Big Time Pain

Is anyone reading this?

“Remind me why I’m driving this girl I don’t know to the doctor again?”  Logan asks Carlos, glancing in the rearview mirror to see him and Chelsea in the backseat, her head against his shoulder.  He’s pretty sure she’s completely unconscious now.  She hasn’t said anything since they left the apartment.  Since Logan wants to be a doctor, this is actually a good experience for him, but not in these circumstances.

“Because you’re my friend and care about what I need.  Anyways, we wouldn’t have to do this if you would have let me talk to her before she got hurt.  We could have stopped this, ya know.  If we woke her up by the pool, she could have come with us and this would have never happened.  You’re partly responsible, too, so keep driving!”  Carlos’ face twists into one of shame.  He could have stopped this.  Why didn’t he?  Was he afraid his friends would make fun of him?  Was he afraid of having a friend who’s a girl?  Even possibly a girlfriend?  He doesn’t know. 

Logan turns back to face the road and a new wave of shame and guilt washes over him.  He never thought about it that way.  He could have stopped this, but instead he ignored her. 

As they pull up to the hospital, he rushes out of the car, catching her before her head hits the upholstery where he had been sitting.  Carlos felt less worried in the apartment because she was talking, but now she hasn’t said anything the whole ride and he fears the worst.  If only Mrs. Knight was home.  She would have known what to do. 

Carrying Chelsea to the emergency room was easier with Logan, too, but Logan needed to let Bitters out of the trunk, so Carlos was all alone.  Sure, she wasn’t fat, but she wasn’t the skinniest girl ever, either.  That’s ok, though, since he fancied thicker girls, anyway.  He didn’t really have a preference. 

“HEY! CAN ANYONE HELP HER!?!  PLEASE!?!”  Carlos hollered in the ER, which, luckily, seemed to be nearly empty. 

“What happened?”  A nurse asked. 

“She was thrown down a flight of stairs.”

“You mean fell?”

“No!  She was THROWN!!  HELP HER!!  PLEASE!”  He’s never screamed this much since being on the Minnesota hockey team.  California wasn’t a state for screaming, but he felt it proved very well to yell here, in this circumstance.

“Ok, Doctor!”  The nurse bellows, causing a few more nurses to come, lifting Chelsea up on a stretcher and wheeling her behind swinging doors.  And just like that, she was gone again from his life.  He extends his arm to the doors, hand open, as though he can hold onto her from far away.  She shouldn’t have to go alone.  She’s been alone too long.  That’s what got her here in the first place.

When Logan finally comes inside with Bitters, Carlos is sitting in one of the horribly-cushioned waiting room chairs with his head in his hands, foot tapping so quickly it’s amazing he’s not in pain.  In fact, it’s the opposite; he’s so empty that even pain would be welcome right now.  He’d bang his head into a wall, but she still has his helmet.

“She’ll be ok, Carlos.  I promise.”  Logan hangs his arm on Carlos’ shoulder.  Bitters heads down to the cafeteria since it’s better than seeing this. 

“Are you sure, Logan?  She seems pretty bad.”  Carlos wipes his face with his hands and looks deep into Logan’s eyes.

“Can you answer a question for me, Carlos?” 

“Uh, sure, I guess.  What is it?”  He dips his head again, twitching his nose with his thumb.

“Why do you care so much about this girl?  Have you met her before, or what?  Why?”