(Mia's POV)
"Hey baby," I say as Char heads out to the car park after her shift. "Hey you," she smiles before softly kissing me on the lips. "I missed you." "I missed you too," I say kissing the back of her hand. "Right I'm parked just across the street there was no space in this car park." We walk out of the car park together and stop at the end of the road. As we start to cross, a car turns around the bend, coming straight for us. "Charlotte!" I scream in a panic, moving myself back as fast as I can.
But it's too late.
The car comes past at full speed, Char still in the middle of the road. "Charlotte!" I cry out desperately. A loud thud echos across the road as the body of the car hits it. Everything around me seems to be still and quiet. Even the sound of my own screams are muffled as if they're coming from afar.
I wait for the road to clear before running straight into the middle to see Char, who is lying still on the ground. Blood drips from her nose and the edge of her top lip. I pick her up gently, her entire body collapsing into my arms and carry her over to the other side of the road where I get out my phone and frantically call an ambulance. "999 what's your emergency?" The operator says. "I... I need an ambulance..." I say into the phone desperately, tears running down my cheeks. "I'm... right by the knight nursery... it's my girlfriend she's been hit by a car." "Someone is on their way now," the operator says. "Does she have a pulse? Is she breathing?" I lay my finger on her wrist trying to detect a pulse. "I.... I can feel her pulse," I sniff my voice broken up with my tears. "Is she responsive?" the operator asks. "Charlotte?" I whisper. No response.
I repeatedly say her name several times, each time getting louder but no reason. "N... no," I mutter. "She's not responding." "Stay exactly where you are help is on the way," the operator says as she hangs up the phone. Seconds later, the ambulance arrive and pull up on the road, running out with a stretcher. I can hardly see them lift her into the ambulance because my eyes are clouded with tears. "She'll.... She'll be ok right?" I ask, as I step into the ambulance after her. No one answers me. "She will be ok though? Right? Please tell me she'll be ok?! Answer me please!" I yell.
A paramedic walks over to me and rests her hand on my shoulder. "It's alright my darling," she says softly. "They'll take very good care of her I promise." I nod, my breathing starting to slow down and the tears in my eyes drying up as I feel us approach the hospital. I walk out the ambulance, watching them carry Char in by the stretcher. "Charlotte," I call out helplessly watching them carry her across the corridor.
"Can I... can I come and see her?" I beg. "In a minute you can," the paramedic says. "If I can take your name so they know who to call when they're ready?" "Amelia," I sniff. "Amelia Roberts." The paramedic nods and leaves the waiting room before I sit myself down on a chair, burying my face in my hands as I sob once more.
"Amelia Roberts?" The nurse calls into the waiting room. "Yes," I reply swallowing my tears as I stand myself up. "Follow me," the receptionist says before extorting me to Char's ward. She gives the nurse a nod before leaving me in the room with just Char and the nurse. "I'll leave you both to it," she says quietly walking away from the bed. "She'll be ok," she reassures me as she walks out. I look at her lying in the hospital bed, trying to hide any panic or shock. She's all hooked up to several machines, her neck in a brace and her eyes shut.
"Charlotte sweetheart," I whisper sitting on the edge of her bed. Silence. "Char?" I say again. "Char? Baby?" I look at her lying totally still on the bed, my eyes starting to well up once again. "Charlotte I... I can't lose you... please say something." I reach out to find her hand, grasping onto it loosely and stroking her palm with my thumb. "I love you!" My eyes start to cry even more, my entire body going numb and shaking as the tears land on the hospital sheets.
I hear the doorknob turn and look up to see the nurse back in the room. Embarrassed, I quickly wipe the tears from my eyes frantically. "Good afternoon Miss Roberts," she says. "Can she come home?" I sniff. "Tomorrow," the nurse nods. "We're going to have to keep her tonight just to make sure everything's ok." I nod as the nurse approaches Charlotte and starts writing down stats. "I'll be back in a minute you can stay as long as you'd like," she says closing the door behind her.
A few minutes pass and I start to hear faint mumbling. I look over at Char's face to see her eyes are starting to flutter awake. "Charlotte," I whisper. "Mia?" She mumbles all confused. "Charlotte sweetheart are you ok?" I ask stroking her hand gently as her eyes fully open. "Why? Why you crying?" She whispers with a worried look on her face. "Remember after work? We were crossing the road and that care came out and hit you? You had quite the bump to the head and for a minute there I...." my words are swallowed by my tears. I take a deep breath before uttering my next sentence. "I thought I'd lost you."
"I'm... in hospital?" Char says looking around. "Yes baby," I whisper. "I'm just so glad I didn't lose you I wouldn't know what to do without you." I reach out for her hand which she takes firmly, a small smile appearing on her face. "Could I have a kiss please?" She asks sweetly. I lean over the bed gently and plant a soft kiss on her lips. "You're awake I see," the nurse says coming back into the room. "Hi Charlotte I'm Maria and I've been taking care of you while you've been here. You took quite the bump to the head after the accident so we're going to keep you overnight if that's alright?"
Char looks over at me with hopeful eyes before looking back at Maria. "Can she stay too... please? I get scared staying overnight." "If you wish," Maria nods. I nod back at her enthusiastically. "If it's not too much trouble?" "We'll have a bed set up for you in this ward," she says before leaving the room once again. "Nothing's going to hurt you ok?" I whisper looking into Char's eyes. "Not while I'm here."
"Mia could you go and fetch something from my bag please?" She asks. "Of course sweetheart," I say picking her bag up off a nearby chair. "I was going to give this to you later but I think you should have it now," she says. "It's in the front pocket." I reach into the front pocket of her bag and pull out a beautifully decorated envelope with my name written on it. I smile as I tear it open gently and unfold the piece of paper inside to read what was written on it.
"To my dearest Amelia,
I've never been someone who's believed in fate or destiny. That was until I met you. I truly believe I was destined to meet you and have you in my life and I will always be grateful that the universe brought us together. You took my broken heart and made it whole again, you made me feel loved when I thought I could never be loved. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me in my life and I love you with my whole heart, body and soul. They say til death do us part but I believe that when our bodies part our souls will find each other again.
I know you're hard on yourself and it kills me that you can't see yourself the way I see you: a beautiful, kind, selfless person who would do anything and more to protect the people she loves. If little Amelia could see you now her jaw would drop seeing how she'd come out of her shell and flourished into this stunning woman who I have the pleasure of loving. If I could meet baby Amelia now I would tell her to rest. I would tell her not to worry about the future and to remind herself she's a good person if her mind tells her otherwise. But truthfully I think grown up Amelia could also use hearing those things sometimes so remember this for my sweetheart. Take a breath, don't worry and you are a good person even if your mind tells you otherwise.
When I look into your eyes I see my other half, my future and my forever. When I'm in your arms it's like all the troubles in the world melt away. And even when we're far apart, my heart holds what my arms cannot.
Love you always,
Charlotte xx
