Precaution

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Sidney had wandered back inside of the locker room, everybody waiting for him. “Hey sorry.” He began, looking towards Lucy. “I walked Violet outside. She had to go to the hospital.” Sidney explained and Lucy nodded towards him before returning to her conversation, which now included Max and Pascal as well. You could tell that whatever subject they were talking about was lively from the way Max moved his hands as he spoke and the way Marc grinned. Though of course, the smile plastered all over his face could have just been because of Lucy. He was clearly enjoying her presence and made an effort to get seated next to her when they arrived at the restaurant. She rode with Jordan, Max and Marc and the only thing that prevented the two of them from sitting next to one another in the car was Jordan and his awkwardly large body.

At dinner, Lucy was seated across from Sidney and tried her best to extend the conversation to him too. He was quietly studying the menu when she spoke up. “So did Violet take the bus the hospital? I think she’s in love with the public transportation system here.” She said, trying to make a quick joke to ease away some of the tension. Marc laughed but Sidney just shook his head. “No, some guy named Derek showed up and they—“ Sid paused, unsure of how to describe the situation politely. He lowered his eyes to the menu, trying to keep his tone casual. “—They sorted a few issues out I guess and he offered to drive her to the hospital. I was about to take her there myself when he showed up. “ Sidney focused his attention back to Lucy, frowning at her reaction.

“Shady.” Max said and Kris nodded in agreement.

“Derek?” Lucy cried, her voice panicked. “Oh my god.” She dove through her purse looking for the phone, disregarding Sidney’s constant stream of “What?” and “What happened?” and the curious faces of the players.

“What the fuck Sid, I hope you didn’t let her go in some serial killers car.” Kris said, watching Lucy as she attempted to dial Violets number for the second time.

“Shit.” She finally said, placing her iphone on the table.

“What happened? Is she going to be okay?” Sidney asked, completely ignoring the menu now.
---

I tapped my fingers against the door handle impatiently, feeling the tension build as we stalled on a red light. I knew he took the longer route, though whether that was because he didn’t know the city or because he wanted to keep me trapped in hell longer, I couldn’t tell.

“I’m sorry, you know.” He finally said, staring at me for a good ten seconds. The light still hadn’t turned and I saw an ambulance zip by, making my heart pound harder against my chest. “That’s good to know.” I replied bitterly, my eyes trained on the red light. It finally changed and I breathed a sigh of relief. This was excruciating.

“I just wasn’t ready, Violet. You can’t blame me for that. I still love you and this time apart only made me realize it more. You have to believe me.” He said, both hands placed on the steering wheel as he flew through traffic. I shook my head, unable to look at him. I was scared that I would believe him, that I would book a flight to California and go back to Palo Alto back to where he was sure I belonged.

“I don’t. “ I felt the heat rush to my face, the anger pulsing through. I finally snapped.

“I don’t, Derek. Do you want to know why? Because I know everything, I’ve always known. I know about your late night hookups and the girls on the side, I know about the parties and the drinking and the sex. I know about all of it and I was too stupid or too busy to care then. I over looked it because I didn’t have the time or the energy to waste arguing with you. I needed everything to stay the same so that I could get through medical school. And I graduated at the top of the class because I was set on ignoring you. But don’t mistake that for ignorance, Derek. I knew. If you would have admitted that to me, maybe this could have turned into something, but it didn’t because you’re a liar and a cheat. This? This is me blaming you Derek. After three years of me turning a blind eye, I finally found my spine and realized that I can blame you. That I actually have the ability to blame you, that you can’t tell me what to do anymore.” I finished, out of breath and still filled with fire. I waited for his reaction, my patience running out like a fuse on a bomb. And when he finally turned to stare at me, the look in his eyes hard and cold, I regretted it. Not because what I didn’t say was true, but because he looked at me. There was a sudden shriek of the tires and I felt my body get thrown into the seat, the feeling of helplessness creeping up.

---

Lucy leaned over the table, followed by the rest of the group. Jordan, Marc, Kris and Max all tuned in to hear her speak.

“Derek and Violet dated for three years back in California, all throughout med school. He went to Stanford too, but only because his dad made some enormous contribution. He wasn’t any good, constantly cheating on her with so many girls that I lost count. She knew about it, but I guess she just chose to ignore it. It was easier for her to just pretend to have the perfect boyfriend, the perfect school, and the perfect life. They got engaged after she graduated and they were supposed to get married three weeks ago but he left her on the alter for her roommate at the dorms. That’s why she left Palo Alto and got a job here in Pittsburgh, all the way across country. It pissed him off that she left so he followed her, I guess.” Lucy rubbed her forehead, looking back at the phone. “Fuck. Why isn’t she calling me?” She groaned, exhaling impatiently.

“Poor Violet.” Kris finally said and Lucy nodded. “Her mind can be easily changed by him and I just don’t want to come home to see all her shit packed up with a note saying she’s flying back to California.”

Sid shook his head, setting down his water on the table. “She seemed pretty angry at him when they were outside the building. He kept apologizing but she just wanted to get to work.”

At that, Lucy seemed to cheer up a bit. “She always put surgery first. I know it’s wrong, but I’m secretly hoping she’ll be stuck in that operating room for the rest of the night so she can realize how great she has it here and how horrible he is. “ Lucy finally smiled, sighing in relief. “There is no way she’ll turn down a surgery for Derek. No way in hell.”

---

The car swerved and it felt like an out of body experience. Like I was watched some TV show from the comfort of my living room, safe and warm in the blankets of the couch. The car was spinning towards the side of the road and I felt another two cars hit us as the Aston Martin spun around on the street. Black ice.

Another car hit us, plowing right into my side while it pushed the whole vehicle closer to the sidewalks. It happened so fast and felt Derek grab my leg to try to steady himself, right before the car hit a street light and then spun around again.

And then there was a moment of peace. Where there were no desperate honks, no cars slipping and sliding on the icy road. It was just silence, the hum of traffic in the foggy distance. The drivers side door shook and I saw Derek’s limp body spill out onto the wet street. But it was only his front half. The rest of his body was pinned between his own car, another car and the street light. Somehow, I was still alright. My jeans were ripped and torn from the glass shards and my arms were equally torn up from the shards. The side of my head was banged and bleeding and the blood crawled down across my face. I hunted for my phone in my purse, the expensive leather now stained with blood and glass. I speed-dialed Lucy but when she answered, I was unable to find the words. “Help.” I whispered breathily, my mind still reeling with shock. “Hospital.” I dropped the phone and moved over to crawl through Derek’s side of the car to check his pulse. My side was pinned in by another car that had smashed into us. I reached over to his neck, my two fingers expertly trying to find some evidence of life. There it was. A quiet, gentle thrum of blood that was growing more faint with each passing second. I could hear Lucy scream my name through the phone, her voice desperate and concerned. But I couldn’t think of soothing her fears now.

I climbed out of the car, stepping underneath the street light that had done so much damage to get a closer look. His chest was bleeding, the ruby red liquid spilling out onto the cold concrete. I wiped the blood out of my eyes and pressed my hands over the wound, applying pressure as best I could. The sound of sirens cried in the distance and I found myself praying that they would hurry.

I couldn’t get a handle on the bleeding; I needed gauze to press against the wound or something more absorbent than my bloody hands. I didn’t want to use my coat or anything in the car, it was all covered in shards of glass. So instead, I moved up closer, getting my body near his mangled one and my hands pressed hard.

And there I sat, for what felt like hours, his heart literally pulsating against my hands. I could feel the muscle beat against my bloody hands, the rhythm growing softer each second.