“Where is he?” I mumble to myself. As I get inside the house, I put my keys on the kitchen counter and call Sophie again.
“Hey, Nerdy McGeek,” she answers the phone, and I cannot help but laugh out loud.
“I’m calling because Josh still hasn’t come home. I was wondering if Matt’s there yet.”
“Nope, but you know them, they probably went to grab a beer or something, and they won’t be home until late.”
I let out a breath of relief. “Okay, I’m calmer already. You know me, I always think the worst case scenario when it comes to motorcycles.”
“Don’t worry, everything’s okay with them. You want some pizza? I’m hungry and I don’t want to eat alone.”
“You buyin’?”
“Of course. Swing by, and I’ll order in the meantime.”
It is quite late when we finish eating and wash the dishes, so I head home to grab a quick shower and then I go straight to bed. I’m sure Josh will wake me when he comes home.
In the middle of the night, the ringing of the phone awakens me. Groaning, I open my eyes and reach for my phone on the nightstand. I do not bother checking the caller I.D. “Hello?” I answer, my voice heavy with sleep.
“Ella?” I hear the voice of Josh’s mom Beth. She sounds like she’s been crying. I’m wide-awake in a second. I sit up in bed, and pull the covers over my chest with my free hand.
“Are you okay?” I ask, worried. I can hear Beth sniffing on the other side of the line, and suddenly, she starts crying violently. Just as I’m about to turn toward Josh to wake him up, I hear Dean, Josh’s father, who takes the phone from Beth.
“Sweetheart, Josh has been involved in an accident,” he slowly says. Goose bumps spread all over my body.
“Wh-what? Josh is right here, beside me, it wasn’t him,” I try to reassure him, but then I turn my head and notice his side of the bed is still empty. “Oh my God! Is h-he okay? What happened?” Tears start pooling in my eyes.
“We don’t know anything yet. We just received a call that we have to come to the hospital immediately, that he’s been in an accident. He’s in the operating room right now, they’re trying to save him.” I hear him sniffing, he tries to remain strong. “Sweetheart, it doesn’t sound good.” His voice breaks as he bursts into tears. For a few minutes, we just cry. He then tells me the name of the hospital so I can hurry there.
“Everything is going to be alright. I’m sure of that. He’s a very strong man.” I try to comfort him. And myself. I throw some clothes on in a hurry, barely able to see through the tears streaming down my face. My hands are shaking so hard I can barely pick up the car keys. I race to the hospital. I’m not sure how I manage to get there in one piece since I can’t see much through the mist of tears.
“Josh Bennet? Where is he?” I ask the nurse at the reception desk. “He’s been in a motorcycle accident.” I must look terrible in my sweats, my eyes are all puffed up from crying so much, but I don’t care. I only need to see Josh.
“Are you a family member?” she asks as she is typing away on a computer.
“I’m his girlfriend,” I tell her.
“I’m sorry—” she starts, when I feel a warm hand wrap around my wrist.
“It’s okay, she’s with us,” Dean interrupts her in his gravelly voice, choking back tears.
“How is he?” I ask, scared to know the answer, and give him a hug. He takes me to Beth. I’m still shaking, but all I want is to hug Josh and tell him how much I love him. His parents don’t say anything, just cry. I look at Dean, then at Beth, and wait for someone to say something. Beth leans over and wraps me in a tight hug, and I can feel her shaking violently, crying even harder. “Tell me already!” Dean shakes his head. “What is that supposed to mean?” He also puts his arms around me and hugs me. Just as I’m about to repeat the question, Dean breaks the silence.
“We don’t know anything yet. We haven’t spoken to the doctor yet. They’re still in surgery.”
“Good, so this means—”
“Mr. and Mrs. Bennett?” a deep voice interrupts me. We turn around and a man in scrubs is standing in front of us. His hands are in his pockets. Beth and Dean nod. The doctor hesitates for a second when he sees me standing next to them, but they assure him I’m family. “My name is Doctor Phillips. As you know, your son was in a very serious accident. He survived the surgery, but he is not out of danger yet.” A sound of pain escapes my throat. It takes a lot of effort to stand on my shaky feet. Beth grips my hand tightly and the doctor continues. “He has suffered severe internal injuries, both his legs are broken, his ribs are bruised and he has a severe concussion. “It was touch and go for a moment, but he pulled through.”