Mandolin Rain

Elliot's POV

I finish watching the Los Angeles sunset from the studio. Shaking out all my muscles as I start rolling up all the left out yoga mats. The morning class is always busy, people trying to get their workout in before they head off to work in the morning. It's the class I always have to stay after for at least a half an hour just picking up things people leave behind before the next class. The what I like to call morning traffic class. People that don't have to be to work until a little later, they at least pick up after themselves.

I was actually looking forward to the next class to be over with, Thursday is my long run day. I stayed up an extra half an hour last night creating a new route to take instead if my usual one. I needed a change in scenery.

“Rain!” My mom shouts at me from over my shoulder. She usually doesn't yell so she's probably been trying to get my attention for a while.

“Yes mom?' I turn around still on my knees.

“Just make sure you do extra shavasna with this next group. They seem to all be uptight.” She smiles at me and heads out of my studio towards the lobby. Of course that's all she would say. They need more relaxation. Doesn't everyone?

After my second yoga class of the day was finished, I talked to the late ones that always seem to crave human interaction, you know, those stay at home moms. I roll up some extra mats and walk towards my locker to get my trainers. I got new ones last week that I'm in love with. So much that I might have to get another pair for when these blow out. I lace up my sneakers and adjust my sports bra before I walk past my mom.

“I'm off! See you tomorrow mom!” I smile at her.

“Be careful Rain!” Her typical goodbye as the door rings when I exit. I turn to the left and begin my journey.

I'm trying to slow my breathing as I'm about to round a corner up a hill when I hear a crash. It sounds like someone with a bat hits a building as I slow and look to my right. Its a truck, it slams into the back of a motorcycle. I stop and hold my breath as the bike goes down hard and the persons head bounces off the pavement. I watch in horror as it slides on the hard pavement into the stopped truck in front of it. The person on the bike lays there and before I know it my legs are cutting through traffic to this persons aid.

When I get there in what feels like minutes and is actually just seconds I drop to my knees and let panic sink in for a second as I see his eyes closed. I press my ear to his chest and let out a grateful sign to hear his heart still beating and feel his chest move up and down.

“Wake up! Wake up!” I see him try to open his eyes, I'm taking that as I good sign that he must be able to hear me.

“Oh please wake up! An ambulance is on its way.” I'm trying hard to cover the fear in my voice but I know I'm not doing a good job.

“I'm fffi.” He tries to respond but I have no idea what he's saying to me.

“Don't strain yourself. I'm Elliot. Please don't move.” I try to calm him, I at least need him calm, his injuries look serious. I'm thankful the truck that hit him has already called the ambulance.

I see him struggle as he tries to reach to take his helmet off but I can't allow him to.

“No, you could have hurt your neck. You can't take it off.” I try to assure him and reach my legs close to him, sitting as close as possible to try to get him to relax just a little and focus on something other then the pain that I'm sure he's suffering through. I push his cover on his helmet back to make eye contact with me. He has gorgeous eyes. “Relax. They're coming.”

He looks beyond confused as to what's going on.

“You were hit by the truck behind you, you skid to the side right into the truck in front of you. I was running on the sidewalk, I saw the whole thing.” I once again try to mask my fear as the memories flash back in my mind of him being hit and slamming on the pavement with so much force that he bounced.

He starts to close his eyes and I panic.

“OH no you don't! Stay awake, stay with me, open your eyes.” I'm yelling at him.

I hear the ambulance coming at us from behind and let out a huge sign of release , finally he can get some medicine to ease his pain.

“I'm Harry.” He whispers to me as I smile back at him.

“It's going to be okay Harry. Everything will be fine.” I keep trying to reassure him as the chaos is about to consume us. I start getting up as I'm pushed away by one of the EMT's.

“No! She stays!” Harry suddenly yells, the loudest I've heard him speak. It almost startles me you can hear the need in his voice.

“What's his name?” The woman of the pair looks up at me as she motions for me to kneel back down to him.

“It's Harry.” The woman instantly looks back at him as she fiddles with her gloves.

“Harry, I'm Natalie, we're going to move this bike off of you, you need to stay as still as possible. Okay?”He nods and I'm thankful they're finally getting his heavy bike off of him. “Miss? Can you hold his hand please?” She looks at me and down to his hand. I don't know what to do, I've just met this man. I look to Harry for permission and see him try to smile then take a sharp intake of breath as I reach for one of his hands. I quickly let go and grab the other one.

“Breath.” My yoga training is starting to seep into my brain as I realize he needs some pain management.

“Ready? One. Two, three.” The people swiftly lift the bike off of Harry and I can see the damage to his body. His right leg looks mangled ans I try not to let the fear in my face be seen.

“Not going anywhere Harry. Your leg is broken.” Natalie informs Harry, no shit it's broken I think in my head. “We're going to move you to the side as quickly as possible so we can transport you. Once we get you on the brace we'll be removing your helmet stay still. This is Bill, he's helping move you.”

I sit back on my heels, my adrenaline is pumping when out of the corner of my eye I see Harry's eyes dart around. I come into his vision and see his face relax for just a minute.

“Ready Harry? Everyone on three. One, two, three.” I hear a loud groan escape from Harry's lips. I can't imagine his pain. He looks to have damaged his right arm somehow as well.

“Elliot?' I hear Harry whisper as I bend down to get his keys, wallet, and phone, surprisingly not shattered from the crash.

“She's right here Harry.”I turn to Natalie who makes eye contact with me and gestures for me to look at Harry. I muster up courage and try to push my now crazy pony tail out of my face. I'm sure I look like a disaster right now, my nerves are about shot from being on age.

