The Calm Before The Storm

My Fault

~Chloe~

Everything is... coming into focus.

The deep, dark haze that shrouded my mind begins to lift like a veil and a blinding light makes me squint when I open my eyes. My heart lurches for a second, realizing what the infamous 'Bright Light' means.

"No... I don't... argh-" I pause mid-sentence, pain shooting throughout various places on my body.

"Fuck...".

I try to sit up but I can't, my limbs seem to not be responding to the rest of me so I don't bother.

There's this high pitched annoying wail coming from all around me, making the pain in my head worse.

"Max..." I groan trying to move around but find myself strapped down to a flat surface.

Momentary panic sets in as I forcibly shift around under my restraints.

"Woah, Woah! Hey! Take it, easy kid,".

I freeze, hearing a very unfamiliar voice above me. As my vision clears I see a young woman with curly black hair sitting beside me.

I'm... what? Where the fuck am I?

I look at the woman, completely confused, "M- Max...".

"You've been in a car accident, you're in an ambulance," she explains.

"Max..." I say again.

It's all I say. It's all I can think to say... It's all I want to say.

"Max...".

"Max is fine, see," The nurse or paramedic or whatever the fuck she is, moves aside.

"Oh, god..." I mumble weakly, my stomach doing a full on somersault, "Max...".

Max is laying on a stretcher next to me... she's not moving. There's a brace around her neck and a splint on her leg, a mask over her face, a fuckton of bandages on her head and around her chest. The weird mask on her face has an odd tube that extends out and connects to a machine the paramedic is holding. She sees my confusion and explains that the small machine in her arms is helping Max breathe.

Can't she breathe on her own? W- what... why... I don't.

"Max..." I mumble, my voice breaking and wavering as tears fill my eyes, "Oh, God, Max...".

I start breaking down in tears, ignoring the pain my sobs send to my head.

"Hey... shh, it's okay. She's okay," the paramedic says in a soft, shy voice very similar to Max's.

This honestly just sends me over the edge and I just cry harder.

"M- Max... t- this is... my fault... It's... a- all my fault," I mumble, my words sounding garbled and broken, "It's my fault".

If I had just waited until we got back home, or waited a few more months to ask... none of this would have happened.

"She must mean a lot to you then, huh?" the paramedic says, once again gesturing to Max.

I sniffle a little and turn to her, confused, "W- what?".

She sighs and places something in my weak grip.

"We found her holding on to it when we picked you up. It's... it's very pretty and she's a very lucky girl,".

I carefully look over at what she placed in my hand, feeling its square-shaped form.

Tears well in my eyes as I grip the box... the ring box.

I let my head fall backward as I sob even harder, "Max...".