“Another red light... of course,” I thought to myself. When you live in New York City, leaving 5 minutes before your first interview is not a good idea. After 4 years of med school, I still haven’t learned to be on time.

New York is way overpopulated and has the worst traffic in the whole world, but really is a  beautiful city. The diversity, the parks, the trees, the holidays-it’s no wonder so many people live here. And now I am officially part of the population, a resident of New York City. An unemployed one if I don’t hurry. I really couldn’t let the panic take over realizing the world I now have and how it was only the beginning of a new life... until it wasn’t. It was just... black.

I didn’t see her car, I really didn’t. I was late, in a hurry. I thought I had time to make the

light, at least a couple seconds. I didn’t think, it happened so fast. One minute everything was

fine, and then, it wasn’t. It was loud, and hard, and then... black. The difference between her and me; I woke up.

People always say your life can change in the blink of an eye. I am a prime believer in that. This morning I was some average guy on my way to work. I was late and driving too fast and careless like every other New Yorker. This afternoon, I’m a patient in the hospital. I just woke up, with minor bruises and a little concussion. She didn’t. Who is she?

All the doctors could tell me was I hit a girl. Her name was Aurora and she was in her late 20’s. She was rushed into surgery immediately after the accident for internal bleeding and many other problems. The impact from my car might have permanently damaged the occipital lobe and the temporal lobe of her brain, and she wasn’t waking up. They weren’t sure she would. She couldn’t even breathe on her own, she was hooked up to a machine. The odds were completely against her. As I got discharged, she was just there. Nobody is here for her yet. Not even her family. She’s all alone. I can’t leave, I won’t leave. Not until I know she’s okay.

It’s been over 12 hours since the incident, and no one.

And then, they came. What seemed like a ton of people piled in the waiting room frantically asking for news on Aurora. There wasn’t any. She was still unconscious and all they could do was wait. They took turns going back to see her and sit with her. And I sat here, watching, waiting, and hoping. As the hours continued, more people came. After the chaos of people, I waited until no one was in the room to go see her. To see the girl whose life I had just destroyed, whose family filled the hospital and whose hearts I just broke.

Wow. She was beautiful. Long, curly, blonde hair. Pale skin, so soft and so peaceful. So perfect. I can only imagine she felt the complete opposite on the inside. Or did she feel at all?

What was it like? Could she hear me? I don’t how long I sat there looking at her, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. “She’s beautiful isn’t she?” An older women who quickly introduced herself to me as her grandmother. “Entirely.”

“Are you a friend of Auroras?” No, I thought. I don’t even know. I’m the reason she’s here, I’m the reason you’re all here, and I can’t tell you how sorry I am. “Um, yes ma'am”. I wish I could have told the truth, I wish I could have tried to explain, I just couldn’t. “I brought dinner for everyone, are you hungry?” she asked. I was starving. We walked back into the waiting room. Her mother, Rose, walked back to sit with Aurora. I soon realized they wouldn’t leave her alone. They constantly made sure someone was sitting with her, holding her hand, talking to her.

Her grandma sat me down with the whole family as we ate. They all had so many stories. The more I heard, the more I wanted to know. Aurora had just moved to the city. Her family was from a small town in Oregon. She moved across the world by herself, and today was, well today was supposed to be her first day working at the hospital as pediatric doctor. She spent the summer interning in Africa with a group of doctors attending to children in need, with hopes of one day starting a nonprofit hospital there. Wow. Beautiful, smart, and somehow had the kindest heart of anyone I had ever known. Only, I didn’t know her.

The hospital waiting room started to clear of friends and family as they took turns going back to the hotel. Her mother and grandmother though, never left. I had yet to see Rose break down. I was actually quite surprised with how well she had held it all together. She refused to leave her side, and her

grandmother refused to leave her mother's side. What I didn’t realize, was, I never left either.