forget me not

one

Nini sighed as she set down her notepad and pen on the coffee table in front of her in her small office. it had been a longer day than she hoped, her clients had all needed much more help than she thought.
Nini is the music therapist for the greater Salt Lake region, meaning that she treats children who have mental or physical issues by integrating music into their lives. she uses music to heal people.

it was nearing 5 o'clock and she couldn't wait to get home to her fiancé and just relax. Ricky and Nini had been together for almost as long as she'd been alive. they became friends when they were five, starting dating at 15, and have been in a healthy relationship since they got back together after breaking up shortly in college almost 4 years ago. they'd gotten engaged recently, Ricky finally popped the question. Nini couldn't wait to get married.

she began to pack up her bag, wanting to head to the store to pick up some things for dinner tonight before heading home. as she packed her notebook into her tote bag, her phone rang. she smiled when she saw the contact photo of her fiancé.

"hey baby! i'm just leaving my office now, i'm gonna stop at the store before i come home." she said cheerfully as she gathered all her bags in her arms, the key to her office dangling from her finger.

"is this Ms Salazar-Roberts?"

Nini paused. the voice on the other end of her phone definitely didn't belong to her fiancé.

she took in a breath, "this is she, who is this?"

"a Mr Richard Bowen was brought into the hospital this afternoon from a car accident, your number was on his emergency contact folder on his phone."

Nini dropped everything in her hands, immediately beginning to tear up, "oh my god. Richard's my fiancé, what happened? is he okay? what hospital is he at?"

Nini frantically locked her office and grabbed her things from the ground, sprinting out the front door to her car. she fumbled around for her keys.

"he's at Salt Lake Regional Hospital. i'll wait for you to arrive to fill you in on his details."

Nini put the key in the ignition, "i'll be there as soon as i can!"

tears poured down her face as she raced through traffic in her tiny hatchback, definitely speeding. Ricky had to be okay, he had to. everything had been going so well lately. they'd been happy. Ricky was so proud of his job as the band teacher at East High, he loved his students, he loved life in general. she couldn't lose him.

she haphazardly parked in the parking lot outside the emergency room, running into the building through the sliding doors.

"hi, my name is Nina Salazar-Roberts, my fiancé Richard Bowen was brought in from a car accident? i got a call that he was here!" she spoke quickly to the charge nurse at the desk.

"Nini?"

she looked up to see her mother coming down the hall towards her, immediately bursting into more tears, "Mama! Ricky's been in an accident and i don't know if he's okay!"

Carol hugged her daughter to her chest, even at 25 she was still her baby girl. she squeezed the girl tightly and ran her hand through her hair as she quieted down.

Carol held Nini at an arms length, "everything will be okay Nina, i'll find out what's going on. go sit in the waiting room and i'll come find you when i know what's happening."

Nini nodded and went to sit in the large room. her head fell to her hands as she sat in the chair. she didn't know what she would do if she lost him. Ricky was her whole life, there was almost never a time they weren't together, either as friends or more. the only time they were split up was sophomore year in college, they had broken up for two years after a huge fight only to reconnect after graduation. they had been together ever since.