Toni walked behind Mrs. Lodge as they entered the hospital. V walked beside her, holding her hand but Toni felt like she was on auto pilot. Veronica and her mom talked during the car ride but Toni couldn't even think of words. All she could think about was seeing Cheryl. What would she do if she had lost her? What if Cheryl had died?
She'd be lost, empty without her.
The last thing she had said to her kept replaying in her head, over and over again.
"Please... please leave me alone, Cheryl."
If Cheryl had died that would have been the last thing she would have heard from Toni. It made Toni cringe. She was disgusted with herself. Mrs. Lodge talked to the woman behind the desk and the woman let them know what recovery room Cheryl was in. They walked down the hall and every once in a while Veronica looked over at Toni and squeezed her hand a bit tighter but said nothing.
They spotted Cheryl's parents down the hall, both seemed stressed and their faces showed their lack of sleep. They had been here since late last night she could tell. Cheryl's parents were always busy and they barely spent any time with her but looking at them now Toni could tell they loved their daughter very much.
Mrs. Lodge greeted them first, pulling Cheryl's mother into a hug. She knew they weren't friends but apparently all mothers shared some kind of bond when it came to their children. They had to be there for each other when a child was involved. Toni watched as Mrs. Lodge asked them if they were doing alright and if they needed anything. When Cheryl's mother was done talking to her, her eyes fell on Toni who she pulled into a hug next. Toni sighed as she returned the hug, breathing her scent. It was a smell that also lingered on Cheryl under her perfume. The simple smell of the Blossom home. It was comforting to her.
"Thank you so much for coming, Toni." She said once they pulled away and she rubbed Toni's arms as she smiled down at her. She smiled at Veronica as well and reached over to touch her shoulder. V smiled back with a small nod of her head. "We were going to wait awhile before calling her friends but when she woke up a little while ago her first word was 'Toni'. I just thought it'd put her more at ease if you were here."
"Of course." Toni whispered, her voice sounded so small. She looked over to the closed door and Cheryl's mom followed her eyes.
"The doctors are in with her now. They've been checking on her periodically. We should be able to go back in, in a few minutes." Toni nodded her head as she pulled her eyes away from the door to look over at Cheryl's mother once more.
"What happened?"
Mrs. Lodge frowned before sighing. "The girl has a real speeding problem." She started and Toni immediately frowned because she had told Cheryl so many times to slow down. "They think she was on her way home and she just sped through a red light, never saw the car coming until it was too late. She was T-boned. She fractured her collar bone, sprained her left wrist and got a concussion with some minor cuts and bruises. They said she got off very lucky with just that."
"This is my fault." Toni whispered.
"T." Veronica said as she placed her hand on her back, shaking her head.
"She was upset with me. She always drives fast when she's upset and I made her like that this time. It was my fault she was driving fast." She said as she looked at Veronica who was shaking her head in disagreement but Toni nodded anyways.
"This is no one's fault but her own." Mr. Blossom finally spoke and they all looked at him. "I've told her time and time again about her reckless driving. Maybe this time she'll finally listen." He reached up to rub at the bridge of his nose while closing his eyes tightly. "She shouldn't let her emotions drive every time she gets behind a wheel."
