Page 4 of Accidentally Falling For My Best Friend
“Judy!” I scream his mom’s name when he still isn’t responding, and she rushes into the room, joining me in trying to wake him. She yells for his dad, telling him to call 911, and my vision blurs as his dad enters the room with their cordless home phone.
Am I crying?
I feel like I just finished a rough hockey practice with how I can’t seem to catch my breath. I think his parents are talking, asking me what happened, but it all sounds far away, like we’re under water or something.
I try to tell them that we were playing video games and then he fell asleep mid-game, but my throat is too tight to let out all of the words.
Two paramedics rush into the room and start touching him, holding his wrist and counting his breaths. One pokes his finger with a needle, and it starts to bleed before they stick a small machine right up to the blood. They seem to react to whatever is on the machine and draw up some medicine into a syringe beforestabbing him to push it into his body. They tape another needle to his arm and connect a big bag of fluids to it.
Then Parker’s moved onto a stretcher and rushed outside. I chase after them, determined to go with him, to stay by his side until he wakes up. I was there when he fell asleep or passed out or whatever is going on—I don’t want him to think that I left him when he needed me.
I’m his best friend. I’m not going anywhere.
But his dad grabs my shoulder when we’re outside, holding me in place and preventing me from climbing into the ambulance with Parker and his mom.
“Only one family member is allowed to ride with him,” he says gently.
A part of me knows his momshouldbe that one person because I know my mom would want to be, and I’d want her there, too.
But another part of me is way louder and is very freaked out right now because my best friend just passed out next to me, and honestly, I feel likeIshould be that one person. I know I’m not technically his family, but I’m his best friend, so that definitely counts.
I think I might still be crying, but all I can feel is a bone-deep, paralyzing fear.
“I’ll drop you off at home on my way to the hospital,” his dad says, sounding far away again as he moves toward his car that’s in the driveway separating me from my best friend, who obviously needs me right now.
I feel frozen in this spot. My breathing is still too fast, and my heart is trying to beat out of my chest.
What if he doesn’t wake up? What if he isn’t okay? What even happened? Is there anything that I should have done differently? Is this my fault for not noticing something was wrong sooner?Questions won’t stop racing through mymind.
“Take a deep breath in for the count of five,” Mr.Leighton says, gripping both of my shoulders and leaning down a little so that he can hold eye contact.
I try to do what he says, breathing in with him and out when he instructs.
“Oakley, they said that Parker will be okay,” he assures me. “I don’t think they’ll allow extra visitors at the hospital right away, so I’ll let your parents know as soon as you can come. I promise I won’t let anything bad happen to him,” he adds, looking into my eyes like he really wants me to understand.
Parker’s dad is a super tall, muscular man who seems to fill a room when he enters it. When he makes a promise, it’s really hard not to believe him.
“Okay,” I manage to get out as my breathing starts to slow.
I’ve always liked his parents. They’re really nice people, and I think it’s cool how much time they try to spend with him on puzzles and extra school stuff that he likes to do.
They’re so excited to have me over all the time, too. After we’d been friends for a while, Parker explained that he didn’t really have friends before moving here because of how often he changed schools, and because he can be kind of shy.
So I guess they’re happy that Parker has me now.Well, so am I.Parker is the best. They’ve all felt like my second family over the last two years, and I’m so happy that they got to stay in Chicago instead of moving around like they used to.
I’m relieved that Parker’s parents were here. I don’t know what I would have done if we were alone. I did not handle that whole event well.
I hadto wait at home fora whole freaking day!
When I should have been in the hospital, waiting for Parker to wake up, I was stuck at home, alone.
Well, with my giant family. I’m not sure what’s driving them crazier, my endless pacing or my nonstop questions about what happened to Parker—if he was awake yet, and when I could go see him.
Finally, my parents got a call from Parker’s parents saying that I could come to the hospital, and I’ve never gotten into a car so quickly in my life.
The hospital is gigantic. I think it’s the same one we came to visit my mom and Lincoln in when he was born, but that's the only other time I’ve ever been to a hospital. I don’t remember it seeming so scary.
My mom and I have to check in at the front desk and tell them who we’re here to see and get visitor passes. Security has to scan the badge and hit the correct floor in the elevator for it to work. Then we’re walking down a long hallway, past all of these sick kids in big hospital beds peering out of the glass doors of their rooms.
