by E. L. Todd
I stopped at the stoplight then eyed the papers beside me. Thankfully, Axel was smart enough to take care of most of it on his own. Personally, I didn’t know anything about science. And I definitely didn’t know anything about business or mathematics.
The car behind me honked.
I looked up and saw the green light. Then I gave the people behind me the bird before I drove through it.
BAM.
Out of nowhere a car collided into my door going at least fifty miles an hour. Before I knew it my car was spinning in the middle of the intersection, the momentum of the car throwing me back and forth. My airbag deployed and hit me in the face, the scent of latex accompanying it. I screamed even though no one could hear me, and I felt the seatbelt dig painfully into my skin, burning it like fire.
The collision happened so slowly, taking forever to come to an end. I feared another car would strike me and make me spin all over again. There was a weak sense of pain coming from my left arm, but since I was terrified of dying it didn’t matter at the moment.
Finally, the car stopped.
Smoke erupted from my engine and my windshield was cracked all the way through. The seat belt was still biting into my skin, almost making it bleed. I breathed hard, feeling my lungs expand normally. I was alive.
I was alive.
When I looked down at my arm that’s when I realized the damage that had been inflicted. It was bent at an odd angle, and the reality sunk in.
My arm was broken.
How would I take care of Francesca with one arm?
I leaned back into the seat and closed my eyes, trying to remain calm. The sound of the ambulance reached my ears and I knew help was on the way. It would only be a matter of time before the police questioned what happened. It was such a blur that I honestly didn’t know what happened.
I didn’t know anything.
***
My parents were the first ones to arrive. Mom was terrified, crying hysterically. Dad yelled at every person who came into my room, demanding I get more pain meds and an extra blanket. When he was stressed out he screamed at people because it kept him calm.
“The doctor said you’re going to be fine.” Mom patted my hand as she sat at my bedside. “The orthopedic surgeon is going to come in here soon and pop your shoulder back into place.”
Ugh, that sounded terrible. “Okay.”
“I called Francesca but she didn’t answer. I left her voicemail.”
Which she would never listen to. “Do you have my phone?”
“Yes.” Mom quickly fished it out of her purse and handed it over.
Without thinking twice about it I called Axel. He was probably at work but he said it was okay if I called him.
He answered almost immediately. “Hey.” Now that we were spending more time together he said less than he used to. It was strange, but not strange at the same time.
Talking to him immediately made me feel better. I forgot about the pain in my shoulder. “Hi…”
Axel remained quiet, saying nothing but saying so much at the same time. A voice came over the loud speaker from the ceiling, calling a code red on a different floor. “Where are you?”
“At the hospital…”
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” The words flew out faster than ever.
“That’s why I’m calling. I was in a car accident—”
“Shit, are you okay? Fuck, I’ll be right there.”
“Axel, wait—”
He hung up.
I didn’t bother calling him back because I didn’t want him to crash the way I did. I handed the phone back to my mom.
She took it and eyed me suspiciously. “Who was that…?”
“Axel—Francesca’s brother.”
“Oh…”
“He’s just a friend, Mom. Don’t get your hopes up.”
She kept giving me that look. You know, the kind that mothers do. “Just a friend that happens to be your first call…”
“Francesca would have been my first call but you said she didn’t answer.”
She patted my hand. “Whatever you say, honey.”
***
Axel darted into the room, out of breath. He wore a gray collared shirt with black slacks along with a black tie. He clearly darted out of the office and got here as fast as he could. “Marie.” He ignored both of my parents and immediately came to my bedside. “What happened?” He eyed my arm in the sling. “Are you okay? What can I do for you?”
“I was driving through a light when a guy ran the red. He smacked right into me.” It was scary at the time but now that I knew no one died it wasn’t as big of a deal. “But everything is okay. My shoulder came out of the socket but the doctor is supposed to put it back in.”
He eyed the sling again, the devastation written all over his face. “You have enough pain meds? Do you need something? I can hunt down a doctor and take care of it—”
“I don’t feel a thing.”
He breathed a sigh of relief and continued to stand at my bedside. He eyed my hand like he might take it.
I waited a moment, feeling my fingers tingle with need.
Axel stared at it for another moment before he looked at me, the same devastation still glued to his face.
I cleared my throat. “Axel, these are my parents. This is my mom, Dorthy.”
He turned to her, and judging the surprise in his eyes he didn’t see her sitting there when he walked inside. “Oh, I’m sorry.” He extended his hand to shake hers. “I got caught up with Marie…”
“It’s more than okay.” She grinned from ear-to-ear as she shook his hand. “That’s very sweet of you to care so much for my daughter.”
“She’s an amazing woman.” He dropped her hand then turned to my father. “I’m sorry for my rudeness. I didn’t see you either.”
Dad stared at him affectionately, liking him before he even met him. “It’s okay. Your heart was in the right place.” He shook his hand and sized him up, noting his attire and perfectly styled hair. “What do you do?”
“I work in finance,” Axel answered. “I’m an intern for Charles Schwab.”
