Chapter2
1028 Words
Chloe POV
"Hell no, I'm not going to jail for helping," I said, slamming my fist into his chest with everything I had.
Nothing happened.
I hit him again and again, harder each time, the panic making me reckless.
He gasped, coughing so hard his whole body shook.
"Oh my god, oh my god, okay, you're breathing, thank Heavens" I was talking too fast, words tumbling over each other. "Hey, hey, look at me."
I tapped his face, maybe too rough but I was freaking out. His eyes struggled to focus on mine, barely there, like he was looking at me through fog.
I patted down his jacket with shaking hands, found his phone, pulled it out, and the screen cracked but it worked.
"Please work, please please please," I whispered, dialing 911.
It rang once.
"911, what's your emergency?"
"There's been an accident!" My voice came out high and scared. "A guy got hit by a car on Riverside Road near the old bridge, he's bleeding, there's so much blood everywhere, you have to send help right now!"
"Okay, I need you to stay calm for me, is the victim conscious?"
I looked down at him, his eyes were closing again.
"Hey! No, you don't get to do that!" I tapped his face harder. "Stay awake, can you hear me? Hello?"
His eyes opened a little, and he stared at my face.
"Yes, he's conscious but barely," I told her, my voice shaking. "Please hurry."
"Help is on the way, what's your name sweetie?"
"Chloe, Chloe Daniel."
"Chloe, you're doing great, the paramedics are about five minutes out, I need you to stay on the line with me okay?"
"Okay, okay, I'm here."
"Is he breathing normally?"
"I don't know what normal is right now, he's breathing but it sounds weird, kind of raspy, but a while back he wasn't so I guess it's better than that" Tears were streaming down my face. "And also there's so much blood."
"Where is the bleeding coming from?"
"His head, the side of his head, oh god."
"Okay, do you have something you can use to apply pressure?"
I looked around frantically, grabbed my jacket, and pressed it against the wound on his head. The fabric turned dark immediately, warm and wet.
"I'm using my jacket."
"That's good, keep pressure on it, you're doing everything right."
"Hey, what's your name?" I asked him, trying to keep my voice from breaking completely. "Come on, tell me your name, you have to talk to me."
His lips moved but nothing came out except a small breath.
"I can't hear you, say it again, louder," I begged.
"Please."
Nothing.
"Don't close your eyes," my voice cracked. "Please don't close your eyes on me, the ambulance is coming, they're almost here, you're going to be fine."
"Keep talking to him Chloe, don't let him lose consciousness."
"I'm trying!" I was crying for real now, ugly crying with snot and tears. "Talk to me, say anything, tell me about your day, tell me what you had for breakfast, literally anything."
His eyes found mine again and for a second there was something there, recognition maybe, or fear, or both.
"Angel," he whispered, so quiet I almost didn't catch it.
"What? What did you say?"
His eyes closed.
"No! No no no, wake up!" I shook him, gentle at first then harder when he didn't respond. "Don't do this, stay with me!"
"Chloe, what's happening?"
"He's not waking up!" I was screaming into the phone now. "His eyes closed and I can't get him to open them!"
"The ambulance is pulling up right now, I can see them on the GPS."
The loud sound of a siren filled the air. Red and blue lights flashed across the road, across his face, across my bloody hands.
The ambulance came around the corner fast, tires squealing as it stopped.
Paramedics jumped out, two of them, moving with this scary calm efficiency that made my panic feel even bigger.
"Ma'am, we need you to step back," one of them said, a woman with her hair pulled back tight.
I moved, stumbling a little, still holding the phone even though the operator had hung up.
"Pulse is weak," the other one said, fingers on his neck.
"Head trauma, looks like impact from a vehicle."
"Get the backboard, we need to move fast."
They worked on him quickly, putting something around his neck, checking his pupils with a light, talking in medical terms I didn't understand.
"BP is dropping."
"Start an IV."
"On three, ready? One, two, three."
They lifted him onto a stretcher in one smooth motion, like they'd done it a thousand times.
The woman paramedic looked at me as they wheeled him past, her expression softening for just a second.
"You did well, honey," she said, squeezing my shoulder. "You probably saved his life."
Then they were loading him into the ambulance, doors slamming, sirens starting up again as they pulled away.
I stood there, alone in the middle of the road, hands covered in blood that wasn't mine, watching the ambulance disappear.
A cop car pulled up not long after, and an officer got out with a notepad and a tired expression.
"Miss, I need to get your statement," he said, clicking his pen. "Can you tell me what happened here?"
My mouth went dry.
I opened my mouth then closed it. The image of the girl's face through the windshield flashed in my mind.
"I, I was walking home and I heard a crash. I then found him on the road like this. The car was already gone."
The lie tasted bitter on my tongue.
"Did you see the vehicle at all?"
"Just, just taillights disappearing around the corner. It was dark."
Another lie.
But nobody can blame me. She was driving a car that probably cost more than my house. She had that look about her, money, power, connections. And I was nobody. An orphan being raised by her grandmother on social security checks.
Who would believe me?
Who would choose my word over hers?
The answer was nobody, and I know it.
- Writer
