Page 50 of Crash
“Then stop being a stubborn jackass and--”
Shattered glass and a loud boom are all my senses can make out. The truck came out of nowhere and slammed into us at reduced speed. We come to a resting point and the only thing in my vision is a few trees, and my buddy leaning forward, his head resting on his steering wheel.
“Caleb. Dude, are you okay?”
“Fuck, no. My head is killing me.”
A few trickles of blood stain his face and causes alarm.
I unbuckle my seatbelt and do an assessment of us both. “Ow, fuck,” I exclaim, when I can’t move my left wrist.
Caleb sits up and removes his restraint and surveys the situation. “What the fuck, man? I just made my last payment. Shit!” He opens the door as a first responder team arrives.
“Yo, Caleb, Austin, are you guys all right?” Monza, one of the EMTs for the fire department, says when he approaches us.
“Yeah, yeah. This fucking dude just plowed through the fucking light and hit us as we were getting back into town.”
The ambulance pulls up, and we see our other colleagues, Eric, and Manuela.
“If you two are vying for additional time off, this is not the way to do it,” Eric jokes, as he approaches.
“Man, I have time on the books if needed I don’t have to pull any stunts,” I respond.
“Mm-hmm, so tell me where you are hurting.”
“My left wrist. I think it’s broken. I think Caleb has a concussion, other than that, nothing else is obvious.”
He takes my arm and checks it for mobility before focusing on my hand and wrist. “Yeah, we need to sling you. This looks to be a fracture. Otherwise, all is good. Let me grab your vitals and check for concussion before we transport.”
I nod in agreement and allow him to complete his triage. I take my phone out and call my parents who agree to meet me at the hospital. No doubt Courtney will be there too, and I’ll have to hear her mouth.
“Okay, pressure is a little elevated and your pupils are slow to react, so prepare to stay overnight.”
“Well, it’s not like I had anything to do.”
“I know it’s an inconvenience, be thankful you’re alive. It could be worse.” Eric puts away his tools and goes to fill out his report and talk details with the police who showed up a few minutes ago.
Manuela has completed her assessment of Caleb, and he walks toward me.
“What’s your verdict?” I ask, upon his arrival.
“Mild concussion, overnight stay. You?”
“Possible fracture of my wrist with the same dx as you.”
“Not the way I planned on ending this day,” Caleb states.
“Me either.”
“You call your parents?”
“Yep. They said they will meet me up there.”
“Courtney gonna be there?”
I look at him with a raised brow. “I’m sure she will. Why? You crushing on my sister?”
“Me? Pssh, no. Just wanted to know if she’s gonna cuss me out or something. Blame me for this.” He waves his hands around for emphasis.
