A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it took me forever to update this, but I've been busy - plus, I got injured on Thursday. Basically, I was out walking my dog, he saw another dog that he really likes and pulled me 2 feet over pavement. I ended up with a bloody forehead, nose, cheek & chin. The palms of my hands were bleeding, along with the back of my left hand and right knee. I went to the ER and checked out fine - no broken bones, no stitches and no internal injuries.
I've been taking it easy since Thursday and am mostly healed, except for the palms of my hands, the back of my left hand, right knee, forehead & nose.
Part 3 of Shuto Con should be up within the next week, so stay tuned!
From,
Lucky
PART TWO
It was the afternoon of March 31st and Sara and her father were at the airport, waiting for Roger and his friends to come through the terminal.
Sara was bored out of her mind. She had read the Manga she had brought twice, texted James, played a few games on her phone until her battery died and listened to music on her dad's phone until he needed it to call someone from work.
When Roger texted Sara last night, he said that he would be wearing a red T-shirt and jeans. Sara told him that she was wearing a blue shirt, jeans and had her hair pulled into a ponytail.
"SARA! UNCLE THOMAS!" Roger's voice startled Sara out of her daydream. She screeched happily and ran to greet her cousin and his friends. She hugged Roger first before hugging Mimi, Mark, Collins, Maureen, Angel and Joanne.
Roger went to talk with his uncle while Sara caught up with Roger's friends. She helped them with their luggage and showed them the way to where the van was parked.
Sara sat up front with her dad while Roger and everyone climbed in back. The gang had come a few days early so they could go shopping for costumes and sightsee.
Unfortunately, Sara had school the following day, so she quickly did her homework, took Buddy for a walk and took care of a few last-minute chores before helping her dad with dinner before going to bed.
She then said goodnight to her dad, her cousin and her cousin's friends before heading to bed.
The next morning, Sara got up early. Collins, Angel and Joanne were awake when Sara came into the kitchen after she had been in the barn checking on the horses before heading to school.
"What are you guys doing up?" Sara asked as she made herself breakfast.
"We're always up this early." Collins responded as he took a sip of his coffee.
Sara chatted with them for a while before getting herself ready for school.
After school, Sara dropped her bag in her room, had a quick snack and headed to the barn. She didn't have any homework – she had gotten it all done in study hall.
"I'm gonna ride for a bit." Sara announced to her dad and the gang.
"Mind if I come? I like horses." Roger told his cousin. Sara nodded and led him to the barn.
"How about you ride Piano Man. Is that okay?" Sara asked. Roger nodded and followed her to the tack room so they could brush the horses and tack them up before going on the trail.
"Sara, can I talk to you about something?" Roger asked once they were on the trail. The trail was wide enough for four horses to ride side-by-side comfortably.
"Um, sure." Sara answered.
"Firstly, how was your day?"
"It was okay."
"Secondly, Maureen and Joanne had to go back to New York. They said they'll be back in time for Con."
"What? What happened?"
"Maureen's mom had a stroke."
"Oh my God! I'm so sorry!" Sara didn't know what else to say.
"I know you are. I am, too." Roger replied, playing with a knot in Piano Man's mane.
The two of them rode in silence for a while, listening to the horse's hoof beats on the soft dirt trail.
The two of them rode a little longer before heading home. Sara's thoughts were on Maureen's family. She hoped that Maureen's mother would recover quickly.
Roger took care of the horses while Sara went inside to send a card to Maureen's mother. Mark knew the address of the hospital and was happy to write it down for Sara.
When the card was made out, Sara went to the living room to hang out with everyone before dinner was ready. Mimi, Angel, Mark and Collins were on one couch while Sara, Roger and Sara's dad occupied the other one.
"When do Maureen and Joanne get back?" Sara wanted to know.
"In a couple days." Mimi answered.
Dinner was ready and all of them crammed around the round table to eat. Sara and her dad had made stir-fry – one of Sara's favorite meals.
"This is really good. Thanks." Roger thanked his uncle and cousin, excusing himself from the table to get seconds. "Anybody else want some?"
"I do." Angel replied, also excusing herself from the table.
