Allie saw him shifting, “Oh, he's awake!” She exclaimed as she moved from the small huddle to the side of his hospital bed.
His mother followed closely behind. “Oh, Liam, I'm so glad you are awake. Dr. Peterson says that you should be able to come home soon!”
Liam looked between his mother's and best friend's faces and tried to think of something… anything to say, but the words wouldn't come. So, instead, he looked at the doctor and nurse, who were now standing on the other side of the bed. He could see that they looked relieved.
“William, can you remember what happened to you before you woke up in the hospital?” Dr. Peterson asked.
“Uhm, no, I… I can't think of anything…” Liam stammered, trying to recall what he had been doing that could have landed him in the hospital.
The door swung open, and his father walked in carrying a box. “Oh! Liam, my boy, you're awake!” His father exclaimed, making his way to the foot of the bed. “And just in time for donuts! I got both yours and Allie's favorite kind—maple bars." His father handed Allie the box after he pulled a donut out for himself.
“Marv, don't tempt Liam with donuts. He has a long recovery ahead of him.” His mother scolded. She turned to Liam, “You mean you don't remember anything? Not the fundraiser, you driving Lincoln home, the helicopter ride, or… any of it?”
“No, Mom, I don't remember that, what happened? Why am I here? And, if I am here, where is Lincoln?” Liam inquired. Again, trying to sit up but unable to do so, he resigned himself to his slightly propped-up state.
“Well, champ,” his father started but was abruptly cut off by Dr. Peterson.
“You will have plenty of time to remember what happened later. For now, we need to run some tests to ensure that everything is working as we expect,” Dr. Peterson said as he nodded to the nurse. “Let's get William here sitting up so we can begin our tests. As for the rest of you, if you will kindly go to the waiting room so as to not distract Mr. Davis, I would greatly appreciate it.”
Allie looked to Dr. Peterson as if begging him to let her stay. Still, his expression remained unchanged, so instead, she turned to Liam as the bed slowly tilted higher and gave him a quick peck on his cheek. Her long brown hair swayed over her shoulders, caressing his arms and shoulder. She said, “Thank you for coming back,” as she walked around the bed and followed his parents out the door.
As the door closed, Liam could feel his ears getting warm and his face turning red. Allie had never kissed him before; they had been friends since kindergarten but had only ever hugged. He wasn't sure what he had done to deserve a kiss, but he was just glad to be sitting in this room.
“So much for no distractions,” Dr. Peterson said as he smiled at Liam, “I take it that's the first time you remember her kissing you?” Dr. Peterson’s smile grew larger at Liam’s bewildered face. “She has hardly left your side since you got here. You're a lucky kid to have a friend that cares about you like she does.” Dr. Peterson and the nurse began their testing, and as they did so, Liam started to get a sinking feeling. “Now, William, you may not be able to tell because of the medication, but you were paralyzed from the waist down in a pretty bad hit-and-run car accident. You also sustained some brain injuries, which is why you were in a coma. We kept you in the coma for a few weeks to let your brain heal, and it has healed remarkably well. You are ‘One tough cookie,’ to quote your father.” After seeing Liam's concern, Dr. Peterson continued, “I know it is a lot to take in, and you will have many challenging weeks, months, and years ahead of you. However, I can get you in touch with the best doctors, physical trainers, and psychologists. We are in a city full of great people who can help you navigate the difficult times ahead.”
Liam began thinking about all of the plans he had made over the summer. He was supposed to start a career working at the national aerospace headquarters in October; surely, he wouldn't be able to work there while confined to a wheelchair. Then he remembered his question about Lincoln, the classmate he supposedly gave a ride to before he ended up in the hospital. “Dr. Peterson, do you know what happened to Lincoln? Was he in the accident, too?”
“Uhm, yes, Mr. Jones was in the crash as well… However, his injuries were too extensive, and he died on the flight to the hospital. His funeral was a week and a half ago, I believe.” Dr. Peterson said as he looked to the sky as if he were saying a quick prayer.
“No! His mother and sister, he was all they had…” Liam trailed off once again. “How did the accident happen? How long have I been here? My mom said I could go home soon. When can I go home?” Liam began shaking as all his emotions rose to the surface. Yeah, he was paralyzed, but Lincoln was dead, and Liam couldn't do anything to bring him back. He and Lincoln weren't best friends; they were mostly acquaintances. Liam had met him early in his senior year of high school. Lincoln had moved in the previous summer with his mom and sister after their dad was killed as a security guard in a robbery gone wrong.
Lincoln was a bit of an odd duck and, as such, had very few friends. Still, Liam was happy to talk to anyone, so he would occasionally give Lincoln rides and try to help him meet people.
