Emily had always thought of herself as careful, maybe not in the strictest sense of the word she was impulsive, spontaneous, the one who jumped into things without hesitation but when it came to her safety, she wasn't reckless. She checked her mirrors when she drove, slowed at intersections, buckled her seatbelt even for short trips.
That morning was no different. She had planned the little outing to the mall on a whim, a spark of energy pulling her out of the dorm. Amara wasn't an option Emily already knew her friend had lunch plans she was quietly nervous and excited about. Her date, Emily thought with a secret smile, though Amara would never call it that aloud. And Elena? She had mumbled something about needing sleep after a long night of studying.
So Emily had taken her keys, slung her bag across her shoulder, and skipped down the dorm steps, the cool air brushing her face. The mall wasn't far fifteen minutes by car, tops. She hummed along to the radio, drumming her fingers against the steering wheel. The sky was overcast, but not enough to bother her. It wasn't until she reached the intersection by the busy junction that the world tilted on its axis.
The light turned green. She pressed her foot down gently, easing forward. Out of the corner of her eye, movement caught her attention a car, speeding from the opposite direction, far too fast to stop.
No, no, no.....!!
The screech of tires tore through the air. Her heart leapt into her throat. She swerved instinctively, but it wasn't enough.
Impact.
The sound was deafening. Metal against metal, glass shattering, her head jerking to the side. A sharp sting exploded along her arm as shards sliced through the thin fabric of her blouse. For a second, everything was light and noise, her breath stolen from her lungs.
The car jolted to a stop, angled awkwardly against the curb. Emily blinked, disoriented, her vision hazy. She tried to movej, but her seatbelt held her tightly in place. She tasted copper...blood, faint but real, from the cut at the corner of her lip.
Voices shouted outside. Someone banged on her window. "Are you okay? Miss, can you hear me?"
Her fingers trembled as she fumbled with the seatbelt latch. Pain flared in her shoulder, sharp enough to make her gasp. She nodded weakly, though the movement made her dizzy. The door opened, hands steadying her as she stumbled out.
The street spun around her....sirens in the distance, curious onlookers murmuring, the other driver arguing with someone about brakes and fault. Emily tried to focus, but her knees buckled.
"Easy, easy...sit down." Someone guided her to the curb, pressing a cloth into her bleeding arm. The world blurred in and out, sounds muffled like she was underwater.
When her phone buzzed, she barely registered it. A man in uniform picked it up from where it had fallen onto the street. "Who should we call?" he asked gently, scanning the contacts. He scrolled until he found Amara with a little heart emoji beside it. Without hesitation, he pressed dial.
Amara and Adrian had just stepped out of the café, still wrapped in the quiet aftertaste of their lunch. The accident at the table the spilled drink, Adrian's hoodie draped over Amara's shoulders lingered between them, unspoken but heavy.
Amara's phone rang. She pulled it out, brows furrowing when she saw Emily's name flash across the screen.
"Emily?" she answered, her voice light. "Where are you? Did you find..."
A stranger's voice cut her off. "Hello, miss? Are you Amara?"
Her stomach dropped. "Yes… who is this? Why do you have Emily's phone?"
"This is an officer at the intersection near West Mall. There's been an accident. Emily's been injured...we're taking her to Mercy General Hospital now."
The words blurred in Amara's head. Her grip tightened on the phone. "What? No....no, wait, is she okay? Tell me she's okay..."
"She's conscious, but shaken. She'll need medical attention. Please meet us at the hospital."
The line clicked dead.
Amara stood frozen, her heart pounding wildly. Her hand shook as she lowered the phone. "Emily...she...she's been in an accident," she stammered, eyes wide, panic flooding every word.
Adrian didn't hesitate. "Which hospital?"
"Mercy General."
"Come on." He took her arm firmly but gently, steering her toward his car parked at the edge of the lot. Amara barely registered the movement, her thoughts a whirlwind of fear.
"I can't....she....what if....."
"She'll be fine," Adrian cut in, his voice low, steady. "Don't spiral yet. We'll get there."
Amara's chest tightened, but something in his tone, in his calm certainty, gave her the smallest thread of hope to cling to. She nodded shakily, sliding into the passenger seat.
Adrian drove quickly but controlled, his jaw tight, eyes locked on the road. The silence in the car was heavy, broken only by Amara's uneven breaths. She pressed her hands together, fingers digging into her palms as though the pressure could anchor her.
"She can't.....she just can't...."
"She won't," Adrian said, not looking at her. "Trust me."
Emily's POV
The hospital was bright and cold, the smell of antiseptic sharp in the air. Nurses rushed back and forth, their shoes squeaking against the polished floor. Emily lay on a stretcher, her arm bandaged haphazardly, her shoulder throbbing.
They had wheeled her into the ER, but instead of swift action, she found herself waiting. A nurse checked her vitals, murmured something about a doctor being busy, then disappeared. Minutes dragged on. The pain grew heavier, the adrenaline fading.
She tried to keep her eyes open, tried to focus on the ceiling lights blurring above her, but fear gnawed at her edges. What if it's worse than it looks? What if something's broken?
Time bent strangely...long stretches of nothing, punctuated by brief flickers of activity. She heard her phone buzz again somewhere in the room, muffled under the layers of her bag. She wished Amara were here. She wished anyone familiar were here.
Her throat tightened. For all her boldness, her extroversion, the one thing Emily couldn't stand was being left alone when she was scared.
And she was terrified.
Back in the car, Amara stared at the hospital as it came into view, her nails digging crescents into her palms. "Please, please let her be okay…" she whispered.
Adrian pulled into the lot, cutting the engine sharply. Before she could even move, he was out, coming around to open her door. "Let's go."
Her legs shook as she stumbled out. Adrian's hand pressed lightly against her back, guiding her forward.
Inside, the waiting room was buzzing, crowded with patients and families. Amara went straight to the desk, her voice urgent. "Emily Green...she was just brought in after a car accident. Where is she?"
The receptionist glanced up, unimpressed. "You'll have to wait, ma'am. She's being processed."
"No....please, she's my roommate. I need to see her....."
"Ma'am, procedures take time. Sit down, someone will call you."
Amara's breath hitched, panic clawing at her chest. She turned desperately to Adrian.
His expression darkened, though his voice remained even. "We'll handle it. Come with me."
He led her to the side, out of the stream of people, his mind already working. His phone buzzed in his hand as he dialed a number.
"Who are you calling?" Amara asked, her voice trembling.
"Someone who can fix this."
For Emily, time was a haze....machines beeping, footsteps fading. She tried to keep her eyes open, but exhaustion tugged at her. Somewhere, faintly, she thought she heard Amara's voice calling her name. Relief surged before darkness pulled her under again.