Lyn05
07-17-2013, 06:08 AM
I remembered feeling upset because it had been my birthday, but Mom had bought Eric a gift too. I had gotten a beautiful patchwork teddy bear, made with denim and cloth with floral print. Eric, on the other hand, had gotten his gift after whining about mine. Mom had refused at first, but eventually gave in and bought him a red Hot Wheels bike.
"Oh, stop sulking already. He's your little brother, so give in alright? I promise when his birthday comes around, you'll get a present too okay?" Mom turned around to look at the two of us walking behind her. Eric was making "voooom!" sounds while I clutched my bear unhappily.
We had been on our way home after going to McDonalds for my birthday treat. Eric kept waving his toy in front of me, asking me to play with him. I got so irritated I snatched his bike and threw it aside.
*
She was on the ground with blood trickling steadily from her forehead. There was a pool of blood at her legs. She laid very still, her eyes reflecting the azure sky above, but her chest rose and fell gently. She was still alive. What was I supposed to do? I tried to recall what I'd seen in on TV. Pressure to the wound. Right.
"Somebody, ca-call the ambulance!" I stammered as I pulled the sleeves of my sweatshirt over my palms and pressed them firmly on her head.
"Already did." The driver of the van that hit her replied. I glanced at him and saw him run his hand through his messy brown hair. He was staring at the girl with grave concern when he said, "What were you thinking? Stopping in the middle of the road. Now look what happened."
As if she was going to reply in her condition.
I took a closer look at her. She looked familiar. I'd seen her in linguistics class before. Catherine...Kathy...Kate. Kate Woods. "Kate?" I said. "Don't worry, okay? The ambulance is on its way. You'll be fine."
Her brown eyes met mine, and in that moment an emotion ran through them as they widened slightly. She looked like she was going to say something. Then another emotion seeped in. That one I recognised. I often saw it in my mother's eyes. Disappointment.
I was going to say something else, more reassurances, but just then the ambulance-and police-arrived.
In the flurry of everything-the police talking to the driver, the small crowd murmuring from the sides, the paramedics attending to Kate and there was one who was asking me something- I kept thinking I had forgotten something. Something important; it had to do with the call I received earlier. I was struggling to process whatever it was when Kate got hit.
What were you thinking? The driver's words suddenly popped into my head. Stopping in the middle of the road. Guilt overwhelmed me as the realisation hit me, and I felt like I couldn't breathe. The driver wasn't talking to Kate.
Kate had run onto the road.
The one who stopped was me-and Kate had pushed me out of the way.
*
I was on cold, hard ground. My life was not flashing past me, so I figured I wasn't dying.
Someone's hand was pressing on my forehead. It was warm and nice. It reminded me of how Mom used to stroke my head every night as she put me in bed. And how she'd read Eric and I stories...there was one we'd particularly liked. Something about an enchanted tree, and there was a character whose name was moon...moon something...
Pain distracted me from sweet memories. My right leg was hurting really badly but I didn't dare to move to take a look. Instead, I stared at the sky, hoping the clouds would somehow get me through this.
"What were you thinking? Stopping in the middle of the road. Now look what happened." A man's voice came from above me. I couldn't see him. Don't blame him, I thought. It's not his fault.
Then I heard him call my name, and I felt pure relief. I had managed to save him after all. I'd tell him afterward that I'm sorry about throwing his bike onto the road, and I'd play with him for as long as he'd liked. But when his face came into view, my heart sank. The boy with dark hair was not Eric. I'd seen him before, somewhere...Jacob...Jack...Jake. Jake something. Can't remember.
As Jake spoke to me, I recalled seeing him cross the road. He was on the phone, and then he suddenly stopped. The horn blasted from an oncoming van, and everything slowed. In that moment, I swore I saw Eric standing there, picking up his red toy bike, and the car was approaching him fast. It was going too fast to stop in time. Eric turned to look at me as he held on to his bike like it would save his life. His eyes were filled with fear and a cry was forming on his face when-
The sirens could be heard from a distance Next thing I knew, I was being put on a stretcher and something stung my arm. A needle. The pain in my leg went away and I felt myself drifting off.