Sara, her dad and Mimi cleared the table and did dishes while everyone else got dessert ready. They were making their own sundaes.
"Oops." Sara said, motioning to her sundae. She had poured too much chocolate syrup. Angel laughed and dipped one of her strawberries in the chocolate syrup and winked at Sara. Sara smiled and winked back at her.
The two of them joined everyone else around the table. Buddy went from person to person, begging for a little something extra.
"Buddy lay down." Roger commanded. Buddy whined and laid at Roger's feet. "Stay."
"You have dogs?" Sara asked.
"I had an Airedale growing up. Her name was Sammy. One of the sweetest dogs I had." Roger replied.
They were now done with their sundaes. Sara put the ingredients away while Mimi and Collins did dishes.
The following day was Saturday and in five days, it would be time for Shuto Con. Sara dug around in her dress up boxes in the basement for suitable clothes. She found a complete outfit for Bellatrix, brought up the outfit and laid it on her couch. She then went to her larger closet and hung up the outfit, except for the wig and wand – she put them in a box and put it above her clothes.
"What do you guys want to do today?" Sara asked as she came into the kitchen. She was wearing a pink tank top and jeans. According to the thermometer, it was 87 degrees out, which was odd for a Michigan April.
"I was thinking since it was so nice outside, why don't we go for either a drive or a bike ride." Collins suggested.
"That sounds great to me." Sara responded, quickly eating a breakfast that consisted of a chocolate chip bagel, cherry cream cheese and orange juice.
A friend of Sara's dad had a bike store and he was happy to let the visitors borrow a few of his bikes. He joked and said that he would put the charges on Sara's dad's tab. Sara laughed and exited the bike shop with her friends.
Sara adjusted her helmet and led the way down the street. She looked over her shoulder once in a while to make sure everyone was following her.
"Where do you guys want to go?" Sara asked.
"Take the lead and we will follow." Collins replied.
Sara smiled and led them downtown, pointing out some of her favorite shops. She also pointed out the best places to get pizza, subs, French fries, burgers and breakfast.
"Bonnie's has a great variety of fish. Dad and I go there sometimes." Sara told the people behind her.
She wasn't looking where she was going and went over a curb. She ended up landing on her right side.
"Oh my God!" Mimi screamed as Sara got off the ground.
"What?" Sara asked, feeling something warm and sticky run down her face. She saw a giant hole in her jeans and both her palms bleeding.
"Let's get you cleaned up, sweetie." Angel said, leading Sara into the nearest building. She then led Sara to the bathroom and carefully peeled Sara's glasses off her face. Trying not to throw up, Angel cleaned Sara up as best as she could.
"Here." Mimi handed a towel full of ice to Angel.
"Hold this to your forehead and between your eyes." Angel told Sara. At this time, Sara was crying and tried to keep her hands steady as she held pressure to her forehead and between her eyes.
"Shh, baby. It's okay. Roger went home to get the van. He, Mark and I are taking you to the emergency room." Angel told Sara, holding her close.
Sara felt strong enough to exit the bathroom and follow Angel outside. She climbed in the back seat as Angel and Mark got in the car.
"Where's the nearest hospital from here?" Roger asked Sara.
"St. Mary's on Pine Street. It's up about five blocks." Sara answered between sobs.
"Honey, it'll be okay. Just lean the seat back and keep applying pressure." Angel told Sara. She put band-aids on Sara's palms and knee.
They reached the hospital five minutes later. Roger dropped Angel, Sara and Mark off at the entrance to the emergency room. A young male nurse came running out the door to greet them.
"Does she need a wheelchair?" the nurse asked. Sara shook her head and followed Angel through security.
She then went to the registration desk and told the nurse behind the counter what happened.
"Oh, you poor thing! I hope you feel better soon." The nurse told her, placing a wristband around Sara's right wrist.
Roger and Angel ended up going with Sara to the room where she would wait for the doctor and nurse. Mark waited in the waiting room, texting the others and Sara's dad – he had gone to Chicago for work and couldn't get back until the following day.
"Hi, Sara. My name is Tiffany and I'm going to take your information, okay?" a nurse said as she came into the room. Sara smiled at her and told her what happened. "Oh, gosh. I'm so sorry."
