Dying Scream by Mary Burton

Author:Mary Burton [Burton, Mary]
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2009-03-25T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Friday, September 29, 9:00 a.m.

“And now I’d like to introduce Adrianna Barrington, the spokesperson for Virginians for Safer Roads. Let’s give her a warm welcome.” The brief introduction from Charles Norton, the principal at Goodman High School, sounded more like an order than a request. As he applauded he scanned the auditorium full of tenth-grade students, searching for any signs of trouble.

As the students clapped Adrianna moved toward the podium and smiled. She’d given this speech dozens of times in the last couple of years and now rarely used her notecards. However, each time she stepped in front of a crowd she couldn’t shake the sense that she was betraying Craig, the Thorntons, and her own family. Secrets, mistakes, even successes weren’t shared with the public.

Shoving aside the guilt, Adrianna laid her hands on the podium. “I had my last conversation with my husband on November twenty-first three years ago.” In the audience three cell phones rang at once and giggles erupted. Adrianna paused, not surprised by the interruption, which went with teen territory. Texts, IMs, and Facebook reigned in their world. It was her job to make drunk driving and death real.

However, the principal had less patience. He moved behind her, his arms crossed. When the room settled down, she continued. “Nearly three years ago,” she continued, “my husband and I were driving to a restaurant. We were talking about when and where we were going to have dinner.” When she’d first started giving the talks she didn’t mention the baby. It had been too painful. Lately she talked about her pregnancy. “I was three months pregnant and I still had morning sickness, so I wanted a restaurant that had good bread and tomato soup to settle my stomach. That is the last thing I remember thinking until I woke up in the hospital a day later.” She pressed a button and behind her a screen dropped. An image of Craig’s twisted and mangled BMW appeared on-screen. And as expected, the crowd grew silent. “What I later learned was that a drunk driver had run a stop sign and plowed right into the side of my husband’s car. I lost my baby. My husband survived the accident, but his head injuries were massive. He fell into a coma.”

She pushed another button and more images of the car appeared. Front. Side. Rear. In the background lights from the police and fire vehicles cast a deadly glow on the twisted metal.

The next slide was of Craig taken on his favorite sailing boat. His grin spread across his face. Wind swept through his thick blond hair. Blue eyes flashed. She clicked the button again to the picture taken of Craig lying in his hospital bed. A stunned hush fell over the room. “His head had been shaved for the initial brain surgery. The doctors were trying to reduce the pressure on his brain. As you can see, his face is so swollen he is almost unrecognizable.” The police had taken this picture after his accident in the hospital.

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