Ellie's Angel

Part 13 - Heart in the head

Rory's point of view.

Emil and I struggle to get out of the door quickly enough. Pushing him aside I manage to run outside and into the cold first.

The early winter snow had begun to fall earlier in the day and then stopped. Once again the heavens open and light snow begin to fall like a wide blanket.

I frantically look around when something catches my eye. About fifty yards from me,down the road is something lying in the middle of the road.

The light snow makes it hard for me too see,but I run over anyway. My worst fears manifest like a nightmare before my eyes,as I approach.

I recognise the pink jacket. It belongs to Ellie,but where is she? Picking up the jacket,something wet covers my fingers. Taking out my hand,I find it covered in blood.

Panic seeps into my veins and I frantically look around,"Ellie!!"

Not far from me about another twenty five yards,in the distance,I spot what appears to be a person lying on the side of the road.

Running over,I fall on my knees when I see that the person is indeed Ellie. Emil isn't far behind and also goes down on his knees.

Her face is covered in blood and swollen,she nearly looks unrecognizable. I felt angry tears in my eyes as I look at Emil,who is equally shocked.

"Is she?" He asks scared.

I carefully observe her,seeing her chest slightly move up and down,signaling that she's still alive.

"No,she's alive."

Blood continues to flow from her head and is absorbed by the snow,colouring it red. I take off my scarf and wrap it around her head,hoping to stop the blood.

"Rory!" Emil suddenly shouts.

"What?" I ask not looking up.

"Over there," he points.

A distance from us,smashed into an old oak tree,is a red Ford pickup truck. The entire front half is crushed and steam is coming from it. Inside is what appears to be a man.

"Help him Emil!" I yell frustrated.

"Why me?" He asks,frowning.

"This is no time to be arguing. I'll call 911," I take out my phone.

"911 what's your emergency?"

"There has been an accident on 5th Avenue, Brooke."

"Alright Sir,emergency services are on their way."

Emil's point of view.

I rush over to the man behind the steering wheel of the pickup truck. Seems he is unconscious. Opening his door,I check for signs of injuries.

There is a deep gash on the side of his forehead and his nose appears to be broken. He slightly groans as I tilt him backwards onto his seat.

"The old man is fine,just knocked out!" I yell to Rory.

"The ambulance and police are on their way."

I glance back over my shoulder to Ellie. She has already lost so much blood that she has become pale. Angels in heaven,what have we done?

I'm so terribly sorry,Ellie. I clench my fist,holding back my tears. If that asshole hadn't showed up,then none of this would've happened.

Sirens of the police and ambulance drag me from my thoughts. Suddenly the street is filled with people,from police officers to curious neighbours.

I keep my distance as the paramedics load Ellie into the ambulance and the old man into another one. One officer calls me closer for a statement. Another asks Rory for a statement.

Both ambulances drive off and we are forced to watch. After giving our statements,the pickup truck is towed away and we are free to go.

Rory drove up next to me with his sporty looking Mercedes and tells me to get in. His car reeks of blood like iron. A shiver crawls down my spine.

15 minutes later ...

We arrive at the hospital. The woman who works behind the counter,tells us to take a seat in the waiting area. Rory and I walk down the corridor and enter the room,with its large glass doors.

Rory sat down. The entirety of the time he holds his head in his hands. We both really fear the worst for Ellie. The receptionist entered the room once more.

"Are you related to miss Anderson?"

"No,neither is he. We are her friends," I speak with a dry throat.

"Is there anyone we can call?" She asks again.

"Her mother," Rory speaks.

"Thank you,Sir."

"May we see her?" I ask before she leaves.

"I'm afraid you'll have to wait while the doctors see her over," she turns and leaves.

Hours later. Time - 23:30 pm.

Rory's point of view.

The receptionist came back and led us to ICU. The last room to the left was where she is staying. Everything is silent. The scent of medicine fills my lungs as I breathe in.

I silently open the door,the only sounds I hear are those of the heart monitor and the beeping of the pulse monitor.

"The doctor will be with you shortly," the woman explains and leaves.

Emil and I walk over to Ellie's bedside. She was asleep,a white bandage wrapped around her head. Her left side of her face is heavily bruised. And her right wrist was in a sling.

The door opened and in came the doctor. He shook my hand then Emil's and introduced himself as doctor Daniels.

"What's the damage,Doc?" I ask worried.

"There is both good and bad news. The good news is,this could've been worse. The bad news is,she fractured some ribs,broke her wrist and suffered a severe head injury," he explains.

"Where is the good news in that?" Emil asks blunt.

"Her head injury caused her brain to swell. Thus we had to put her into a medical induced coma until the swelling goes down. The good news is that there doesn't appear to be any permanent damage."

"That's a relief," I sigh.

"We can't be one hundred percent sure,until she wakes up," he places the iPad back in his pocket.

"Thanks Doc."

"I'll leave you guys alone."

A few hours later,around 02:00 am,aunt Meredith arrives. Neither Emil nor I wanted to leave Ellie's side.

Aunt Meredith burst into tears at the sight of her daughter. Emil and I stood watching,feeling guilty on the inside for everything.

"Oh,Rory!" She hugged me while crying.

I like aunt Meredith,she was sweet and kind. I've only met her twice though but she feels like a mother to me. I introduced her to Emil,before finally deciding to go home.

The one question that remains is:will Ellie wake up? And if she does what kind of damage can we expect?