5. Police case...

ELOISE

The world around me shattered between sound and rain.

For a moment, I couldn't separate the voice from the rain. I couldn't tell whether the voice belonged to reality or the illusion created by the heavy rain.

My gaze snapped back to the man, whose weary eyes remained fixed on me, as if I were the very anchor of his existence.

“You…”

However…

“Emergency services. State your location.”

The sudden voice snapped through the rain like a blade cutting through fog, pulling me back from the edge of whatever that broken whisper had done to me.

My breath hitched, my fingers tightening instinctively around the phone as reality rushed back in all at once.

“I… T-There’s been an accident.” I forced the words out, trying hard to steady my voice as my pulse thundered in my ears.

"Calm down, ma'am. Can you please share the details? Is anyone injured, or anything else?”

“A c-car… it hit the divider. O-one is u-unresponsive and the other… he's still bre-athing barely.” My tone was falling apart with each word.

“Ma'am, stay on the line, and try to give me your exact location.”

“I…” I looked around, trying to focus my shaking gaze through the relentless sheets of rain.

“Ha-arvard lane, behind t-the church gate…” I muttered.

“Help is on the way. Please, do not move the victims unless necessary.”

Necessary?... The word caught me, and my eyes snapped back to the man slumped against me.

His grip was still tight on my wrist, but he wasn't conscious anymore.

“…Sir?” I said quietly, trying to free my wrist, but the weight of his grip was too tight for me.

His breathing had turned shallower.

No, no! I swallowed hard.

“H-he has fainted. His breathing isn't good either!”

“Calm down Ma'am. Help is less than three minutes away.”

Three minutes!? That's too damn long!

I wanted to scream at that but held myself back.

The call ended shortly, leaving me alone with two men, and I had no idea if even one of them was alive or not!...

********

After what felt like three hours, red and blue lights cut through the darkness.

Paramedics rushed forward, assessing the situation sharply.

The first thing they did was carefully free his grip from mine and then secure him in the ambulance along with the driver.

“Ma'am, do you know him?” One of them asked.

The question caught me off guard.

“I…” My words trailed off as my gaze drifted back to the man in the ambulance.

The way his grip tightened on my wrist and his strained voice, calling my name… The world spun suddenly, and I stumbled back.

One of the medics caught me. “I think you should come as well, for a checkup.”

I didn't deny it, and gave a slow nod…

*******

The ride to the hospital was short. Both men were immediately taken inside.

The doctor immediately declared the driver “dead on arrival.” And the other man was taken to the emergency ward.

I was also given first aid and some checkups, which came out fine, except my anxiety level was high.

As I was released, one of the nurses found me. "Ma'am, were you with the accident patient?”

“I… yeah.” My fingers curled on my sides. Please God, not another death.

“Come with me ma'am, doctor's looking for you.”

“Oh…” A bit confused, I followed her.

Before the emergency ward, two doctors were standing and discussing something.

“You were with the patient?” One of the doctors asked.

“Yes?”

“How do you know him?”

“I…” I glanced back at the closed ward. My anxiety level was rising again.

"Their car crashed out of nowhere; I happened to be on the scene…” The doctors glanced at each other.

"Please sit here, ma'am. You'll have to wait a bit.”

I blinked, confusion crawling within me. "But I'm not his family. I happened to find him on the road.”

"We understand, ma'am, but you still have to wait. It's the procedure." Then he glanced at the nurse before leaving with the other doctor.

What the hell!? I turned to the nurse, "Can you please tell me what's happening?”

“Ma'am, I understand your confusion, but you have to wait, please.” She then paused, her eyes looking hesitant before she added, “It's a police case… So, they might need your statement.”

Police case?!

I sat there, stunned. I should have known better considering the situation.

I didn't argue anymore; I had no strength left for that. Without a word, I sat on the chair, my eyes drifting back to the closed door of the ward.

I sat there alone. For a while, I didn’t move.

The adrenaline was fading now, leaving behind a strange, hollow stillness.

My clothes clung to me, drenched in water. I was still feeling cold even though the nurse provided me with a small blanket.

I exhaled slowly, pressing my fingers lightly against my temples…

“E-ll-oise”... The man's single word played in my head in a repeated mode.

My fingers curled slightly, digging into the soft flesh.

“D-did he really call my name?” I whispered under my breath. “Or… Was it just my panicked mind?”

The question sat on my heart with no possible answer to satisfy me.

I stood up and walked toward the door, looking through the small pane of glass attached there.

The man lay on the white bed, with wires attached to his body and a machine beside the head of the bed.

No matter how I looked at the man, I couldn't recall him. I'd never seen him in my life.

“You couldn't possibly know me. It’s impossible.” I muttered to myself. “It was just the situation…”

That was the only logical answer I could come up with at the moment.

I breathed deeply.

I had just left this place with a sour heart, and my cruel fate again brought me back to the same hospital.

A bitter chuckle escaped my lips.

“Yeah, of course…”

Shaking my head helplessly, I walked toward the end of the corridor, where the water filter was set.

My throat had dried up; perhaps some water would compose me.

However, just as I picked up a paper cup,

“So, you didn't leave, did you?” A cold tone rang in my ears, freezing me on the spot.

The familiarity in the voice made my eyes snap in that direction, only for a sourness to claw at my skin.

Just a few feet away stood Damien Santos, my ex-husband, at whom I had thrown the divorce papers just an hour earlier.

What a great ending to the courses, yeah?...