“There are other people here taking care of her.” Promised the paramedic.

“Is she all right? Where is she? Is she going to be okay?”

“We’ll talk about that later. Right now I need to focus on helping you.”

“No.” Haley’s normally quiet voice came out stronger then it ever had before. “Tell me how my mom is now.”

The paramedic at Haley’s window looked over at the officers standing behind him. They exchanged a long look. Finally the paramedic spoke.

“Your mom wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. She was thrown out of the car and into the road, she had extensive injuries to her head and chest...” His voice trailed off.

“And,” Haley demanded.

“And I’m afraid she went into shock and cardiac arrest before we got here. She didn’t make it. She was killed instantly, but I don’t think she was in much pain.”

Haley froze. She’d known it since the mustached man had spoken to her, but hearing it said a loud in those cold words just drove the truth in further.

The whole time the fire fighters had worked to free her, all she could do was replay her last words to her mother, over and over in her head.

“Don’t bother me about it, okay.” The words were like iron weights repeatedly dropping on her dragging her deeper and deeper towards her final realization that the whole accident had been her fault. It was her fault on more then just one level too. If she hadn’t had trouble in school, her mom wouldn’t have had to drive in the bad weather conditions. If she had made sure her mom was wearing a seat belt, they’d both have been okay. If she hadn’t been crying her mom wouldn’t have been distracted. If she’d been nicer to her mom, her mom wouldn’t have been so emotional, and would have seen the red light and stopped. She’d killed her mom.

Haley Kline was a murderer, who’d killed her own mother.

“Everyone’s always thinking about something.” Dr. Fowler was saying to her.

Haley brought her mind back to the present.

“Sometimes I have to just turn my brain off though.” Haley attempted to explain. “If you’ve just murdered your mom, the only thing left to do, is shut down, and go numb.”

“If you what?” Asked Dr. Fowler. “I couldn’t hear you.”

“If you were as guilty as me.”

“I don’t understand, what are you guilty of?” He asked confused.

“Murder.” Whispered Haley grimly. “I’m guilty of murder.”