I have tuition in about an hour's time... ugh.
Without thinking, Matt dived in and pulled Erica out of the water. He quickly unwound the rope around her and laid her on the grass beside him.
"What kind of mess have you got yourself into now?" he muttered as he picked her up and dashed out of the farm to the hospital.
"Doctor! Doctor!" Matt half-screamed, and Doctor came rushing out of the room.
"What? Your cow's on fire?" Doctor panted, jumping up and down like a demented chicken.
"Yes, I mean, no! Erica... she floated down the river and nearly drowned!" Matt struggled not to punch him after that stupid remark.
"Well, put her on the bed!" reasoned Doctor, still hopping about while fishing in some drawers near the front desk.
"Cough, splutter..." Erica opened her eyes and spewed out a mouthful of river water. "Ugh..."
Doctor, Matt and Elli (who had just appeared) crowded around Erica anxiously.
"What? Why're you staring like me like that?" Erica sat up and shook her head to clear it. "Especially you," Erica stared daggers at Matt, who looked around innocently.
"Why am I here, anyway?" she questioned, looking at their concerned faces.
"You, er... nearly drowned!" Elli blurted out.
"Huh? But why?"
"You were floating down the river and Matt saved you... or something like that. Anyway, Elli, get the medicine!" Doctor ordered. "I'll just leave you here to talk," Doctor winked and pushed himself (and Elli) out of the room.
"What?" Erica looked at Matt, who had been staring at her for the past minute or so. "Get that look off your face!"
Matt just sat motionless, an expressionless look fixed on his face.
"Anyway... let me just check if I have all my stuff..." Erica shuffled around in her pockets and emptied them. Suddenly, all the colour drained out of her face.
Matt seemed to have noticed the drastic change and sat up straight. "What?"
"My father's ring! It's gone!" Erica sniffed, frantically searching around the bed.
"It is? Could it have dropped?" Matt looked around the hospital floor.
"It could have floated out of my pocket when I was... in the river..." Erica cupped a hand to her mouth and started sobbing. "I'll have to go look! It's the only thing my father left behind!" Erica jumped out of the bed, dashed out of the room, and flung open the door of the hospital.
"Er-... ica..." Matt rushed out of the hospital but Erica was no longer in sight. He made his way to the farm and saw her splashing about in the river, tears still streaming down her face.
"I'll help you," Matt suggested and joined Erica in her search.
A few hours later, the 8.00 town bell had rung and there was still no sign of the ring.
"Erica? It's getting late, maybe we should..." Matt turned around, only to find that he had been talking to no one. Erica was shuffling back to the house, sniffing.
Matt sighed at her pitifully. He scooted around the river, turning over stones and digging in the muddy soil.
"Argh!" Matt kicked the large rock he had been trying to overturn for hours angrily. To his surprise, it flipped over obediently. Underneath it, half-buried in the mud at the bottom of the river, was Erica's ring! Matt resisted jumping up and down in joy and washed it in the stream, before slipping it in his pocket, planning to give the ring to Erica first thing in the morning.
He strode back to the house and jumped into his bed, dreaming about the reward Erica would give him after he had returned it. Grinning, he slipped into a deep sleep and was soon snoring away...
Wow. Longest chapter I've ever written. Maybe. I dunno. Sheesh. By the way, thanks for all the reviews! 63 (now)... W00T. Oh, and Scwibble is working on a Harreh Pottah story in some other account. So it will pretty much be Kittiefan for most of the chapters.
