Waiting

Disaster Day

(Frankie Stein) May 26th

So many sounds at once. I heard sirens, I heard shouting and endless chatter, I heard his echoing voice and the voices of the people trying to talk to me, and my own heartbeat. The loudest sound that kept playing back in my mind like a sad song on repeat was the crash, the crack of glass, and then the silence on the other end of my iCoffin.

"Frankie, Frankie! How do you feel?"

"Frankie, do you know what happened?"

"Hey, Frankie, is he okay?"

"Frankie! What's going on?"

"Miss Stein, where you there when the incident occurred?"

All I wanted was to be alone. I wanted to feel okay, I missed the taste of the hot cocoa we always made even in the summer when we watched boovies at my house because it was his favorite drink. I wanted to stuff my face with the cheesy snacks we ate because popcorn is just too popcornish. I wanted it to be just another Friday night fright, but it most definitely was not the same-old same-old kind of weekend kickoff I was used to.

To start, the modernized old hospital that smelled of fresh laundry and antibacterial soap could never come close to the comfort of my cozy house. It was chilly and the chairs in the stupid emergency room waiting area were the most uncomfortable chairs you could imagine. Way to pull off a positive, 'we're gonna make this all better!' feeling, hospital people.

The nerves and nausea were getting to me, and my dad was able to push away all the people who were trying to question and interview me. I'm not what they should be focused on anyway.

Above all the noise, my iCoffin started blasting it's ringtone full volume. My headache and the people around me were not so thankful for that, but I was once I saw who was calling. I got up and drifted out to the hallway area before answering. "Twyla?"

"Frankie? I heard about..."

"Yeah..."

"Are you at the hospital now?" She asked.

"Yeah. It's so loud and odd-smelling in here is can barely think." I replied. It was true.

She paused, and then said "it's probably better that you don't think, honestly."

"That's true. But I'm assuming you want to know what happened, anyway." I guess I'd have to tell someone at some point, just to grasp the unfortunate reality of what had happened.

"I do, but not now. I'll come up to the hospital and we can talk it out, monster to monster," she said, and then she added "hang in there. I'll be there soon," and hung up.

I wandered back into the waiting area, even though I knew I was waiting for nothing.

********

Twyla did arrive six minutes later. I counted.

I met her outside, on a bench a few paces left of the hospital entrance. The sun had begun to set and the reporters had been shooed away, or covered the story earlier and left.

"Okay. Let it all out," My about-a-year-younger friend said.

I tried to stall. I didn't want my heart to face reality. Alternate universes are more fun than reality. You can make up any ending you want. "How did you get here?" Twyla can't drive yet.

"Oh, I was at an Invisible Club meeting. We cut it short and my dad is still at work so Billy drove me up here," she replied.

"He can drive? Since when?" Stall, stall, stall.

"A few weeks ago. STOP STALLING FRANKIE."

She can always tell when I'm stalling. Draculaura and Clawdeen are not so good at picking up on that.

"Okay. Letting it out now. I'll start from the beginning. I was on the phone with him-"

"You were actually on the phone when it happened?" Twyla gasped.

I nodded my heavy head. "He called me saying he'd just gotten me my birthday present. I was kinda surprised, you know? My birthday being a whole month away. We somehow got onto the subject of what boovie to watch tonight, and we were discussing a bunch of boovies when he got onto his bike. I don't know how he was talking to me and riding his bike at the same time, but it worried me, so I asked him about it and he promised he was wearing a helmet and had both hands on the handlebars. We were just talking, and then I heard this clawful crashing noise, cracking glass, and silence."

"Oh my god," Twyla whispered, hands over her mouth in horror.

"And.... And he was hit by a car," I broke into tears again. "I can't help feeling it was my fault. What if I distracted him-"

"Frankie, it's not your fault. I can assure you that. And Holt definitely wouldn't blame you for it," Twyla reasoned.

My heart and head ached but I managed to stop crying.

"Do you know how he's doing?"

I shook my head, trying to mentally stitch myself back together.

"Maybe you need to take your mind off of it," she suggested.

We were reminded of the dropping temperature when the wind gushed by. It got cold really fast.

"I don't know. It's still so soon..." I thought out loud, flicking at the stitches on my wrist.

"It's what he would want you to do," Twyla stood up, offered me her hand and helped me onto my feet. "Now what would make you feel a smidge better?"

Easiest answer ever. "Hot chocolate, cheesy snacks and a movie."

"Are you sure about that? I don't think that'll take your mind off of him," Twyla said apprehensively.

"Yes. It's what makes me the most happy." I declared.

We walked back into the hospital, where my parents (Frankenstein's monster and his bride) agreed I could use some time to calm my electrified mind down. They promised to keep me updated on anything I would need to know. My mom offered us a ride home, but Twyla added that Invisi Billy was still waiting for her in the parking lot, and he could take us over to my house.

My mom agreed, and then hugged me, telling me everything would turn out okay. I hoped and prayed it would.