The nurses took her into the back of the ambulance. Thank God she�s still alive.
Keith and I sat on either side of her.
I hated him for what he did. Now she was in an ambulance. I hated him!
�What happened?� I asked.
�Turns out she just blacked out from the pain. Do you know what caused it?� a nurse asked.
I pointed hastily at Keith, who hung his head.
�I didn�t mean to�� he whimpered.
�But you did,� I said icily.
Her words echoed in my mind. �JC�help me��
And I vowed that I was gonna help her.
Her face was too much for me. There were plugs on her head. Her eyes were shut. Her mouth was slightly open, as if she were sleeping. But I knew better than that. She wasn�t laughing, she wasn�t talking, she wasn�t there.
I glanced at the heart monitor, showing a reasonable heart beat.
Rubbing the back of her hand with my thumb, I whispered, �C�mon Jessie�you can pull through��
�I�m so sorry,� I heard Keith say feebly from her other side.
�You should be,� I muttered.
I knew I shouldn�t be talking or acting like that, but I hated him so bad for doing this to her.
She was special to me. Even if I only knew her for 2 days, I felt as if I had known her for all my life. She was so easy to talk to and her laugh was contagious. She was a perfect person-in my eyes at least. And for that she doesn�t deserve what she got.
The ambulance lurched in signal of the arrival at the hospital.
I climbed out with the nurses, holding Jessie�s hand the whole way inside.
Once we got to the point where the doctors had to look at her, I let go of her hand.
I plopped down on a nearby bench.
Ring!
Mindlessly, I turned on my cell.
�Hello?�
Whoa C. Don�t sound too happy there. What�s wrong?
�Hey Justin. Sorry. Jessie�s in the hospital,� I said softly.
You mean that chick you were supposed to be hangin� out with today?
�Yeah. That�s her.�
What happened?
�Keith punched her in the stomach,� I recalled hastily.
Who�s Keith?
�Her EX boyfriend,� I emphasized.
Oooh. Sounds bad. You at the hospital near the park?
�Yeah.�
I�ll be there in a sec k?
�Sure. See ya.�
Click.
I sunk down in my seat and looked up at the ceiling.
�I barely know her�so why am I so miserable?�
That was my position until someone tapped me on the shoulder.
I turned. It was a girl. About 10.
�No autographs please,� I partially begged.
�No. I didn�t want an autograph. I wanted to ask what was wrong,� she said.
�Oh. Sorry. A close friend of mine is in there,� I explained.
�Oh. I�m sorry. My mom�s in there. She�s having a baby!� she cried happily.
Despite my worries, I smiled. At least someone was happy.
�Hey C.�
Spinning around, I saw Justin.
�Hey J.�
�So how is she?� he asked when he sat down.
�Dunno.�
�Oh. Too bad. Was she hurt bad?�
�If you don�t call fainting from pain bad, she�s fine.�
�Wow. He hit her that hard?� he asked disbelieving.
I nodded.
�Man. That�s brutal. Where is this guy anyway?�
I pointed to a bench a few feet away. There was a figure slumped on it.
�Oh wow. He looks sorry.�
I just sighed.
In the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of a white coat headed toward us.
Standing up quickly I asked, �How is she?�
�You�re JC?�
I nodded speedily.
�It appears that there has had some internal bleeding, but we�ve stopped it, don�t worry. Other than that, she�s alive and well. You can visit her if you�d like.�
�Thank you. Can my friend come too?�
He nodded.
�C�mon Justin.�
I rushed into the room straight to Jessie�s side. I grabbed her hand.
Once my hand made contact with hers, her eyelids opened.
�JC?�
�I�m right here.�
�What happened? Where am I?� she asked, looking dazed.
�You blacked out and we took you to the hospital,� I briefed her.
�Oh. Where�s Keith?� she asked as she looked around.
�He�s outside.�
�What do you wanna see that jerk for?� Justin asked.
�Justin!� I cried.
�Sorry man. But come on. He punch, she black out, she in hospital,� he said in Tarzan language. �What is there nice to say about this guy?�
�That he�s been my best friend for 10 years,� she whispered.
�He has?� Justin asked. �Oh. Then I�m sorry.�
�It�s ok.�
�I�ll go get him if you want,� I offered.
�No. He can wait. I wanna talk to you.�
�Ok.�
�Alone.�
�Oh. I�ll be outta here then,� Justin said, getting out of the chair and out the door.
�So what did you wanna talk to me about?�
�When are you going on tour?� she asked.
�In 3 days,� I answered sadly.
�Oh.�
Silence lingered for a moment. Then I figured something.
�Can I ask you something?� we both asked at the same time.
�You go first,� I said.
�Ok�do you think�maybe�I could go with you on tour?� she asked uncertainly.
�That�s what I wanted to ask you!� I exclaimed, surprised by the coincident.
�Great minds think alike,� she smiled.
Her smile brought a wave of wholeness through me. Nobody ever made me feel that way. I knew she was special.
�I guess they do.�
�So?�
�So what?�
�What�s your answer?� she laughed.
�If I wanted to ask you, wouldn�t you think I wanted you to?� I asked rhetorically.
She laughed. �Ok, ok. I was a bit messed up there, but I�m back to normal now.�
I smiled.
�When do I get outta here?� she asked.
�Lemme ask,� I said, leaving the room.
I looked both ways for the same doctor we had before. He was talking to someone.
Walking up behind him, I heard him say, �She might not. Should we tell them?�
�Tell us what?� I interrupted.
�Uh��
�What?� I asked, my fear and nervousness rising.
He sighed. �After some testing, we found out that with the injuries, she might not be able to have children.�
�What?� I cried.
�I�m sorry. But maybe after some more testing, she might be ok after all.�
�Ok. So I guess she won�t be leaving any time soon huh?�
He shook his head. �Maybe in 2 days then she can go. It depends how fast we can complete the tests.�
�Ok. Thanks.�
I turned around and went back to Jessie�s room.
�So?�
My mind worked quickly for an acceptable lie.
�You have to stay for a while for some extra testing. You know, just to make sure you�re ok.� I forced a smile.
I hated lying to her, but I had to.
�Oh. Ok. But I�ll be out before you guys leave, right?�
I nodded. �You�re comin� with us right?�
�Ooh yeah. Count on it.�
�Good.�
I heard a soft knock on the door.
�Y�all done yet?�
�Yes Justin, we are.�
�Hey, guess what Justin?� I asked.
�What?�
�She�s comin� with us!�
�Seriously?�
I nodded happily.
�Alright!� he shouted, hugging Jessie.
�I didn�t get a hug,� I joked, walking over to her.
She smiled. �Ok. Then come �ere.�
I bent down and hugged her. �Can�t wait,� I whispered softly.
�Me either.