Very Lucky Indeed

So many questions flood my mind that at first, I'm speechless. Why are you here? I want to ask Cam. What happened? How long have I been here? Am I okay? Where's Bryan?

I clear my throat. "How did you know where to find me?" I ask finally. 

Cam looks surprised that I've spoken. "I-I stopped by your house," he says a little shakily. "It was really good timing, that's all."

"What do you mean?" I ask, confused. I lay back a little on the pillow, wincing. My head aches and breathing hurts a little. I glance down and feel my heartbeat quicken when I see that my torso is wrapped in white. 

"It's hard to explain," Cam begins. "It's really all thanks to Emma."

"Emma?" I sit back up quickly even though it hurts. "Is she here?" I remember the post it I left on the kitchen counter. "Did she get my note?"

"She left to grab some food a few minutes ago. Your mom was here too."

Can really hasn't been answering all of my questions, mostly because as soon as I ask one I think of another. "How long have I been here?"

"Just a few hours," he tells me. 

"Hours?" I panic. "But work! And the Fourth of July!"

Cam shushes me a little. "Don't worry about that. The important part is that you're safe."

I swallow. "Can you just," I say slowly, "explain everything to me. Please."

So he does. He tells me how I was knocked out at the scene, as was Bryan. Someone calls 911 and we're taken to the hospital--I can't even imagine the bills I'll have to pay--and luckily my phone was still in my pocket. Emma, who had apparently seen my note, had texted me, so her number was the first one the people at the hospital had seen. They called her, and she in turn called my mom. And Cam. 

"She called you?" I interrupt. She knew we were broken up! 

Cam shrugs. "She sounded terrified, Ryan."

He tells me that he rushed to my apartment and Emma drove him to the hospital, where they met my mom and have been stationed for a couple hours. 

It takes a few minutes for the story to sink in. I really have Emma to thank for all of this. She had been looking out for me all along. 

Suddenly it occurs to me--I haven't asked about Bryan at all, but now doesn't seem the time. 

Just as things may have started to get awkward between Cam and I, Emma bursts through the door, still in her work uniform. I realize that she must have skipped work to be with me. 

"Thank god," she almost shrieks, her voice slightly too loud for this room. She runs over and flops on top of me. I wince. "Oh god," she repeats. "What hurts?"

"My ribs," I say, touching them with my fingertips. "Where am I hurt?"

Emma and Cam shake their heads. I still can't believe they're both here.

"Em," I say, grabbing her hand, "thank you, thank you, thank you. I can't-I don't-" Suddenly I'm tearing up, and embarrassed to be showing so much emotion in front of Cam. Who cares, part of me thinks. I was just in a motorcycle accident. I'm allowed to cry. 

I see a few tears in Emma's eyes as well. "I've been such an asshole," she says quietly. 

Before the real waterworks hit, a nurse walks into the room. "I heard you're awake," she says. She touches my forehead and continues. "You might not feel this way, but you're incredibly lucky. You practically bounced on the ground." I'm shocked at her wording, but simultaneously grateful. I don't want to be coddled. "A few ribs are bruised and your neck is strained, but other than that and a few bad scratches, you're okay." She shakes her head. "Very lucky indeed." 

After checking me over and making some marks on her clipboard, she eyes me. "Your friend, Bryan, is not doing as well," she tells me. Seeing the shock on my face, she hurriedly adds, "He's going to be fine. He's also lucky. Just shock and a broken arm."

"A broken arm?!" Guilt crashes into me like waves. This is all my fault; I'd wanted him to take me on a bike ride. 

The nurse doesn't say anything, she just touches my forearm lightly and gives me a meaningful look. It's as if she can read my mind. Then, she leaves. 

"Is my mom coming back?" I ask. 

"She had to go home, but she was here just looking at you for two hours," Emma says with a shaky laugh. "As soon as she found out that you were going to survive, she calmed down. A little. I made the doctor promise to call her as soon as you woke up, so I'm sure she already has."

"I'll call her too," I offer. Emma bites her lip. 

"You're phone is a little...shattered," she says. "The nurse who found my number got glass stuck in her finger."

I groan. I know it could be much, much worse--I've known people who have become paralyzed from motorcycle accidents--but now that I know I'm safe, I'm mad at myself. Huge hospital bills and now I'll need a new phone? 

I try to calm down and look at the bright side. I can't be selfish at a time like this. 

"I'm so grateful that you're here," I say to both Emma and Cam. "I don't know what I'd do without you." The last word catches in my throat and I'm in danger of crying. 

Emma sees this and says, "on the bright side, I can take you home now. I promised your mom I'd take excellent care of you."

"She did," Cam agrees. It's the first time he's spoken in a while. We look at each other silently for a moment, each trying to tell the other something. 

"I'd better go," he says finally. "I'm glad you're safe," he tells me. "Give me a call soon, okay?" With that, he's gone. 

Now it's just Emma and I. "Em, I'm so sorry for all of this," I tell her. "I was such an idiot."

She holds up her palm. "Stop. None of this. I love you and you love me. This is bigger than both of us and our stupid fight. Let's get you home." 

We don't say much on the ride back, but we don't need to. I know I've got Emma back; she never really left at all. And after all that's happened today and in the past few weeks, I'm grateful just to have Emma in the car with me, driving me home, humming along to an oldies song on the radio. Like nothing ever happened.