Within A Year

Chapter 19

 “Lacey?” I heard an undeniably familiar voice sound from a distant. My heart soared as I grabbed hold of the pole again and twisted my head around.

“F-Fletcher?” I said, knowing he wouldn’t hear me because I had said it under my breath. He was not alone though. He had several friends around him and they looked just as shocked as he was.

“Lacey!” He cried, his eyes widening when he was sure that it was me. It was so good to hear his voice and see his face again. My vision was still slightly hazy from the vast amount of alcohol but I could vividly see him running towards me from the other side of the road quickly. But what happened next seemed to do so in slow motion.

One minute he was sprinting towards me and the next he was gone. A fast speeding car had supposedly come out of nowhere and ploughed into him, sending him flying across the road.

I screamed from the top of my lungs as it did so and jumped off the railings instantaneously. I sprinted to him as fast as possible. His body was sprawled out in at a funny angle and I begged for him to not be dead.

Fletcher’s friends were frantically panicking also while I knelt down on the road beside him.

“O-Oh my god… Fletcher p-please don’t die… please… I’m sorry…” I wept, my voice stuttering against my will. I hugged his body to me and desperately listened for a heartbeat.  Thankfully there was one, but Fletcher was not moving at all. There was now a small pool of blood surrounding his head which only made me cry harder. Something was seriously wrong and he needed help fast.

“I’ve called an ambulance…” One of his friends said to me, an extremely frightened expression painted across his face. I couldn’t reply though. I simply held Fletcher in my arms and sobbed so hard I couldn’t breathe.

“Please d-don’t leave me… I’m sorry… I’m s-so sorry…” I rubbed his face affectionately and prayed that he was going to be okay. He had to be okay, he just had to. Everyone was glancing around to see where the car had gone but it seemed that it had disappeared. It had been a hit and run. I kept listening to make sure his heart was still beating and he still had a pulse while crying incessantly.

“I-I love you…” I breathed into his body, hugging him tightly to me. It was the truth too, this is just the first time I had really realised it. In the deepest crevices of my heart, I had always known he was so much more than my best friend. He was absolutely everything and if I lost him now then I would have no hesitation in jumping off that bridge. 

I had never been so scared in my life and I couldn’t help but feel slightly relieved when the ambulance showed up, the bright, blue lights blinding me. Several paramedics then spilled out of the vehicle quickly, armed with a long white stretcher.

“He’s been hit, yes?” One of them asked me quickly, I nodded through the tears and gulped for breath as they carefully began moving him onto the stretcher.

“What’s his name?”

“F-Fletcher” I replied, although it was quite muffled due to my sobs.

“Fletcher, Fletcher can you hear me?” The paramedic shouted in attempt to get some kind of movement from him, but he didn’t respond. They carried him swiftly into the back of the ambulance and didn’t say anything when I hopped in next to him.

I quickly glanced at his few friends who were helplessly watching from a few feet away. I didn’t have time to think about them at the moment though. All I was focused on was Fletcher.

I couldn’t help feeling as though it was my fault. If I had not been stupidly trying to kill myself yet again none of this would have happened. I was selfish. The alcohol seemed to have worn off slightly because I wasn’t feeling so disorientated. Instead, I was alert and constantly staring at Fletcher.