The Way We Say Goodbye

Chapter 9

The worst day of my life was a Saturday. It started like any other Saturday. I woke up late, and I knew my parents had already left. They always did the shopping on the weekends. It was their thing. They even went when the weather was bad. Bad like it was on that Saturday. They should've stayed home with it raining as hard as it was, but they never let the rain stop them. My dad would always say that it was no worse than the rain in Serbia. That was always his justification for things here. It would be okay because it was no worse than the way things were when he lived in Serbia. I wished he had been a little more cautious or worried.

One phone call. That's all it took to change my life forever. One phone call to tear down my life as I knew it. Just one phone call to set me on a course for more heartbreak than I ever thought was possible and was so sure I would never survive. I never thought that a phone call could hurt me. But that call...that one call...it was enough to make me feel as though I would never breathe again.

I was tucked sloppily in bed with some stupid movie on when the call came. I didn't check who was calling, assuming it was either Joshua or Osbourne. The unfamiliar voice that came through startled me when it asked, "Is this Delta Novak?"

I hesitantly replied, "Uh, yes, this is she. What's this about?"

"I work for Overlake Medical Center. I just need to clarify: Your parents are Nikita and Lillian Novak?"

A heaviness settled in my chest, and I felt strangled. "Yes, those are my parents. Why are you asking if they're my parents?"

"I'm sorry to inform you, but your parents were in an accident. You were the only one they had listed as an emergency contact, apart from each other."

"Are...are they going to be okay?" Tears began flowing down my cheeks.

"They're in surgery now, but they are in critical condition."

"No," I whimpered and began sobbing. I took a breath and asked, "You said Overlake Medical?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Is there anything else you can tell me right now?"
"Not at this time."

"Thank you," I mumbled and hung up.

With shaking hands, I fumbled through my contacts on my phone and clicked on "Joshua." Choking on sobs, I waited for him to answer. Panic coursed through me when he didn't answer. I knew I was in no condition to drive myself. I tried calling Marco, Violet, and Scarlet. No one answered. I tried calling Osbourne, and he didn't answer either. Tears poured down my face, and the sobs were suffocating. My thumb hovered over one last name. The name of someone I least expected to answer. After three rings, his voice came through clear and teasing, "Get bored with Jack already?"

With a shaky voice, I whimpered, "Bowie?"

"Whoa, are you crying? Please don't tell me you guys split. I'll feel like such an asshole."

"Bowie," I breathed, trying to calm myself enough to speak. "I-I need help. I need...I need a ride. No one will answer their damn phones. You're the only one." Another sob broke through.

"Text me the address of wherever you are. I'll leave now."

It was ten minutes after I texted him the address when I heard a knock on the door. To me, it felt like an eternity.

I opened the door, knowing I was a mess, and with a strangled breath, I wrapped my arms around him. He held me and rubbed my back. "What's going on?" he whispered to me.

"I need a ride to the hospital," I whimpered.

He pulled away and looked me over. "Are you okay?"