Could I, you know, not?
“Detour,” Ella deadpanned, staring at the sign and then at the man in the fluorescent orange vest who looked like a mix between a Pitbull and a meatloaf.
“Yeah,” the man answered, staring down at her in disinterest from under the brim of his safety helmet. Ella glanced around the darkening streets toward where the sign pointed she go, the exact opposite direction of her apartment. This detour was going to take her in a fucking loop.
“Can I maybe, you know, not? You could pretend not to see, and I wouldn’t rat you out if I happened to walk into a low hanging beam?” she pleaded, feet aching and stomach practically gnawing on her other organs in its hunger. The man continued to stare, expression blank, sniffling once at the cold. She took that as a ‘no’. “Come on, there aren’t even any bulldozers out, who works construction at this hour!?” Ella ranted. The man said nothing, only shifted from one foot to the other before resuming his brilliant job of being a brick wall. They held a short glaring contest (the glare bit of it mostly coming from Ella) before she realized they’d be here all night if she kept this up. “Fine,” she snapped, throwing her hands up in surrender, and stomping toward where the sign pointed. Ella knew the area, knew it was shady, and unequivocally grimy, and in the way of her getting home and getting food.
Groaning, she buttoned up her coat, muttering obscenities under her breath as she began her trek. It was just past one a.m. and there weren’t many people about, save for one or two suspicious individuals lurking around some of the more run-down establishments. Ella briefly hoped that she might run into Matt, catching him by surprise as he beat up a drug dealer or something. She wondered if he’d let her get in a good lecture in about drug safety between punches… Hiking her bag further up on her shoulder, Ella began the count down to the leftover Chinese takeout that was practically singing to her from her fridge. She knew she had at least two miles to go until she reached home, wishing to every superior being out there that she’d suddenly develop the power of teleportation. It was during this train of thought that it happened.
Ella didn’t see the headlights, barely had time to register them as the car jumped the curb, screeching around the corner before colliding with her frozen form. She went flying backwards, connecting solidly with the pavement a good twenty feet away. The car slammed to halt, the drivers panicked yelling muted by a tinted window, before they sped on, the whir of the engine disappearing into the night. “Ow,” Ella whispered after a few moments, dazedly trying to take stock of any injuries. Her ribs felt like they had curved inward and up into her spine, her legs were tight, like she’d run three, twenty-six mile marathons, and her shoulder, if it had a mouth, would’ve been screaming bloody murder. Her vision went black for a moment and Ella found it in herself to panic– only a little bit. “You’ll be okay, you’ll be fine. We’re a badass mother hubbard and we’re fine,” Ella thought, trying to take a deep, calming breath but failing fantastically. Her breaths were wet, something bubbling up in the back of her throat and making her cough. Ella really didn’t want to think about that.
With her good arm, she reached down into her pocket, fingers gripping her phone in a shaky grasp. It felt undamaged, and Ella exhaled another gurgling breath. Fingers trembling, she raised the phone, forever grateful that 911 was an automatic speed dial. The small action was more or less agony, but she prided herself on her stubbornness. “911, what’s your emergency?”
“Hit…by….a car,” she wheezed out, and the woman on the other end was immediately firing out questions.
“Can you tell me where you are? If not, that’s okay, we can track your location, just stay on the line.” The street signs were way out of Ella’s range of sight, and she hadn’t gotten a good look at them before she was so rudely thrown from her walkway.
“I…don’t know. Want…to call…a friend,” Ella said, and the officer was immediately trying to console her.
“We have your location, we’ll be there soon, honey. We’ll call your friend when we get–” Ella hung up. They knew where she was; now she just needed to make one more call. She wasn’t entirely sure what was driving her to do this– she only knew that she wanted to, and Ella never denied herself much. Arm quivering, she hit Number Two on her speed dial list– the phone only rang once before he picked up.
“привет?” Anatoly snapped, voice barley audible above a rustling of what sounded like folders– maybe papers.
“Hi,” Ella wheezed out, forcing the words out despite the pain in her chest and the ache in her jaw.
“…Ella?” Anatoly asked, the sound of shuffling papers going silent.
“This…is she,” Ella said, taking a moment to cough. Something warm and viscous coated her lips. “Just…wanted to tell… you. There was…a car…called…911.”
“Were you hit, what happened? Did someone take you–”
“Hit. Not…feeling great,” Ella whispered, finding it increasingly difficult to pull air into her lungs, “I’m not…dying, just…wanted to check in.” Sirens echoed in the distance, growing ever closer.
“Боже мой… Are they there yet– Кто-то получает мой брат! Ella, keep talking,” Anatoly ordered, and the sound of an engine revving echoed down the line.
“Hard…to talk… I’ll be…fine. Watch over…the Mac and Cheese…k?” she muttered, coughing again, but this time her airway didn’t clear. If anything, it cut her air off completely.
“Ella! Держите keep talking- я не волнует, если он занят , скажите ему, чтобы получить здесь ! Я хочу мужчины Проверка больниц в области , СЕЙЧАС. Where–” Anatoly shouted, but Ella ended the call, the phone clattering to the pavement. The sirens were like shrieks now as they sped down the block, the flashing lights causing Ella to cringe.