Tiffany then had Sara sign two forms and went to the next room, saying that the doctor would be in soon to assess Sara.
"Do you want your phone, sweetie?" Roger asked. Sara shook her head just as the doctor came in.
"Hi, I'm Christina and I'll be your doctor. Can you tell me if you have a headache and what your pain level is on a scale from one to ten?"
"I don't have a headache and my pain is about a two." Sara responded. She felt her ears turn red as Christina handed her a pee cup.
"Do your teeth feel loose at all?" Christina inquired. Sara shook her head and looked at her hands. They were shaking, but not as bad as they were earlier.
"I will need a urine sample from you at some point, just to make sure there's no internal damage." Christina told Sara, checking her eyes and ears. She then gently looked in Sara's nose.
Sara nodded and went to the bathroom when Christina exited the room, just to get the sample over and done with.
The three of them waited in the tiny room until a male nurse came to get Sara for her CT Scan. Angel and Roger stayed in the room, since there would be no place for them to wait.
"Hello there." A kind voice reached Sara's ears. She smiled at the stranger. It was a man in a nice-looking suit.
"Hi." Sara responded.
"I'm one of the hospital chaplains. Can you tell me what happened to your pretty face?"
Sara told him what happened. She saw the smile disappear from his face.
"My dear, I'm so sorry. I assume your parents are here?"
"No – my cousin and his friend Angel are here. My dad's out of town and my mom died three years ago." Sara told him. He placed a hand on Sara's shoulder and squeezed it.
"I hope you feel better soon, sweetheart." The chaplain told her.
Shortly after he left, it was time for Sara to go in for her CT Scan. A kind nurse named Rachelle greeted her and helped her onto the large machine in the middle of the room.
Sara stayed calm as she did her CT Scan. The nurse talked her through the procedure and helped her back into bed when it was done.
When Sara was back in her room, she talked with Roger and Angel for a bit before she turned on the TV. She found the sports channel and saw that there was an equestrian competition happening.
She watched the competition for a while before falling asleep. Angel covered Sara with a blanket and her jacket. She then turned off the lights and took a seat next to Roger.
Fifteen minutes later, the doctor came into the room, a smile on her face. Sara sat up and stretched, hopeful for some good news.
"Your results are in and good news – no broken bones, no internal damage and no stitches. I am going to put some protective bandages on your forehead and nose. Please leave these on until they fall off in two to four days. Also, when going outside, put on sunscreen and/or wear a hat." The doctor told Sara as she applied the protective bandages. She then turned to Angel and Roger. "Make sure she takes Tylenol if she gets a headache, which I'm sure will be later today. Also, she can get her bandages wet. Just make sure after she takes a shower, that she pats dry her face dry before she applies the medicine." Christina held up six packets. "Use half of these twice a day."
Christina then went to print off Sara's discharge papers and returned a few minutes later. She then told Sara to take care of herself and if she started feeling dizzy or nauseous to give the hospital a call.
"I will. Thank you for taking good care of me." Sara thanked Christina. Christina smiled and exited the room just as a nurse in purple scrubs entered.
"Hi. I'm Mallory and I'll lead you guys to the exit." The nurse told the three of them. Roger helped Sara off the bed and helped her put on her light jacket.
The three of them followed Mallory toward the entrance of the hospital. She told the three of them to have a nice day and disappeared back into the hospital.
"So, what's the damage?" Mark asked, getting up from his seat.
"No broken bones and no stitches." Roger told his friend as he and Angel helped guide Sara to the car.
Sara took it easy the rest of the day. The others waited on her hand and foot. Mimi, Angel and Mark watched movies with Sara while Roger, Collins, Maureen and Joanne (they had arrived early in the morning the previous day) did all they could for Sara.
At 7:15 that evening, Sara complained that she was tired and went to her room to take a shower and go to bed. When she was finished with her shower, she applied the medicine that the doctor gave her and turned off the light in her bathroom.
She watched a movie on TV for a while before feeling her eyelids grow heavy. Shutting off the TV, she got into a comfortable sleep position and dreamt of the convention.