“Okay, do you know anything about my friends?” I ask her.

“What are they’re names? I’ll have someone find out.” She smiles.

“Ruby Griffith, Leo Knox, and Liam Harnet.” I say.

She nods and waves someone over. “Can you go get an update on Griffith R, Knox, L, and Harnet, L?” She asks him, he nods and walks away.

“Charlotte.” My mother says, appearing by my side. “How is she?” She asks the doctor. “Wait, who are you? Where’s the other doctor?”

“Doctor Leven Willis,” doctor Willis says, shaking moms hand. “I’m just about to take your daughter up to CT just to make sure she doesn’t have an internal bleeding or brain issues.”

Mom nods, “can I come with her?” She asks.

Doctor Willis opens her mouth to answer but my mom’s phone rings. “Probably either Leo or Ruby’s mom, I’ll find you as soon as I can.” She says, kissing my forehead and stepping away.

Doctor Willis helps me off the gurney and into a wheelchair. We start walking down one of the hospitals many winding, white, sterile hallways, and towards what must be CT.

“Both the boys are in surgery and the girl, Ruby, is being admitted to watch her internal bleeding but it looks like that’ll probably stop on it’s own.” The doctor says, appearing by doctor Willis’ side.

“Thank you.” Doctor Willis says, nodding at the other doctor who hurries off.

“Can I see Ruby?” I ask.

“We can probably get you a room together in Peds, we’ll probably be keeping you over night for observation, assuming nothing serious comes up.” Doctor Willis says, and at the look on my face she says, “I doubt there’s anything serious going on with you.”

“You shouldn’t make promises that can’t be kept.” I say.

“Well then, I’ll just have to keep this one.” She says, smiling kindly at me, and I smile back.

“Okay, just lie really still. There’s a com so we can hear you talk but it’s important that you don’t unless you want out. We can take you out but then we’d have to start all over again.”

“How long will it be?” I ask, eying the big machine nervously.

“Ten to fifteen minutes.” Doctor Willis says. “And I can promise that.” She says with a wink.

I smile and lay down. Deep breath. Just take a deep breath. I take in a deep breath and let it go in a shaky sigh.

“You’re doing great, Charlotte. Only a few more minutes.” Doctor Willis says over the intercom.

The whirring of the CT stops and I let out another shaky breath. It’s over. Thank god. I’m not claustrophobic but something about the CT made me feel uneasy.

“The scan looked pretty good but we’re still going to admit you for observation. Now lets get you a room with your friend, Ruby.” Doctor Willis says, smiling kindly and helping me back into the wheelchair.

She wheels me through the halls and into the elevator until we come to a floor which I assume is the Pediatrics floor. Judging from the colorful walls, bright paintings, signs for a ‘play room’, and the amount of little kids.

“Ruby Griffith?” Doctor Willis asks a nurse at a counter-like area with computers and other monitors and a sigh that says ‘Nurses Station’.

The nurse points to a room and doctor Willis starts wheeling me towards it.

“Char?” A voice says when I enter the room.

“Ruby!” I say, breaking into a grin, relief washing over me.

“Oh my god, are you okay? I heard you and Leo were in the accident but nobody’s been telling me anything!” Ruby says. She looks like she wants to jump up and hug me but there’s a blue cast one her left leg.

“What happened to you?” I ask, as doctor Willis helps me into the other bed in the room.

“My leg is broken.” She sighs. “I’m here overnight for observation, internal bleeding, and I hit my head but they’re pretty sure that it wasn’t too bad. How about you?” Ruby asks.

“Overnight for observation.” I say.

“Have you heard anything about Liam?” She asks. “And Leo of course, I mean, it’s just, Liam...” She says, fumbling with her words.

“Last I heard they were both in surgery. Liam had a minor brain bleed.” I say, putting an emphasis on ‘minor’.

Ruby sighs, and a tear slips down her tan cheek. “I’m scared, Char.”

“Me too.” I say, feeling my own eyes sting with tears.

“What if they die.” Ruby says.

“They wont.” I say. Hypocrite. Don’t make promises that can’t be kept. Don’t make promises that can’t be kept. Don’t make promises that can’t be kept. No promise can be kept. Don’t make promises. But who wants to live a life like that? When the only thing that can be truly promised is death, not a thing I would say now.

“I thought everything was finally okay.” I sigh.

Ruby sighs in return. “I thought so too.” She says. “I guess perfect comes and just can’t stay.” She says.

“Then where the hell is ‘okay’?” I joke, trying to lighten to mood. “I’d settle for everything just being ‘okay’.”

“Me too.” Ruby says, giving me a tearful smile.

“Do you really believe that everything’s going to be alright.

I open my mouth to say yes. Yes, of course everything is going to be okay. Instead I find myself saying, “no.”

Ruby just nods. Because she knows that not knowing is the most truthful thing I could say. But sometimes the truth, as real as it may be, is better left unsaid.