A Crippled Love

The One With The Emergency Room

"I'm afraid that your sister has been in an accident, Ms. Rivers."

"W-what?" I whispered hoarsely, my hand coming up to cover my mouth, the other holding the phone with a tight death grip.

The woman on the line cleared her throat. "Your sister was in a car accident. The vehicle she was in veered off Crescent Hill and rolled down the rocks. She's currently under heavy medication and is being prepared for surgery."

My breathing stopped and tears welled in my eyes, immediately dripping down my cheeks. Images of a deformed and contorted body spammed into my mind, and my throat clogged while my heart fell to my feet. "Oh my God," I managed, my voice breaking down, "I-I'll be right t-there." I hung up.

 No. No. No. I can't lose her too, I thought frantically, grabbing my purse and coat. I felt the tears pouring down my neck, but my mind was nearly numb as I thought about my little sister laying on the hospital bed, nearly dead.

I slammed the main door open, not bothering to tell Mr. Volkolv that I was going. He could find out later. I ran until I reached a busy intersection at some point, quickly hailing a taxi.

"Mount Sinai hospital, please," I sobbed out hysterically to the man, who looked back at me with his eyebrows raised.

"Is everything alrighty there, ma'am? Should I call 9-" he began, noticing my water streaked face, but I screamed at him.

"I'm going to the hospital, why the hell would I need to call 911?! Now, damn it!" He immediately slammed his foot down on the gas pedal, looking forwards once again. Within a few minutes, we reached the main entrance and I gave him a brief thank you, reaching into my bag for the money.

"No, ma'am, s'alright, I can see your in quite the trouble. Jesus be with ya," he mumbled, and I blinked at him, before giving him a watery smile.

"Thank you." With that, I exited the cab and ran into the hospital.

She laid there on the green bed with IV's stuck in her arms, connected to a beeping box. She looked peaceful, even with the bandage wrapped around her head, the once clearly pristine white now mottled red and brown with blood. There were two large purple bags underneath her eyes, staining her pale face along with the bloody crust.

Leighton looked dead.

I stood by the door, taking in her appearance with a blank face. My eyes were dry and red, unblinking as I continued to stare at my baby sister. 

She was in a coma.

Doctor Geller told me that her scalp had cracked in the back and her head was heavily injured, resulting in immediate surgery. She fractured her left knee and right arm, and heavily bruised her back. Her body was sedated heavily to prevent any movement, since the procedure needed to be done with extreme precaution.

But she never woke up after the surgery, and everyone immediately knew that her body had undergone too much stress and pain for it to handle. So it went to sleep. For how long, they didn't know.

They told me it would be only a few weeks, two months tops. But I wasn't stupid. I saw the looks that they shared with each other- the sorrowful, pitying looks. There was a chance that Leighton wouldn't survive.

I inhaled, shivers coursing through my body. I didn't know what I was going to do if she died. She was my rock, the only reason I was still attached to this world. If she was gone, I was gone. 

"Ms. Rivers?" A soft voice spoke up from behind me, "I'm afraid that it's time for your sister's second check up, and visiting time is over. Unfortunately, you cannot stay overnight due to her condition. You can wait in the downstairs lobby if you'd like."