Page 2 of Passionate Hearts

“Is there anyone we should call for you?” Another voice asked.

Was there anyone she wanted to call? River thought about it for a moment. She lay back on the pavement as the pain grew more intense. She considered having someone call Tiffany, but ultimately decided Brianna was the smarter option. She managed to punch the number into someone’s cell phone as an ambulance arrived. River breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that she would be getting some decent pain meds if nothing else.

Everything was a flurry of action when she arrived at the hospital. She had a broken leg and arm as well as other injuries. The doctor in the emergency room was a tall thin man who looked a little worse for wear. He explained that they would needto do surgery to reset her broken bones. River cursed inwardly. Somehow, she’d made it thirty-three years without breaking a bone, now in one morning she had broken two of them.

Brianna arrived as they were beginning to prep her. River could vaguely tell there was a look of concern on her friend’s face.

“Hey, don’t worry about a thing. I called Willow, Tiffany, and your parents. Everyone will be here after you get out of surgery. Everything is going to be okay,” Brianna assured her.

“Thanks,” River managed to rasp out the word.

She wanted to tell Brianna not to worry but the pain meds were starting to kick in and she couldn’t get out the words. Instead, she lifted her unbroken arm and tried to smooth out the worry lines furrowing Brianna’s brow. Brianna grabbed her hand and gave it a small kiss before letting the nurses wheel her away. There was something about the intimacy of the gesture that made River smile.

River had always hated hospitals. She was cold and uncomfortable, although that could be because of the gown and the bed she was lying on. The nurses wheeled her into a new room where the same doctor from before stood waiting. This time he wore a surgical mask. The doctor told River his name, which she promptly lost inside her own brain. He explained the surgery he would be performing but River couldn’t focus. She felt her eyes beginning to flutter then darkness.

The first person River saw when she opened her eyes was her mom. Emily sat in the chair closest to River, her chin resting on one of her hands. She practically shot to River’s side as soon as her eyes opened.

“Sweetie, you had me so worried,” Emily said.

“Sorry, Mom.”

“I’m just glad you’re okay. Your father is here, too. He’s grabbing a coffee. He expected you to sleep a little longer.”

“Here I am,” River said. She didn’t know of anything else to say.

“All of your friends are in the waiting room,” Emily smiled.

“All?” River asked.

“Brianna, Willow, Mel, Piper, and Autumn,” Emily announced. She counted the names out on her fingers. There was one name that was glaringly absent from the list. Tiffany.

“All my friends showed up?” River questioned again.

“Of course, they did,” Emily insisted.

“But why?”

“Probably because they heard that you were hit by a car,” Emily said incredulously.

River let her mom’s words sink in.

“How long do I have to stay here?” River asked. She fidgeted in the bed and groaned.

“They want to keep you overnight for observation. You’re set to be discharged in the morning.

River tried not fuss to much at the news. She was tired and her whole body hurt. Not to mention she had a splitting headache that made the room around her spin. River took a steadying breath and decided to ask the question that was on her mind.

“Has anyone talked to Tiff?” River asked hopefully.

“Brianna talked to her. She was pretty busy at work, but she’ll swing by once she’s finished up for the day.”

There was no mistaking the sinking sensation in her heart. All these people loved her enough to be here when she woke up. Brianna had called and organized everyone. But the one person she wanted to be here wasn’t. River caught an unfamiliar expression on her mom’s face. Was that pity? Or was her mom still shook up from the day? Her mom cleared her throat, an obvious attempt to recapture her attention.

“Listen, I know what you’re going to say. But you know that you can move back home with me and your father while you recover. We’d love to have you!”

River felt a chill run through her spine. Nothing filled her with more terror than the idea of moving back in with her parents. They were good people, and wonderful parents. But she couldn’t handle her mom’s constant interferences or her father’s quirky habits.

“Oh, that’s okay. I’m sure I can manage,” River insisted.

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