The Girl on The Other End
I heard a groan and opened my eyes. I squeezed the hand that was in mine gently, placing a kiss to the palm.
Hazel eyes slowly opened, dark eyelashes fluttering. Her hair was red and disheveled and her nose was red. The blood was washed off of her face as well as the dirt, but the gashes were covered with bloody gauze.
A hand reached up to the bandage on her forehead, and she gasped.
Hazel eyes met mine, and they widened.
"Who are you?" she asked quickly, her voice hoarse and gravelly.
"Maura," I said, squeezing her hand gently, "it's me. Jane." Maura's eyes widened again, and she took a deep breath.
"Jane?"
"Mhm," I nodded. "Do you remember what happened?"
"Yes," she nodded. "I was in a car accident. H—how did you know it was me? How did you find me?" I took a deep breath, and smiled kindly at her.
"I was called to the scene. I knew it was you because my partner found your ID. I nearly had a heart attack."
"So... you're the one I've been talking to on the phone? The one . . . Wait. You're the girl from the coffee shop."
"You saw me?"
"Yeah, I—I was surprised by how beautiful you were."
I blushed.
"Me too. I can't believe we saw each other and didn't even know it."
"I know," Maura smiled. "It's a small world."
"Yeah," I chuckled lightly. "It is."
"Was it bad?"
I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion and tilted my head to the side.
"Was what bad?"
Silence.
She blinked.
"The wreck."
I took a deep breath. I had been trying to forget it for the past few days.
"I'm not gonna lie to you, Maur . . . It was horrible." Maura took in a deep breath, and she winced. I pressed the morphine button, and the look of pain instantly fled from her face.
"Thanks," she whispered.
"You're welcome. If it ever hurts just press—"
"No. For . . . Staying with me the whole time."
I sat up straight.
"How did you know?"
"I woke up about an hour ago and saw you asleep in the chair . . . I couldn't see your face, but you were holding my hand. The nurse said she didn't know your name but that you'd been beside me the whole time and refused to leave my side unless I told you to." I smiled. "So thank you."
"You're welcome." Maura smiled back, and I took a deep breath. "These past few months talking with you have been the best few months of my life."
"Mine too," she whispered.
"Maura, I love . . ." Maura's face lit up with hope. "I think I'm in love w—"
"You're awake?" From the look on Maura's face when she'd seen who it was, I thought the man had hurt her — or had at least tried.
I reached down for my gun and when I felt that the holster was gone, I panicked. I remembered I set it on the bedside table beside my badge, and I pulled it out of the holster.
"Woah, woah," the man said, "I don't want any trouble."
"Who the hell are you, and why does she look so scared?" I looked down at Maura, and her messy hair was in a pool around her face, and she looked up at me with hazel eyes.
"Put it down, Jane," she whispered, placing her hand over mine. I slowly lowered my gun, and set it back down on the table.
"Garrett Fairfield," the man said, "Maura's boyfriend." My face dropped and my chin quivered. I looked down at Maura, and her eyes were wide.
"Ex-boyfriend," she said angrily to Garrett.
"I heard you were in an accident."
"Yeah," I said gruffly. "Four days ago."
"It took me too long to get over here. I'm so sorry, babe." He tried to hug Maura, but she pushed him away.
"No," she said, tears brimming her eyes. "I don't want you here, Garrett."
"Babe—"
"No! I hate pet names! They're disrespectful! I don't want you here! You don't have the right to walk out on me and come waltzing back in when something major happens! Leave!" Garrett's face dropped, and he cleared his throat.
"I'm sorry," he said, setting a vase of flowers on the table beside Maura's bed. He left and shut the door behind him. I looked down at Maura, and she sniffled.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
"What happened?" I asked. "I thought we knew almost everything about each other. You never once mentioned Garrett." Maura sniffled again.
"He's not really someone I want to remember..." Her eyes welled up, and I sat down and took her hand in mine.
"No, no, no, don't cry. I'm sorry."
"I'm not crying because of you, don't be sorry. I'm crying because I never told you."
"You don't have to if you don't want t—"
"I do," she interrupted. I nodded, and she took a deep breath.
"Garrett and I were a serious sexual relationship when I was 20. We dated for a year or two and I became pregnant... he got angry and said he didn't want a kid and that it was all my fault. He left me and I was left alone to take care of this baby all by myself, and I was so scared.
"A few months along, I miscarried. I went through it all by myself with no one there, and I blamed myself. I tried to figure out every possible thing that I could've done wrong. I wanted to keep my baby even if he or she wouldn't have a father, and I lost it. I blamed myself and thought about committing suicide...
"One day, I saw someone at the park. It was a girl and she was playing with a young little boy. The way she made him giggle and smile, it warmed my heart... I figured the child was hers, and I knew I had to stay alive because one day, I would have that too. So, I decided to work part-time at the suicide help-line to save people's lives like that stranger saved mine." I smiled, and kissed Maura's knuckles.
"Maura?"
"Hm?"
"Let's get you home." Maura's face lit up.
"I can go home?"
"Mhm," I nodded, biting my bottom lip. "Doc said as soon as you wake up and are feeling up to it, you can check out. He has a prescription for you, too. Pain meds."
"Jane?" Maura smiled.
"Hm?"
"Let's get me home."
