Can’t Undo The Past

I carefully open my eyes and they adjust to the light. A throbbing pain immediately hits me and I groan in pain. I can’t get up as I turn my head to see an IV hooked up to me and a monitor to my right. I think I’ve broken everything in my body. A nurse comes in the room and I groan, causing her to look at me, “You’re awake! Good, let’s get a look at you.”

“What happened, I feel like someone took a baseball bat to me.”

“You were in a car accident.”

“Oh damn,” I say, holding my head where it aches.

“Your injuries are minor; you’re just going to feel like hell for the next few days. We will be able to release you tomorrow as long as the doctor gives the final okay.”

I think back to the moment it happened. It’s such a blur, all I remember is the car coming at me and the next thing I know I’m here. And then I remember PJ.

“Is Paige okay?”

“The girl in the car with you sustained more injuries. She’ll eventually be alright.”

I try and sit up but the nurse comes over faster, pressing a button as the bed props up for me, “How badly was she hurt?”

“She broke her rib on her right side, her hip is fractured and some terrible looking bruises on her stomach. Nothing she won’t recover from. The guy who hit you walked away without a scratch. Go figure right? The cops filed a police report on your behalf and the insurance companies will battle out your car and medical bills.”

I’m beginning to feel sicker and all I can think about is the last things I said to Paige, “Um, can I go to see her?”

The nurse smiles at me, “We’ll get you a wheelchair to move around, as for visiting her you would have to ask her mother.”

“Her mother’s here?”

The nurse nods, “Family is always contacted when someone is seriously injured. Your mother is on a plane as we speak. She should be here shortly.”

“I want to see Paige,” I reiterate.

“Then I’ll get you a wheel chair.”

The nurse glides down the hall and I sink back against the pillows behind my back. Except for a few bruises I came out of this thing unscathed. Paige was the one who could have died, that car went strait into her side of the vehicle. She could have died.

“Here you are,” the nurse says, coming back into the room and unfolding a wheel chair. She lowers the bed and with a little help I get in the chair.

“She’s on floor three, room 105.”

“Thanks.”

I roll my way out of my room and into the elevator, pressing the number three. After a few moments it dings and lets me off on the floor. I search the numbers on the rooms until I find 105. I see Paige in the bed, a bruise on her neck that descends farther than I can see and what I assume to be PJ’s mother sitting in the chair next to her, holding onto her lifeless hand.

I rap my knuckles on the hospital door and her mother looks up, “Can I help you?”

“I’m Justin, I was in the car with Paige.”

She stands up in a daze, “I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you, I’m Paige’s mother Diane.”

“Hi,” I say, rolling in and shaking her hand.

“Are you alright? I wasn’t even thinking about anyone but Paige,” she says shamefully.

“Don’t even worry about it, motherly instinct. I’m fine, just a few scrapes and bruises. Paige was the one who got the brunt of it I’m afraid.”

Her mother looks at her, worry evident on her face, “The guy came by to apologize, I don’t think he could get to you, there were bodyguards outside your door he said.”

“Well I’m glad he came to apologize. It’s the least he could considering that he caused it.”

She smiles sadly, “She’s my baby. I hated to see her scrape her knee. You know, I have spent half my life in medical research and been in countless hospitals. Paige on the other hand is afraid of them. All she remembers is her grandmother dying in one and that was the only and last time she set foot in one. And now look where she is,” her hand going over her mouth.

“The nurse told me she’s going to be alright.”

Diane nods, sitting back down, “Yes that’s what they said. I’m just going to worry until she wakes up and tells me she’s okay.”

She looks so frail lying on that bed, so different from her usual, confident demeanor when she’s working. Another woman comes running in and hugs Diane, “I got here as fast as I could mom. How is she?”

Her questions come out like one big jumbled mess as she moves right from her mother to Paige. Diane takes the blonde’s hand, “Chloe this is Justin, the man in the crash with Paige.”

She turns and gives me a sad smile, “Hi.”

I feel like I’m interrupting their family moment so I decide to excuse myself, “Tell Paige I came to see her if you don’t mind.”

“I will,” Diane reassures me.

I nod and wheel out of there and back to my room as a pain starts to set in.

________________________________________________________________________

My head throbs as I open my eyes. I see my mother and Chloe talking together in the corner, “Mom,” I groan.

She turns to me and runs over to the bed, “Sweetheart,” she whispers, kissing my head.

“Hey, you gave us quiet a scare,” Chloe says, reaching for my hand.

“Well, you know me. I’m the rebel without a cause,” I kid, trying to laugh and instantly pain hits me, causing me to whimper slightly.

“You broke your rib on your right side and fractured your hip Paige, laughing isn’t a good idea right now.”

I lay my head back sighing, “How long until I’m better?”

Chloe sits down on the side of the bed, “The nurse said about two weeks before you can move without pain, a moth before everything is healed.”

“Great.”

