James, angry, suddenly saw yellow lights popping up in front of his eyes. He wasn't gonna faint, was he? The thought scared him. He'd never fainted before.
The crowd started talking again, but suddenly, everything was quiet, and their voices were slipping away… everything was dark…
James lifted his eyelids open. He felt too weak to move. He tried to sit up, but failed. Had he fainted? He didn't remember anything. "Ow!" James yelled, suddenly aware of the throbbing pain on his ankle. He tried to lift up his ankle, but couldn't do it. He closed his eyes again…
"James!" Kendall and Logan yelled together. Kendall elbowed a kid out of the way, and he and Logan fought their way through the crowd, to their friend.
"What happened?" the trumpet player asked, stunned. "It was probably Liam's bad trumpet playing" one of the girls sniggered.
"James, what…" said Logan, to James, who was lying on the ground. James's eyes fluttered open for a moment. "Looks funny…" he muttered. "He's hallucinating", said Logan. "I think he is." "But, what's wrong?" Kendall asked, bewildered.
A hush fell over the front of the crowd, and gradually spread to the back. People were whispering. "We need a doctor" Logan muttered. James was moving his head side to side, weirdly.
"My ankle…" he muttered. Kendall had a look at the swelling bruise on James's ankle. "I think he sprained it when he fell" said Logan. "He needs a doctor, now!"
Then, suddenly, Katie was there, kneeling next to James, trying to tell something to Kendall, but couldn't seem to get the words out.
"I don't have a phone", said Kendall, but then his eyes widened. "Mom!" he and Katie said together. Katie jumped to her feet, and she, Kendall, and Logan ran off. "Stay with him, and make sure he doesn't get up!" Logan yelled over his shoulder at the band members.
"Come on!" yelled Katie, as they reached the Palm Woods. They knew their way back by now.
Mrs. Schmidt was ironing one of Kendal's shirts, when the three of them burst in. "Mom!" yelled Kendall. "It's James!"
"What's James?" Mrs. Schmidt asked, bemused.
"The band…and the studio…and James fainted…" Kendall babbled.
"Look, I haven't an idea what you're talking about!" Mrs. Schmidt said. "JAMES FAINTED!" Katie burst out.
Mrs. Schmidt ran to get her coat, having no idea where she was going, while Katie hid her face in her hands, and started crying. Kendall wanted to comfort her, but there was no time.
They raced out of 2J. Mrs. Schmidt ordered everyone to clear off, when they got to the studio. She approached James.
"Help him!" Katie said. "Alright" said Mrs. Schmidt in a business-like tone. We'll just…" but before she could finish, they heard a loud siren in the distance. "I didn't call a hospital!" said Kendall, confused. Katie and Logan just shook their heads at him, not understanding them.
The ambulance pulled up next to them, and a guy came out. His nametag said R. Drinkwine.
"I am correct in saying a boy just fainted?" the guy asked. They all nodded, and the guy bent over James, and checked his temperature, and did a lot other things too, that only Logan understood.
"Hmmm…nasty fever" Mr. Drinkwine said. "Heart's kinda slow, too. Yep. This one needs treatment."
He started to pick James up. "No!" Katie burst out, wiping the last of the tears from her eyes. "I won't let you!" She made a grab for James's arm, but missed. "Who called you anyway?"
"Some guy with a trumpet" Mr. Drinkwine replied. "Red uniform, freckles…?" Kendall asked. "Oh, great, not Liam the trumpet player!"
"Mom, that doctor guy's evil" Katie sniffled. "I bet he's not even a real doctor! Even his nametag says he drinks wine!"
Mrs. Schmidt gave Mr. Drinkwine an apologetic look as he placed James on a stretcher. "This is all just from fainting?" Mrs. Schmidt asked anxiously.
"No, apparently he's been under a lot of stress, and he has symptoms of claustrophobia" Mr. Drinkwine said. "Mighta fractured the ankle, and we might have to do a bit of internal stuff."
Katie let out a wail as Mr. Drinkwine drove his truck away.
"Katie, why are you so distressed, anyway?" Mrs. Schmidt asked. "I mean it's not your fault James is in the hospital!"
Katie shook her head. "Mom, it's all my fault!" she cried.
"I wanted to help James get a modeling job, so I made a modeling studio for him, and smuggled him out of the Palm Woods and the night time, and he modeled, and soon he was famous, and not once did I think that James would become too famous, but he'll do anything for fame, but James just couldn't take it anymore, and it's all my fault that he's under stress!"
Mrs. Schmidt exchanged a look with Kendall and Logan as Katie took a gasp of breath.
"Look, honey, I'm sure James will make a full recovery" Mrs. Schmidt assured her. "And once I'm mad enough to yell again, I'll deal with you!"
She put her arm around her daughter, and they all walked to the Palm Woods in silence.
They crossed the pool together. All the others were there, too, even guitar dude. Guitar dude saw their depressed faces, and started strumming a sad tune.
"What's wrong?" said Jo, confused. "James is in the hospital", Mrs. Schmidt announced. "He has…um, claustrophobia, and a fractured ankle, and they might be doing some internal stuff, too, because his heartbeat isn't exactly…um, right."
Katie hung her head, and walked up to their apartment.
"He was under too much stress", said Kendall quietly. "He got too famous. And…it's kind of Katie's fault."
Jo and Camille exchanged shocked looks. Logan walked up to Camille and put his arms around her.
Mrs. Schmidt didn't want her kids under the impression that James was any more than a little sick. He was only sick…right? She shook her head. Or is he just sick? They were doctors, she told herself. They helped people get better. That was their job.
She had never liked hospitals, but if they helped James, she would never say another bad word about him. She saw Logan let go of Camille, and turn away, too depressed to be embarrassed.
This wasn't right. She expected to see James bursting out of the Palm Woods now, with that big grin on his face, perhaps boasting about something.
"Come on, I should make lunch" Mrs. Schmidt. "We can have some fish sticks! It is fish stick Friday!"
Kendall didn't even crack a smile at the old family joke. Mrs. Schmidt walked with Kendall and Logan back to the Palm Woods. Kendall was hanging his head, just like his sister always did whenever she was feeling distraught.
Logan was sniffling and wiping his eyes. That's weird, thought Mrs. Schmidt. She'd never seen Logan cry before.
They entered the apartment. There was a very tense silence. "Guys…what's up?" asked Carlos. He'd been watching Spongebob, but the smile drained from his face as he saw the looks on their faces. "Katie wouldn't tell me anything!"
Mrs. Schmidt explained all of it to Carlos. "So…that's it?" Carlos demanded gloomily. "He just got taken away with the wine guy?"
They all nodded. The boys ate a very little lunch, and Carlos, who ate faster than he blinked, couldn't eat one full dish stick.
Katie gave her mother a you're crazy look, when she offered her fish sticks. "So" said Katie quietly as her mom turned away. "I wonder if James's okay!"
"Mom won't let us visit him!" Kendall told her. "Hmmm…" said Katie. "Well, I know a way we could see him!"