I left the hospital that evening, and darkness had already settled in on this mid-winter day. I ran to the car as a piercing rain had begun to fall. Chilled and wet, I glanced briefly in the rear-view mirror as I pulled away. It was going to be a long drive home in these conditions.
The long stretch of road between this small-town hospital and the highway was occasionally lit by yard lights of homes situated close to the two-lane black top. The curves were frequent and small bridges narrowed the road at unexpected times. I gripped the wheel tightly as the wiper blades matched the pounding of my heart each time, I felt the car hydroplane slightly.
