The Accident: A Josh Hutcherson Story

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

"You see, Clary's mother was the shadow hunter," Ella explained, gesturing to the t.v. as the movie played on. "But she never told her because she wanted to protect her daughter from the dangers of the world she used to be part of, you see?" She filled a glass of water and set it down on the table beside Josh's bed. Even if he couldn't move, his eyes told her he was listening to every word she was saying.

Ella walked around the bed and smoothed out the duvet for the thousandth time. She wondered if she was beginning to get a bit OCD about everything to do with Josh and his quality of care. "A lot of people don't like Alec-but that's the slumps who didn't read the book-because they don't understand his story. I don't think they portrayed it well enough in the movie."

It had been two days and Ella was still the only person with Josh. His parents were stranded in Europe and Connor didn't have enough money to get back to Kentucky. Who knew where Claudia was. Ella didn't really care where the woman was, either.

"I don't understand why people don't give him a chance, you know? It's only been one movie and people have already pegged him as a dickhead. It's really frustrating," Ella explained. Josh's eyes followed her where-ever she went and every so often he'd manage to quirk his eyebrow a little bit or furrow it in a frown. A part of her longed to hear his voice again, to hear him laugh and talk again, but Beyon explained to her that even though he can move his eyes, it will take a lot of work before he will be able to talk or move again.

She glanced at the t.v, to where her favourite movie was still going. "I wish they had done the movie better. That's my favourite book series and they didn't do it much justice."

Beyon knocked the door and came in with a tub of water in her hands. "Hello," she said. "Is it okay if I . . .?" She gestured at the tub with her head. Ella sighed and looked at Josh, who was already scowling at the ceiling. He didn't like not being able to care for himself and the fact that he had to be washed and fed was very frustrating to him. He hated not being able to care for himself.

"Hey, it's okay," Ella assured him. "I'll be right outside." She looked at Beyon and said, "If there's any issue just call me back in, okay?"

"You can stay if you like," Beyon said.

Ella shook her head. "I'll give him his privacy." She wanted to stay with him, she really did, but she couldn't. After everything that had happened, she had decided that the best thing for them to do was to develop a healthy friendship. And that meant never ever ever seeing him naked again. Ever.

She stood outside the door the entire time, her arms folded tightly across her chest. It only just struck her that Josh's accident had impacted her more than her own mother's death had. Somehow, Ella didn't find it all that strange. Josh had taken her in, cared for her, shown her compassion, whereas all her mother had ever done for her was tell her what she did wrong in her life and smacked her about when she did those wrong things. 

Ella directed her gaze to her feet. Hold on, where were her feet? Ella frowned. Her stomach was in the way! Had she really gotten that big?! Since when exactly?! How far along was she? Ella did the math in her head, her eyes widening in surprise when it turned out that she only had three months left.

Four months left . . .

And Josh was paralyzed . . .

. . . Because of her . . . 

Screw up Ella strikes again.

"Ella!" Her head snapped up in surprise, her heart sinking to the bottom of her stomach as she saw Claudia barrelling towards her. "Ella! Oh my god! What happened?! Where's Josh?! What happened to him?!"

"His motorcycle was in a collision with a car," Ella explained, trying to swallow her disappointment at no longer being alone with Josh.

"Is he okay?!" Claudia exclaimed.

"Well . . ." Was he okay? Was being paralyzed really okay? "He's alive."

Claudia frowned. "But is he okay? Is he hurt?"

"Um, well, you see, Claudia . . . he's paralyzed," Ella said. "From the neck down."

It took the actress a moment to digest the news. When it finally sank in, her hand flew to her mouth in horror and her eyes watered. "Oh my god, Josh," she whispered into her hand. "I should have been here sooner."

"Where were you, exactly?"

"It doesn't matter now."

Ella was confused. What could have possibly distracted Claudia for 48 hours while Josh had been fighting for his life? "The doctors say that there's a good possibility that he'll be able to walk again but it will require months of pysiotherapy and commitment. His nurse, Beyon, says that he needs someone who isn't family with him. Like you since you're his . . . fiancee."

Claudia nodded vigorously.

"It means you'd have to be with him everyday, you know that, don't you?"

The actress was silent.

"Claudia, he needs you."

Silence.

"Claudia!"

"What?!" Claudia snapped.

"Did you hear me?!"

"Yes, I heard you! But I can't do everyday! I have so many other commitments I have to attend to as well!"

Ella was horrified. "Claudia, Josh is paralyzed. Do you understand what that means?! Nothing else should matter! Are you trying to tell me that even though he needs you desperately, you're not going to be there for him?"

"Well, it's kind of selfish, expecting me to give up all of my time!" Claudia replied. She grinned. "This could make brilliant publicity though, for our newest movie! We could-"

Ella couldn't help it. She smacked her. It felt good. "How dare you! No one apart from his friends and family are finding out about the accident. It's none of the media's business! Never mind your fucking publicity! If you're not going to be there for him everyday. You better leave right now. Because you are not going to walk into that room unless you're 100% prepared to be there for him if and when he needs you, no matter when that is." 

Claudia didn't even pause. She ripped the ring off her finger and threw it at Ella. "You want to know where I was? I was with my old boyfriend. We spent the weekend together. I'm sick of playing second best to some harlet who thinks she's better than me."

"But I thought you loved Josh!" Ella exclaimed.

Claudia sniffed. "Sure, his body, his money, his house, I was in love with all that. But him as a person? Boring as anything. It's like marrying an 80 year old man, some of the stuff he comes out with!"

"That's called being wise! Except you wouldn't know what that is, would you, bitch!" Ella yelled. She was too mad to even hit her again. She stepped forward so that herself and Claudia's noses were inches apart. "If you ever loved him, you will not leave. You will pick up that ring and stay with him through this."

They stared at each other for a minute, both their eyes filled with venom. Claudia broke it first, scoffing and spinning on her heel. Ella watched, horrified and dumbstruck as the actress marched away, leaving her standing the corridor on her own.

She knelt on the ground and carefully scooped up the ring. It glinted in the overhead lights, almost like it was laughing at her.

How was she going to tell Josh about this? She was going to have to bandage his heart back together when she told him that Claudia had left him because she didn't want to make the commitment to stay with him through this difficult time . . .