“That’s great,” Dad answered.
“Working for pretty much nothing isn’t all that great, but I’m thankful for the experience.” Axel put his hands in his pockets, clearly uncomfortable talking to my parents in a cornered environment.
“Dear, let’s get something from the cafeteria.” Mom rose out of the chair and grabbed Dad by the arm. “I’m starving…” She pulled him with her and gave me a mischievous look as she went.
I really hoped Axel didn’t notice.
Axel turned to the bed and sat in the chair my mother had just been sitting in.
“You didn’t need to leave work…”
“I know. I wanted to.” He eyed my arm in the sling, disturbed by it. “You got the info from the guy who hit you?”
“Yeah. The police are taking care of it.”
He nodded. “Let me know if you need any help with that.”
“What do you mean?”
“If you were planning to sue or something.”
“Oh, no. I’m sure it was just a mistake.”
Axel clenched his jaw like I said the wrong thing. “A mistake is messing up someone’s drink at Starbucks. This is completely unacceptable. You could have been killed, Marie. No, it wasn’t some human mistake that we can just forget about.”
I pulled my knees to my chest.
Axel realized his anger got the best of him. “Sorry…I shouldn’t stress you out.”
“It’s okay.”
“Where’s Francesca?”
“Mom called her but she didn’t answer.”
He shook his head in disappointment. “She should be here right now.”
“She doesn’t know, Axel. If she did she would.”
“I hope so. If not, I might have to knock some sense into her.”
Even though my shoulder was in serious pain, I knew it was only a fraction of the ag
ony Francesca felt.
“Your parents are nice.”
“They’re great. Annoying—but great.”
He chuckled. “My mom used to be that way—really attentive. She would be in my business every second of the day. Now I miss it.”
Now I wish I could take back what I said. I had two parents and Axel didn’t even have one. I should never take them for granted. For all I know, they might not be here tomorrow. “I love my parents.”
He looked into my eyes and gave me a slight smile.
“Well, thanks for coming down here but you didn’t have to do that.”
“I wanted to be here.” He sat perfectly straight with his hands in his lap. “I can’t go back to the office now.”
“I don’t want you to get in trouble.”
“I’m pretty much free labor. They aren’t going to get rid of me for any reason. Don’t worry about it.”
I was glad he was there. He was distracting me from the pain and making me smile. With him at my side I didn’t think about anything else.
***
The orthopedic surgeon walked inside and prepared to return my shoulder to the socket. Even though my entire arm had been numbed I was nervous. Just the idea of returning a body part where it belonged made me nauseated. “I have to ask everyone to step out.” He pulled on his gloves and set up the table.
My parents walked out and stood in the hallway.
Axel walked around my bed until he was on the other side, giving the doctor plenty of room. He pulled up a chair then grabbed my hand. “I won’t get in your way.”
The doctor eyed him as he adjusted his gloves. He obviously didn’t see him as a problem because he returned to his work and ignored him.
Axel interlocked our fingers together and kept his eyes on me. “It’ll be okay.”
I felt his warm fingers in mine. His hand was much bigger than mine, and feeling his touch was comforting. Just a moment ago I was worried about the procedure but now it was barely in the back of my mind. “I’m not scared.” I noticed the dryness of his skin and the way his veins popped out on his hands. His forearms were full of definition, every muscle highlighted like it was chiseled out.
“I’m going to begin.” The doctor grabbed my hand with his then placed his other hand on my elbow.
“Look at me.” Axel rested his other hand on my elbow, his fingers comforting.
I stared at him and tried to ignore what the doctor was doing.
“What did you do today?”
“I had class.” I looked into his blue eyes and noted how different they were from Francesca’s. Hers were green like moss while his were brighter than the tropical ocean.
“Did you get Francesca’s homework?”
“Yeah. She has a lot of it.”
“Great…” He gave me a smile.
I loved that smile.
The doctor twisted something, and that made me cry out.
Axel squeezed my hand. “Don’t look.”
Why didn’t he want me to look?
“What did you do over the weekend?”
The pain was excruciating. The doctor twisted my arm in unnatural ways, and the image in my head was sickening. “Nothing. Just stayed home.”
“Hawke took me to a bar downtown. The city was pretty cool.”
There was a final snap and the pain was enough to make me throw up.
“It’s in,” the doctor said.
Within seconds the pain started to ebb away but it never fully disappeared. My arm was returned to the sling and the doctor removed his gloves.
“It’s all done.” Axel kept his hand in mine. “The hard part is over.”
“It’ll take a few weeks for it to get better,” the doctor said. “You can go home in the morning.”
“Thank you…” Or was I really thankful after the way he bent my arm like origami?
He walked out and shut the door behind him.
Axel never pulled his hand away. “It looks like I’ll be taking care of both of you now.” He chuckled slightly.
“I’ll be fine,” I said. “I have my other arm.”
“You can’t drive,” he reminded me. “You definitely can’t work.”
“Shit…” I didn’t even think of that. Without work I wouldn’t be able to pay my bills. My parents would help me if I asked for it but I didn’t want to resort to that.
