A Tangled Web We Weave (Completed)

1. Dammit

Regan

"I'll admit, the facts about the accident are a bit foggy, but the emotional truth is this: if I beat him bloody, ripped his appendages off one by one, and then burned the rest of him alive, it'd still be too humane a death," I sniffed, glancing over at Elena who gave me her well-practiced look. The look of "you over-dramatic hoe".

"You don't even know who did it," Elena raised an eyebrow. "It could've been a new father on his way to the hospital because his wife was in labor."

"If he was so concerned about life beginning, he shouldn't be so quick to end it."

Elena held up her hands. "Don't get mad at me, Reg. I'm the person who offered to personally hunt him  and shoot him."

"Yes, but I could tell your heart wasn't in it."

"It was- it is!"

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks, but I refuse to be one of those women who makes monthly visits to prison." My lower back started to ache and I shifted restlessly in my hospital bed. "I just hate not being able to get up and go outside. Do you see the sun?"

She stifled a sigh, saying, "It almost made me run into another driver this morning, but yes, it's beautiful." She shoved her duffle bag over her shoulder and stood up quickly. "I have dance, but I'll try to come see you tomorrow, ok?" She turned to leave and then stopped. "How's your Lupus?"

"Awful," I sighed. I have a chronic autoimmune disease called Lupus, which makes my life miserable. Rashes for school dances, headaches all the time, and many more day-to-day delights.

"Let me know if I can do anything to help."

I nodded and waved as she left. And sat back to acknowledge the sad reality of my life.

I guess you could say I'm the victim of a hit and run. On my way home from a late play rehearsal, against the counsel of my mother, I rode my motorcycle in the rain. It was late enough that Friday that I naturally assumed that I would be the only one on the road. My brakes were acting weird so I pulled over to the side of the road, my headphones blaring Rihanna over the sound of the rain. 

One moment, Shut Up and Drive blasted over the sound of thunder and the next, I'm lying on the ground, watching the car that hit me take Rihanna's advice. Luckily, my phone wasn't damaged so I called 911, but the entire time I could feel the blood pulsing from where my femur also broke the skin and stuck out. I could feel the three broken ribs. I could feel exactly where I would need stitches on my lower back. I could feel the place in my skull where my head hit the ground. I could feel each abrasion and bruise on every inch of me. 

The jerk somehow didn't see me with my motorcycle's lights on and wearing my favorite bright red leather jacket. Somehow he missed my flaming red hair and somehow he drove away without me getting his license plate number. I guess it was the alcohol I smelled on his breath when he bent over me to make sure I was alive before hopping back into his Porsche.

I shook myself out of my trance as my nurse walked in. And he made my breath catch halfway up my throat.

He was different than the one I had had for the first four days of my stay in the hospital. And I know it's completely cliche but I swear the fact that he brought me my pain meds had nothing to do with how attractive he was. His bright green eyes met mine and he shoved a hand into his long black hair. My eye snagged on the muscles rippling under his olive skin and I could feel my eyes widen. And then I realized that I stared at him like an idiot. I wilted deeper into my mountain of pillows.

The right side of his mouth hitched up and he gave me a two-fingered salute. "Well, hello there. Is that your natural hair?" His baritone rumbled over me as he strolled over to me and took my vitals.

I cleared my throat and was proud to say, "Fight me," without stuttering.

His eyes widened a little but all he did was move my pillows over a bit, jot something down on a clipboard, and meander out of the room, throwing the words, "Maybe later" over his shoulder.

Wrinkling up my nose, I sank back down into the pillows. After four days of only family and Elena visits, I was bored. I promised my director that I would be fine in time for the fall play and like always, I had memorized all of my lines weeks before I needed to. 

The T.V. turned off by itself for the third time since I'd woken up. Hitting the remote against the bar on my bed, I tapped the power button and flicked through channels. With only Friends reruns, California fires again, and Hallmark movies to comfort me, I mildly contemplated throwing myself out the window. Glancing at the clock again, I practically growled in frustration. I'd never been a stationary or solitary creature, and to be both was going to kill me.

I was tempted to text Israel just to start drama but texting an ex was a low to which I had not been to yet and being stuck in a hospital bed was bad enough. He would've probably just ignored me anyway. It would've been just like being in a relationship with him.