That night Evans would have died if not for the quick intervention of the traffic police, who were some meters away.
They were having their patrol and coming up from behind Evans' car. They heard the loud bang and the cries of pain from Evans before he passed out.
The teens hadn't been so lucky; they didn't even have a fighting chance. The officers rushed to Evans who was lying in his car.
They checked for his pulse and found a faint one, and immediately called 911 for emergency services.
They looked for any documents on him but found none, so they checked for his phone.
Fortunately, he didn't have a password, so they unlocked and checked his last call from his call log.
It was Angie's, and they called to inform her of the news.
"Will he be in a wheelchair, or what does that mean for him in regards to walking?" Angie asked the same question that had been ringing through Calvin's and Peter's minds.
"No. Those in wheelchairs always have a T10 spinal cord injury. We are lucky his spine wasn't injured. He will need to be on crutches, but if need be, then we will have to amputate his leg," the doctor went on.
"Amputate?" Calvin asked.
"If we amputate the leg, we will have to carry out another surgery so that he has prosthetic legs. Those with amputated legs easily move around with prostheses since they mimic the function and appear like a real leg."
'We will have to think about that. Let's get him home fast as we ponder over what to do,' Peter said.
Arnold and Val were in their house, giving each other updates of how their days had been. Val was telling Arnold the good news that Evans was finally out of the hospital.
Angie hadn't told her about the leg amputation and stuff because she was still digesting the news.
"I'm just so happy for her. She was worried sick and not thinking straight. At least it will all be okay now," Val said, smiling.
"Yes," Arnold said, smiling too. "Are you hungry? Remember you called in late, so I left some food for you on the kitchen table."
"I can never say I am full when you've cooked," Val said, smiling. She got up, gave him a peck, and went to the kitchen.
She served herself and went back to the dining room, placed the food on the table, pulled out a chair to sit on, but she suddenly felt nauseous.
She rushed out of the room and went to throw up in the sink nearby, then flushed it. She waited for a while longer in case she felt like throwing up again but didn't. She rinsed her mouth and walked back into the dining room.
"Hey, are you okay?"
"Yes," Val answered, forcing a smile.
"Sure?"
"Positive."
The next morning, she woke up having the same feeling.
'I sure do hope that I am not pregnant,' she told herself as she bathed that morning.
She couldn't even take tea that morning, and fearing that Arnold would be heartbroken, she lied that she had an appointment that she had to attend to and that she was getting late.
"Okay, take care," Arnold whispered into her ears as he hugged her goodbye.
In her office, Val was moodless the whole day.
"I know it's not my business, but you seem so lost today. Is everything okay?" Faithline asked her.
She wanted to snap at her, but she smiled instead and said that it would all be fine.
Over the lunch break, she excused herself, left the office and drove to the pharmacy.
The lady at the pharmacy was middle-aged, and she smiled when Val entered the pharmacy.
"Hello, how can I help you miss?" the lady asked.
"How do I even explain how I feel?" Val asked out aloud, "I think I am pregnant."
"When was the last time you saw your menses?"
"It's been more than six weeks."
"Six weeks is quite late but not too late," the pharmacist answered.
"Maybe, but the suspense is killing me. Besides, I think I have all the signs, and maybe I just need confirmation," Val answered.
"I would advise that you carry out a pregnancy test. Would you like to purchase a pregnancy kit?" the lady asked.
"Please," Val answered.
The lady moved to the back of the counter and returned seconds later with a box.
She told Val that she would just have to follow the instructions written there.
"Thank you. Can I use your washrooms?"
"Sure," the lady answered and led her towards the farthest end of the corridor. Val got into the washrooms, closed the door, and stood against it.
Summoning all the little strength she had, she opened the box, took out the test kit, and removed the plastic cap to expose the absorbent window.