“Hello?”

“Phoebe, its Carol,” said the voice on the other end of the line.

“Hey!  How are you doing?” Phoebe hadn’t talked to her best friend’s mother in months.  Phoebe had spent so much time with Carol when she was younger that she loved her like a second mom.

“I’m not doing so great, Phoebe.” 

“What’s wrong?”  All of a sudden, Phoebe got a very sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.

“Umm, I don’t know how to tell you this, exactly.”

“Carol, tell me what’s wrong.” 

“There was an accident.  Chris was in the passenger’s seat.”

“Oh, my God!” Phoebe felt her legs shake and she practically fell onto her bed.  She took a deep breath and asked the worst question she had ever had to ask:  “Is he dead?”

“No, he’s not.  But he is in the ICU.  He has very serious injuries and they aren’t sure if he is going to make it.”  At this point, Carol was sobbing.  Phoebe sat on her bed with tears streaming down her face.  “I just thought you should know.”

“Umm,” Phoebe was attempting to compose herself.  She took a deep breath and wiped the tears from her face.  “I’m going to load up my car and get up there.  He’s my best friend and I have to be there for him, even if he doesn’t know I’m there.”

“I’ll be looking for you.”

“I’ll see you soon.”  With that, Phoebe hung up the phone and searched for her bag.  She started slamming around her bedroom as she was packing her bag and her mother came in.

“What is going on in here?  Why are you packing a bag?”

“I’m leaving, I have to go.”

“What in the hell are you talking about?  Go where?”

“I’m going to Sultoona!”  By this point Phoebe was becoming anxious and her mother could see it in her eyes.

“Why are you going to Sultoona?”

“Because Chris was in an accident and may die!”  Phoebe began to sob hysterically and her mother held her like she had when she was little.  “He can’t die, Mom!  He just can’t!”

“He won’t baby, he won’t.”

As her mother kept soothing her, Phoebe began to feel better.  She sat up and wiped away the tears. 

“I’m leaving right away.  Carol said that he was in really bad condition and I need to be there for him.”

“Honey, let me go with you-“

“No!  You can’t go with me.  I’m 17 now and I have to take care of myself when it comes to this sort of thing.”

“You’re right.  Let me go pack you some sandwiches for the ride while you pack, ok?”

“Alright, but I want to leave as soon as possible.”

“They will be ready for you in twenty minutes, I promise.”  As she walked out of the room, she kissed her daughter’s forehead and felt a single tear stream down her face for her “adopted son.”

^                                  ^                                  ^                                  ^

Devon felt for her cell phone as she drove down the lonely highway.  It was eight in the morning and she had never felt so awake.  She carefully dialed her teacher’s cell phone number and waited for her to pick up.

“Hello?” Mrs. Shelby answered as she picked up her cell phone.

“Mrs. Shelby, it’s Phoebe,” she said trying to sound like her upbeat self.

“Hi, Phoebe.  Are you alright?”  Mrs. Shelby intuitively knew that something was wrong.  Phoebe wouldn’t call her unless she needed to tell her something important.

“Mrs. Shelby, I won’t be in school today.  In fact, I’m not sure when I’ll be back.”

“Sweetheart, what are you talking about?  Why won’t you be in school for awhile?”

“Mrs. Shelby, I’m on my way back to Sultoona.  Chris was in an accident and,” she had to stop and take a deep breath in order to keep from crying.  “And his doctors aren’t sure that he is going to make it.”

“Oh, Phoebe, I’m so sorry.  If there is anything I can do, please let me know.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Shelby, but, umm, if you could just tell my friends where I went so that they don’t worry about me; that would be great.”

“Of course I will.  Now, you be careful and keep us updated okay?”

“I will.  Thanks Mrs. Shelby.  I better get off of here.”

“Alright, be careful!  Bye!”  Mrs.  Shelby hung up the phone and took a deep breath.  Her heart went out to her student, and she felt helpless to do anything.

Phoebe hung up the phone and threw it into the passenger’s seat, which automatically sent a chill through her spine.  To get her mind off of the task at hand, she turned her music up and set her mind to driving.

*                                  *                                  *                                  *

Phoebe was in Sultoona before she knew it.  The ride there was a blur and it felt as if it had only taken her an hour to reach the Manomy Memorial Hospital.  It was in that instant that she understood the discussion she had been having in English class only a few days prior to the phone call.  They had been discussing “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” and brought up the point about time being a relative thing and not concrete.

As if her shoes were filled with cement she climbed out of her car and up the hill to the hospital.  When she walked in, she saw a familiar face behind the information desk.

“Danielle?”