The Super Enrichment Programme

'E-extent of injuries?'

We drove to the local hospital where Tom had been taken by ambulance just minutes before. We were rushed along corridor after corridor when we’d explained who we were, just to be told to sit outside his room.

I pulled my phone from my pocket to play a game, but put it back because tears kept welling up in my eyes.

I got a text from Ethan after about an hour saying that he was going to come down to see Tom later and hoped that I was okay.

A girl with bright blonde hair and dark blue eyes turned up shortly after I received his text.

She sat down next to me and I watched from the corner of my eye as tears fell into her lap.

‘Are you okay?’ I asked when I couldn’t stand to see her like that anymore.

‘I guess…’ She whispered, reaching up to her face to wipe the tears away.

‘I’m sorry I'm probably being stupid, but who are you?’ I asked when she’d stopped crying.

‘I’m Isabelle, Isabelle Tille?’ she said but I shook my head.

‘I don’t think I know you?’ I replied, giggling.

‘I’m Tom’s new girlfriend, he asked me out yesterday,’ she replied.

‘Well that would explain why you’re here,’ I said and we both laughed. I watched as she smiled for the first time since she’d arrived.

‘I think we’ll be seeing a lot of each other then,’ she said when I explained that I was Tom’s sister.

‘Yeah. You seem like nice girl for Tom,’ I said reaching over to give her a hug when she started to cry again.

‘I feel like I’m bad luck for him,’ she sobbed into my shoulder.

‘Why would you think that?’ I asked.

‘Yesterday after I said yes to him they lost an important rugby match then today the car…’ she trailed off, looking down at her hands in her lap.

‘I’m sure the team were just exhausted, they’ve had a lot of games recently,’ I reasoned, pausing for a moment when I heard a lot of noise coming from Tom’s room.

I turned to see a doctor emerge from the private ward.

‘His mother, father and sister can see him now,’ he said.

I turned to Isabelle and gave her a weak smile before getting up and following my parents.

I watched as my parents faces went bank, giving me no clue about what they were thinking.

But I think I can fill it in for you.

Their only son is lying unconscious in an intensive care ward, surrounded by nurses, doctors and life-support machines – how would you feel?

‘He’s merely unconscious,’ a doctor said as he walked towards us.

‘The car that hit him was going at about 39 mph as they were outside the speed limit when they started breaking,’ we all nodded silently, no one wanted to interrupt him.

‘According to the ambulance crew the car that hit him didn’t stop, but due to the extent of his injuries we think it was a large 4x4 or 7 seater,’

‘E-extent of injuries?’ I whispered.

‘Yes, I’m afraid he’s broken both of his arms, his left leg, a few ribs and his collarbone,’ the doctor listed as I felt my eyes and mouth go wide. ‘We need to keep him here for a few weeks as he may have a concussion when he wakes up and if he doesn’t rest his broken ribs could puncture one of his arteries,’

I felt a tear slide noiselessly down my face. When the nurse asked me if I was okay I just shook my head and turned away, unable to fund appropriate words for how I was feeling.

I pushed the door open as I started to be overcome by sobs. I held my hands over my face as I cried, not wanting anyone walking by to recognise me.

After a few minutes I jumped as I felt someone put their arms around me. I turned around and pushed them away, looking down at the ground the whole time so they didn’t see how red my face was.

‘I thought you needed cheering up…’ they muttered.

I carefully looked up at their face through my hair only to throw myself back at them.

‘Ethan…’ I cried into his shoulder, not feeling as guilty as I should for getting tears all over his Jack Wills hoodie.

‘Is it really that bad?’ he asked and I nodded against his shoulder.

We sat down on the bench for a few minutes until my parents emerged and the doctor called Ethan and Isabelle to see Tom.

I said bye to Ethan and left alongside my parents as I did not feel able to comfort either of them.