REKINDLED || Completed

26

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Twenty Six
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Oren’s heart pounded as he watched a devastated Harry hang up the call he was on.

"Yellow had an accident."

Harry’s words clung to the air like thick smoke, suffocating, unreal.

Oren swallowed hard, his pulse a deafening roar in his ears. "What... what do you mean an accident?"

Harry’s hands trembled as he grabbed his keys. "She got hit by a truck, Oren. A damn  truck."

The café lights flickered off. The next thing Oren knew, they were out the door, moving fast. The streetlights above them buzzed dully as they stepped into the night.

"Where is she?" he asked, voice tight.

"County General. We need to hurry."

They piled into Harry’s old sedan. The ride was a blur of headlights, honking horns, and the suffocating weight in Oren’s chest.

He barely noticed his fingers twisting together in his lap.

Please be okay. Please, Lord, let her be okay.

---

When Asher opened her eyes and saw white, she smiled genuinely.

I made it?

For a fleeting second, relief washed over her.

I’m dead? Finally…

Then the pain in her side hit her like a hammer, and reality came crashing in.

The warmth of a hand pressing to her forehead startled her.

"Welcome back," a voice said gently.

She blinked, her vision adjusting. A woman in a white coat stood over her, smiling kindly.

"Where… am I?" Her voice was hoarse, each word scraping against her throat.

"You’re in a hospital, dear" the doctor answered, adjusting the blanket over her.

Her heart fell.

So I survived.

"How are you feeling?" the doctor asked.

Asher hesitated, then exhaled slowly. "In pain… and so disappointed I’m still alive."

The doctor’s smile faltered. "You’re not happy you… survived?"

Asher shut her eyes, letting the pain take over, letting it consume her. It was easier than dealing with everything else. The ache in her chest felt heavier than the truck that hit her.

"Dear..." A gentle tap on her arm forced her to open her eyes again.

"I don't know who you are, but you should be thankful you survived," the doctor said, her voice quieter now, her eyes carrying something unreadable. "I lost my son to an accident. And I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t still hurt. But God is good. The fact that you’re here… that’s proof of His goodness."

Asher swallowed hard, shaken in a way she hadn’t expected.

Before she could find something—anything—to say, the doctor straightened.

"Your friends want to see you."

She left before Asher could protest.

Silence swallowed the room again. The only sound was the steady beep of the heart monitor beside her.

The reality of it all settled in.

She had been hit by a truck. She should be dead.

And yet, she wasn’t.

A humorless laugh escaped her lips. Then another. Then another, until it became something close to hysterical.

It was funny. It had to be.

Because if she didn’t laugh, she’d probably break.

The door creaked open.

She stilled.

Jaden walked in first, hesitant, as if unsure whether to approach.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice thick with concern. He stopped beside her bed, scratching the back of his head.

Asher managed a small, tired smile. "Yeah."

"I’m so sorry this happened."

"Don’t be," she waved him off.

She replayed what the doctor had said earlier.

Your friends want to see you.

Friends.

Meaning he wasn’t alone.

She unconsciously crossed her fingers under the blanket. For no reason at all.

The door opened again.

Everest stepped in next. His usual laid-back demeanor was missing, replaced by something heavier.

"You scared the hell out of us, Ash."

She gave a half-hearted shrug—or at least, tried to. "My bad."

Everest exhaled sharply. "That’s all you have to say?"

"What else do you want me to say?"

Jaden and Everest exchanged looks.

It didn’t sit right. The way she said it. The emptiness in her voice.

"You don’t seem… relieved," Everest observed carefully.

Asher let out a slow breath. "Should I be?"

Jaden pulled up a chair, his face unreadable. "Asher…"

"What?" she sighed.

"Why did you just… freeze like that?" His voice was softer now, cautious. "People usually move when a truck is about to hit them."

Her fingers curled tighter around the blanket.

She didn’t have an answer.

Or maybe she did.

She just didn’t want to say it out loud.

The air in the room felt heavy, dense. Everest looked like he wanted to press further, but before he could, the door opened one last time.

The footsteps were hurried. Then they stopped.

She already knew who it was before she even looked.

Slowly, hesitantly, she turned her gaze upward—

Oren.

His face was unreadable, but his eyes…

His eyes were searching. Frantic. Worried.

For the first time since waking up, Asher felt something other than numbness.

It was uncomfortable.

She turned away, not sure what to do with the way her chest suddenly felt too tight.

Oren exhaled shakily, running a hand through his hair.

"Asher."

Not a question. Not even a greeting.

Just her name, spoken like a prayer.

And for the first time since the accident, she wasn’t sure how to respond.

***