“Ma’am!” a paramedic called, footsteps heavy as he sprinted towards her, stooping by her side and checking her pulse. “Ma’am, you’re going to be alright…” he said, the rest of his words dropping off into nothing more than a monotone hum.
“I know I am,” Ella thought, having it in her to attempt a sarcastic wink, before falling into unconsciousness.
~~~~
Ella awoke to beeping– it was heinously loud and incredibly annoying. “Ugh,” she groaned, a dull ache permeating her entire body. One shoulder felt unnaturally stiff, and her legs felt like putty, refusing to cooperate with her attempts to move them. After a few minutes she got one toe to wiggle and called it a victory. With a sigh, Ella opened her eyes, blinking up blearily at the overhead light. When her vision cleared, she took stock of the room– the white walls, scratchy sheets, an empty patchwork chair, and the unmistakable glint of linoleum. “Hospital,” she thought, the day's prior events rushing back to her. The car, the pain, the call.
Turning her head, Ella caught sight of her phone and her wallet placed on the plastic bedside table. She craned her neck just enough to see the bold message stamped across the screen: 18 MISSED CALLS. The brothers were most likely flipping their shit. Ella quickly surmised that the hospital room was empty due to three possible reasons. One, the brothers were holding up the front desk staff and demanding her location. Two, they were currently out in the city patrolling for her. Or three, they had run into Matt and all three of them were having panic attacks, or beating the stuffing out of each other, in her store. If it was the latter half of reason three, Ella would be having some very choice words with them later. Although, it suddenly dawned on Ella that she had no idea how long she’d been out…
“I see you’re up!” The voice startled Ella, and her eyes shot to the door where a doctor sauntered in, clipboard in hand. He looked to be in his mid-fifties, brown hair peppered with gray, hands dotted with faint liver spots. “You’re a very lucky woman.”
“Well, I got hit by a car, so…” Ella thought, giving the doctor a sarcastic thumbs up. He laughed, shaking his head fondly. Ella rolled her eyes but didn’t snap at him– everything was slightly blurred around the edges anyways, the world fuzzy and mellowed. The doctor proceeded to turn away to check the machines beeping incessantly by her side.
“You’re very resilient, uh, Ella, is it?” he asked, and Ella nodded, chest smarting a fraction at the motion. “You took quite a hit– cracked ribs, a shattered femur, and dislocated shoulder. A lot of bruising, too. You’ve been here for about four days, you only underwent one surgery but it was an extensive one. Some drowsiness and disorientation is normal around this time, and if the pain becomes too much, just press the red button by your left hand, and a nurse will be in.”
“Where–” Ella began, pausing once to gather herself at the unexpected bout of pain radiating from her jaw.
“You hit the right side of your face quite hard when you landed– there’s some bone bruising and swelling along your jawline, so it’s going to be hard to talk for a while. I’ll have a nurse bring in a whiteboard later if you want, but for now, I’m guessing you were going to ask where you are?” Ella nodded as enthusiastically as she could. “Mercy General, 174 Chester Avenue– we’re very small, but our care is excellent! We couldn’t unlock your phone, is there anyone you want us to contact?” the doctor inquired, looking for all the world like an anxious father. Ella smiled, and shook her head.
“Phone?” she grit out, pointing to the table and making a grasping motion. The doctor nodded, retrieving it from the table and dropping it into her waiting palm.
“I’ll be around if you have any questions, red button for a nurse,” he reminded her, before taking his leave. Ella sighed, watching the door for a moment, before turning her attention to her phone. Cautiously, vision blurring for a split second, she unlocked it and scrolled through ‘Recents’. All eighteen missed calls were from the same number. Ella gulped, before opening ‘Messages’. She decided to be brief, lest she pass out mid-text.
Not dead. Kinda high, but okay.
The response was almost immediate.
Where are you?
That was it; nothing more, nothing less. It was a little strange, but Ella smiled, regardless.
Mercy General, Chester Ave.
Are you safe?
Yup.
There was nothing more after that, and Ella dropped her phone into her lap as her eyes went slightly cross, walls melding into one another. Ella bit down the yawn that threatened to break free, knowing that she’d regret it, and closed her eyes. She thought for a moment that she should’ve told the brothers not to harass the staff if they managed to visit, but couldn’t muster up the energy. With one last sigh, she melted back into the pillows, deciding to deal with the situation like an adult the next time she awoke. She’d also need the strength to face the hospital bill. Shuddering at the prospect, Ella let her mind wander, and was soon lost to sleep, again.
Russian Translations:
"My god...someone get my brother!" = “Боже мой… Are they there yet– Кто-то получает мой брат! Ella, keep talking.”
"Keep talking– I don't care if he's busy, tell him to get down here! I want men checking the hospitals in the area, NOW." =“Ella! Держите keep talking- я не волнует, если он занят , скажите ему, чтобы получить здесь ! Я хочу мужчины Проверка больниц в области , СЕЙЧАС. Where–”