once again, if you need me i will b hiding in a very secure location so none of yall can find me.
"Everything went black."
Ricky's pov
I'm in the kitchen, helping my parent's prepare food for tomorrow, Christmas Day.
"Mom where do you want this?", I ask, holding a glass dish up.
"Um...if you can find room...in the fridge.", she says.
I nod my head, picking the dish up and walking to the fridge. I set it in and close the door as a rhythm of knocks sound on our front door.
"I'll get it.", I offer.
I wipe my hands on a towel before heading to the front door. I run my fingers through my hair, so I don't look like such a mess. I twist the handle and open the door, revealing a man in dark blue pants and a lighter blue shirt. My eyes scanned him, landing on a name tag.
Officer John. Salt Lake City Police Department.
I clear my throat, "Uh- hello?"
He looks down at his small notepad before back at me, "Ricky Bowen?"
I nervously nod my head, "Yeah...that's me."
"Can I have a word with you?", he asks.
"Ricky who's at the door?", my mom says coming around the corner, "Oh! Hello- can we help you?"
"I just would like to have a word with your son if that's alright? He's not in any sort of trouble or anything I promise.", the officer speaks.
My mom nods her head and I step outside the house, closing the front door.
"Is everything okay Officer?", I ask, feeling my heart begin to race.
"You know her?", he says, showing me a photo.
My heart stops when my eyes see brunette hair. Golden brown eyes. Her petite body. Her sweet smile.
"Uh- y-yeah...she's- she's my girlfriend. Nina Roberts...", I say, getting choked up on my words.
He sighs, "Figured you'd know her. You were in her emergency contacts."
My chest begins moving up and down a lot quicker now. I feel sweaty and flustered. Like I can't think straight anymore.
"Did- did something happen?", I ask, anxious.
He takes a deep, "She got in a car accident. Right outside the Target...in the intersection."
My heart sinks and the world stops. My mind goes blank, and I forget how to breath. How to speak. How to function.
"Oh my gosh- oh my gosh. Oh my gosh-", I begin to freak out, "H-how bad is it? Can I go see her? Where is she? I need to go-"
"Sir, she was taken to the hospital...she'll be okay. It was a bad accident...but not fatal.", he explains, "I just needed to inform you. You can head to the hospital, and they'll give you more details."
I nod, "T-thank you."
He nods his head before I run back inside the house. I quickly throw my shoes on and run through the kitchen, searching for my car keys.
"Where- where are my car keys! Gosh dang it-", I mutter.
"Ricky what's wrong?", my mom and dad ask.
"Nina- she- she got into a car accident. She's at the hospital.", I frantically explain, finding my car keys.
I run out the door and get into my jeep faster than ever, starting the engine and backing up. I speed out of the neighborhood and onto the road. As I pass by the Target, I slow down, looking at the workers who were cleaning up the vehicles.
My heart sinks further when I see her white jeep flipped over with all the glass shattered. The driver's side door practically crushed.
I take a deep breath and continue driving down the road. My fingers tap against the steering wheel as I can't help but feel even more anxious the closer I get there. I call Kourt, Los, and Seb, connecting the call to the car.
"Hey! Happy Christmas Eve!", Carlos squeals.
"Guys.", I say, seriously.
"Ricky what's wrong?", Kourtney asks, concern clear in her tone.
"Nina- she...she got into- a- a bad car crash.", I say, feeling my eyes sting, "I'm on my way to the hospital now"
"Oh my gosh!", Kourtney gasps, "Do you need us to come?"
I sigh, "If ya'll want...I don't know if they'll let us see her though."
"We're all coming, Ricky.", Seb says.
"Okay...see you soon.", I reply as the call hangs up.
I pull into the parking lot and find an empty spot. I get out of my car and make my way into the lobby. I anxiously tap my foot as I wait in the line at the front desk. After about ten minutes, I finally make it up to the blonde-haired lady.
"How can I help you?", she asks.
"I'm here to see Nina Roberts.", I speak.
"Okay...as of right now they're not letting guests in for her. You're welcome to wait in the waiting room though. Her room is on the second floor and there is a waiting room there.", she informs me.
I nod my head as thank you before quickly walking to the elevators. I get inside and wait as I ride up to the second floor. A ding sounds and the doors slide open, I walk out into the quiet hallway, finding the cave in the walls where the waiting room was. There was a TV that was playing on the news channel, some snacks and water, and couches.
I take a seat on the couch and stare at the wall. I couldn't believe anything that was happening. I just wanted to be next to her. I just wanted to be with her. My leg bounces up and down while I wait.
Around thirty minutes later, I hear the elevators open and footsteps walking through the hallways. I look up and see three people walk into the waiting room.
"Hey...", Kourtney sighs as they all make their way to the couches.
"Have they let you see her?", Seb asks.
I press my lips together and slowly shake my head. I sigh and lower my head, fiddling with my thumbs.
"Ricky...I'm sure she's going to be okay. She's Nina.", Carlos says.
I look up, "I know she'll be okay. I just need to see her. I don't want her to be alone I-"
"Ricky! Take a breath.", Kourtney interrupts.
I stop talking and take a breath, biting my lip. I'm going to sit here on this couch until I can be next to her.
{Time later; 8pm}
I've been sitting here since 1pm. Los, Seb, and Kourt had to go home to help their families with preparations for tomorrow. But, I'm still here. And I'm not leaving. I haven't been able to see her at all yet. So, I've just been sitting here, drowning in the anxiety and pain. It's a kind of worriedness and pain you can't describe. I mean, the one girl I love the most, is sitting in a hospital room, all alone, in the dark. I just want to be by her side.
"Ricky Bowen?"
