The sound of the rushing shower water had drowned out the first three phone calls from Danny. But the moment my warmth swollen hand released the still cool metal faucet, the shrill sound of my ringtone filled the air. I quickly towel dried and pulled on what little clothes were in the bathroom. Danny was frantic. Saying he had just gotten off the phone with Matt, or so it seemed and the next minute the emergency room was calling him. Matt didn’t have much family that still lived in the city. And while he never really spoke much about his family, I always got the impression that his friends were the closet things he had to a real family.
Jorel, Jordon and I all sat on the edge of our seats. All of us ready to jump as soon as the car came to a halt. Jordon pulled into a parking spot next to Danny’s car. I knew he’d beat us to the hospital. He had been given a head start. I sprinted for the door, leaving Jorel and Jordon calling after me. My legs ached under the sudden thrust forward. Tears spilled over the edges of my eyes as I ran hard into outstretched arms, sending both of us toppling to the floor.
Danny grunted underneath me, the wind knocked out of his lungs. I desperately tried to choke out any audible words. But I just cried into Danny’s chest. He held me tightly and patted the back of my head. I couldn’t lie, even in the worst possible situation, I still found myself happy to be in his arms. And from the embrace he was giving me, I was given the impression he felt the same way. He breathed deeply into the top of my hair, his lips barely inches from my scalp.
After a second, I heard Jordon’s voice behind me. “Are you two ok?”
I pulled away, letting Jorel pull me up from the floor. Danny refused help and lifted himself up, finally brushing off whatever dirt his black jeans had collected. He was still breathing heavily. Jordon wasted no time. “What’s going on with Matt?”
“A couple of nurses are with him right now. You know how he is. He’s been trying to hit on them since they walked in.”
“At least we know he’s ok.”
“He’s got a broken leg. And possibly a concussion. They wanted to keep him over night and run a few tests to make sure everything is up to par in that thick head of his.”
“Can we see him?”
“I don’t see why not. He’s right over there.” Danny barely had time to motion which room he was in before I started jogging that way. I wanted to see for myself if he was ok.
My fingers wrapped around the sheer curtain that separated him from the hallway and ripped them to the side. One of the nurses squealed in surprise. Matt sat back quickly, as if he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. But once he saw me, his demeanor changed.
“Ronnie!”
“Matt!” I pushed past the nurse, whose tray of utensils had scattered across the floor and wrapped Matt in the biggest bear hug I could muster.
“Sweetie….I can’t….breathe…” He patted my shoulder, trying to desperately to tap out.
I didn’t want to let him go though. Instead, I just loosened my grip on his neck. “Don’t do that to me again. Do you hear me?”
“I hear you, I’m fine. I just got side tracked and wasn’t paying attention. Damn car is a total fuck up.”
