FicWad

Chapter One:

Standing on the corner of Fifth and Freemont she huffed a warm breath on to her frozen fingers. Chicago winters were never friendly. That was a lesson she'd learned years before. Pulling her coat tighter around her midsection she stepped into the crosswalk. It was the headlights she didn't see. And when she did, it was already ten seconds too late.

Peter Wentz was driving south bound on Fifth Street. Downtown at night in early December had always been on of his favorite things about this city. He fumbled lazily with the book of Cds on the seat beside him, glancing at the street light ahead. He barely took notice, until it flicked from yellow to red. The road before him held his full attention now, and his eyes narrowed on the figure passing over the white lined cement. His foot mashed down the break, but it was too little too late. He looked on in horror as that body and his car collided.

He came to moments later surrounded by blurring lights and fogging voices asking if he was alright. He fought off the hand that was wiping the blood from his brow, there were more important matters at hand. Like figuring out if he'd just killed someone. He tried in vain to form the words, I'm okay. But he was sure they came out slurred. He watched as the loaded the crumpled figure on to a stretcher and loaded it in the screeching, blinking ambulance.

Sometime later Elizabeth Finn woke in a what she assumed to be a hospital bed, or heaven. The lights were so blinding she couldn't be sure.

"Good evening doll face. Glad you could make it. I'm April, your nurse." Elizabeth blinked a few times as the plump, older woman with graying blonde hair came into focus. She swallowed hard at the dry lump in her throat and tried to form words, but nothing comprehensible came out.

"Now don't get yourself all in fuss, I'll tell you what happened." April sat at the foot of her bed, "You were crossing the street in downtown, awful late at night for a nice girl like you to be out alone, and you were hit by a car. And amazingly enough, you and the young man that hit you made it out with barely more than scratches and bruises. Aside from your leg and all." Elizabeth's eyes widened. "Your leg honey, its broken. A few weeks time and you'll be back on both your feet."

A few weeks time, she panicked inwardly, she didn't have a few weeks time. She had a job, with an ungrateful boss, and rent. Then it hit her, she also had a five floor walk up with no elevator.
"You rest easy doll face. That medication will do a number on a girl, and you've got company out in the waiting room." April smiled before standing, she checked Elizabeth's vitals once more before making her exit. Elizabeth sighed softly and closed her eyes, who could possibly be waiting to see her?

On the other side of the hallway Peter Wentz found himself sitting uncomfortably in a plastic chair awaiting any news on the girl he'd hit with his mother's Nissan. The nurse he'd previously spoken to exited the room in which he knew she slept, More comfortably than he had, he hoped, appeared in the doorway before him.

"Hey there honey. She's awake now, but not quite up to seeing faces yet. So I suspect you ought to go home and rest that injured body of yours. You're doing neither of the two of you any good spending the night balled up in that chair. She'll be here in the morning, that much I can promise." She smiled at him again before bidding him a good night and warned jokingly that she'd have him tossed out if he wasn't gone by her next set of rounds.

His mind fluttered back to the conversation he'd shared with his best friend, and band mate Patrick, minutes before.

"Trick I messed up big time," He said with a cracked voice, "I think I may have killed someone."

"Pete, what in god's name are you babbling about? Are you aware what time of the morning it is?" Patrick's voice was rough with sleep, and slightly more grouchy than Pete had expected.

"I...Patrick there was an accident. I hit someone. And I'm not sure if they're okay." Pete paced the empty hallway holding the icepack he'd been handed to his swollen eye. There was a gash just above his left brow. He was sure it'd leave a nasty scar.

"Calm down," Patrick said sitting up in the bed he'd previously been asleep in. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and mimicked Pete's pacing in his own hallway. "I'll be there as soon as I can. Where are you? Are you hurt?"

"Mercy. Downtown. I called my mom, told her I was fine. That I didn't want her to come down, I'd call you to get me. Just a few bruised ribs from the safety belt, and some scraps. Nothing major. Thanks Trick, you're the best."

Patrick nodded his head, pulling on the closest pair of jeans he could find. " I know I know. Sit tight." He closed the phone and pocketed it before slipping on a pair of shoes and heading for the hospital.

Pete looked up to the doorway again, noticing another shadow pass. He hoped it was Patrick and not hospital security. The last thing he needed was press about being kicked out for stalking his victim. He swallowed hard at that thought, a victim. He had a victim. His wish was met with sight that met his eyes. Standing before him was a rather sleepy, worried and slightly irritated Patrick Stump.

Pete smiled wearily at him, "Let's just go home. I'll see her in the morning. Then I can thing of a better excuse than, Sorry I was changing Cds."