The paramedics arrive within fifteen minutes. I find myself feeling grateful that we live in a well populated area.
They spend the next few minutes checking her vitals and questioning both of us on her condition. Whether it's because she's unwilling or unable, Sayori doesn't speak much, so it ends up falling on me to try to explain the situation and her condition to the best of my ability. Inevitably, they ask if she's shown any signs of depression, and I answer honestly, which Sayori objects to. I give her an apologetic glance, but I know this is for the better.
In the end, they determine that she should be fine, and probably hasn't suffered any long-term damage. I breathe a heavy sigh of relief. They still want to take her to the hospital to evaluate her more closely, which I expect Sayori to protest, but it doesn't seem like she has the energy left to do so.
As the paramedics help her into an ambulance waiting outside, I'm caught off guard by an unexpected vibration from my cell phone. I quickly check it to see texts from both Natsuki and Yuri. "Oh crap, that's right, the festival…"
"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU AND SAYORI?" Natsuki's text practically shouts at me, while Yuri's asks the same question in a slightly more reserved manner. I'm not sure what to say to them, if anything at all. They are her friends, and our fellow club members, but I'm not sure how Sayori would feel if I told them about what just happened. Still, I think they deserve some kind of an explanation…
"She's in the hospital," I reply to them both.
Despite my pleading, I'm not allowed to go in the ambulance with Sayori, so I'm forced to follow them to the hospital. As I head out, my phone rings. It's Natsuki. I answer.
"H-"
"OH MY GOD WHAT HAPPENED IS SHE OKAY WE'RE ON OUR WAY I-"
"She's fine," I interject. "I'll explain everything when we get there." Before she can start shouting at me again, I hang up. No doubt that'll piss her off, but there's no way I can just tell them what just happened outright, for Sayori's sake. That's something I have to leave up to her to decide.
Natsuki calls back, but I just ignore it and silence my phone. I need to figure out what I'm going to say to them before I get to the hospital.