The last thing I thought about was how I had to save Eric, how that was the only thing on my mind when I had sprinted towards Jake.
*
"Oh, stop sulking already. He's your little brother, so give in alright? I promise when his birthday comes around, you'll get a present too okay?" Mom turned around to look at the two of us walking behind her. Eric was making "voooom!" sounds while I clutched my bear unhappily.
We had been on our way home after going to McDonalds for my birthday treat. Eric kept waving his toy in front of me, asking me to play with him. I got so irritated I snatched his bike and threw it aside.
*
She was on the ground with blood trickling steadily from her forehead. There was a pool of blood at her legs. She laid very still, her eyes reflecting the azure sky above, but her chest rose and fell gently. She was still alive. What was I supposed to do? I tried to recall what I'd seen in on TV. Pressure to the wound. Right.
"Somebody, ca-call the ambulance!" I stammered as I pulled the sleeves of my sweatshirt over my palms and pressed them firmly on her head.
"Already did." The driver of the van that hit her replied. I glanced at him and saw him run his hand through his messy brown hair. He was staring at the girl with grave concern when he said, "What were you thinking? Stopping in the middle of the road. Now look what happened."
As if she was going to reply in her condition.
I took a closer look at her. She looked familiar. I'd seen her in linguistics class before. Catherine...Kathy...Kate. Kate Woods. "Kate?" I said. "Don't worry, okay? The ambulance is on its way. You'll be fine."
Her brown eyes met mine, and in that moment an emotion ran through them as they widened slightly. She looked like she was going to say something. Then another emotion seeped in. That one I recognised. I often saw it in my mother's eyes. Disappointment.
I was going to say something else, more reassurances, but just then the ambulance-and police-arrived.
In the flurry of everything-the police talking to the driver, the small crowd murmuring from the sides, the paramedics attending to Kate and there was one who was asking me something- I kept thinking I had forgotten something. Something important; it had to do with the call I received earlier. I was struggling to process whatever it was when Kate got hit.
What were you thinking? The driver's words suddenly popped into my head. Stopping in the middle of the road. Guilt overwhelmed me as the realisation hit me, and I felt like I couldn't breathe. The driver wasn't talking to Kate.
Kate had run onto the road.
The one who stopped was me-and Kate had pushed me out of the way.
*
I was on cold, hard ground. My life was not flashing past me, so I figured I wasn't dying.
Someone's hand was pressing on my forehead. It was warm and nice. It reminded me of how Mom used to stroke my head every night as she put me in bed. And how she'd read Eric and I stories...there was one we'd particularly liked. Something about an enchanted tree, and there was a character whose name was moon...moon something...
Pain distracted me from sweet memories. My right leg was hurting really badly but I didn't dare to move to take a look. Instead, I stared at the sky, hoping the clouds would somehow get me through this.
"What were you thinking? Stopping in the middle of the road. Now look what happened." A man's voice came from above me. I couldn't see him. Don't blame him, I thought. It's not his fault.
Then I heard him call my name, and I felt pure relief. I had managed to save him after all. I'd tell him afterward that I'm sorry about throwing his bike onto the road, and I'd play with him for as long as he'd liked. But when his face came into view, my heart sank. The boy with dark hair was not Eric. I'd seen him before, somewhere...Jacob...Jack...Jake. Jake something. Can't remember.
As Jake spoke to me, I recalled seeing him cross the road. He was on the phone, and then he suddenly stopped. The horn blasted from an oncoming van, and everything slowed. In that moment, I swore I saw Eric standing there, picking up his red toy bike, and the car was approaching him fast. It was going too fast to stop in time. Eric turned to look at me as he held on to his bike like it would save his life. His eyes were filled with fear and a cry was forming on his face when-
The sirens could be heard from a distance Next thing I knew, I was being put on a stretcher and something stung my arm. A needle. The pain in my leg went away and I felt myself drifting off.
The last thing I thought about was how I had to save Eric, how that was the only thing on my mind when I had sprinted towards Jake.
*