Shining Star

by Amelia

Song fic: The Impossible Dream

"I'm sorry to put you out, Nettie." Vin said looking toward her as she drove.

"Landsakes boy, you ain't putting me out. One, for the last three hours you have been doing for me around my place. Two, it isn't your fault your Jeep wouldn't start when you went to leave. And three, I baked those pies today for Chris and you boys for your Christmas dinner tomorrow. Chris invited me to the dinner tomorrow, but I had to turn him down cause I already told my cousin I'd be at her house this year. Now no more apologizing. It's getting too dark for you to work on that death trap of yours. And you should be with your friends tonight and tomorrow. It'll be fine where it sits, you can worry with it after Christmas" Nettie informed him as she drove the old winding highway to Larbee's from her house.

"Nettie, look out !" Vin suddenly yelled as a car came flying around the curve on their side of the road.
Slamming on the brakes and cutting the wheel, they missed a head on collision, but her car was sent over the edge of the steep inclined drop off.

To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go
To right the unrightable wrong
To love pure and chaste from afar
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star

Slowly opening his eyes, Vin frowned trying to figure out why his vision was filled with green. Realizing it was pine limbs covering the windshield, everything else came rushing back as well. Turning to the driver, he cried out, "Nettie!"

He saw her leaning back, held in place by the seat belt. Unbuckling his own, he slid over to her and raised a trembling hand to her neck. Letting out his breath at the pulse he found, he tried to assess her injuries. She had a cut on the side of her head that still ran freely with blood. Her breathing seemed a little slow and she had deep black and blue bruising already appearing from her left hand and disappearing under her coat sleeve that made him think her arm was broken. He needed to get her help now. Pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, he found he had no bars. Looking out her side window all there was dirt and snow, the side of the mountain pressed tight to the car. Reaching to the rear sliding glass of the truck, he slid it open and stuck his head out looking around. The steep incline reached far above them. Luckily two big sturdy pine trees had grown out of the side and caught and stopped her truck from plunging all the way to the bottom of the gorge.

He knew what he had to do, he hated it, it tore at his heart. He was going to have to leave Nettie there alone and climb up to the top to find help for her either from a car going by or maybe his cell phone would work at the top. Sitting back for a moment, Vin pulled his coat off and laid it over her for extra warmth, praying she wouldn't go into shock while he was gone. Climbing out the back window into the bed of the truck, Vin fixed his gaze upward, though it was steep it was still on an incline. He grabbed the side of the truck and got out. Vin began the hard climb upward. Praying that Nettie would be all right as he grabbed a hold of every bush, vine or rock he could as he made his way. Seeing a star shining through the overhanging growth, he made it his focal point, watching it weave in and out of sight as he pushed himself on.

This is my quest
To follow that star
No matter how hopeless
No matter how far
To fight for the right
Without question or pause
To be willing to march into Hell
For a heavenly cause

He shivered with the cold that was consuming his body. His bruised and cut hands grabbing for the next scrub of bush he could latch onto. Just as he lifted his foot to move higher, the scrub broke lose. Vin fell back, rolled down the incline until a rock stopped his slide, knocking the breath out of him and bringing an explosion of pain. Panting as he drew in air, he forced himself up. Knowing he had to get moving, he had to reach the top for Nettie. Starting up again, forcing each foot forward. Through the icy wind cutting through him, through the pain of his hands and bruised body he kept going, keeping the star as his guide post, his beacon of hope for Nettie. Sweat from working hard to reach the top, shivering from exposed and thinly covered skin, tears for heart ache and pain both mental and physical - all three of these slammed him, trying to cripple him. But he refused to falter, refused to stop. Pushing on with the determination to fight the devil if he had to, to reach the top, to get help for Nettie.

And I know if I'll only be true
To this glorious quest
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm
When I'm laid to my rest

Pushing through a thick line of wild hedges, a sob escaped his lips as his eyes could see the top edge of the road. He dug his fingers into the earth as he climbed and crawled the rest of the way. Not stopping until his knees were on the asphalt. Still staring up at the shining star, he pulled out his cell phone, and he hit speed dial one.

"Larbee"

"Chris..."

"Vin, where are you. I've been trying to reach you. I'm on my way to Nettie's right now, since I couldn't get a hold of either of you."

"Ne...ed hel...p. We went off... the next to last curve on the old high....way down fro...m your pla...ce. Nett...ie...nee..ds..help..Please..get hel...p.."

"Hang on, Vin. I'm almost there. Just hang on." Larbee told him.

Vin could hear him talking to someone else in the truck, telling them to call 911, giving them direction to where the accident was.
He clung to the voice, holding on tight to it until the headlights came around the curve and stopped in the middle of the road. Holding with all he was, he realized his eyes had never left the star.

He heard doors slam, running, and then an arm was around him helping him up. Finally his gaze left the star, though not before a soul felt thank you. Looking into his best friend’s face with the pain and anguish strong in his voice, he said, "You've got to get help down there to Nettie."

"Help's on the way, cowboy. They'll be here any minute." Larbee assured.

With those words assuring Nettie would have help, Vin's body finally gave in and his world went black.

And the world will be better for this
That one man, scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable star

Vin opened his eyes, and frowned at the glaring white light that hit his sight. His mind processing where he could be, he realized he was in a hospital room. Trying to push himself up, he cringed in pain as a voice said. "They had to bandage both your hands from all the cuts, some of them were real deep. They also wrapped your chest for the two broken ribs and three cracked ones. They stitched up the cut on the back of your head, as well as the one across the back of your shoulder."

Vin looked at Larbee, and only asked one thing, "Nettie?"

"She's going to be fine. She had to have stitches, as well, on her head and her left arm is broke, but it was a clean break. She's awake and already giving the doctors her opinions." Chris smiled at his friend. Shaking his head, he went on. "I don't know how you made it all the way up, without freezing to death, and the pain you had to have been in. Plus as dark as it was with no moon light due to the thick storm clouds, I don't know how you found your way. They had to hook up spot lights for the rescue teams to get down to the truck."

"Kept my sights on the one star I saw."

Chris frowning, "Vin, you couldn't have seen any star. There was no way to see through the thickly overcast sky.”

Relieved that Nettie was alright, tired and past exhaustion, pain making itself know, Vin didn't want to argue about it. So he gave the truth as he knew it. "You always see the shining star on this night. It always leads you home."