All That’s Left

This story contains descriptions of a serous injury

At the intersection, I could go right and head home – but turning left would take me back. Back to Rose.

I felt my chest tighten as I made the choice. I turned right.

As I spun the wheel, a large minivan blew through a red light and slammed full speed into my old Toyota.

Everything went dark.

Shit, I thought, realizing I couldn’t move. A faint beeping echoed somewhere. I felt a brush against my cheek – light and fluttering, like the wings of a dragonfly.

Shit, I thought again as my eyes cracked open.

“You tried to avoid me,” said a voice thick with hurt.

Rose hovered beside me, wings still, eyes full of pain. Her buzzed pink hair framed a sharp face. She wore a short floral dress and black nail polish. She was barely the size of my forearm but somehow always terrifying when angry.

“Sorry,” I croaked through broken teeth. My throat burned. “I thought you’d be mad.”

“I am mad!” She burst out. “You could’ve died!”

“Well, isn’t it your job to protect me?”

She let out a hollow laugh. “Do you know how much trouble I’m in because of what you did?”

“I said I’m sorry…”

“Whatever,” she muttered, turning away.

“Your wings are in my face,” I said after a pause.

“Then move.”

“I… I really can’t.”

Reality was starting to sink in. I was on a hospital bed, an IV dripping into my vein, a brace clamping my neck. Something heavy pressed against my spine. The memory of the crash was still fuzzy.

“Oh, you’re awake!” Chirped a high-pitched voice. A nurse in white stepped in, a bright smile stretched across her face.

“How are you feeling, honey?”

I wondered how many times she’d had to fake that smile. “I’m… fine.”

“You’ve been in a bad car crash,” she said gently. “Is there anyone you’d like us to call?”

Before I could reply, another figure appeared in the doorway.

“Hi,” said the man, kind eyes behind glasses. “I’m Dr. Steve.”

I tried to nod, but the brace held me stiff.

“How bad are my teeth?” I asked, running my tongue along the jagged edges.

“You broke a couple,” he said gently.

He paused. “You also fractured a few ribs and vertebrae – one in your neck, two in your lower back.” His voice dropped lower. “What’s your pain level right now?”

“Not awful, actually,” I said, surprised. I glanced at the IV. That had to be one hell of a drug.

Still, nothing felt worse than the dead-weight sensation of my body.

“Sorry,” I added, realizing I’d spaced out. “Can I go pee?”

The nurse and doctor exchanged a look.

“You have a catheter, sweetie,” said the nurse, pointing to a half-filled bag. My stomach churned.

“Ellie, did you hear what I said before?” Asked the doctor.

“No, sorry. I zoned out.”

“It’s okay.” He smiled gently. “I just want to check your motor function.”

He raised his hand, demonstrating a motion. I mimicked it with effort. My arms felt like lead, but they moved. Relief flickered across his face.

“Good,” he said. “It doesn’t look like there’s much loss of function in your upper limbs.”

“What about my legs?” I asked.

But I already knew.

That strange numbness wasn’t pain exactly – just hollow awareness. I could feel the weight of the blanket on my thighs, but the sensation of fabric on my skin was gone. It was like having pins and needles… only without the pins and needles. Just the absence.

Dr. Steve sat down.

“There was some spinal cord damage from the lower fractures. It’s possible you’ll recover some function. But… We can’t say for sure. You may not be able to walk again.”

I swallowed in silence, trying to gauge my emotions. Honestly, I took the news better than I expected.

Of course this would happen to me. Why wouldn’t it?

He kept talking. I stopped hearing him.

“Sweetheart, is there anyone we can call?” The nurse asked again.

“Yeah,” I said. “My friend Layla.”

They left the room.

I sighed.

“Can you please leave me alone?”

Rose stood up from behind a fake plant in the corner. I rolled my eyes.

My guardian fairy.

“I’m not leaving,” she said, her voice shaking. “I’m not like you. I won’t leave you all alone.”

“I’m sorry I left, Rosy. I really am. But now’s not the time for this.”

“It happened because you left,” she said, louder now. “Can’t you see that? I told you to come back before it was too late. Why did you turn away?”

I didn’t respond. She kept going, her voice cracking.

“Our bond was so weak, I barely even felt it when it happened…” she wiped a tear. “I had to go out and search for you.”

“You’re right,” I said quietly. “I should have come to apologize and say goodbye as I planned. But when I got there…”

I exhaled. “I don’t know why I turned away. I guess… I just wanted to go home.”

“But the village is your home!” She cried.

“No, it’s your home. I was just… left there.”

“But we’re family,” she whispered.

My chest tightened.

She fumbled for tiny tissue papers from her little handbag.

It was a ridiculous, heartbreaking sight.

“You’re my guardian fairy,Rose.” I said softly. “I don’t have a family.”

The silence that followed landed like a slap. I hadn’t meant it so harshly, but… maybe I had.

“I’m sorry you feel that way,” Rose said finally. “But you do know I would help you with anything, right?”

I sighed. “That’s why I left.”

The brace dug into my neck. My bladder emptied again into the catheter. I was so tired.

“I wanted to feel something real,” I said. “I wanted to fail. Or succeed. Just… to know it was me. That’s why I left for college - To finally do something on my own.”

Rose blinked. “But you’re not different than anyone else,” she said, baffled. “Everyone has a guardian fairy.”

Technically, she was right. Every human is born with a guardian fairy. But most people don’t know theirs. I was raised by mine – by all of them. I was dropped into a fairy village as a baby.

They fed me. Schooled me. Loved me. Helped me. A lot.

But I never felt in control. Every test I passed, every success I earned – was cushioned by Rose’s touch. It wasn’t me. It was us.

Maybe other people had help too. But at least they had the illusion of freedom.

“It’s not the same,” I summarized.

I didn’t think she’d understand. It wasn’t her fault – she was made to be that way.

I just wanted to live in a regular house for once. Earn things on my own. Make a choice and feel it – the win or the failure.

And now I had.

“Ellie,” she said quietly. “If you’d died… I would’ve died too. You know that, right?”

I closed my eyes. The guilt hit harder than any collision.

I had ruined everything.

“I’m so sorry, Rose,” I whispered. “I took the wrong turn. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

Tears streamed down my face, soaking into the brace. But Rose didn’t yell.

She didn’t look mad anymore.

She gently landed on the blanket covering my legs and began wiping my tears with tiny pieces of tissue paper.

“Everything will be alright,” she said softly. “We’re in this together.”

She climbed onto the bed beside me. I took her tiny hand in mine.

“How’s your pain?” She asked.

“Not too bad,” I said.

“Good.” She smiled, satisfied.

I suddenly wondered if she had something to do with that.

“How are your feet now?”

Before I could answer, the hospital door swung open again, and Rose flew away quickly.

The nurse returned. “I’m sorry, honey, your friend wasn’t available.”

She glanced at my swollen, tear-streaked face with visible pity.

“Is there anyone else we can call? Family? An aunt? An uncle?”

“No,” I said. “I’m fine, thank you.” I looked towards the fake plant, where a pair of wings rested quietly. “I’ve got everyone I need right here.”

The nurse blinked, clearly confused. Her mouth opened slightly- then closed again. She changed my IV, swapped out the catheter bag, offered a sympathetic smile, and left.

And suddenly, the weight of everything came crashing down.

In every way, this was a nightmare.

But for the first time in a long while… I felt safe.

Maybe the right turn wasn’t home after all.

Maybe home was all that was left.