"Did you call my work?"
Haseena asks from the gurney of the emergency treatment room where her right arm is placed on the pillow next to her. It was painful but after a couple of drugs and x-ray, it feels a bit better, a bit of nothing at all. Her dark brown cropped bangs are slicked back by her nervous sweat and the rest of her long pixie cut is still occupied by bed hair. Her bone is fractured, and her roommate is looking at her with judgmental eyes.
"Your bones are practically ripping apart and you're worried about work? Employee of the month much?" Alice says while making herself comfortable on an uncomfortable hospital chair. Her sandy wavy long hair is done perfectly and she looks so charming in her blouse and skinny jeans. Haseena's jacket is draping over the chair. Her crossbody purse is right on her lap while she manages to cross her legs. She was ready for work this morning, not an ED visit. "I did. I also called mine and I also called your mom."
"What did she say?"
"Nothing new really. She said that you needed to act your age."
"Was she also talking about how I should get married by now?" Haseena mumbles her Indian mom's expectation of her. She wanted straight As. She wanted excellent career paths. Now she wants her to get married. "Like 'She should be getting married; not having her arm broken."
"Yes. Word by word."
Haseena chuckles in satisfaction. Her eyes are closed and her dimples are shown. She is trying to keep quiet but the situation gets her mind twisted. Her abdomen is now in pain from all the suppressed laughter.
"I swear I could hear her sigh. So deep." Alice tries to hold her laughter but since Haseena is already doing the laugh at herself thing, she might as well join her.
"I bet."
"What did you tell the doctor? What did you say happened?" Alice asks for the information she has missed while she was trying to park her car after dropping Haseena off at the ED door. She has known Haseena long enough to figure that she wouldn't tell the embarrassing truth of the event. It would be just something very close to it.
"I told them I fell on my wrist." Haseena uses her left hand to slick her bangs back and adjusts her full rim glasses. "I didn't lie."
A tap on the glass door is followed by an appearance of a visitor. A tall man in his NYPD navy blue uniform with one of his hand hanging on his duty belt makes an intimidated entrance. He pokes in. "Ladies."
"Alice posted on her Instagram, didn't she?" Haseena sighs as her cop friend enters the treatment room with his cop privilege. She doesn't hear anyone try to stop him so he must have walked comfortably in like he owns the place.
"I have to do crowd control thingy in 20 minutes so Joannah and I decide to do some 'patrol' here, in the hospital." Kevin mentions his partner who is waiting in the patrol car outside. He told her it would take a minute although he didn't intend for it to be just a minute. A minute doesn't exist when these three are together. "There is some sort of a music event later today at Madison Square Park."
"Who is playing?" Haseena takes an interest on the event. She doesn't have to go to work anymore today so she might as well find something else to do.
"I don't know. Country music, I guess. You should come, dude. Don't let broken arm stop you from girls with guitars." Kevin leans comfortably against the chair that Alice is sitting on. He definitely doesn't take a minute to see his best friend.
Fortunately, Tuesday's morning is rarely eventful.
"Kev, does Joannah have spare shoes in the patrol car?" Alice taps on Kevin's arm. "The jedi didn't grab her shoes with her. She grabbed a jacket."
