She was hooked up to so many machines that she looked like a cyborg. The rhythmic beeping of machines was nothing but white noise in Shayla’s head. She was sitting in an armchair that she had moved next to the bed. She held Grace’s hand and stared at her disfigured body. Of course, it was nothing compared to the almost unrecognizable form on the sidewalk, but something about seeing her in pain hurt Shayla even more.

A nurse walked in with a clipboard and began jotting something down. She left without saying a word, but several moments later, a cop knocked on the open door and waited by the doorway. Shayla looked at him for a moment before nodding and returning her gaze to Grace. He took a seat on the other side of the bed. He leaned in and rested his forearms on his legs.

“I’m Officer Hadley,” he said, “I’m sorry about what happened.”

Shayla swallowed, “What exactly did happen?”

“She was hit by a car on the highway,” he said.

“Obviously,” she laughed, “It was on purpose though, right? She jumped in front of an unsuspecting driver?”

“That’s what she claims.”

“Officer, this wasn’t an accident,” she looked at him, “This was a failed suicide attempt.”

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“How can you be sure?”

“Because it’s happened before.”

Officer Hadley gave a sincere look, “I’m sorry. It must be very difficult for you.”

“Yeah,” she said, “Yeah. It is, but you wanna know the hardest part? I have no fucking clue why she keeps doing it.”

“Sometimes people just do what they think they have to do,” he said, “Even when there’s better options.”

“But why?”

“Because they don’t see what’s right in front of them.”

Shayla was silent.

Officer Hadley stood up, “Again, I’m very sorry for what you’re going through. If you have any questions about the driver’s prosecution, give me a call.”

She took the card and he left. Shayla was left alone with her lover once again. Her breath was shaky.

“Why do you keep doing this to me, Grace?” she asked, “Why would you do it in the first place? I know times were tough, but we had each other. You’ve always helped me through hard times. I want to be able to help you too. I want to help you be strong.”

She squeezed Grace’s hand and let a tear fall. To her surprise, the hand squeezed back.

“Grace?”

The body lie motionless. Shayla let herself be disappointed. It was probably just a muscle spasm, after all.