She was not new to the back of an ambulance, nor to the ER, the process now as common as grabbing a cup of coffee. Her fiancé joined her in short order, easily able to skirt the guards assigned to keep people alone with their pain.
"You know, my boss thought I was lying when I told him I was leaving for this," he said, with what had become an escalating tinge of annoyance.
"It's not like it was my fault." She had always been a passenger. Well, except that once. But that wasn't her fault either. The internal investigation said so! The appearance of a round man in her curtained prison snapped her from an ugly flashback and into the present.
"Hello, I am Doctor Barrow. What brings you . . . wow, look at that! It's massive! How long has it been there?"
She was sad to have to disappoint him. "It's not the leg. I was just now in a car accident."
The gruesome man had stopped listening, asking question after question about her leg. Yes, it was a different accident. I was walking. I know, I'm in a lot of accidents. I have kept score. It's the fifth in the back seat of a car. Not. My. Fault. Flashing back again, smothered by fear and desperation, the only word she could manage was "Stop!"
Her frustration obvious, her fiancé stepped in to speak with the doctor. The questions blissfully ended. After a perfunctory examination and a feeble offer of duplicative pills, the couple headed home.
"I know it's not your fault," he whispered, his tone markedly reversed from his earlier harshness. "I love you, we are getting married! What will we do if you're run over by another bus? Be careful!"
His playfulness was returning, much to her relief. A broad smile passed over his lips along with that twinkle in his eyes, and she knew. She knew he was The One, and that he would love her forever, no matter what.
Exactly 333 words fulfilling, in my mind, all three challenges. Ms. Unlucky's adventures may be found sprinkled among my posts, both past and future.
The fiance worries me, but I'm glad he turned at the end of this. No wonder the main character is having trouble getting past her accident -- it seems like she never gets a break!
ReplyDeleteAnnabelle, if you don't mind my asking, is it becoming boring or repetitive? Were the entire story to be a book, a lot more "filler" would be involved and what is written here are the dramatic highlights. I am just curious if the audience is now tired of hearing it, or are intrigued as to what is driving (ack! no pun intended!) the back luck.
DeleteAnd of course thanks for your comments!
Well written!!
ReplyDeleteThe doctor's frustrating questions are really plausible as is her desperate STOP! I get the sense that this is the thing that brings her fiance around.
ReplyDeletethe fiance's light attitude at the end and her final thought of him being 'the one' tarnished my earlier assumptions of it not being 'an accident'
ReplyDeleteRenada, I am not sure I understand your point about something not being an accident. Can you explain further? Thanks!
DeleteIf she's that accident prone, I think I'd walk on the other side of the street (and not drive with her in the car, either.) Makes me wonder if someone wants her dead, or at least to frighten her for some reason.
ReplyDeleteNot having encountered Ms Unlucky before, I found this all rather puzzling. People run over by buses tend not to be in a condition to go home with fiancés! And WHAT was enormous? The round doctor was hilarious, but maybe not if you were suffering!
ReplyDeleteTo give a brief answer, she was in a car accident in this "installment" and we are actually finding out about the bus for the first time here. What is wrong with her leg is intended to create mystery and further interest, but I sort of hoped the connection between the leg and the bus had been made clearly. Perhaps not.
DeletePeople who are run over by buses do eventually go home with their fiancés. At least the lucky few.
Thanks for your insight!