Who wrecked the car?!?

for those of you who know me
you know that I could get lost in a paper bag
...so I was lost in DC...during rush hour...it was dark already...fantastic
(actually I just missed my exit, probably because I was belting out lyrics to nickelback or hinder or stone sour, and didn't realize it until I saw signs for 'Pentagon, next right')

glancing over at the congestion of commuter headlights blazing in the opposite direction out of DC, not a gap to be seen, I sighed 'it's gonna take forever to get back in that traffic'
easing over into the right lane, looking for a good exit to turn around, I called SueNah to inform her that I was an idiot, in case she was unaware

far ahead of me, where the interstate wound around a curve, I noticed thick dust up in the air, 'hm, that's weird'
then I noticed a vague gray shape zipping transversely across the lanes
'oh, shit. lemme call you back'
i swung my trusty rental Hyundai Sonata into the right shoulder between the wall and the right lane and switched off the engine
the passing traffic had slowed, both to view the crumpled car and to dodge it's scattered pieces
smoke/steam from the crumpled hood, fluid leaked in a trail across the interstate
so smooshed I couldn't tell what kind of car it was
i waited for a wide gap in traffic and hopped out (without cell phone ----> stupid)
as I dashed across all 5(?) lanes, the passenger door opened
she got out, standing in the left lane, just staring
she was so bloody, her face and nose, her hands, her forearms, her shirt
but she was standing
across the interstate, a white SUV slowed and slid in front of my rental car, he was on his cell
then headlights
the traffic was picking back up
headlights in the lane we were in
I waved my arms wildly, the man on the other side of the interstate did too
cars slowed, and shuffled position
'you're ok', i said to her, 'i need you to go sit on the wall ok? i need you out of the road'

his body was mashed between the driver's seat and the steering wheel
like he was sleeping, mouth open, head resting on the deflated airbag on the steering wheel
two more teenagers in the back seat, hurriedly scrambling out, yelling 'Eddie, get out, man!'
'go sit on the wall, guys'
squeezing into the seat, now way too close to the dashboard, kneeling in bloody glass
smelling that MVC smell, airbag dust and car fluids
'Eddie! Can you hear me?! I need you to wake up ok? Eddie!'
I felt calm, but I could hear my voice shaking, like someone else's voice
please don't let me have a dead kid here
how can i do CPR in this position, i can't even get to him
where the fuck are the sirens?!
i slide my hand over his chest and grab his wrist
he's breathing

'Eddie! I need you to wake up, ok? Eddie, wake up.'
he stirs and mumbles, moves his head
'Eddie, i need you to wake up. Can you look at me? Open your eyes, Eddie.'
'...wha?' he slurs. 'wussgenohn?'
'You wrecked your car, dude. Can you move?'
All of a sudden, he lifts his head up, opens his eyes, looks real pissed
'Who wrecked the car??!' he demands.
'You did! (idiot) We need to get out of the car ok? Think you can get out?'
The hood is still smoking, probably just radiator fluid or something, but still...
well now he's suddenly wide awake and maneuvering his way over the seats
(what the hell)

we round the back of the car and he leans against the wall where the others are sitting
'anybody black out? hit your head?', I ask.
nope
backseat kids look fine, walky-talky, nothing on the outside that's s'posed to be on the inside
bloody girl is still bloody (she looks like Carrie), hands shaking, she's crying asking for her phone, she wants to call her mom
(dammit...fine) I wait for another gap in traffic and crawl back in the smooshed, smoking, bloody, glass-shattered, abstract metal art...no phone...she can wait
I round the back of the car again and ask Eddie, 'so what happened?'
he just stares at me, wide-eyed, slack-jawed
'dude, I'm not the cops, i just wanna know what happened'
one of his passengers pipes up, 'man, I thought you were ok to drive!'
I plop down on the wall with them to wait
our legs dangling, noone talking
finally the sirens come, 2 fire trucks, 3 ambulances (a bit much?)
'here comes your welcome wagon', i joke
this kid, Eddie, panics
'dude, let's go' he says to noone in particular, still wide-eyed and staring
i chuckle 'where ya gonna go, dude? look at your car...'

I need to get gone
lest we forget, I am still lost in DC
pointing, i tell the first fireman, 'he lost consciousness, he needs to go'
he nods and walks toward the car
ok
I tell a fireman standing near me, 'that kid in the white shirt, he was unconscious for a good while after I got to him'
fireman, looks at me and my bloody jeans, says 'where's your car?'
i point across the interstate, I was just gonna bolt back over the way I came
'want me to walk you back over'
'ooh, that would be lovely, thanks!'

The End

oh! and I did finally get back to where I was supposed to be...