Naughty New Year

“Happy New Year!” The club erupts, drowning out Beth’s screams as she holds her high-heeled foot in her hands.

The two guys disappear, obviously wanting to celebrate the New Year more than they want to help Beth, which honestly makes sense. We barely knew them at all.

“Are you okay? Let me help you stand,” I suggest, pulling her to her feet.

“Ahhhh!” she cries, her nails digging into my arm before she begins hopping on one foot. Signaling a bouncer, she waves her hands in the air before a large man in black appears at her side, carrying her out of the club with ease.

Great start to the New Year.

Chapter Three

“Maggie Wynn?” the nurse announces in her teal scrubs. I wipe the sleep from my eyes as I bolt from the uncomfortable wooden chair.

“Yes! That’s me,” I screech, my voice weak from screams and alcohol.

“Come with me.” She flashes a smile before turning out of the waiting room.

I’ve been sitting in brutal silence, waiting for any type of update for over two hours. The hospital is overcrowded; apparently everyone finds the last day of the year the perfect time to lose control.

“Is she okay?” I blurt out as the nurse turns one corner after another.

I hate the smell of hospitals, and even worse, I despise the fake smiles of nurses refusing to part with information I’m sure they have.

“I’ll let the doctor explain everything,” she says nodding abruptly as if convincing herself of her superiority, before leading me down a narrow hallway.

“Do you know how long she’ll need to be here?” I quiz.

“I think she can go home tomorrow.” She smiles at last, giving me hope that it’s not as bad as my worst fears, which have crowded my mind in the hours of anticipation and uncertainty.

“Well that’s good news,” I sigh, entering the small and dull room Beth’s housed in.

Dressed in a thin white gown, Beth lies in the bed, her leg in a cast, resting in a sling that hangs from the ceiling.

“What the fuck?” The words escape me before I can stop myself.

“Calm down, Maggie, it’s not as bad as it looks,” she giggles, still the optimist.

“Your leg is broken!” I yell, not understanding her calm demeanor.

“No, it’s just my ankle.” She wiggles her hips, adjusting her position as I lean down to hug her.

“I’m so sorry,” I whisper in her ear.

“For what? We had a ball; this is only collateral damage.” She points to her cast.

“I should have caught you,” I explain, still upset with myself for not preventing such a catastrophe.

“You have got to stop blaming yourself for everything. It’s fine, Wynn!” She shakes her head, calling me by my last name as she does when something is serious.

“It isn’t fine, Beth, you’re hurt,” I run my fingertips over the rough plaster, still in shock by how drastically things have changed in such a short timeframe.

“Well, you better not think of cancelling that trip,” she huffs, turning the channel on her small television.

&n

bsp; “Are you kidding me? There’s no way we can go on a cruise with you in this condition. We’ll reschedule for another time,” I assure her, fluffing her pillow as I talk.

“No, we’re not rescheduling, and we’re not going. You are,” she corrects me.