“I’ve got you covered. Don’t worry about it.”
“I can’t take your money.” It was one thing to let him pay for Francesca’s expenses but I wasn’t letting him pay for mine too. I’d figure something out.
“You aren’t taking it. I’m giving it to you.”
“No.” I could be stubborn just like Francesca. “You’ve said several times you don’t get paid much.”
“For the amount of work I do, no. But I do just fine.”
“You have your own rent.”
“You’ve seen my place. It’s a hole in the wall and it’s dirt cheap.” Mentioning his apartment, the place where we hooked up, made him shut his mouth and fall silent. That night was just a fun evening but now we both seemed to regret it. A part of me wished it never happened, and I think he felt the same way too. “Marie, I really don’t mind.”
“I’ll pay you back.”
“I’d never take your money.” The look in his eyes showed the truth of that statement. “Right now, you shouldn’t stress out. I’m helping you and that’s the end of the story.” The determination was still in his eyes, glowing bright.
The door opened, and instead of seeing my parents walk back into the room I saw Francesca. I did a double take because I almost couldn’t believe she was there. Her hair was a mess like it always was, and her clothes looked several days old. But there was emotion in her face. Her eyes crinkled with a different kind of sadness. “Marie…” She rushed to my bedside and grabbed my hand. “I just got your mom’s voicemail.”
Axel quickly pulled his hand away, ending our affection.
I felt cold the moment he was gone.
Francesca eyed my shoulder then stared at the bruises all over my face. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
I squeezed her fingers. “I’ll be alright. Just a few scrapes and bruises.”
She squeezed my hand before she wiped her tears away with the back of her forearm. “I love you…”
“I love you too.” She hugged me, making sure she didn’t touch my injured shoulder, and held me there, like she needed it more than I did.
I held onto my best friend, seeing her for the first time in over a month. All she’d been was a zombie around the house. Her true self was gone, somewhere I couldn’t follow. But now she was here—she was back.
Recovery
Marie
It was good to be home.
The hospital bed wasn’t very comfortable, and the constant beeping of the monitor made it difficult for me to sleep. I hadn’t sat in one of the chairs but I knew they were uncomfortable for everyone.
I got settled on the couch, my arm still in a sling. I could still do things on my own but only having one arm made it difficult. I didn’t realize how much I took my health for granted until that moment.
Francesca was still in her funk but she came out of her shell slightly. “Are you hungry? Can I make you anything?”
“No, I’m okay.” I grabbed my tablet and downloaded a book. “I’m just going to read.”
Francesca sat beside me on the couch. “Is there anything else you need? A blanket?”
“I’m not helpless. I can get it myself.”
She still seemed worried.
“Really, I’m fine.”
She leaned against the couch and pulled her knees to her chest. Her eyes glazed over again, like she was slipping back into her depression. The only thing strong enough to pull her back out was my injury.
Someone knocked on the door and made us both turn to the entryway.
“It’s probably Axel.” Francesca got off the couch, her jeans practically falling off her bod
y, and headed to the door. When she opened it, it was clear it wasn’t him. “Hey, what brings you here?”
“Is Marie around?” Cade’s voice came to my ears.
“Yeah, she’s on the couch.” Francesca walked into her bedroom and shut the door.
I’d totally forgotten about Cade. He didn’t know about the accident or my hospital visit. How could I forget to tell him?
Cade came to the couch. “Francesca looks…different.” That was his nice way of saying she looked absolutely terrible. He stopped when he realized my arm was in a sling and I was beat up. “Whoa, what the hell happened?” He sat beside me and eyed my injuries.
“I got into an accident. No one else was hurt.”
“Damn, you broke your arm?”
“My shoulder came out of place. They put it back in the socket and now everything is fine.” I grabbed my prescription and shook it, hearing the pills rattle inside. “But I got some Vicodin.”
“Holy shit. You’re okay, right?”
“Yeah, I’ll be fine. My arm will be in a sling for a few weeks, but after that it should be back to normal.”
“Why didn’t you call me?”
“Uh, I don’t know. Everything happened so fast…it just slipped my mind.”
He didn’t seem angry, just concerned. “I’m glad you’re okay. Is there anything I can do for you?”
“No. I have Francesca and Axel.”
He nodded. “Well, you can call me for anything.”
“I know, Cade.” He sat beside me on the couch and turned on the TV. “I guess all I can do is keep you company.”
“Yeah…it’s better than nothing.” Now that we sat side-by-side together I didn’t feel the attraction I once felt before. If anything, he seemed like a friend. Cade was a nice guy with great looks, but I just didn’t feel anything anymore.
And I couldn’t figure out why.
***
Axel walked inside in his office clothes. “Ready for school?”
“You really don’t need to take me.” I placed my bag over my good shoulder.
“I don’t mind. You really shouldn’t drive with one hand anyway.”
“Lots of people do it.”
“Yeah, but they shouldn’t.” He guided me to his car and opened the door for me. Once we were inside he drove to the campus. “Francesca didn’t offer?”
