"Isn't it just a beautiful day?" It WAS a beautiful day - sunny and warm, but Jane would have made the same comment if it had been pouring down rain or twenty degrees below zero! That was Jane's way - always positive! Harold and Jane were on their way to visit their daughter - for a very special reason - to see their new granddaughter. Little Constance had made her appearance in the early hours of the morning and the proud Grandpa and Grandma had hurriedly packed and jumped into the car for the six hour trip to Springfield.

"It won't be long now, we'll be seeing that new baby in just..." Jane's words were cut short. Speeding directly at them from across the four-lane highway was a red pickup truck.

Harold drifted in an out of consciousness - he had a concussion and several fractured ribs, but his injuries were not life-threatening. "Where's Jane - How is Jane? Is she okay?" Harold asked the same questions over and over, but no one seemed to want to answer. It seemed like an eternity - waiting and wondering - why wouldn't anyone tell him about Jane?

"Dad...Dad...wake up, Dad!" Harold woke to see Denise, his oldest daughter, leaning over his bed. "Dad...please wake up...we need to talk to you." He then noticed Carol, the younger daughter, who had earlier that morning given birth to little Constance. She was in a wheel chair behind her sister - still wearing a hospital gown.

Harold had sensed that something was very wrong, and now it was confirmed. His daughters and Dr. Stephenson told him of Jane's horrific injuries. The pickup truck had hit their car head-on. Jane had suffered a badly broken leg and arm, but these injuries weren't their biggest worry. Jane had suffered a skull fracture and extensive facial fractures. She was stable for the moment, but she would need surgery immediately. Harold agreed and signed the required consent forms, but the doctor's next statement would leave him in shock.

"Mr. Emerson - do you have a recent photo of your wife with you?"

Dr. Stephenson went on to explain that with the extent of Jane's injuries, it was impossible for him to determine what she had looked like before the accident - even Denise had been unable to recognize her mother when she first entered the Emergency Room. If he were to begin reconstruction of Jane's face without knowing what she looked like prior to the accident, there would be less of a chance that she would look like herself when the process was complete.

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