I clench my fist around the handset, ready to throw it at the wall, but remember what happened the last time I did that in Australia when I lost all my numbers, and I think better of it.
“Who the fuck are you? And where’s Steph?”
“Callum. It’s Justin. Is Caleb with you?” He speaks in a rush with a hoarse voice.
“Where else would he be?” I spit out, heat bubbling through my veins. I can’t believe she’s with him.
“Thank God.” I hear a sigh in his breath as he says the words.
His tone tells me something’s not quite right, making the hairs on my neck prickle. “Put Steph on.”
He pauses. “I can’t.”
“Where is she?” I growl, getting more agitated by the second. Is she drunk again?
“She’s here.” His voice is low and quiet. Not his usual smug self.
“Then put her on. I need to talk to her.” I clench my fist around my hair. Is she back with him now? Whatever it is, there’s no way they can stop me from seeing my boy.
“Callum, listen.” He chokes up with a waiver in his voice.
I sit back down and run a hand through my hair. “What is it?”
“There’s been an accident.”
I hold my breath. My hand moves from my hair to my throat as I try to breathe.
“She’s alive, but she’s in a bad way. A head injury and a broken arm and ribs.”
I swallow, but the prickles in my throat grow as fear claws up my spine. “What happened?” I manage with a gravelly voice.
“She was on the by-pass. A witness said she just drifted to the side of the road and hit the central reservation. Nobody else was involved, thank God.”
My eyes glaze over. There’s an ache in my chest as if someone is squeezing the life out of me, making it difficult to breathe. “Where is she?”
“The city hospital. They’ve just given us her bag that was collected at the scene. I didn’t know your number, or I would have called you sooner. Her mum was worried sick, wondering where Caleb was.”
“I’m on my way.” I stand and kiss Caleb on the forehead with tears blurring my vision.
“You don’t need to come. There’s not a lot you can do.”
“Fuck that. I’m coming.”
“She’s in a coma.”
Hearing the words coma, my body jerks like I’ve run into a brick wall. “I’ll be there in half an hour.” I hang up before he can tell me not to come again, and grab Mum’s car keys.
Caleb cries, sensing my anxiety, and I walk back over and kiss his head again.
Mum stands. “What’s happened?”
“Steph’s been in an accident, Mum. I have to go. Can you watch him?”
Her silvery eyes glisten behind her glasses. “Of course. Call me when you get there.”
I dart through the front door, into the drizzly rain. My fingers won’t work and I drop the keys on the wet ground before unlocking the door. Jumping in the car, I shake the rain from my hair and turn the engine.
The dull sky mirrors the dullness in my heart. I back out of the drive, turning the wipers on to see through the windshield, though nothing can stop the spots in my vision. Flashes of her beautiful face fill my mind. All our memories and last night play over in my head, causing a bout of guilt to burn my throat like I’ve just swallowed battery acid.