Hazy Days

Awake

When we get to the hospital, I talk to the same lady that was with me on the phone. My mom goes out to the parking lot to show Penny's mom which entrance to take. The lady directs me to the waiting room, seeing how Penny still wasn't okay. I sit there surrounded by people who are having either the worst or best days of their lives. This room is the epitome of stress. I can't bear it any longer. The old woman next to me is tapping her foot relentlessly and chewing her nails off. 

She looks at me and in a hushed voice she asks, "What happened to you?" 

I pause, "Umm... I got in a car crash with my friend and she's in this hospital." I don't know how else to respond. 

"Why are you here?" 

She gets this look of pure horror then looks at me with tears in her eyes, "Have you ever experienced death?" I feel my breath catch in my throat. 

"No. I haven't..." She stops talking to me and a nurse comes into the room looking confused.

"Penny Rowe's family? Is there a Melissa Rowe here for Penny Rowe?" 

I stand up, a little confused, "That's me." The front desk lady must have said we were sisters instead of she's like a sister to me so I could go in. I mean I do look like I've been in a car accident like Penny. The nurse gives me a look that I don't like. It looks like the face of somebody delivering bad news. She leads me to a room labeled "Intensive Care Room #614" Funny... Her birthday is June 14th. Why am I thinking that right now? Ugh my brain is just going a million miles an hour. We walk in and Penny is there on the bed. She has a few bandages and a sling on her left arm, a brace around her neck, and another bandage on her left collarbone. 

"Heeey," she says when she sees me. "They got me on a lot of morphine." She's smiling which helps me not freak out about how bad she looks. I can't bring myself to actually say something back to her and feel a couple tears run down my cheek. 

"Awww don't cry silly I'm fiiine. It looks a lot worse than it is." She acts tough but I know her better than that. I pull a chair up next to the left side of the bed and cry into her right arm while holding her hand. 

"I thought..." I sniffle, "I thought... after... I saw a body bag and..." I lost it and started bawling as she held my hand. 

She said through some tears, "I know. I just woke up here and didn't know what happened until they told me about the truck." I look up at her and she's trying not to cry as much as I am. She sniffs and let's out a weak laugh, "Man... What do you think Connor is gonna say about his car?" I wipe my tears and smile. She's being so tough. I gotta get my act together. I let out a breath and try to collect myself. 

"Shoot, I don't know. I forgot to call him while I was tracking down which hospital you were at. I'll call him right now. He's probably thinking we stole his car to go shopping." That gets her to laugh a bit. She squeezes my hand and I leave the room to call him. 

I call Connor and he picks up, "Um. Hello? Who is this?" He sounds super worried. 

"It's me, Melissa." 

He gasps, "Oh my gosh Melissa! I just got off the phone with the police. Are you okay? Is Penny okay? Stupid cops won't tell me anything except they towed my car to the station. Where are you guys?"  

I take a deep breath and wipe my face again so I don't sound too messed up, "I'm at St. Merrywhether Hospital. They took Penny here cause this is where her doctor is or something like that. I'm fine. Just a few stitches, scrapes, and bruises. Penny's got it worse. A couple fractures, a broken elbow, and her neck muscle is like torn or something." I can hear him gasping in disbelief as I speak.