“Maybe it will force you to take a vacation sweetheart.”

“As sweet as that thought is mom I would rather not be here and working.”

Chloe smiles, “You are going to be fine. I called Brooke, Reid and Scott, they are all on their way.”

Mom nods, “And the guy you were with in the car came by to see how you were.”

I see Chloe start to fan herself and mouth something so inappropriate that I know I have to be the rational one out of the siblings, “That’s nice.”

“He’s gorgeous,” Chloe gushes.

“Seems like nice young man,” mom adds.

“Just wait until the next issue comes out,” I mumble underneath my breath.

I feel my eyes get heavy again so I close them for about a minute and I slowly drift off to sleep.

________________________________________________________________________

I get out of the car carefully and Mom gets my stuff out of the trunk, following me up the steps to the house and putting them upstairs in my room. I collapse on the couch as Trace comes in the front door, “Well look who it is. I didn’t know you were unable to drive.”

“Funny.”

My mom comes back downstairs, “That it baby. Do you need anything else?”

“I think I can handle it mom, the only thing I have is a slight headache and a nasty bruise.”

“If you need anything call me alright?”

“Will do,” Trace says, waving her off.

Mom comes over and kisses me on the cheek, “Alright, I’ll see you later.”

Mom isn’t out the door three seconds before Trace starts in, “If I recall correctly, we made a bet that you could sleep with her, not try and kill her,” he laughs.

“It’s not funny dude.”

He continues to laugh and it just gets under my last nerve, “Yeah it is.”

“Do you realize she could have died?” I snap.

Trace sobers up at my tone, “What are you talking about? She’s fine.”

“The car came right at her side of the car. Had that guy drove any faster she may not even be here and you’re joking about it?”

“Take it easy dude, nothing happened. Don’t be overdramatic.”

“But it could have. I don’t want to do this fucking stupid bet anymore, I’m done.”

“We had a deal dude,” Marty says, coming into the room.

“And now I’m pulling out. I’ve had enough.”

Marty frowns, “Then hand the car over.”

“What?” I ask, pissed off.

“If you back out of the bet than you need to hand the car over. We had a deal, just because you’re a fucking pussy doesn’t mean that the bet doesn’t continue.”

I love that car. The only reason I even made the bet is because I was so sure I would win, “Fine, I’ll finish this fucking thing.”

“Good,” he says, patting me on the back.

“I really love that car.”

“I know you do,” he says marking another day off on the calendar, “Tell you what, you have two weeks until it’s over. I’ll take the bet down to one night. One night you sleep with her and you win. If not, you can kiss that Jag goodbye. Better start working on her if you want to get in her pants.”

“Thanks for the advice.”

“No problem.”

I prop my feet up on the couch, “I totaled the new car.”

“So I heard.”

“I’m not losing that Jag to you.”

He hands me a plate of food, “That isn’t up to you, it’s up to Paige. Here, eat up. I hear that hospital food is shit.”

I take the plate and pick at it with the fork. He grins at me and I feel as though he’s the devil right now.

________________________________________________________________________

I can sit down without being uncomfortable. I have to lay on my right side to even get any sleep and damn it when I can’t stretch out to watch House the whole world has gone to shit. I turn up the volume as it goes to commercial and the doorbell sounds.

I assume that it must be the pizza I ordered. If I’m going to be unhappy I might as well drown my sorrows in carbs. Never having much of a sweet tooth, I can put an extra large cheese away in one night. Impressive huh?

The first step is to try and get up without hurting anything more than I already have and fumble to the front door. I open it to see Justin on the other side. I immediately try and close it on him but he’s too strong, pushing it open until it gives way, “Paige, I’m sorry.”

“No you’re not,” I fume, trying to support myself as I put my hand out against the wall to brace myself.

“Yes I am, I didn’t mean for the accident to happen.”

I start to laugh which just hurts so I stop, holding onto my side, “That is not what I’m mad about. It’s not your fault the accident happened.”

“Then what are you mad about?” he asks, staring at me like I’m crazy.

“If you don’t know then you need to think a little harder,” I spat back at him.

“I don’t understand Paige, is this about what we said in the car?”

“First, it’s about what YOU said in the car and second, you’re interrupting House so get out.”

“It’s not Tuesday PJ.”

“I like reruns,” I respond, shutting the door in his face and locking it. I settle back down and relax. I hear footsteps behind me and get ready to go to the phone, “I’ll call 911 for trespassing,” I warn.

“What can I say, I’m in love with you.”

I spin around to see Scott standing there. Before I can say anything he cuts me off, “I heard what happened but when I went by the hospital you were sleeping and you’re mom told me to come by later. When I did you were released.”

My first instinct is to tell him to get out but when I see him holding the pizza and some soda, I give in, “Fine, you can watch some TV with me.”

He kisses my neck, “Thanks, I’ll get us some plates.”

“Alright,” I respond, going back to my couch to lie uncomfortably.

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