Chapter 2: The Accident
By: Cimmy
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There was something unsettling with hospitals. Just like darkness, Connie was terrified of hospitals as well. Especially now, when she had a reason to be here.
Guy had still not woken up. She'd caught a quick glimpse of him earlier when they moved him to the intensive care unit, but she didn't know much else than that he was still not out of danger.
Her Dad had wanted her to go home to get some sleep. Connie knew that she wasn't going to get even an ounce of sleep before Guy was better. Until she knew if he was going to make it.
"You shouldn't be here, Connie," Guy's mother whispered. Just like Connie, she looked devastated and on the verge of tears. Connie couldn't help but notice how much older she seemed to be. As if these last couple of hours had made her look ten years older.
"I just need to know if he's okay," Connie mumbled. She didn't have the strength to cry anymore. What was the point? It wouldn't bring him back, would it?
The hours passed by, making her feel more and more like a sleepwalker. She suffered from insomnia; she just couldn't get her eyes to understand that they were tired.
About 8:30 the next morning, Connie found herself surrounded by friends. Charlie showed up, bringing the rest of the Ducks with him. They all wanted to know what had happened, and Connie couldn't explain. She wasn't sure herself.
"Connie? Did you see him? Was it an accident?" Charlie asked, his voice low and soothing. He waved at the others to calm down, so Connie could get the words out.
"Yeah. He was just about to drive... to drive home," Connie said, with a slight stuttering. "Then his car died. You know his mother's..." She gave up a short laugh. "So the car just continued to roll. And this car... this other car... just sort of hit him from the side. When he was out on the street." Connie took a deep breath. She'd been trying to remember the moment for the past couple of hours, but it was all just a blur. "My Dad was there, and I called 911. So they sent an ambulance."
"Is he going to be alright?" Julie asked, tears in her eyes. "He's going to make it, right?"
Mrs. Germaine, listening to Connie's story, decided to answer. "Right now his condition is unstable. The doctor said that he has some broken bones and internal bleeding. He's lying in a coma right now. They don't know if he's going to wake up."
Charlie took a moment to deal with the information. "We could stay for a while, if you need to go home," he offered Connie. "If you want to go eat or sleep or something."
"No, I'm okay." Connie had her most determined expression on her face, and Charlie knew that he wasn't going to be able to get her to change her mind.
Fulton opened his mouth. "Can we see him?"
Connie shook her head. "He's in that room over there, but we're not allowed to enter. They told me to stay away." She giggled a little, before sighing. "But I went there anyway."
They all sat down to wait for some news; Connie couldn't do much else but stare into the wall. The others read the magazines on the table, watched TV and talked quietly.
Two hours later, Mrs. Germaine came walking up to them, looking relieved. "They're going to allow us to see him now," she announced to Connie, and Connie took her eyes off the spot on the wall she'd been staring at for the past half hour.
"Is he awake?" Charlie asked, getting up from his chair.
"No, but his condition must be better. Only the family can see him, you have to stay here." Mrs. Germaine was addressing the Ducks, all but Connie.
Connie nicely followed Guy's mother to the room. It didn't matter to her if she had to stay outside, looking in through the window. Just as long as she could see him – to know that he wasn't dead – was enough for her.
The room was small and uncomfortable. Chills went down her spine when she looked in through the glass window. There were tubes and machines connected to Guy, and he looked all but alive when she saw him. She could hear his heartbeats from the machine to his right, and that made her calmer. Almost like that melody from before.
Drip-drop. Drip-drop. Beep-beep-beep. With a different rhythm, of course.
Connie couldn't stand to see him like that. Helpless and injured. Why? How? She had so many questions, and so little answers. What if...?
It became too much to handle. Connie let go of the sight, felt sick just by looking at him, nauseous by the thought of him in that hospital bed. She couldn't breathe.
She rushed away from there, just to leave the world behind for a moment. She slammed the door opened to the bathroom and grabbed hold of the sink to keep from falling. "Why would you do this to me?" she whispered. The question made her gag. She leaned over the sink and tried to avoid throwing up, but little did that help.
Connie turned on the water, to wash everything away. Then she splashed some water into her face, making her shiver from the cold. She closed her eyes and lowered her head.
"Are you done?"
That voice. It was so familiar. Connie jerked her head up, and gasped when she realized that she was looking right into Guy's face. "Guy?!" she shrieked, stumbling backwards into the wall. Backwards... She turned around, but he was nowhere to be seen.
When she looked back, he gazed at her from the mirror. "What's all the screaming about?"
"Where are you?" she asked, upset by his question, and by the fact that he was asking something. "You're not really here."
"Of course I am," he laughed. "I'm just on this side of the mirror. Don't be upset, I'm just trying to soften the blow."
Connie felt her body tense up, then she took a deep breath. "It's not real. You're imagining. You're losing your mind," she convinced herself. Then she opened one eye slowly, to see if he was still there. He was.
"I'd object, but if you're talking to yourself, you really are losing your mind," Guy grinned. "So, what's all the rush about?"
Connie let out an angry moan, leaving the annoying Guy in the mirror, while she headed for the door. She shoved it open, and ran out, away from the insanity. Or, so she thought.
Guy was standing right in front of her when she entered the hallway.
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