I had a normal day up until just before lunch when Peter came into to the office. He had a worried look on his face which was unusual for him. He was generally a laid-back sort of guy that everyone wished Elijah had been. He wore blue jeans and a dark sweater. His face didn’t match his casual clothes.
“Hi, Peter. What’s wrong? Oh my, you look worried. It’s not something Elijah has said, is it?” I asked.
“No, no, nothing like that, he has been in a serious accident,” he said looking distraught.
“My God, is he okay? Is there anything I can do?” I replied.
“It’s alright, just give me any messages to do with work, and I’ll take care of it for him,” he said.
“Of course, whatever you and he need, just let me know,” I said
“Thanks, I appreciate it,” he’s lucky to have you as an employee. “He does think highly of you.”
“So, how did it happen, the accident?” I asked Peter as he took a seat and a deep breath.
“They are not sure why it happened, but he did show signs of alcohol in his blood so he must have been drinking. They found him and his bike on the mile flat between here and the other side of the hill,” he said.
“What was he doing all the way over there?” I asked with a puzzled expression om my face.
“He goes out on his bike sometimes to let off steam, he has always said the pressures stay out of his head that way, and it’s the only time he feels totally free,” Peter said.
“You did say they know how it happened,” I asked with concern.
“Ah, yes, the emergency services and the police reckon he was at top speed on his bike and drove straight into that freezing rain we had. They said, there was no way he would have been able to control it at that speed, especially if he was trying to slow down as the road would have become very slippery very quickly,” Peter explained.
“So, is he in a conscious condition or what?” I asked.
“He’s in a critical condition, but they said it could have been much worse. Had he not worn such a good jacket and helmet, the speed he crashed and hit the road at would have cut straight through,” he said.
"He was extremely lucky then, and he was lucky someone actually found him, he could have been lying there all night,” I replied as my stomach sickened from the news.
“Of course, he has a broken shoulder and a heavy concussion which is the biggest concern,” Peter said with his head bowed. “The doctors actually said that the traces of alcohol might have helped his body relax as he fell from his bike. So, it could have been much worse if he had not been drinking.”
“Anyway, I need to get back to the hospital and see how he’s getting on, just let me know if there are any messages for him, or if there is anything else that I need to do," Peter got up and started to walk back toward the elevator.
I sat and thought about what Peter just told me. I had a feeling of remorse for all the bad things I said about him over the past couple of weeks. I mean, he might be a dick, but he’s a human after all, and no one deserves for that to happen to them, no matter what anyone says.
There was no way I could go straight home, so I called Mandy to see if she was available for a chat. She told me she was always available for me, after all, that’s what friends are for, she reminded me.
I arrived at Mandy’s house, and as always, she stood waiting at the door, she sensed there was something wrong by the way I shuffled toward her house, with my head bowed rather than looking at her. She came out with some sarcastic comment anyway.
“So, what brings a girl like you out on a night like this, eh?” she asked. “And why the hunched shoulders? What’s up?”
“It’s Elijah, he has…” I started to say.
“Don’t tell me the dick has been shouting his mouth off again?” she asked as she screwed her mouth up in disgust.
“I wish it were that easy, he has been in a bad motorcycle accident and is in a critical condition, Peter came and told me just before lunch time.” Tears blurred my vision.
“Well, if you ask me, it couldn’t have happened to a nicer person. Obviously, he deserved it, and he does deserve everything that comes his way,” she said in an angry tone.
“Now come on Mandy, that is a little unfair, no one deserves that to happen to them,” I retorted in anger.
“Well he has been a total dick toward you. You should stop being so naïve with everything,” she replied.
“Well I’m not like you, maybe that is the difference between a city girl and a country girl?” I asked. “Accidents happen, and they are forced on people no matter who they are, that is why they are called accidents.”
“Well, in my eyes, it might make him realize a few things, he’s not as immortal and unbreakable as he thought he was,” she said. “He’s just human after all, just like you and me, and no matter how much money or power you have, there is no way you can avoid something like this.”