“Riley,” someone said, their voice drowned out like she was sinking in water. “Riley,” he said again, voice clearer. “Riley.”
She looked up as if she’d been asleep for the past hour, and saw Ryan sitting next to her. “Huh?”
She wasn’t asleep, she was spacing out and recalling memories she never wanted to think of again.
“You okay…?” he said cautiously, drawing back when he noticed there was tears in her eyes.
She blinked them away and nodded, looking down to her hands that were cracking at the fingers. “Yeah.”
Ryan eyed her with a look she always hated.
Even in desperate situations, he was being an absolute self-serving dickwad.
He still wanted what he wanted, but she wasn’t ever in the mood, so he decided to eye-fuck her instead. Great, right?
She was sick of this.
“Riley,” the doctor said, “right?”
She nodded. “My mom’s in the bathroom.”
“It’s alright, I just wanted to tell you what was happening.” This doctor had brown hair and bright green eyes, but he still seemed pretty nice unlike Ryan.
Riley stood suddenly, but Ryan remained seated.
“Is she okay?” she said quickly.
The doctor hesitated, making something cold wash over her.
“What…?” Riley said, voice breaking. “Is she…?”
“No,” the doctor said, “she’s alright, in a way. She lost a lot of blood and her organs were failing, but there’s a chance we can get them working with blood transfusions. We’re doing it now.”
Riley’s heart stopped despite the light of hope he gave her.
“There’s still hope,” the doctor said at her grim expression, “but she won’t be the same. She’s paralyzed from he waist down. When she was stabbed, the knife hit her spine, so….” He sighed. “I’m not really supposed to be telling you this, but I thought you should know. Does she have parents?”
“Her mom’s on a business trip,” Ryan said. “And her dad’s passed away years ago.”
“The police will have this sorted out, Riley,” the doctor promised her, Ryan’s brows raising when he noticed Riley shaking heavily.
“I want to see her,” she told him.
Two minutes later, Riley walked into a hospital room. Her eyes stung when she noticed all the blood packs scattered all over the room, and her heart wrenched in her chest when her eyes landed on Claire.
She was asleep on the hospital bed; patches from the heart machines pasted all over her chest, the low beeping echoing through the room.
Her heart was beating normally… she hoped.
But there were also needles sticking into her skin, blood and saline packs gently bleeding into her veins.
Riley stepped over to her friend numbly, chest caving as all the numbness vanished, the guilt coming back like a tidal wave.
She collapsed next to the bed and caught Claire’s hand, sobbing into her friend’s skin as all sorrow crashed into her.
“I’m sorry!” she cried. “I’m so sorry! This is all my fault! I’m sorry!”
Her tears warmed her cheeks, and every part of her hurt.
Everything—hurt.
Everything.
Ryan sighed and shook his head, leaving the room seconds later.
And Riley was all alone, knowing the doctor left to care for other patients.
All alone.
If this was her future, she hated it.
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