Coffee and Cigarettes

I don't remember how I landed myself into the hospital bed with a broken arm, but I do remember the expression on my parents' faces when I finally woke up. My mom's face was coated in tears and my father had a stern and disappointed look on his face.

I saw Bob and Blair standing outside, not wanting to come in until my parents had talked to me first.

"What were you thinking?" my mom sobbed, rushing over to me and throwing her arms around my upper body. I winced slightly at the applied pressure upon my arm. "Drunk driving? Morgan, I thought you knew better..."

"Mom, it wasn't us who were drunk," I argued. "There was another car. The driver swerved onto our side of the road and we didn't have enough time to react!"

She just shook her head and cried even more. "At least you're safe," she said quietly. "But your other friends..."

My eyes, which were half-closed, shot open. "Cara and Ryder?" I said slowly. "Where are they?"

My dad looked at me with uncertainty. "Well, Ryder's fine," he answered. "But Cara...she endured the most impact during the crash and..." he sighed. "Honey, she's in a coma."

I felt like throwing up. I think my heart actually stopped for a minute and the world felt as if it was standing still. "C-Coma?" I repeated, the word foreign coming out of my mouth. "No..."

My mom pulled away from me and took my father's hand. "We'll let you talk to Bob and Blair now," she said before exiting the room and allowing my siblings to walk in.

"Oh, Morgan..." Blair said, a tear rolling down her sunken in cheek. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I choked. "But...Cara..."

Bob sighed. "I know. It's...it's horrible. Do you want Ryder to come in here? All he has is a sprained wrist. He got the least of the impact."

"Alright," I sniffled.

Bob left the room and came back with not one, but two people. Ryder...and Libby.

"Lib..." I mumbled.

"Morgan," she sniffed, rushing over to me and collapsing in my arms. "I'm so sorry. I can't believe what a bitch I was...please, please forgive me..."

"Hey," I said as I silently cried into the crook of her neck. "It isn't your fault, it's entirely mine. I should have been more understanding."

"I can't believe this happened to you," she sniffled. "And your friend Cara...oh, my God..."

I nodded. "I know...but, Ryder," I averted my attention to my other friend as Libby took a seat next to me. "You're fine, right?"

He glanced up at me with puffy red eyes. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine," he said solemnly as he clutched a Kleenex in his hands. "I just..." he inhaled sharply. "I'm just really hoping that Cara pulls through."

"Me too," I agreed. "She's strong though...and this can't be her time. She'll make it through this...she has to."

Libby smiled softly at me. "Hey," she said. "I got to meet your new friends...sort of. And I agree, I do like them. They're pretty nice people."

I laughed a little. "But how could you have met Cara when she's in a coma?"

She just shrugged. "I can just tell. She's probably a great person with a matching personality."

"She is," Ryder and I both agreed.

All five of us stood and sat in silence in the blindingly white hospital room for what seemed like hours. Although when I looked at the clock, only ten minutes had passed.

"Ryder?" I said finally and he looked over at me. "Did...did you ever find out who the driver was?"

Ryder looked uneasy and glanced over at Bob expectantly.

Bob sighed and dug his hands deep into his pockets. "Well, Morgan," he said, keeping his eyes glued to the floor. "Promise me that you won't do anything drastic."

I eyed him cautiously. "I'll try," I responded.

He finally looked up at me and saw regret and despair lingering in his pupils. "Morgan," he said quietly. "The driver was Gerard."