5 Failed Attempt

Lifting her head off the steering wheel, Rachel looks around. Her thoughts are fuzzy, her vision blurred. "What happened to me?" she asks, scanning her surroundings. She suddenly recalls flying over the cliff. "That jerk made me wreck.

She discovers smoke barreling from underneath the hood when she glances through the shattered glass. I need to get out of here before the car ignites.

Rachel tries to move but quickly finds that her legs are pinned between the seat and the dash. There's no need to panic, I just need to call for help.

Glancing around, Rachel finds her cell on the passenger floor. She reaches for it; her fingertips smack the edge, scooting it further away. Removing her seatbelt, she stretches her arm out as far as it'll go, but her phone is still out of reach. I need to find something to knock it back my way. She takes a quick inventory of the car but doesn't find a thing. What am I going to do now?

She hears a loud crackling sound coming from outside. She looks over to find flames shooting out from under the hood. "Help me, please, someone help me," she cries as the flames make their way toward the glass.

***

Jeanie is setting the table when she hears her youngest daughter Emma bounce into their apartment.

"I'm home," Emma announces. Tossing her keys on the foyer table, she heads towards the kitchen.

Jeanie glances up to see Emma watching her from the door. Emma is a tall, stick figure of a girl with dishwater blond hair, pasty complexion, and soft hazel eyes. Unlike the rest of the family, Emma can eat everything in sight and not gain a pound. "You always did enjoy watching me cook." She smiles.

"You seem so happy, carefree.," Emma explains.

"I do enjoy it, especially when it's for my girls." She stirs the vegetables and then asks, "How's work, today?"

"Just wonderful, it's so rewarding being able to help people just like me." Emma was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia when she was sixteen. She's been hospitalized for manic episodes several times since. Her last occurrence was a little over two years ago while fleeing from the cops. She decided to get revenge on the horrid men who hurt her and Rachel when they were little. Reliving some of the painful childhood memories sent her into a psychotic state. Emma now helps others like herself manage their mental illness.

"I'm so glad you like your new job." Jeanie smiles.

"I love it so much that I almost feel bad about being paid for it, almost." Emma giggles.

Jeanie laughs. "I'm glad to see you happy for a change."

"Me too." A delightful scent wafts through the air when Jeanie opens the oven door.

Emma's stomach rumbles. She laughs and says, "I don't know what you're cooking, but it's sure making me hungry."

"It's baked ravioli prepared just the way you girls like." Hearing it's her favorite dish, Emma grabs a plate from the table.

Jeanine smiles and says, "I think we should wait for your sister to get home, don't you?"

Rachel is actually her cousin and Jeanie, her aunt; Jeanie has taken care of Emma since she was an infant, so the girl feels more like a daughter to her than a niece.

"Shouldn't Rachel be home by now?"

Jeanie checks her watch. "It is getting late."

Emma sees the concern in Jeanie's eyes. "Think I'll find out what's keeping her. Tell her that I'll eat her share of the ravioli if she doesn't get home soon."

"That'll sure get her here fast and in a hurry." She laughs.

Emma picks up her cell and dials Rachel's number. With a curious expression on her face, she turns towards Jeanie and says, "It went straight to voicemail."

"Maybe she's in a meeting or something." Jeanie anxiously stirs the vegetables.

"Yeah, maybe." Emma tilts her head to the side; a look of doubt on her face. "Why don't you call Bonnie and Max; find out if they've heard from her?" She hands her mom the phone.

Jeanie glances at the device, and then Emma trying to decide what she should do. "I'd hate to worry her dad over nothing." She lays Emma's phone on the counter.

"Yeah, you're probably right. It's probably nothing."

Jeanie eyes the phone again. I sure hope it is.

*****

Joe sees an assortment of vehicles parked along the edge of the road when he drives up to the scene. She's somehow managed to get our entire crew out here to save her, he chuckles pulling in behind them. Rachel's always been a bit of drama queen.

Joe hears an EMT arguing with Rachel when he climbs out of his car. "A near-fatal accident won't even slow that girl down." He chuckles.

"I said I'm not going." Rachel sits up on the gurney.

"You really need to have a doctor check you out." The paramedic reasons, trying to stop her from scooting off the cot.

"I said I'm not going so you better get out of my way." She pushes him aside.

Joe walks over to a firefighter who's observing their argument from afar. "How is she?"

"She has a few minor lacerations on her head, but other than that she seems perfectly fine. Which is surprising considering what we pulled her out of." The EMT points down the hill.

Joe sees her car demolished just over the edge of the cliff.

Joe shakes his head. "She's lucky to be alive."

"Yeah, well, the bump to her head seems to have made her sassier."

"Like that was even possible."

"Isn't that the truth. The paramedic laughs.

"Don't you dare strap me to that gurney," Rachel shoves the EMT away.

"I better try and calm her down before someone gets hurt."

"Good luck with that, Captain." He chuckles.

I need more than luck, Joe thinks as he walks towards her. "What are you throwing such a fit about, Detective?"

"These goons want to take me to the hospital, but I'm perfectly fine." Determined to prove her point, Rachel sits up.

Joe watches her teeter back and forth. "I'm doing this for your own good." He pushes her down on the stretcher. The EMTs secure their straps.

"Let go of me," she yells, trying to get free of the harnesses.

Hearing his daughter scream, Max runs down the hill. He's immediately taken aback by her appalling behavior. "That is enough out of you, Rachel Elizabeth Webb."

"Ah, hi, Daddy," she says, trying to act innocent.

"Don't you hi daddy me, young lady. I want you to stop acting like a child and go to the hospital. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Dad."

The EMT looks over at the father, nods, and says. "Thank you, sir." He and his partner load her into the ambulance.

Max steps up to the edge of the bus. "Tell Rachel, Joe and I will meet her there and that she better behave."

The paramedic notices the look on Rachel's face. He chuckles to himself and then says, "I think she heard you, sir."

"Good."

***

Leo sees the lady cop being wheeled up the hill yelling about something. "How could she possibly have survived? How?" He planted a bomb underneath the hood. Making sure it's positioning to where it'd explode on impact. He turns towards the car to find it's completely intact. Why didn't my plan work? He replays each detail in his mind. He then recalls the faulty connection and the time he spent repairing it. I knew I should've replaced it. With fire shooting out of his eyes, he glares at Rachel and says, "You survived this time, but I guarantee you won't survive the next."

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