"My best friend was laying in a bed similar to my own, with cuts and dried blood on her face and arms."
-Matt
___________________
“Mom?” I tried to speak, but my throat was dry and everything came out hoarse and cracked.
“Shh, baby, it’s alright.” I could feel my mother’s fingers working through my hair. “There was a little accident, but everything’s alright.” As I processed these words, my eyes darted around the room that I was in. It was a hospital room! What had happened? Was anybody hurt?
Three people rushed in and crowded around the bed I was in before I could even ask anything, and suddenly everybody was talking at once. Unable to get in a single word, I looked around and tried to find some piece of information that could be helpful. There was another bed in the room I was in, so I assumed I had a roommate. My mom had quickly picked up her cell phone and was speaking rapidly into it from the moment the nurses entered and started probing at me. Finally they stepped back and an older man walked into the room.
“Hello Matthew,” He looked up from a clipboard. “I’m Dr. Harris. You have been in a car crash. Before I start telling you details, I would just like to know if anything is specifically hurting right now.”
Hurting? I shifted my focus to my body and realized that I actually did feel a throbbing in my head and some pain in my shoulder and stomach. I told this to him, and he nodded and took notes on the clipboard.
“The headache could be a concussion, we can check into that. You did have some bruising on your stomach, and your shoulder had popped out of place. You will have to wear a sling on that for a while. Your stomach will heal on its own. I’ll be back in a little while; I just have to check on your roommate.” I nodded and turned back to my mother, who looked upset yet relieved.
“Tell me what happened,” I demanded. My mother shook her head sadly and looked down at her hands.
“It was a car crash on the way back from the movies. You’ve been out since last night. A car collided with your father’s car unexpectedly.” She sighed. “Julia is the only one who stayed conscious during it, honey.” My jaw dropped open and my eyes were wide. Amy, my dad, and Julia’s dad had all passed out? Plus me? Was everybody okay? “Nobody’s dead, all right? I know that is what everyone wants to know, so that’s the main thing. Amy is in the bed next to you, behind the curtain. She woke up a few hours ago. She just has some bruising also. You both have quite a few scrapes from the glass, but the doctor said it wasn’t too bad. They are going to take a look at your body to be sure there isn’t any glass stuck in your skin, but they don’t suspect much will be. Julia’s father, luckiest of all, woke up about two hours after being admitted. He just has minor bruising and scrapes.”
“What about-.” I paused and gulped. I wasn’t sure if I wanted the answer to what I was about to ask. “What about Dad?”
“He hasn’t actually woken up yet.” My mother whispered quietly. She looked to the side of the room and let out a breath. “But the doctor says he should wake up soon. They know that he has a broken arm and some bruises and scrapes, but they need him awake to see if anything else is wrong.” She paused. “He should wake up soon though,” She repeated again, as if it were comforting.
“What about the other car?” I quickly switched topics, not wanting to be focused on the possibility of something being wrong with my dad.
“Hit and run,” My mom stated plainly. “Just took off. Nobody really knows anything except maybe the car’s color.” My mom paused as the doctor stepped out from behind the curtain that divided the beds.
“I’ll send someone in to follow up on your head in a little bit. Rest, but don’t fall asleep. If it’s a concussion we would not want you to be asleep.” I nodded and Dr. Harris left.
“Can you pull the curtain back so that I can see Amy?” I asked my mom. She nodded and did so, revealing my best friend laying in a bed similar to my own with cuts and dried blood on her face and arms.
“Amy!” My breath was sharp and distressed. She looked so small sitting in a hospital bed. With a weak smile on her face that was obviously fake she sent me a small wave.
“Hey Matt.” She laughed humorlessly. “Fancy seeing you here.” I glared at her and turned to my mom.
“Does my face look like that also?” Her wince was enough of an answer for me, and I looked down at my arms to find them scraped up too.
“Everyone is on their way over. The doctor already said that Julia’s dad and Amy will probably be discharged within an hour. They just have to do a little clean-up. After your head is cleared, you’ll be free also. Just your father is left. We got really lucky.” My mother’s voice cracked on the last word, and she sunk into a chair on the side of my bed. “Nobody is that hurt , and I am so beyond thankful for that.” My mom crying was making Amy cry, and seeing them both crying almost made me cry also. I couldn’t cry though, I had to stay strong for my mom. She was breaking, seeing me and Dad in the hospital. And Dad wasn’t even awake yet.
“Guys!” Julia’s screech filled the room and she bolted in, everyone else following close behind. I winced at her volume, my head still pounding, but smiled when I saw that everyone else was fine. Besides having a few little scrapes, Julia was in perfect condition it seemed. Ethan rushed over to the side of my bed and wrapped his arms around my neck, giving me a tight hug. I could see Johnny doing the same with Amy, and Julia was just pacing between the two beds as if unsure of what move to make.
“Any news on Simeon?” I heard Mrs. Fischer ask my mom. She wasn’t facing me though, so I couldn’t hear the response very well. I already knew everything on Dad though, and now Ethan would have to know about him not being awake yet too.
***
“Oh, honey, you have no idea just how glad I am that there were no major injuries and that you’re awake.” My mother had been clinging to my dad ever since he woke up. She wouldn’t leave his side, and he just lay there running his good arm along her back.
“I’m glad that everyone is okay also, and I think we all are.” My dad kissed her forehead and smiled at the packed room. He was lucky that he didn’t have a roommate; otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to all be in his room. He had woken up with no other problems besides what was already known. I did have a concussion, but it was only a mild one. “I’m going to be discharged in just a little while, okay? Don’t worry, sweetie, I’m fine.”
“I know,” my mom continued to cry. “I’m just really shocked still. It is such a surprise.” She looked up at us and her cheeks turned red. “Don’t mind me. Just a little emotional.” She smiled embarrassedly. “Ignore the waterworks.”
Julia, Amy, Johnny, Ethan, and I had been gripping onto each other’s hands since Amy and I were discharged. My left arm was stuck in a sling for a little, but not long. I knew for sure that Amy was hiding something, because she wouldn’t look any of us in the eye, but for now I figured I just didn’t want to know. It was Thanksgiving and all of us were in the hospital. The only thing I was doing was being thankful that we were all okay.
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Okay, I admit it, that was a little cheezy. BUT NOBODY IS DEAD........yet........SO YAY!
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Ella
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