And I Fell

6 - The Aftermath

A/N: possible trigger warning of someone in a hospital after trying to commit suicide

I couldn't believe the words I was reading or hearing. Ash had tried to kill herself?! I ran towards the front door at full speed. I grabbed my backpack from off of the floor and stuffed the note inside it. This was all my fault. Screw trying to avoid Ash at school. I had to see her.

I called out to Mom to let her know that I was leaving. Then, I headed outside to my car, sprinting for the door to the driver's seat. I started the engine immediately and opened my Maps App for directions. There was only one hospital in the area, so I wasn't confused about which one to go to. I backed out of the driveway and drove at about ninety miles per hour. I was not about to let Ash die. I was the one who drove her to this, wasn't I? I wondered how much Mom knew about the whole situation. She couldn't have known about our fight. I hadn't said anything to her about it. Unless one of Ash's parents called our home phone and told her everything.

I reached the hospital in fifteen minutes, despite it being on the other side of town. I slammed the car door as I climbed out. Then I rushed to the front entrance. When I walked in, I searched around for the front desk. Once I found it, I headed over to the man sitting there.

"Excuse me," I said, clearing my throat. "I need to see someone." He gave me a blank stare. "Immediately." I added, trying to show him how urgent the situation was.

"What's your name?" he asked carefully. "All guests have to sign in here." He extended his hand out to me and passed me a clipboard. According to his name tag, the receptionist's name was Dave.

I looked over the list of names and spied Ash's dad's name on the sign-in sheet. He had checked in not too long ago. I wondered if they had to take Ash to the hospital in an ambulance. I frowned and shoved the clipboard away. "Look, Dave. I don't have time for this."

I pushed past the desk and headed down the hallway. I heard Dave call after me to sign in, but I ignored him. This was an emergency.

I decided to take a chance and head over to the emergency room. I went up the steps and down the hallway where patients stayed overnight. Many wrong turns were taken before I finally found the guest rooms. I looked inside every single window for Ash's blonde hair. I eventually lost track of how many rooms I had peeked into. Finally, I found Ash's room at the very end of the hallway. Luckily for me, the door was unlocked. I turned the handle and walked inside quickly.

"Erin?" she asked, staring at me and widening her eyes. I watched her back away from me. She scooted back further into the bed as if she were terrified of me and didn't want me to come any closer. I didn't see her dad in the room, so I had to make things quick.

I noticed a pile of medicine sitting on the end table next to Ash's bed. She had been hooked up to a monitor and was getting fluids through a tube in her arm. Her hair was a mess and she wasn't wearing any makeup. She looked way paler than usual, almost like a ghost, but her eyes were bloodshot red. I didn't see any wounds on her, so she must have tried to overdose on some of her pills. I knew she was taking them for something, but she would never tell me what for.

I folded my hands together and twisted my ring nervously. "Ash, I'm so sorry." I blinked back the tears that were forming in my eyes. I didn't want her to see me cry like this, so I tried to hold it in. "My mom told me what happened. If I caused any of this I just want you to know that I-"