Chapter 4: Out of Concern

Jay

"Oh my god! Oh shit!! I hit him, I…I didn't mean to." Anon's voice is quivering.

I have never seen him like this before. He is usually annoyingly composed.

"Hey! Calm down and catch your breath. I'm going to go help."

I go to open the door, but before I can, Anon reaches back and grabs my arm.

"You can't, Jay. It's not safe." Anon is such a worry wart.

"It's fine. We can't keep an injured man waiting in the street."

Anon won't let go. His face becomes very stern.

"Your Highness, you can't." Anon releases my arm and exits the car.

Oh, now I'm "Your Highness" when it's convenient for you. I understand he wants me to keep a low profile, but I think it will look worse if the Crown Prince sits in his car while someone is hurt. I get out of the car and walk over to where the man lay unconscious.

"Have you called 911 yet?" I ask Anon as I lean over to look at the injured man.

What? No way! It's the beauty from before. He's wearing an apron with the cafe's logo on it.

"Yes, they said not to move him, and they are on the way. How could this have happened?"

Anon puts his hand on the man's chest to check his breathing and heart. Wait, where's the man who tried to attack this beauty? I jolt up and start looking for the man. I walk down the street and around the corner. Shit! Where did he go? Hmm, I know what the man looks like. I will have to make sure I tell the police. I rushed back to the scene of the accident.

"HEY! Where did you go?? You can't just run off like that. For fucks sake, Jay, this isn't the time!" Anon shouts at me anxiously.

"Look, I know, but I saw a man try to attack this guy before he ran into the street. I was trying to find him."

I continue looking around to see if the fucker is still around. How scared was that guy to dart into the street like that? Something isn't right here. That guy might be dangerous. We need to find him.

More and more people are gathering nearby.

"This is going to be in the news for sure. Even if I didn't get out of the car, it would have been. I will have to give a witness report. That alone would have been put in the news." I say while checking the man's breath.

"I'm so sorry, Jay. I should have kept my eyes on the road."

Anon is upset. I can understand why. It's not easy to be the reason someone gets hurt.

"You don't need to apologize to me. It's not your fault. Even if you were looking, it still would have happened." I say with confidence.

I know he probably thinks I'm trying to cheer him up, but it's the truth. I hear sirens getting closer and closer. I go to the trunk and take out a blanket to cover the man up. We don't need people seeing him this way.

The police and ambulance arrive just as the crowd starts getting out of hand. The EMTs put the man in the ambulance.

"Excuse me! What hospital will you be bringing him to?" I ask. "West side memorial." The EMT says as she gets in the driver's seat.

Once we are done here, we will have to check on him. Anon and I stayed and explained everything to the police. Anon calls a driver to bring me to the hospital while he goes to the police station.

"I called Shell. She will meet you at the police station. You didn't do anything wrong, but it doesn't hurt to have a lawyer with you." I say as I pat Anon on the back.

"Come meet me at the hospital when you're done." Anon nods and gets in the police car.

I stand back and watch the car drive away. Poor Anon. I hope he will be ok.

I arrive at the hospital and make my way to the unknown man's room. Luckily, I was let in because I was the crown prince. In times like these, my status is helpful. I walk over to the side of the bed and sit in the chair. Even covered in cuts and bruises, you are beautiful. The man is slender and has shiny black hair. Such fair skin, too. I get up and walk over to where they put his belongings. I searched through them and found his wallet. Hmm… His ID photo doesn't compare to the real deal. His name is Rin Grace. He's 26 years old. Only one year younger than me. Just as I put his wallet back, a nurse walked in.

"Hello, y…your highness." She says with slight hesitation.

"How is he doing?" I ask while smiling.

Hopefully, I can put her at ease with my charm. She blushes as she walks over to bed.

"He seems to have a concussion and mild swelling of his brain. There were no broken bones, just some cuts and bruises. We are running some more tests to make sure everything is ok. The doctor will be in as soon as he wakes up."

I glance over at the man who is lying peacefully on the bed. Well, it's good that he isn't too hurt. That will make Anon feel a little better.

The longer I sit here, the more angry I get. This guy made a stupid choice, and now Anon and I are dealing with the consequences. I was sympathetic at first, but the more I think about it, the more it pisses me off. I will take responsibility for the hospital bills as it was Anon who hit him, but that is it. Also, if I don't, it will turn into a scandal. Damn, but why were those two fighting? Why was that guy's first instinct to run into the street to get away from him? Ugh, why should I care? It's their problem.

"Mmh…"

Huh? Did he make a noise? I sit up and try to listen. All I can hear is the beeping of the machines and the voices outside. Anon appears in the doorway.

"Hey. Come out for a second." Anon says in a calm voice.

I glance over at Rin before walking out.

"How'd everything go at the police station.?" I ask, trying to hide my concern.

"Honestly, we got lucky that we were on a commercial street. The CCTV of the stores nearby shows him running out into the street without looking, so I'm not being held accountable. Though this will be on my record." Anon says, looking glum.

"He's ok. He has a few cuts and bruises and a concussion. The doctor ran a bunch of tests, and now we just have to wait for him to wake up." I say, patting Anon's back in comfort.

Anon decides to wait out in the hall while I decide to sit in the room away from the public eye.

Wake up already damn it. I'm sick of waiting. My back is killing me and I'm in a shitty mood.

"Mmm," Rin moans out in his sleep.

Ok, he made a noise this time. That scared me a little. Rin begins muttering more and more. What the hell is this guy saying?

"Mo…memento mori," Rin says in a shallow whisper.

Memento mori? Isn't that Latin? I think it means something like, remember you must die. Weird why would this guy say something like that in his sleep? Rin's eyes flutter as he slowly starts to wake up. I should flag down the nurse. The nurse comes in and goes over to check on Rin. Just as she shines a light in his eyes he wakes up.