A Memory Faded - [Eighteen]

It’s never good when you’re home alone and get a phone call at 1a.m.
Fletcher picked it up from his bedside, and gave a tired answer.
“Hello?”
There were a few seconds of silence that made the hairs on the back of Fletcher’s neck stand up. He repeated himself, and a few more seconds of silence came about. He put the phone down and turned over, facing the wall, clutching his pillow close to his chest, like something was after his heart. He smiled. Even if they did want his, they’d have to go up the road to number 29. Because his heart was with her. He laughed, breaking the chilling silence. He sounded so darn cheesy but he meant it regardless.
His cellphone began to vibrate, and illuminated the ceiling above his desk. Stumbling out of bed, he ran over and checked the caller ID. ‘Mom’.
“Hey, mom. What’s up?”
“Fletcher…your sister is…”
“She’s what?”
The sound of sobbing and sniffing and the sound of his father in the background saying, ‘just hold on to me, Alice, stay with me’ was very disconcerting.
“She’s really ill. We’re having to pay for the operation on credit, but…”
Fletcher heard ‘I’m sorry ma’am but you can’t use your cellphone in here…’
“MOM!!”
The phone went dead. Fletcher tossed it against the wall, his tiredness now replaced with rage and sadness. How was he going to get to the hospital in time? Racking his brains, he tried to collect his thoughts. The motorcycle in the garage! His dad always insisted on keeping the tank full, and now Fletcher knew why.
The sound of the engine kicking into life first-time was a godsend. Locking up the house, he ran and jumped onto the bike, forgetting he hadn’t ridden one in several years. Kicking off the stand he felt his body supporting the immense weight of the machine. Pulling on the throttle, he soared down the road, past Alex’s house towards the side of town the hospital was on.
The roads were mostly empty, but the sides were full of parked cars. He had to keep concentrating, he couldn’t lose control, not now, not ever. As he was riding, a van pulled out and slammed into his side. The bike fell, and he slid fifteen feet down the boulevard. Rolling onto his back, Fletcher felt pain sear through his leg. It was probably broken at the thigh. Pulling himself up against a car, he limped towards the still running motorcycle. The driver came across to him.
“Are you alright kid?”
“Just get off me, I gotta get to the hospital…”
“Damn right you do, your leg’s bleeding like crazy!”
Fletcher looked down and noticed his beige combat trousers turning a dark shade of brown. Shaking his head, he tried to pull up the motorcycle and let out a gasp of pain. The van driver shook his head. Looking at Fletcher’s sweat-ridden, pale face, he picked up the motorcycle and turned off the engine.
“We’ll put this in the back of the van, and I’ll get you to the emergency room.”
“Okay…”
Fletcher stared across the junction at a red light, it swayed in front of him, and then everything closed in upon him.
“Oh God,” he gasped, and fell to the ground. The van driver peered around the door and saw Fletcher laid in the middle of the road, blood now seeping from his leg out onto the blacktop. Fletcher’s last thoughts concerned not his sister, not even his own predicament, but Alex.
“If I’m going to die, I’d better see her one last time before I do…"