self_composed | unconsciousness would be an undesirable outcome

On Sunday, Bella drives to the movie theater with Angela in tow, and her car breaks on the way home from Angela's house. She calls a tow truck, and calls her dad, and she goes home in the cop car and her station wagon goes on vacation to the mechanic.

On Monday, Charlie drives Bella to school.

As she's been discharged from the car and Charlie pulls away, a van driven by a panicking teenager screams out of nowhere towards Bella.

Making wishes is easy.

It is not automatic. It is not instantaneous.

The van creams Bella, good and proper.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

edgeofyourseat

Alice bites his lip.

From:

self_composed

"Okay. Yes, of course, you'll be the first person I call," Charlie says.

And he hangs up.

From:

edgeofyourseat

Yeah. So.

Will talking to this guy make him able to see Bella sooner or later? He has no fucking idea. Bella, of course, could tell him. Bella is not here.

Fuck.

From:

self_composed

Charlie sits. And puts his head in his hands.

He sobs exactly once, and then falls silent.

From:

edgeofyourseat

Funny, that's exactly how Alice is feeling.

He closes his eyes. No one is going to let him see Bella sooner than this guy anyway. He has time to think about it.

From:

self_composed

A doctor or a nurse or somebody pokes her head into the room and taps Charlie on the shoulder, and murmurs - genuinely too quietly to hear.

From:

edgeofyourseat

So Alice watches Charlie.

From:

self_composed

Charlie listens, and nods, and gets up and follows her out of the room.

From:

edgeofyourseat

Yep. Okay.

Alice gets up and follows them as far as the hall.

From:

self_composed

The doctor or nurse or somebody, and Charlie, are heading into a stairwell and up the stairs therein.

From:

edgeofyourseat

...well, fuck it.

He follows them there, too.

From:

self_composed

They go up two floors and down a hall, and then the doctor notices Alice, lagging behind.

She asks Charlie, "Is he a relative?"

Charlie looks at Alice, puzzled, and shakes his head.

Edited Date: 2012-09-21 08:27 pm (UTC)

From:

edgeofyourseat

"...Are you goin' to see her, sir?" he asks. He didn't expect his voice to come out so rough, although he should have, because the last thing he did with it was cry.

From:

self_composed

"Are you a friend of Bella's?" asks Charlie quietly.

"No friends," says the doctor, not unkindly. "Only immediate relatives."

From:

edgeofyourseat

"Yeah," he says.

From:

self_composed

"No friends," repeats the doctor. "Please go sit in the waiting room."

Charlie doesn't look liable to contradict her.

From:

edgeofyourseat

Quietly, to Charlie: "Can—can you tell me how she is?"

Edited Date: 2012-09-21 08:40 pm (UTC)

From:

self_composed

"On my way out, if you're there," Charlie says, looking away.

From:

edgeofyourseat

"Okay," he says, and flees back down the stairs.

From:

self_composed

Four hours later, Charlie plods back down the stairs.

He pauses in the waiting room.

"She's unconscious. They don't know how long it'll take her to wake up. Stable, though."

And he leaves.