“You’re not going to leave him there, right?”
“Yes.” She glances over at me, but her shoulders slump. “Fine.” She hits the brake and makes a U-turn.
I spot Eli sitting on the ground, leaning forward, clutching his foot. I lean forward. “Is he hurt?”
“Hope so.”
I snort at her statement, but not because I want him to be hurt, but because my best friend is funny. She doesn’t really mean it. She wouldn’t wish anyone hurt.
When she pulls up next to him, she rolls down her window. “What’s the matter with you?”
“I did something to my foot trying to jump away from your car before you ran me over.”
“Eli?” I push my door open and race over to him. “You okay?”
“Your friend drives like a maniac.”
“What’s wrong?” I lean down to look at it.
“I think it’s just a sprain. I’ve had enough of those over the years to know but… I also did something to it at practice.”
“Do we need to go to the ER?”
He looks up at me with a pained expression. “To be safe, I think we should.”
“Great,” Carley mutters from beside me. “But if you tell them I had anything to do with it, you’d better sleep with one eye open. It’s not my fault you’re slow.”
“Carley.”
“What?” she snaps. I can tell she’s still really angry with him. I am too, it’s just now replaced with worry over his foot.
Helping him off the ground, I reach my hand out until he places his in mine. “Your dad isn’t going to be happy about this.”
“That’s an understatement.” He’s able to stand keeping his injured foot in the air. “My foot is going to be the least of my worries.” I hold his hand and arm as he hops back over to Carley’s car. He slips into the back seat. I shut the door as soon as I know he’s inside.
“To the closest hospital, James,” Eli says with a chuckle.
I know Carley probably has something to say in response to that, but she only makes muttering noises from the driver seat. The rest of the ride is quiet, which is a relief. This entire day, no, the weekend has been exhausting.
* * *
“Let her sleep.”I hear Eli’s voice.
“She’ll want to go in with you,” Carley replies. “Even though I don’t know why. If I were her, I’d bail on your sorry ass.”
“Me too.”
“At least we agree on one thing.”
I feel my body being jostled. “Wake up, sleeping beauty. The wicked asshole needs help going into the ER.”
“Oh.” I quickly sit up. “Right.” Opening my door, I’m a little wobbly after my fitful nap. Leaning on the car, I shake off my drowsiness and reach for the door. When Eli places his injured foot onto the ground, I frown. “It’s really swollen. Hang on. Let me get a wheelchair.”
Jogging into the lobby of the ER, I spot a row of wheelchairs on the left. Grasping the handles of the one closest, I roll it out to the waiting car. “I know there’s a way to lock this thing.” I’m talking to myself as I search around the chair for a button that activates the brakes when Carley gently nudges me aside.
“Right here.” She points to a lever next to the wheel. I watch as she presses it down to lock the right wheel. She does the same with the left. “I’ll park and wait for you in the waiting area.”
I’m sure the pair of us will be waiting together. “Sure.”