Dr. Peterson reached out and held onto Liam's shoulders to calm him down. “Like I said earlier, you will have plenty of time to remember everything later. For now, we need to monitor you one more night, and then you can go home and mourn the loss of your friend.”
Liam nodded, allowing Dr. Peterson's words to calm him down, yet in his head, more and more questions arose. Soon enough, the doctor and nurse were done with their tests and left Liam after telling him they would let his parents and Allie know they could return. He remembered why he thought it strange that Allie and his mother were in the same room earlier. They hadn't gotten along once he reached middle school; his mother had stopped allowing Allie to come over, so they would only hang out at school or on the odd occasion when his mother wasn't home. Liam believed it was because Allie and his mother were too alike, and their personalities couldn't fit into the same place for too long without starting drama.
Allie and his parents did return shortly after Dr. Peterson and the nurse left. Liam became exhausted from all that had happened since he had woken up a few short hours earlier and asked if he could be given a few hours to rest.
***
Liam once again woke up to the sound of beeping machines and hurried footsteps this time; however, Allie was asleep on the couch between him and the window, her dark brown hair tied up into a bun. She was snoring quietly; he smiled, remembering the kiss she had given him earlier and thinking about what Dr. Peterson had said about having such a good friend. He continued his survey of the room; his father was sitting on the floor reading a large leather-bound book, and his mother was nowhere to be seen.
Liam began to think about what it would be like now that he couldn't use his legs. He would have to get a wheelchair. Would it be one that he would have to manually roll, or could he get an electric one? He was sure that with his father's successful business, he…. Oh…. What happened to his car? His Lexus RC-F was matte gray with lime green accents, his favorite colors. It had been a graduation gift from his parents; he had shown numerous times that he could be trusted, and with his career opportunity lined up, his father knew that Liam could make enough to maintain it. It surely would have been totaled and sold for scrap if it was in that crash.
Liam began to feel sick as he began thinking about all the money his parents would spend on him. Liam's medical care, the car, and the insurance, there had to be a way that he could make it right. He began thinking about ways he could make money if he could no longer work at the national aerospace headquarters. He had graduated college at the same time as high school when his parents realized he was not being challenged in his high school classes, so they helped him enroll. He had aced all of his courses. He decided to do both simultaneously because he didn't want to leave his friends – especially Allie.
“I see your gears turning, mister,” Liam looked over to where his father sat, peering over his glasses, his gray hair more prominent than ever before now that Liam could see the top of his head. “I see your gears turning,” his dad repeated, “don't you think for a second that you owe me or your mother anything. What happened to you could not have been avoided. We are just happy that you are still with us.” His father continued, “However, you do owe your friend there, probably your life,” he said as he took off his glasses and used them to gesture to Allie. “She was worried sick about you and stayed beside you while your mother and I made arrangements for everything else.”
“Dad, can you please tell me what happened? I know I was in a car crash, and I am sure my car is totaled, but I can't seem to remember anything of that day.”
“Well, champ, do you remember that fundraiser the elementary and middle schools throw before the beginning of the school year? We had just finished it and beaten the goal, and you offered Lincoln a ride back to his home. Well, as far as we can tell, the roads were pretty clear, no traffic or anything, the light had turned green, and we know this because the cop cars have cameras, and anyway, you pulled out into that long intersection… I don't know why they made that one intersection so gosh darn long… Well, you had just barely started into the intersection, and one of those armored trucks for banks and things had been hijacked. It came barreling through the intersection on the wrong side of the road. It was being chased by a dozen or so police cars, but it came down that sharp turn if you come on the wrong side, and it just… It smashed right into the passenger side of your car, and while Lexus makes good cars, it was no match for a speeding, hijacked, thirteen-ton armored truck. It is a miracle that you survived. But they also got away; they kept driving and then disappeared in the industrial district. The police started searching there, but I doubt they will ever find the perpetrators. Luckily, you got a helicopter flight to the hospital because some of the cops stopped to rescue you and poor Lincoln. I guess you had been on the phone with Allie when it all happened because she heard the whole thing until your phone got smashed, and she got to the hospital before your mother and I could. Of course, as soon as she deduced what had happened, she called your mother immediately, so we weren't too far behind.” Liam's father finished his explanation with a wink and a nod back to Allie. “Like I said, you owe her your life.”
Liam looked back to the couch that Allie had been sleeping on. She was now awake, silently listening to the story; tears ran down her cheeks. “I thought I had lost you, Liam,” she whispered. She got up, walked over to where Liam was lying, and hugged him, with her head resting on his shoulder and her hair in his face. All he could say was…
“I love you.”