Juliet
It wasn't until a few hours after Justin had left when I got the astonishment from the police turning up at my door.
When I opened the door, the breath was instantaneously knocked out of me because I could only imagine them saying one thing.
"Are you Juliet Royal?" the female asked me. She was short but thin with flaming red hair scraped back into a tight bun. She had a scar on her cheek in a diagonal line.
"Y-Yes," I stammered. "Has something happened?"
"Can we come in?" asked the man. He was easily six foot tall with a shaved head. He was also quite lanky and he held his hat in front of his stomach.
"Sure," I breathed. "The lounge is just through there," I said, gesticulating idly.
Closing the door behind them, the female led us through to the lounge where she indicated for me to sit down on the sofa. Both her and the male officer stood opposite me and abruptly I felt rather small, feeble and petty.
"What's happened?"
The male sighed and said, "We regret to inform you that your dad was in quite a fatal car accident whilst he was on the way to work this morning. He's at the hospital in town now and although his situation is quite critical, he is stabilised and there is hope for a full recovery. He hasn't woken up yet but the hospital got in contact with us to talk to you – his only family member."
"Can't I go and see him?" I murmured, leaning forwards all the way on the sofa.
"We would prefer it if you could answer some of our questions, and then we can take you to the hospital," the woman proposed. "Is that alright?"
Leaning back on the sofa slightly and letting the sleeves of my knitted jumper fall down to my fingers, I nodded. "Yes."
"To start off, was your dad rushing this morning? Or is he quite a competitive driver?"
"He was in a rush," I answered. "He's a good driver, but this morning he was in a rush to work. He was running late."
"Does he have any enemies?"
"No!" I breathed out, louder than intended, too. "He just has friends. It was probably an accident... he was rushing... please can I go and see him now?"
Both officers looked at one another before sighing and relinquishing. They gave me time to get any necessities that I might have required at the hospital like my phone and also time to go to the toilet. After the longest five minutes had passed, I was trotting down the stairs with my phone, the money from Dad's room which was potentially going to be spent on food for Justin and I and the house keys.
"Are you ready?" the female asked.
Nodding, they exited through the door and I locked it behind them. Lots of people along the street had been gawping out of the window to see why the posh house at the end of the street required the police to visit, but they hastily perished from sight as soon as they caught me gazing back at them.
The ride was silent except from a few mutterings from the officers. The male officer had even given me the indulgence of sitting in the front to make me feel less nervous if I were to have been sitting in the back and having it look like I was being convicted by breeching the law. Candidly, the back would have been preferably because then at least I could have cowered away from observation.
That's what I wanted to do right now: Cower away. I wanted to conceal myself from the truth that was now reality. My worst nightmare had been doormat all these years, and now it was becoming true. Death could be approaching and it broke every last inch of me just to even muse about something like that. It could have happened anyway like as quickly as a gunshot, but it always came down to something.
It's not the gun that kills someone, but rather the emotions and mind of the one who pulled the trigger.
The emotions stabilised the gun and pointed it in the wrong direction. It was our minds to blame.
When we did get to the hospital, the officers went off in front and spoke to all of the receptionists and nurses/doctors needed. It had been a long time since I had been in the hospital to visit someone, and honestly, I had hoped that that would have been the final time. Instead, here I was and I was about to be sitting vigil at his bedside.
"We're going to have a word with the doctors for a moment inside the room," the female murmured softly to me, "so if you would like to make any calls now, this would be the time."
The officers entered the room and I sorted out my assets. I sat down on the chairs just outside of the room and down the corridor – still in view – and dialled Justin's number. He picked up almost immediately and began saying, "You'll never guess who was waiting for me when I got home. It was my-"
Abhorring the fact that I had to interject, I did it anyway. "Justin, I'm in the hospital. My dad got in a car accident when he was driving to work."
He paused fleetingly. "I'm getting a taxi, and I'm going to meet you here, alright? Text me the details. I'll be as quickly as I can."
"Okay."
Hanging up, I texted Justin the details and he replied that he was going to call a taxi instantaneously.
A few minutes later, the officers came out and explained the situation in less jargon to which was favourably. "The impact had caused some internal bleeding but he went into theatre when he came in so it's stopped. He has, however, fractured both hips, his left leg and left arm because the car hit him as he was crossing over a junction and the other car was going straight on. Analysing it, it was the other driver's fault. He went over on a red light."
"What happened to the other driver?" I questioned.
The male officer coughed in the lapsed silence. "He died fifteen minutes ago in theatre."
I gasped loudly.
"However, he had taken a large quantity of legal highs and the death can be predominantly ruled down to an overdose, but also to dangerous driving and under the influence of drugs."
"Can I go in and see my dad now?"
"Yes. He should wake up soon. Thank you for answering some of our questions. We shouldn't need to return again."
Rushing into the room just after the officers had begun their voyage back to the police car outside, a doctor was just emerging out of the room as I inadvertently rushed past them. Apologising quickly, he smiled and said no harm was done which was reassuring. The door closed behind him a moment later, and I was stood standing in the threshold.
Everything was as I had remembered it, despite this being a different room to last time. There was still a vase of healthy, vibrant flowers on the window sill with the blinds wide open to display the garden outside with some patients slowly ambling around and admiring the flowers and landscape there. The smell was similar too... the smell of distant hot food morphed with disinfectant. And then there was my dad lying on the bed.
He was predominantly bandaged up with dry blood dotted on his face and bits flecked in his hair. The sight was horrific enough with the tatted arm chair beside him. He was lying on his back and suddenly he looked so old and vulnerable and fragile to anyone. Or perhaps it was to me because I acknowledged the pain and agony he's been through in his lifetime. It was a wonder he was so healthy now except he wasn't because he was in so much pain, both literal and metaphorically.
I situated myself down on the tatted armchair beside dad and held his hand. It took about half an hour before Justin arrived and when he did, his eyes were slightly red. He was paralysed by the doors. His eyes remained transfixed on my dad lying there in the bed with the sheets and hospital gown over his bandaged body.
"Who was at your house then?" I whispered feebly.
Justin's head shot up to me. His lips were pursed in the moments it took him to reply. In the end, he settled with, "It wasn't anyone important."
And that was enough because in the next moment, I was sobbing hysterically into Justin's chest.
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Author's Note:
JUSTIN LIED!!!! Do you think he'll tell the truth that his dad turned up or do you think his dad will disappear again and he'll never tell Juliet the truth? Let me know your predictions! And if you're enjoying the story, please do leave a comment and/or vote! I greatly appreciate every ounce of your support! :)))
Thank you :) x