I look up and see a kind-looking, tall, brunette-haired man in a white coat. I jump up and come towards him.
I clear my throat, "Uh yes- that's me."
"You're allowed to see her now.", he informs me, "But before, allow me to give you some details?"
I nod my head and we both take a seat. He reviews his clipboard before looking at me.
"Okay...so she is going to be okay. She did in fact break her left arm...we've put the cast on already. She'll need to keep it on for a few months. She has bruises and cuts. We've stitched open wounds and treated them. We also took some blood to test, just to ensure her blood didn't get infected or anything.", he explains, "Alright I believe that is it. We'll update you on the blood results when they come in. But...you can go see her. She's in that third door down there."
I nod, thanking him, before I make my way down the hallway. I stop in front of the third door, and I take a deep breath. I gently twist the handle, trying to not be loud. I walk in the room and quietly shut the door behind me. I move the curtain out of the way, slowly, and I feel as though my entire world is crashing down when I see her.
The room was dark, and she was lying on the hospital bed, connected to the monitors, needles in her. The worst part was seeing her injured. She had bruises and small cuts on her face. Her arm had red scratches and purple and blue bruises. Her left arm had a white cast covering it. I bite my lip, walking up to the side of the bed.
I gently brush the hair out of her face, "Hey angel..."
She was sleeping so she didn't reply, but I was just happy to be here with her. I pull up the sofa chair and sit as close to her as possible. I pull my phone out and text the groupchat, along with my parents to let them know what's going on. Once I finished doing that, I put my phone in my pocket and gently hold her hand. I caress the back of her hand with my thumb while I feel a lump form in my throat. My eyes sting and I blink, feeling a small tear drop roll down my face.
I wipe it away with my other hand, blinking my eyes to try and push them away. It's not of good use though, as I feel more tear drops begin to slowly roll down my face. My heart ached for her. I was so worried, and I felt bad for her. I didn't want her first Christmas without her parents to be... in a hospital.
I sit back in the chair, still holding onto her hand. The room was silent and peaceful, until beeping filled the room. I jump up, looking around. I watch as the monitor goes blank, and I rush out of the room.
"Help! I need help- someone!", I shout, running down the hallway.
The same doctor that spoke to me earlier came running around the corner.
"Please- help- something happened...", I plead.
He runs to her room, and I watch as he immediately takes action. He pulls the ventilator up to the side of the bed, getting it hooked up while also calling for nurses. Not long after, two nurses come into the room and help him with connecting the ventilator. My heart races as I watch them place the mask over her nose and mouth, turning the machine on.
The nurses stay focused on the ventilator system while the doctor is looking through paperwork and scrolling on a small laptop. It was crazy to me how fast they worked...but I was more than thankful for them.
Around five minutes later, that same monitor beeps a single time and comes back on. The thin green line begins moving up and down again and Nina's chest begins rising and lowering. I let out a breath of relief as I run my hands through my hair.
"Mr. Bowen? Can I talk to you?", the doctor asks.
I nod my head and walk just outside the room with him.
"I apologize, I didn't formally introduce myself. I'm Doctor Stefan, I'm assigned to Miss Roberts.", he explains.
I nod my head, "Nice to meet you. I'm Ricky- as you already know. Uh- do you know...what just happened?"
He looks at the paperwork in his hand, "Okay...it looks as if her heart failed momentarily. We're unsure why. We checked her pulse and functioning when she got here. It's- it's pretty strange. But don't worry, I'm going to see if the bloodwork results are in...if they show nothing we may do x-rays."
"Okay...thank you. A lot.", I nod my head.
He begins walking down the hallway as I enter back into the room. When I do, the two nurses look at me and give me a small smile.
"Hi, I'm nurse Olivia. I'm working with Doctor Stefan for Nina.", one of them smiles, "And this is Nurse Kate, kinda like my sidekick."
I nod, "Nice to meet you. I-I'm Ricky...her boyfriend."
She nods, smiling, "Well, don't worry. She's going to be okay. I'm leaving the ventilator in here. It's already connected and everything. If you notice that the green line on that monitor disappears again, and it starts beeping, immediately put the mask over her nose and mouth and hit this green button. Then call for help, okay?", she explains to me.
I nod, "Sounds good. Thank you, a lot."
She smiles as she exits the room with the other nurse. I take a seat on the sofa chair once again, looking at Nina. I notice her shuffling a little bit and I stand up. Her eyelashes slowly flutter before her eyes squint open.
I softly smile, whispering, "Hey angel..."
"R-Ricky?", she whispers. Her voice was quiet and raspy. Almost gone.
"Yeah it's me Neens...", I continue to quietly talk, "You're gonna be okay"
I gently take her hand and caress it with my thumb as she looks up at me. She looks exhausted and broken.
"My body hurts...", she groans.
"I know baby...it's going to for a little bit.", I say, brushing hair out of her face.
I stand there, silently, holding her hand, hoping to wake up and have this all be a dream. I'm taken out of my trance when I hear a quiet knock on the door. I look up and see Doctor Stefan standing there. I nod at him before I place a gentle kiss on Nina's head.
"Just get some rest, okay Neens?", I whisper.
She attempts at nodding her head and I make my way out of the room. I stand there with Doctor Stefan, anxiously waiting to hear what he has to say.
"Okay, I just need you to calm yourself down and prepare. It's not the greatest news.", he begins.
I feel my heart sink and my stomach go queasy.
I take a deep breath, "What happened?"
He takes a breath, "So, her bloodwork came back. And it's clean, except for one small thing that we think could've caused the heart failure."
My heart is racing, and I can't focus on anything right now.
"It looks as though her mother's sickness has genetically transferred and is now finding a way to develop and reproduce inside her."