1. Complications
Stef’s POV
“Is everybody ignoring me right now?” I furiously hung up on the voicemail that I’d been sent to through Wardy’s phone. “I swear nobody wants to talk to me.” I growled, flopping back onto the banana lounge settling my sunglasses on the bridge of my nose.
“I want to talk to you.” Louis’ shadow fell over my face, blocking out the sunlight.
I smiled weakly up at him, sitting up. “But seriously, Sarah hung up on me and Wardy won’t even answer. What is this world coming to?”
Sarah’s POV
“Nah, Mexican is definitely my favourite.” I laughed, but was interrupted by my phone ringing, again.
I answered the phone to a shaky voice belonging to Cassie. “It’s Wardy. There was a crash and...”
My eyebrows creased in thought, processing what was said. “Cassie? What are you talking about?”
Before I got an answer from her, there was some scuffling on the other end of the line. “It’s Zayn. You need to get to Monash Hospital now.” He informed me and he hung up before I had a chance to argue back at him.
“I’m really sorry, but I have to go. There’s been an accident. I-I have to go.” Grabbing my bag, I left before even saying goodbye. I didn’t have time, right now they were all more important than a date-meeting. I meant meeting.
Getting in the car, even before I’d even started the ignition I was so tempted to break down. “She was in a crash. A car crash. I have to go to the hospital, it’s all going to be okay.” I told myself.
After a short motivational talk with myself that I wasn’t going to crash on the way there, I set off, driving exceptionally slowly, avoiding as many main roads as possible. Shakily I arrived, parking as close as I could to the front entrance and then hobbling into the foyer. “I’m looking for Sarah Ward.” I mumbled to the receptionist, who looked up at me, raising an eyebrow.
“You’re the eight person to ask to see her. She’s in the East Ward, down the hall, turn right and the first left. She’s in the intensive care section.” The receptionist smiled at me briefly before tapping away at her keyboard once again.
“The eighth?” I questioned myself as I made my way along, following her instructions. “Well Anne and Mark, Niall. If one of the guys went I’m sure they all did. So Zayn, Harry and Liam. I don’t know if Josh went to the lunch. Taylah could be here as well. But that’s nine so-”
“Thank goodness you’re here.” It was Harry that had me grappled in a hug. “She’s okay, just a concussion, fractured two toes, broke her tibia and dislocated her shoulder.” He gave me a quick run down on her injuries.
“Okay?” I shrieked. “Does that sound okay to you?”
“Sarah, Sarah calm down. It’s not that bad. She’ll be in a cast for about seven weeks at least for her leg and her shoulder will be fine.” He sat me down in one of the chairs rather forcefully, but I didn’t say anything else. “And how long will she be in hospital?” I asked shakily.
Harry shrugged and sat down next to me. “Because of her concussion: she’s unconscious, but once they put the cast on and she wakes up, I’m pretty sure she’ll be discharged around then.” He concluded.
“So she’s not coma-induced?”
“No of course not silly.” He reassured me.
“Are we allowed to see her?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Not until she wakes up. Only immediate family otherwise. So that’s Anne, Mark, Taylah and Niall.” He listed.
I looked at him pleasantly surprised. “Niall is now immediate family?”
“Fiancé is close enough.” Harry explained.
“And the receptionist tells me I’m the eighth one here to see her?”
He nodded. “Anne, Mark, Taylah, Niall, Zayn, Liam, you and me. Cass was already here, they’ve just discharged her, so she doesn’t count as a visitor.”
“So then where is everybody? And where’s Cass? I’d like to see her, she sounded traumatised on the phone.” I pointed out.
“Everyone’s up here.” We both got up and I followed him further along the hallway to the very end marked: Intensive Care Unit. “Over there.” I looked up and in a little nook filled with chairs, everybody sat, crammed together. Most of them looked worried as heck and I couldn’t bring myself to look some of them in the eyes. At the moment it was only the boys sitting in this area, her family were all in with her. “Cass’s over there.” Harry pointed out to the balcony, she was with Zayn.
I nodded and went out. “Hey.” I murmured, getting both their attention.
Next thing I knew I was being hugged rather tightly. Cassie’s eyes were bloodshot and it looked like she hadn’t slept in weeks even though I’d only seen her this morning and she looked fine. “I’m sorry.” She sobbed.
“It’s not your fault. It was an accident. It’s okay.” I soothed, instinctively hugging her back.
“You can’t promise that.” She hissed, letting go of me and taking a decent sized step away from me.
I sighed loudly. “I know.” There was no point in arguing with her because she was upset, angry, delirious and it wouldn’t help anything. “She won’t be driving any time soon, will she?” I looked at Zayn for the answer to this question: I knew that he’d be responsible about this.
He shook his head. “No way. Not if I can help it anyway.”
I nodded. “Good. It’s not your fault Cass, remember that.” I didn’t want to hear her telling me that that meant nothing, when in context Wardy was in a car crash and Cass happened to be in the car at the same time. I could only imagine the guilt she was feeling: walking out with a bruise of two while Wardy was in intensive care.
