The diner was quiet for a change. The usual buzz of conversation, clinking dishes, and the hum of the coffee machine had faded into the background. Rainy days always meant fewer customers. I was grateful for the reprieve. As I wiped down the counter, trying to keep myself busy.
Another thunderclap rumbled throughout the dinner shaking the windows and I braced myself against the counter and I jumped. My anxiety was still as high as it had been when Arwen and dad had made their way to the appointment. The rain drummed against the windows, the view out them completely obscured. Figures were looking ghostly as they passed outside the diner. The downpour made the streets slick and the air heavy with tension. I sighed and went back to clearing the counter.
The doorbell rang as I was talking with Joan. She motioned me to turn, concern clear on her face.
"Iris," Kai's voice said, strained and too calm, that I completely turned around.
"Iris," she said again, her eyes wide and brow knit in a serious expression. I looked her over and she grabbed my hand and I noted her soaked hair clinging to her face. "We need to talk."
"What is it?" I asked my stomach suddenly in more knots than when the thunderclap had sounded, my heart hammering in my chest. The way she was standing there, dripping and out of breath, told me this wasn't going to be good.
"It's your Dad and Arwen," she started, she looked down at her hands, and her voice cracked. "They were in an accident."
I felt like I was immediately gutted. The air stopped flowing to my lungs and I realized I wasn't breathing. As everything around me seemed to blur, the diner fading into the background as her words sank in.
Joan put her hand on my arm and I took in a breath. My hands gripped the edge of the counter so hard my knuckles turned white. "What do you mean, an accident?" My voice was barely above a whisper.
Kai swallowed hard, stepping closer. "The storm… their car flipped. I don't know all the details yet, but an ambulance took them away. They were both in the car, Iris."
I looked at the time on the wall and noticed that they had to have been driving back home. Joan stabilized me and I again felt the room swirl.
My heart pounded in my ears as I couldn't breathe. My vision swam blackening at the edges, and I felt like I was drowning in the words she'd just said.
"Snow, honey, you need to sit down, Kai let's get her in booth four."
They lead me to the booth and I put my head in my hands imagining them both.
Arwen. Dad. The rain, the screeching tires, the flashing lights in my head—all of it hit me at once.
I shook my head, trying to focus, trying to ground myself in the moment. I looked at Kai finally able to form words "Are they… alive?" The question tasted bitter on my tongue, and I wasn't sure if I even wanted to hear the answer. Joan hugged me and applied reassurance with her arm draped over my shoulder.
Kai sighed, and her face softened, and she nodded. "They're alive, but they're hurt, Iris. I don't know how bad, mom got the call as your dad's emergency contact. She sent me to get you, so when you are ready we really need to go."
I stood up out of the booth ready to run to Arwen and Dad. But my legs wouldn't cooperate. My feet felt heavy like I was walking through water, but I didn't care. I had to get to them. I had to see them. My mind was racing, filled with images of the car, of Arwen's small, fragile body, of my dad's hands on the wheel, always so steady until now.
Without thinking, I ripped off my apron and threw it at Joan. She caught it and tossed it behind the counter. My manager started to say something, but Joan shushed them. She said something to them but I didn't hear it.
Kai and I were out the door as the rain whipped around us as I got into her running vehicle.
Kai got in the front seat and we peeled out. Kai held my hand and I sighed heavily. I could barely think, barely breathe, but we were on our way to the hospital, to Dad and Arwen. That was all that mattered.