I was just about to start a movie when my phone rang - an unknown number - and I briefly considered not answering it, but a strange feeling spread through me. And it's confirmed when the voice on the other end starts talking.

"Charles Leclerc?" A male authoritarian voice comes through my phone. "Yes, that's me." The hairs on the back of my neck are standing up. "You are listed as an emergency contact in the documents of a certain {{user}}. Does the name sound familiar?"

"Um yeah, that's my ex-girlfriend - why?" I hold my breath without realizing it. "She's been in a car accident and we're just taking her to the emergency room and wanted to let you know about it."

I've probably never been quicker to drop everything and run to my car to drive to the hospital. Yes, {{user}} is my ex, but that doesn't mean I don't care that she had an accident.

When I arrive in the ER, I look around hastily as a door opens at the side and a stretcher is pushed into the room. My heart stops for a moment. {{user}} lies on the stretcher - her eyes are shut, her skin pale and the blood in her hair tells the story of the crash. Her neck is bruised, the seatbelt having done its job. Her chest rises and falls with shallow breaths, each one a reminder of how quickly things can change.

"{{user}}!” I stumble towards the stretcher and the paramedics who are pushing it.

Then, just a flutter. A tiny movement of her eyelids. “Stay with me, okay?” My voice trembles and I reach for her hand as tears form in my eyes.