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“Jess. Sarah.” Whitney cleared her throat, but it sounded raw and dry, as though she hadn’t drank anything in a long time. She moved her head back and forth between them, but then she shut her eyes tight as though the motion had made her dizzy.
“Just relax…you’ve been out for a while. The doctors said it might take a little while to fully regain consciousness,” Jessica said.
“Fully regain consciousness? What time is it?”
The sunlight gleaming through the open blinds of the hospital room window suggested it had to be morning, but Jessica had lost the concept of time. Mitch had driven as quickly as possible and she’d arrived at the hospital just before ten p.m. the evening before.
“It’s ten a.m.,” Sarah said, moving closer to the bed.
Whitney’s eyes widened. “What happened?”
“We were hoping you could tell us,” Jessica said. The paramedics said police had been called to the scene about five minutes away from Rejuvenation Seniors Center where Whitney’s mother was living under medical supervision for her Alzheimer’s. Her Miata had gone off the windy road and over the embankment. It had flipped and Whitney had been unconscious when they found her.
“The last thing I remember is visiting Mom, then driving along the coast away from Rejuvenation. My vision went blurry…my eyes had closed, but just for a second,” she said quickly. “Then the vehicle was spinning…then falling. As the car hit the guardrail, I thought for sure I was going to die.”
Her friend had fallen asleep at the wheel. All the overtime and stress had obviously caught up to her.
She shut her eyes tight, then they snapped open again. “Mayor Rodale…work. I have a meeting scheduled today. I can’t be lying in this hospital bed.”
“We already called and told her you wouldn’t be there this week,” Sarah said.
“This week?” She shook her head. “No, I can’t be in the hospital that long. My injuries can’t be that severe. What did the doctors say?”
“They said you need to rest,” Jessica said. “So, stop worrying about work right now and just take it easy.”
“What are my injuries?”
“You broke your right leg, left wrist, fractured three ribs on the left side and your right collarbone. You have a concussion,” Jessica said.
Whitney looked like she didn’t believe her. “I can’t feel any of that.”
“A small silver lining,” Sarah said. “It’s the pain meds.”
Whitney slumped back against the pillows, looking more concerned about being trapped in the hospital bed than about actually recovering, and Jessica wanted to shake some sense into her. She’d given them all a fright. Trent was away in Boston on a trip to visit a brewery, but he was on a flight back now. Her cousin must be going out of his mind. She wished there was a way to update him.
“How’s my car?” Whitney asked, wincing.
“You’ll need a new one,” Sarah said. “Preferably one that handles better on slippery roads.”
“Trent’s on his way back from Boston and the nurses called your mom…but she…” Jessica’s voice trailed and she cleared his throat. Fresh tears threatened. Whitney’s mother was battling her own illness. Whitney couldn’t rely on her for support through this. She’d need her friends, though.
“Yeah, that’s fine. I’ll explain all of this to her somehow eventually.”
“Jess and I will go see her while you’re recovering, so don’t worry about that. We’ve already confirmed it with the staff at Rejuvenation,” Sarah said.
“Thank you,” she said. “Did I snore?” she asked, smiling weakly.
Sarah smiled, sitting on the edge of the bed and covering Whitney’s hand. “Yes. Yes, you did. I’d forgotten how horrible you are to sleep with,” she said.
“Hey, before you turn back into Wonder Woman and jump out of this hospital bed in record time, we need to chat,” Jessica said.
“The accident was my fault,” Whitney said. “I fell asleep. I’ve been really tired lately and honestly, I’m more embarrassed than anything for having put you both out like this.”
“You can cut the bullshit anytime now, because it’s actually insulting.”
Her mouth gaped. “Sorry, I…”
“First, you are not putting us out. We are your best friends. You have the biggest heart of anyone I know, even though you try to act tough, as though things don’t affect you like they affect everyone else. You almost died last night, so this brave act you’re faking right now, you can stop. I’m not buying it anymore, Whitney.” Jessica gestured toward Sarah. “We’renot buying it. You’re working too hard and it’s killing you. It almost did kill you.”
