Echoes

The Question

Hope's eyes snapped open then squinted against the light in the room. Her groggy mind tried to process everything her aching body told her. Lying in bed. Steady beeping of a machine. I hurt all over.
A hand gently nudged her shoulder and a soft voice said, "Miss McKenzie?"
She blinked a few times and took in details. White coat over teal scrubs. Casual smile and affected concern in his eyes. I got hit by a car.
Streetlights glowed in the dark spaces between the eggshell blinds on the window. With a gasp, Hope remembered her errand and the brewing crisis at work. "I'm late with the report," she blurted.
The doctor grinned. "I'm sure your boss will understand. I'm Doctor Stephens, your primary care provider. I'd like to discuss your condition..."
Hope ignored the doctor and scanned the room for her belongings. "Where's my phone? I need to apologize and explain to Mister Morton--"
"Already done."
Hope cocked her head in confusion and stared at Doctor Stephens.
"So eager to get back to work?" He laughed. "Most people would love a bit of down time."
"Okay, Doc, sorry. You were saying?"
Doctor Stephens showed Hope a diagnosis sheet with a marked-up body outline. "You suffered a mild concussion," the doctor explained, pointing at a symbol on the right side of her head. "Along with some major bruises and scrapes. Overall, quite lucky, Hope. I've seen similar traffic injuries go much worse."
"You should see the car," Hope joked, feigning amusement while the initial shock wore off.
"Well," Doctor Stephens said, "I'm told you have a pretty thick skull." He tapped his pen on his clipboard and looked over the notes once more. "I think we can monitor you for the night and release you in the morning pending no distressing observations. But we'll need you to visit again in a few weeks to make sure there's no lasting effects. Any questions?"
"Just one. How'd you know how to reach my boss?"
"We didn't." He nodded toward the door. "Your friend took care of that."
Claudia stood in the hallway in khakis and a polo emblazoned with a silver W. Hands clasped in front of her holding a white carnation and a card, she gave a little wave with her fingers and mouthed a greeting.
"I'll give you some privacy," Doctor Stephens said and departed.
Claudia slipped in and gingerly took a seat across from the bed. "I'm sorry, Hope. This was my fault."
"How did you even find out what happened--oh, right, the texts."
"You didn't respond," Claudia said. She retrieved Hope's smartphone from the folded clothes in the other seat and handed it to Hope. The screen sported a new spiderweb crack from the corner. "I just assumed you were pissed off at me. But then I realized I've never even seen you raise your voice. I tried to text and call a couple times, but no answer."
Hope tapped in her passcode and laughed. "Seventeen missed texts and five missed calls? That's a couple?"
Claudia rolled her eyes, cheeks flushed. "I thought something must be wrong, so I got Jake to cover for me at the store and jogged to your office. When I heard the ambulance and saw the lights, I checked with the paramedics to confirm what I already knew. I talked to Mister Morton, checked on Button and Mittens, then came here to make sure you had everything you might need."
"Thank you, Claudia," Hope said. She scrolled through her messages and froze. "Your fight--what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be--"
"I talked to the organizer, explained the situation. They'll probably count it as a forfeit, but they might set up a new fight instead."
"Oh my God, Clawz... What about your record? This affects your career."
Claudia smirked and shrugged. "No big deal, really. No one's going to care all that much. The benefit of being just an amateur MMA fighter, I guess. Okay, what else do you need? Anything I can do?"
Hope stared in silence, amazed by the carefree dismissal of the forfeited match. She shook her head and sighed. "I don't deserve a friend like you."
Claudia's eyes flared with unexpected, piercing intensity.
Hope raised a quizzical eyebrow. "What?"
"You don't have to answer right now," Claudia responded. "But I want you to think about this question: Why would you choose to believe that, Hope?"
Hope opened her mouth to reply, but no answer came.
Long after Claudia went home, her words lingered in Hope's mind.