Steph's Holliday Break

Rescue

"Hey. Pssst. Steph" 

Stephanie opened her eyes to be met with Dee's. 

"Nggh. Hey Dee, what's up?" Steph said groggily. 

"We're still stuck on the highway. It's been like 4 hours since we " 

Steph peeked her head into the aisle and saw rows and rows or tail lights in a sea of white. 

"It looks bad." She said sighing. "Are we close?" 

"No..." Dee whimpered.

The whimper drew her attention. She raised her eyebrow and asked "Dee, are you okay?". She placed a hand on Dee's shoulders. 

"Yeah... no... I really gotta go." Dee said while dancing in her seat. 

Steph recalled to several hours ago when before they boarded the bus. Due to the time and length of the bus ride, Steph, Jason, and Dee decided for a quick meal at the nearby coffee chain. While all three of them made sure to use the washroom before catching their bus, only Dee grabbed a bottle of water for the road. 

While this was a decision that Steph was envious of as she felt quite parched, Dee was in a position of regret. Their 3 hour bus ride had been prolonged by traffic due to a combination of a light snow storm and a bad accident. Checking the map on her phone, she noted that they were only about halfway home. But there was a silver lining.

"Hey Dee, it looks like traffic clears soon." She said while showing Dee her phone screen. 

"I know but... I doubt we're making a pit stop." Dee said with furrowed brows. 

"I'll ask" Steph stood up immediately and made her way to the front. 

As she rose from her seat Steph felt a familiar feeling. Luckily for her she opted for a Goodnite on her ride. She froze momentarily as she had no recollection of wetting, nor nightmares. However, Dee's shifting caught her attention and she made a beeline for the bus driver. 

"If you're her to ask me how much longer honey, I don't have the answer." Said the middle aged woman as Steph approached her. "But google maps says we should be in the clear in a half hour or so."

"Oh, t-Thank you. But, it's not that. I'm sorry." Steph said apologetically. "I was wondering, would we be able to make a stop at the next exit? It's been 4 hours and-"

"Don't worry honey, I'll get off at the next stop. I'm sure you're not the only one on that boat."

Steph was overjoyed at the reception of her request. "Thank you. I really appreciate it."

"Don't thank me yet. It might be at least 45 minutes. Think you can hold on till then?" The driver asked while winking. 

Steph was about to object that it wasn't her, but decided to simply smile and nod in agreement. 

"I got good news and bad news Dee." Steph said as she sat back down. 

"Good news is she'll make a pit stop, but the bad news is you're gonna have to hold on for at least another 45 minutes." 

"Ugh, I'll try. Talk to me? Can you keep me distracted? It'll be easier that way." 

Steph agreed and tried to keep her friend as distracted as possible, but after 10 minutes Dee spoke up. 

"I'm sorry Steph it's not helping." Her hands were now gripping Steph's arm to the point where circulation was gone. "I don't think I'm gonna make it." 

"How much longer?" Steph whispered.

"What?" Dee asked in confusion. 

"How much longer can you hold it?"