Written In The Stars: Book Two

CHAPTER TEN: FEARFUL PHONE CALLS

Elijah was finishing up a paper when his cell phone rang by his side. Checking the time, and seeing it was almost midnight, caused his breaths to quicken and body to tense. When he saw it was Mitch's cell phone calling him, that was when the world went dizzy around him. Still, Elijah pushed through and pressed 'accept', his hand barely able to keep hold of the phone.

"What's wrong?" He hardly recognized his own voice in those two words. It came out as more a squeak than anything.

"There was an accident after the party." Whereas Elijah's words had come out high-pitched, Mitch's words were barely audible. Each one shook as it came out of his mouth, and his voice was nearly silent. "Maddie was hit by a car crossing the street. The ambulance just left, and I don't know how bad of shape she's in, but Mary and I both thought you should know."

Avoid stress. Avoid certain environments and situations.

Fuck that.

"Where?"

"Elijah, I know the steps. Hell, I learned them with you. Don't go throwing yourself into this sort of thing. I'll keep you updated, but-"

"It's Madeline," Elijah reminded him, not that he needed to. "I'll manage. What I won't manage is hanging around here waiting, because I'll just end up at the fucking bar. So tell me where they took her."

Mitch let out a trembling breath while Mary wailed in the background. "Sacred Heart. Eva's driving us there now."

It seemed no matter where Elijah ended up in this fucking city, Madeline was close by. "I'm leaving now."

Elijah ended the call without so much as a goodbye, put his laptop and a couple of books in his bag, and left the apartment, not bothering to lock it on his way out.

The drive felt unbearably slow despite pulling into the hospital parking lot only five minutes later. Then there was the parking, which took twice the time. Elijah should have just asked a neighbor to drive him so they could drop him off, but he'd only moved there two months ago and hadn't met anyone yet.

Once the doors opened, Elijah was in a sweat, despite a chill pricking at his bones and skin, and saw Mitch pacing the white tile floor while Mary was kneeling down, sobbing against Eva's chest. No sign of the fiancé yet, but Elijah didn't doubt for a second he'd be arriving soon enough.

When Mitch spotted him as he continued to pace by the front desk, his movements stopped, and Elijah noticed the man gasping for every breath he took. His skin flushed and his body broke out in almost a tremor. "We don't know anything yet. They took her up to surgery, and we don't know how bad it is, or if she'll survive. She was smiling. She seemed happy. My baby girl was happy one minute, then lying on the pavement the next. There was so much blood on her face, Elijah. I couldn't even see my daughter's face when they took her. I don't know if she's okay."

Elijah wrapped his arms around his dad, because that's exactly who this man was. During the two years he was drunk, he couldn't bear to use the words. Couldn't stand to think of these two people so close to Madeline as his family. But they were.

They'd helped pick him up off the ground when he reached his lowest, and stood by him despite causing their daughter so much pain. For all intents and purposes, they were his parents.

Mitch's wails bellowed out, only slightly muffled by the fabric of Elijah's shirt, which he held onto tight enough to nearly tear the fabric. "My little girl."

It wasn't until Mitch spoke those three helpless words that his words before that sunk in.

Madeline, his Madeline, was finally happy. She was celebrating her engagement, then she was lying on the ground on the cold pavement, covered in her own blood. There was a chance the love of his life wouldn't survive this, his best friend wouldn't survive this, and Elijah wasn't certain if he could survive that fact.

It was one thing staying out of her life for the last four years. He could write her letters and even send them. Every now and then, she'd reply, sometimes talking to him as if he'd never re-entered her life at all for those two weeks, minus a few apologies for how she'd left. It gave him some measure of hope for her and for himself. A slightly better future, despite no longer being a part of each other's.

If he didn't have that hope, Elijah had nothing. If Madeline was no longer walking this Earth, it was a useless wasteland. It would turn into his own personal purgatory.

"Do they know anything yet?"

Mitch let Elijah go, and turned to face the unfamiliar voice, allowing him to do the same.

He was the opposite of Elijah in every way. Well dressed, shorter, thin, but not scrawny. His hair was sandy blonde, his eyes blue, and his face freshly shaven. Dressed in a disheveled suit, the man looked like he was attempting to keep up a strong appearance, and failing miserably at it. Maybe he hadn't yet broken out into tears like the rest of them, but Elijah had experienced that sort of shock before. It was a welcome feeling compared to the one that was bound to follow.

"No," Mitch answered. "Nothing."

It was the man's turn to inspect Elijah. His dark hair, his slight beard, his green eyes with an aqua rim. His tall stature and the muscles he'd grown by working out so much. But it wasn't just physical appearance he took in. Quickly the man took in his faded ripped jeans, his black, stained sweatshirt, and his worn-out shoes.

In Elijah's defense, he'd been studying all night, not attending some fancy party.

"You're Elijah," the man guessed.

He nodded his confirmation, wondering if the man had seen pictures of him, or just took in his fragile state, and could piece it together. Elijah wasn't sure why even his mind seemed to reject using the guy's name, as he'd known it for the last year, when Madeline wrote it in a letter.

Jonathan. Not John or Johnny, but Jonathan. And not just that, but the third. Jonathan the third. Jonathan, same as his roommate in rehab

'Jonathan the third' walked over and held out his hand to shake Elijah's. With a heavy heart, Elijah accepted.

"I've heard a lot about you. More than I would have liked, sometimes," Jonathan admitted, his smile tired and forced. "Still, I'm happy you're here. Mitch and Mary are going to need you, and despite what Maddie would say, I know it would mean something to her, you being here."

Already, it seemed he was talking about Madeline in past tense, causing Elijah's hairs on his arms to stand up. He guessed he said it that way because she was unconscious, not deceased, but it still hit him like a punch to the gut with brass knuckles.

A doctor approached them, looking frazzled because of the night shift activity. Still, she had warm, understanding eyes, which may have been second nature, or may have been a struggle to maintain. "You're Madeline Martin's family?"

Mary pulled herself off the ground with the help of Eva, who'd cut her hair into a bob since the last time he'd seen her. "Yes."

"The x-ray showed three broken ribs, as well as a broken leg and a fractured shoulder. There's a compound fracture in her arm, her pelvic bone is fractured. The good news is that while Ms. Martin suffered a concussion, it doesn't appear there's any serious brain injury or injury to her spinal cord. She's heading into surgery now, and we'll find out more. I can take you up to that waiting room now, if you'd like."

When Mitch nodded his head, the group followed the doctor to the elevator.