubber and antifreeze.

His head ached with intense pain. It took about a second for him to remember what had

happened. He looked down and found Ruby pinned underneath him. His car was flipped over on

the passenger side. A surge of adrenaline pumped through his body as he lifted himself off Ruby

and gently shook her.

Reed lifted her from the floorboard and held her in his arms. “Ruby, honey, wake up. Are

you okay?” There was no movement from her. He screamed, “Ruby, baby, can you hear me?

Please wake up, Ruby!” His hands shook as he felt for her pulse. Thank you, sweet Jesus! She’s

alive!

People screamed from somewhere outside, from the sound, there must’ve been at least a

dozen people at the scene. He heard sirens in the distance as people approached the car.

Brent yelled, “Reed, help is coming. We’re going to try and place the vehicle upright.

Can you hold on to something?”

Reed braced himself with one arm so he wouldn’t fall on Ruby. With his other arm, he

tried to secure her next to him, gently, so she wouldn’t hit the dash when the others flipped the

car upright.

Brent hollered, “On the count of three: One! Two! Three!”

The car flipped upright and bounced like a buggy. Reed cradled Ruby in his arms.

Brent opened the driver’s side door and started to pull Reed out. Reed screamed, “Wait.

I’m not leaving Ruby. Has anyone called an ambulance?”

Reed glanced up to see the distraught look on Brent’s face when Brent first noticed

Ruby. And then Brent fell backward, nearly falling. Ruby lay unconscious, almost lifeless in

Reed’s arms.

Brent regained his balance by placing his hand on the roof of the car. His voice quivered,

“Reed, I can see the ambulance lights now. The state trooper is here. Hey man, you’re bleeding

pretty badly.”

Nearing the brink of hysteria, Reed cried, “Jesus, I don’t care about me. I care about her.

I’m staying here with her.”

Someone handed Brent a couple of blankets, and his hands shook when he gave them to

Reed. Brent said, “You need to place this one over Ruby and the other one around you. The

paramedics are here.”

Equipped with two gurneys, one for Reed and the other for Ruby, the paramedics pulled

Reed from the car. He begged, “Please get Ruby first. I’m okay. Get Ruby out of the car.” Reed

was out of his mind with worry. He tried to punch one of the paramedics as they were pulling

him from the wreckage. He screamed and cried out, “Ruby! I’m here, darling! I’m not leaving

you, baby! I’m right here!”

Ruby lay unconscious.