Saying Goodbye

While the doctors took Max into the ER, I was sitting in the waiting room twiddling my thumbs. I was on a charcoal grey plastic seat, and the atmosphere was sterile and silent. At just one in the morning, I was the only person there apart from a man who was half-asleep and drooling.

I couldn’t get the sound of the sirens out of my mind. I kept remembering how everybody at the party – even though they were drunk – made way for the paramedics as they rushed up the stairs. They scooped Max up and were back down almost too quickly – it was over before it began.

They didn’t crash the party, if that’s what you were wondering about, but they sure as hell nearly did. Although, once Max was taken away I bet everyone went back to normal – drinking and smoking alike.

The party activities were only half-stopped when the paramedics rushed in; it surprised me how many people just didn’t care.

I thought Max was popular?

Once they safely got Max inside the ambulance, it shocked me that no one volunteered to go with him. Instead, I had been the one to ask if I could go with them.
“Are you two close?”

I couldn’t say anything; I only nodded.

I knew that Kate would be fine, she always was, but I felt really bad on Max’s behalf. I was silent for the whole ride.

After arriving in the hospital, I thought about making an effort to call around and tell who I thought were Max’s friends that he was in hospital and probably needed some support.

But after a while, I realized that I didn’t know who his real friends were.

Who did he spend his lunchtimes with? Who gave him lifts into school? Who did he turn to in his times of need?

Who would visit him in hospital?

I knew that he had a sort of ‘pack’ that he hung round with, but they never looked… real. It was always fake laughter, fake smiles, and no real feelings of attachment.

Even his girlfriend was fake.

Danielle.

If we were in a stereotypical American social-hierarchy school, Danielle would be the cheerleader-type girl who dressed like her clothes were drawn on; basically bright, skimpy and barely there. She was also – dare I say it? – a complete bitch.

A cough interrupted my thoughts. I looked up in front of me to see the doctor that had attended to Max, holding a clipboard in his hands and looking at me. “Elizabeth Adams?”

I nodded. “Is he okay?”

The doctor looked at his clipboard then back at me. “Max seems to be stable. We didn’t have to resort to pumping his stomach at least, but we have attached him to an IV drip to prevent dehydration and we’re going to keep him closely monitored.”

“So… he’s staying over night?”

“Yes.” The doctor hesitated for a moment. “And probably for the rest of the week.”

“Oh.”

“Alcohol poisoning is serious.” He kneeled down in front of me and rested a hand lightly on my shoulder, a gesture of comfort. “You did the right thing. Otherwise… he may be dead right now. You saved his life.”

I felt my cheeks heat up. “Thank you.” I said, thanking him for telling me this, and for helping Max.

After the doctor left, I went up to the reception to fill in some forms, including my phone number and address, plus his address, phone number, date of birth and so on…

(I was texting my friend Tom to look on Max’s Facebook – all his information was on there.)

As I was leaving the hospital, I realized that since the ambulance took me here, I had no way to get back home.

I took out my phone and dialed the one sober person who I knew would be up and awake at this time of night. He was probably re-reading Harry Potter, again.

“Hey Tom,” I greeted. “Can I get a ride?”



As Tom drove up next to my house, I leaned over to kiss him lightly on the cheek. “Thank you so much! I owe you.” I smiled gratefully to show him that I meant it.
Tom smiled back. “Anything to help a fellow friend in need.” He winked at me playfully.

Tom was a great friend of mine; he was bubbly, enthusiastic and honest – not to mention reliable – and he was one of the few guys that I could really talk to. He had sandy blonde hair and cinnamon brown eyes that reminded me of home; both comforting and real.

“How about, as payment, you’ll let me crash over tonight?” A mischievous grin broke out across his face, as he stroked an invisible goatee.

I shrugged. “Sure! Why not?” For as long as I knew him Tom was always prone to spontaneous sleepovers, which both our parents were fine about, which was an added bonus.

Upstairs after the tooth brushing and getting-ready-for-bed-ritual, he crawled in my double bed next to me and turned out the bedside lamp. He rolled over to face me. I could feel the heat of his body so close to mine, but I tried to keep my mind off of the distance that was barely between us.

“So,” I could feel Tom smile in the darkness. “Care to explain?”

I turned my head away from his to face the ceiling. “Explain what?”

“Oh I don’t know… the fact that Lizzie Adams actually took care of the infamous Max Rivers, even though it’s widely known throughout the town that they have an ongoing, life threatening, killer-ass dispute?”

I mumbled into my pillow, not daring to look at him. “This Lizzie person sounds like she’s getting soft….”

I heard him gasp loudly. “Who are you and what have you done with Lizzie?!”

I rolled my eyes. “Look, no-one else was willing to help him, okay? Would you have let a person’s death be on your conscience?”

“He wasn’t going to-“

“He could have died Tom.” I sighed heavily and rolled over to look him in the eyes. Even in the minimal lighting in the room, I knew Tom could see the compassion in my face. “The doctor said…” My breath shook. I had to swallow to continue. “The doctor said that, if it wasn’t for me… Max would be dead right now.”

I saw the understanding finally sink in. “Oh.”

It was a few minutes before he spoke. “Sorry.”
“Don’t apologise, I shouldn’t have reacted like that.”

I felt him straightening up next to me and he let out a loud breath. “Night, Liz.”

“Night, Tom.”

I closed my eyes and entered into a dreamless slumber.