Unforgettable

Part 30

Natalie

I can hear the soft beeping of machines even as I sit in the harrowing waiting room. Everything smells like it's been sterilized to an inch of its life, the scent playing with my senses. I'm trying to keep my thoughts positive, but it's hard when I know all of this is out of my control. Last I heard, Casey was being rushed into surgery to deal with a broken pelvis. 

The doctors keeps congratulating me, telling me that if I hadn't been with him he may have been left for hours on the quiet road, dying and in pain. 

But really, it's all my fault. When I saw the car hurdling towards us, every bone in my body just froze up. If I had acted rationally, we'd both be fine, neither one of us would be lying on an operating table right now. We'd be sitting around a warm fire, drinks in hand as we patted Barney's soft tummy. We'd be together, healthy and happy. 

In those moments when he was lying there, slipping in and out of consciousness, it felt like my whole world was crashing down. The thought of... of losing him went through my mind more than a few times during those excruciating minutes, as much as I hate to admit it. Getting hit by a car driven by an unresponsive person at 50 mph could have the potential to cause fatalities in even the toughest of people, I know the facts.

The room suddenly feels cooler, and I shift my coat so it lays across my legs. A different sounding pair of shoes click across the shiny-clean floor, and I lift my gaze towards the echo.

Mandy's walking towards me, balancing 2 coffee cups in her hand. She arrived a little while ago, after I called her when Casey and I got to the hospital. Knowing that we couldn't do much until Casey was out of surgery, she offered to go on the first of many coffee runs. 

I smile tightly as she slumps in one of the chairs beside me before holding out one of the steaming cups. 

"I was standing in the line about to get coffee, but then I remember how Casey told me you love tea. Sorry, I completely forgot to ask you before." I take the styrofoam cup thankfully, laughing softly as I take a sip.

"Thankyou, you didn't have to." she shushes me, laying her bag between her feet. Silence takes over our conversation as we sip our drinks, both of us obviously thinking about him. 

"I'm sorry." I say, my voice quiet against the buzz of the hospital. Mandy turns in her seat so she's looking attentively at me, her eyebrow raised.

"Why honey?" she asks as I adjust my glasses nervously.

"If it wasn't for me, we wouldn't be here right now." I blurt out, my lips meeting the lid of the cup in salvation. Mandy frowns kindly, shaking her head as she does so. 

"What do you mean?" 

I sigh, my eyes flicking to the roof quickly.

"He saw the car coming towards us and told me to move, but for some reason... I couldn't. I was stuck on my spot, and at the last second he shoved me out of the way. He saved my life while putting his own in danger. If I had just..." I trail off as Mandy interrupts me. 

"No honey, this isn't your fault. You weren't driving the car. You didn't decide to take things you shouldn't have before getting behind the wheel. You mean so much to my boy, and by just being there with him, from the street to the ambulance to here, I appreciate it. I appreciate all that you've done for Casey in the past few months, you really saved him from himself. This isn't your fault, you hear me?" I feel a tear slip from my eye, before a tssking escapes from beside me. I hear Mandy place her cup on the table separating us, before her warm scent blocks the generic hospital one. She wraps her arms around me, bringing me into her body. I sniffle softly as my face presses against the side of hers, her natural kind nature taking over me. She presses a soft kiss to my cheek before she moves back to sit in her own seat. I wipe a stray tear from my eye as she repositions herself in her seat.