Chapter 4: Stitches

Joseph notices that the man in the torn shirt has stopped running around frantically... He is nowhere to be seen! Joseph also sees the woman with the dark black hair turn around and head into the jungle. This arouses Joseph's curiosity.

"Hey, Hurley... Can you take care of Claire for a sec? I'll be right back." says Joseph.

"Uh..." replies Hurley.

"Thanks!" Joseph says.

Joseph walks toward the jungle, moves a few stray branches out of his way, and attempts to find the woman with the black hair. He searches for a bit of time, turns around, and bumps into someone...

"Oh, I'm sorry!" the woman with the black hair says.

"Don't worry about it." Joseph replies.

"Um... what's your name?" Joseph asks the woman.

"Kate." the woman replies.

"I'm Joseph. So, what are you looking for in here?" Joseph asks Kate.

"I dunno... I'm just kind of looking around..." Kate replies.

"Yeah, me too." says Joseph. "You know, you remind me of someone..."

"Really? Who?" Kate asks.

"This girl that was a good friend of mine during grade school..." Joseph answers.

"Oh." Kate replies.

Kate moves a branch out of her path to reveal a man sitting on a rock on the beach, his shirt off, his eyes scanning a large gash that the impact of the crash has made on his side. After looking at the man for a second, Joseph realizes that it's the man who had the torn shirt.

The man turns around to see Joseph and Kate staring at him.

"Can you give me a hand here?" asks the man with the gash.

"Of course." the two say, almost simultaneously.

"I need one of you to sew up this gash." says the man with the cut.

Joseph stares at the man reluctantly, but Kate quietly says, "I'll do it..."

FLASHBACK

Joseph is in the 5th grade. He is riding his bike home from school with his two friends, Katie and Marvin, when he attempts to make his bike "jump" from the ground. Unfortunately, his attempt is unsuccessful and causes him to fall to the ground. He is knocked unconscious by the impact of the fall.

Katie and Marvin carry Joseph all the way to his home, tell his parents what had happened, and Joseph's mother calls 9-1-1.

"What's your emergency?" asks the operator.

"My son has fallen off of his bike and has been knocked unconscious!" Joseph's mother screams into the telephone.

The operator asks Joseph's mother for some personal information, such as her address.

"Don't panic, ma'am. An ambulance will be arriving at your house shortly." says the operator.

"Okay. Thank you so much!" Joseph's mother says.

Joseph's mother hangs up the phone.

Shortly after this call is made, the four hear the faint sound of sirens in the distance. In a few more minutes, an ambulance enters their neighborhood and parks within their driveway.

The four quickly carry Joseph to the ambulance, where he is loaded in by the Emergency Response Team. Then, the four jump into the ambulance and the ambulance travels to the closest hospital.

When Joseph is permitted to leave the hospital after his operation, he is driven back to his home by his parents. Joseph is greeted by the cheers and applause of all of the people who live in his neighborhood. Marvin and Katie race from Joseph's front porch to hug Joseph, tears in their eyes.

Joseph has several stitches on his arm and forehead, but his friends don't care. They're just glad that he's back!

END OF FLASHBACK

End Of Chapter 4