“We're going to remove your helmet now Harry. I need you to not move at all as we put your neck brace on. Do you understand? This is extremely important.”

“It's okay Harry.” I try to calm him the best I can. I gently squeeze his uninjured hand to keep his attention on me and his eyes focused on me.

“Okay, Harry, we're going to head to the hospital now.” Natalie tells him as I put his things in his helmet to give to them before they drive off. So much for my long run today.

“Wait.”I hear Harry say. “Elliot.” The only words that escape from his lips as I quickly walk towards him.

“Elliot?” Natalie calls out to me as our eyes meet as she looks at me with brief sympathy. She must think I know him. “Harry wants you with him.” She starts rolling the gurney towards the vehicle.

He's loaded in the back of the ambulance as Bill tells me “You can sit here Elliot, by his head, don't get in our way.” I simply nod as I crouch and walk towards the area where Bill directs me to.

“I got your phone and your keys.” I tell him to try to calm him just a little bit.

“My mum. Call my mum.” I hear him gasp out words.

“Can you get him something for the pain?” I ask Natalie, it's obvious he's in dire need for pain meds.

“Not yet, we can't put an IV in when were in the back of a bouncing ambulance.” Natalie tells me as she fumbles with something in her kid and pulls out her sharp scissors to start carefully cutting his pants away. I look down at his phone and see its locked.

“Harry, can you type in your passcode? Or tell me your moms number so I can call her?” I ask.

“It's 8453. Her name is Anne.” I can see him struggling with his breath. He needs to stay calm, if he freaks out it will make the pain seem worse. I gently put my hand on his long curly hair and begin to run my fingers through it. I find his mom's number and it begins to ring.

“Relax Harry, take a deep breath. In and out. It's ringing.” I whisper in his ear to try to reassure him.

“Harry!” A woman cheerfully answers the phone.

“Hello?” I respond.

“This isn't my son.” Her voice changes just a bit.

“No this isn't Harry. He's been in an accident. We're on the way to the hospital.”

“Oh my Goodness. Is he okay? Is he awake? Can I talk to him?” Her voice changes again into concern.

“Yes he's awake. I'll try.” I turn towards Harry and position myself over him so he can see me.

“Harry, your mom wants to hear your voice. I'll put her on speaker phone okay?” I ask and wait for his response to try to gather himself together.

“Harry?” His mom's voice makes my heart break.

“Mum? I'm okay. Can you come here?”He asks, slowly. You can tell by his face that he is in extreme pain. He's doing a good job masking it.

“I'm already looking for tickets.” You can hear her clicking keys rapidly I'm assuming to look for a ticket.

“Use my card. Elliot. Will. Give. You. The. Number.” I know he's in pain. I crouch lower towards him to try to reassure him that he's not alone and to focus on his mom and me and not on Natalie and Bill assessing the damage to his body.

“Just breath.” I keep reminding him as I take the phone back from his lips.

“Use the Black Card, it should be in the left side of his wallet.” His mom instructs me.

“Yes, I have it.” I rattle off the card number and number on the back.

“Ok, I have the tickets purchased, I have to pack my things and drive to London, I'm on flight
457 with London Air. My flight is leaving in 4 hours, its the quickest I could get. Can you call people for him? His sister Gemma, Dad, Des, Simon, Liam, Zayn, Niall, and Louis. They should all be in his phone. And please keep me updated. I can't call them, I'm already a wreck.” She shakily asks me.

“Okay. I'll keep you updated.” I hang up the phone and turn my attention back to Harry. Harry who looks visibly afraid of everything. “Your mom will be here soon.” I try to reassure him as my fingers run through his hair. I know it's a super long flight from what his mom tells me but I'll do the best I can.

The doors flash open as people are swarming the doors pulling Harry out and extending the wheels on the gurney.

“Elliot!” I hear Harry yell. “Stay with me!” I look at Natalie who nods at me and I quickly rush out of the ambulance with his helmet, wallet, and phone. When I catch up with him, he's finally succumbed to his pain and passed out. I breath out a sigh of relief as we rush into the emergency room.

Natalie is rattling off things to a nurse who turns and looks at me.

“That's his girlfriend Elliot. She was running and saw the whole thing. They need to stay together.” Natalie tells her as I stand a little shocked. The nurse nods and Natalie looks at me.

“Here are his forms, fill them out the best you can.” She shoves a clipboard at me and winks as she walks past me and is gone. I stand bewildered as I look around me. Chaos everywhere. Nurses and doctors yelling.

“He needs to get to surgery stat! His leg needs cleaned and set.” I hear what I'm assuming a doctor yelling to nurses as they strip off the rest of his clothing and move him to another bed. While a nurse starts working on his arms to find a vein for an IV. She slips the needle in effortlessly and tapes it up as another nurse hooks him up to fluid and another line up for what I'm hoping is pain meds.

“Miss?” My eyes focus on the doctor in front of me. “Do you know when the last time he ate?” She asks me, all I can do is shake my head no as she nods and returns to her work.

“Doctor? Surgery 3 is open.” She tells her as everyone starts moving.

They push past me and all I can do is follow them with all this stuff in my hands.

A nurse stops me at the surgery room doors.

“You have to wait here.” She points to some waiting chairs by the door. “We will give you as many updates as possible.” She smiles at me as she puts her face mask up and walks backwards in to the operating room.

Finally in silence and quiet, I sit on the chair behind me. I look at the paperwork a nurse asked me to fill out and everything blurs together. I can't do anything but let go of the clipboard and break down and cry. My emotions have just taken control of me as hot tears flow down my face.

Notes

:)