Waking Charley Vaughan by Elle Botz

herself, "poor girl's hurtin' everywhere and just gonna sit there and say nothing...bad enough, the night she had, now she’s just gonna…" the rest of it was inaudible because she was too far out the door by then.
    We both looked at Brennan who had just hung up Charley's phone.
    “ Not real big on technology are ya?" I asked him
    “Yeah,” he started, “Sorry about that.”
    Recognition hit Charley’s face as I assumed she remembered what had woken her up. “Why are you on my phone?” She asked Brennan.
    “Uh..” he started. “Sara asked me to delete a message for you.”
    “My mom left me a message? What did it say?” She looked concerned, and I tensed, waiting for the blow when Charley found what I had done.
    "She said she's going to be here in two days," Brennan said slowly.
    "WHAT?" Charley almost jumped out of her bed, "WHY?!?...WHAT?"
    "She said there was no way she was going to California to see your aunts when you were laid up in a hospital--"
    Charley interrupted him.
    "What? How did she--" Charley looked at me and said the next words very slowly.
    "What. Did. You. Do?" Her face was almost angry enough that anyone would have taken it seriously. I knew her too well to be too afraid. I did feel bad for not warning her.
    "Charley," I tried to soothe her, "be reasonable. I know your family is a little nuts, but you're in the hospital, when I called I had no idea if you were going to be OK or not..."
    "You called my MOTHER?" she said the word 'mother' like it tasted bad.
    "I know, I know, I'm sorry!" Charley just sat there staring forward.
    "What am I going to do?" the question was not directed at either Brennan or me.
    "Wait, what's the big deal? What do you mean 'do'? You aren't going to do anything but sit in your hospital bed and get better." Brennan was incredulous.
    "No, No!" she protested. "Not that! This isn’t about some stupid accident. It’s about my bakery…my whole…” she paused, then said sadly, “the only thing I had left to look forward to.”
    "I don't understand," Brennan said quietly--still confused.
    I, however, didn't have the pleasure of ignorance. I realized exactly what I'd done. I put my hand on top of hers, trying to be comforting, but she pulled hers away.
    "Shit, Charley!" I said, "I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking about that. I was just...I was so worried."
    "Dammit!" Charley said, tossing her head back against her pillows. She winced from the pain, and her eyes started to fill again. I didn’t know if it was from pain or frustration. I assumed it was both.
    "Seriously?" She asked the sky, "My fiancé cheats on me , I get hit by a car, and I’m still being punished? Was I a rat in a past life?”
    "I'm sorry," Brennan cut in. “Maybe this is none of my business, but why does Matt's cheating on you mean--"
    Just then, Brandy shot back in the room, giving each of us a skeptical look. "Got awfully quiet in here," she said as she approached Charley's bed. "Sounds like ya'll are up to no good."
    We all sat silently. How much had she heard?
    She quietly gave Charley her medicine and told her to use her remote if she needed anything. She walked out, shaking her head and mumbling some more.
    "Do you think she--" Brennan started
    "It doesn’t matter,” Charley said cooly. “She knows.”
    “What?” I choked out. “What makes you say that?”
    “I told her.” Charley said with a nonchalance that I’d never heard from her before.
    ‘Why did you do that?” I asked her pointedly. “In fact,” I added, “When did you do that?”
    “Right after I got here I guess. While you were sleeping. There was a call from a man claiming to be my fiancé, so naturally, Brandy had questions. She wouldn’t release any information to him, but she did come in to ask me what was up.”
    “Oh,” I said, hearing the surprise in my own voice. It hadn’t occurred to me that Matt would call the hospital and not me.
    “Is she going to…” I began, still wondering why Charley hadn’t said