It was a normal night in the Greene household. Elizabeth at the stove
making dinner for the family, Mark reading some medical magazine and Ella
in her swing, bouncing up and down and cooing.
"Mark, I don't know what's keeping Rachel. Its 7:00, she usually gets home from play rehearsal around 6:00." Elizabeth said worriedly.
"I wouldn't worry too much, Lizzie, she's a responsible girl. The rehearsal probably just ran late, its near performance time you know." Mark replied, trying to talk over the ringing telephone.
" You're probably right," sighed Elizabeth as she ran to answer the phone.
Elizabeth answered the phone and within seconds, her eyes filled up with tears. Alarmed, Mark sprang from his chair to go comfort his wife. Elizabeth hung up the phone and said in a quiet voice "Its rachel"
Elizabeth took Ella in her arms and ran with Mark to get in the car. In a flash they were at the hospital and in the room where Rachel lay.
After settling down, mark managed to ask Rachel's friend, Sara what happened.
The small, red-headed girls eyes were streaked with tears as she told the panic-stricken Mark and Elizabeth what happened to Rachel. " We were in drama and Mr. Mac had just finished blocking Rachel's big scene. As we were rehearsing, Rachel looked a bit pale but none of us thought anything of it. Then the next thing we knew she was laying on the stage barely breathing…" Sara stopped talking, for she could feel her whole body start to shake. With her own eyes filled with tears, Elizabeth directed Sara over to a bench where they both sat down sobbing, with Ella on Elizabeth's lap. Meanwhile, Mark was examining his weak daughter.
"Oh God," said Mark and dropped to his knees.
Elizabeth dashed over to her husband. "What? What is it?" asked Elizabeth, worriedly.
"I just want her to be okay," Mark said between sobs.
"It'll be okay Mark," lizzie said in her comforting tones.
Meanwhile, Sara was sitting on the bench, tending to the fussy Ella. Elizabeth looked over at Sara and mouthed thank you, which made Sara smile.
Just then, Rachel's monitors began beeping wildly. "She's crashing!" yelled mark, "Somebody go get help!" mark cried.
Sara ran out of the room and screamed into the hallway " Somebody, we need help!" but there was no answer. Sara ran down the stairs to the ER and bumped into Abby who was on her way to get coffee. "Hey, Hey slow down!" Abby said, not realizing that the little girl's eyes were filled with fear. Her voice softened, "Can I help you?" she asked.
"Its my friend, upstairs, the doctor said she needs help!" Sara said between sobs and began to run back upstairs, followed by Abby. They both ran into the room to find Mark and Elizabeth standing over Rachel who was stable at the moment.
"She's okay now," Mark explained to Abby.
"Wait a minute, whose patient is this?" Abby asked, a little confused.
"This is my daughter," Mark replied, a bit frustrated.
"Oh God, Mark, Elizabeth, I am so sorry. Can I get you guys anything?" Abby asked guiltily.
"No, no we're fine, thank you Abby," Elizabeth said gently.
Chapter 2
Unraveling mysteries
Time passed and Sara went home and told Mark and Elizabeth to please update her on Rachel's condition.
"She's a sweet girl," Mark said, trying to make conversation.
"Rachel always told me that she was her best friend. She was always so excited because a senior was actually her friend which is a cool thing for a freshman you know," Elizabeth said and laughed a bit. Mark joined a bit in her laughter.
Just then, Mark noticed his daughters eyes begin to open. "Rachel, can you hear me?" Elizabeth asked.
"Elizabeth? Dad?" Rachel asked, her eyes full of fear.
"Its okay sweetie, you're alright!" Said Mark with excitement as he kissed his daughter's forehead.
"Rachel, you must tell us what happened," Elizabeth said in a serious voice, rubbing her step-daughter's arm
Rachel's eyes filled up with tears.
"It was Mr. Mac."
Chapter 3
Lizzie sat next to Rachel rubbing her arm as Rachel winced in pain. " Sweetie? Where does it hurt?" Elizabeth asked
"Right here," Rachel managed to whisper and pointed to her arm.
Lizzie lifted her stepdaughter's sleeve and to her horror found her arm covered in bruises. Lizzie put her hand to her mouth.
"Oh God, Rachel what the hell happened to you?" lizzie asked, now in a stern but soothing voice.
"You really want to know?" she asked, hoping they would drop the subject.
"Honey we want to help you!" Elizabeth said, staring into the wide eyes of her 15-year old step-daughter.
"Ok," Rachel took a deep breath and began to tell her story.
***********************FLASHBACK**************************************
"No Rachel. That is all wrong," Mr Mac yelled at Rachel. " You must act happy in this scene. We want the audience to be happy, not feel like they are going to a funeral! This is Mama Mia not Les Mis! Now do it right or I'll have to give the part to Annette."
"I'm sorry Mr. Mac." Rachel said quietly.
"You better be sorry!" Mr. Mac said and gave Rachel a breathtakingly painful punch in the arm.
I'm not going to cry, I'm not going to cry-
Suddenly the sound of a door opening to the auditorium and the sound of her best friend's voice awoke her from her thoughts. "Hi ya Rach!" Sara said in a cheerful voice
"Hello Sara," Rachel managed to say before spilling out all of her tears.
"Oh God, Rach! What's wrong?" asked Sara, pulling her friend into a tight hug.
"I'll tell you later, I have to go onstage now, its our big scene together." Rachel said, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"PLACES EVERYONE! PLACES!" Mr. Mac yelled, "I AM GIVING YOU 5 SECONDS TO GET INTO YOU'RE PLACE OR YOU ARE OUT OF THIS PLAY! 1, 2, 3…"
"Come on!" Sara exclaimed and pulled her friend along.
"Honey, Honey how you thrill me, uh huh, Honey Honey."
Rachel felt a wave of dizziness as she was singing her part of the song. And then it all went blank….
*********end of flashback**********
"And that's all I remember." Rachel said as she buried her face into Lizzie's warm cardigan sweater.
Lizzie too was crying, sympathizing for her step-daughter. Mark was sitting on the bench, Ella asleep on his lap, as he stared at his daughter in awe.
"Mark, I don't know what's keeping Rachel. Its 7:00, she usually gets home from play rehearsal around 6:00." Elizabeth said worriedly.
"I wouldn't worry too much, Lizzie, she's a responsible girl. The rehearsal probably just ran late, its near performance time you know." Mark replied, trying to talk over the ringing telephone.
" You're probably right," sighed Elizabeth as she ran to answer the phone.
Elizabeth answered the phone and within seconds, her eyes filled up with tears. Alarmed, Mark sprang from his chair to go comfort his wife. Elizabeth hung up the phone and said in a quiet voice "Its rachel"
Elizabeth took Ella in her arms and ran with Mark to get in the car. In a flash they were at the hospital and in the room where Rachel lay.
After settling down, mark managed to ask Rachel's friend, Sara what happened.
The small, red-headed girls eyes were streaked with tears as she told the panic-stricken Mark and Elizabeth what happened to Rachel. " We were in drama and Mr. Mac had just finished blocking Rachel's big scene. As we were rehearsing, Rachel looked a bit pale but none of us thought anything of it. Then the next thing we knew she was laying on the stage barely breathing…" Sara stopped talking, for she could feel her whole body start to shake. With her own eyes filled with tears, Elizabeth directed Sara over to a bench where they both sat down sobbing, with Ella on Elizabeth's lap. Meanwhile, Mark was examining his weak daughter.
"Oh God," said Mark and dropped to his knees.
Elizabeth dashed over to her husband. "What? What is it?" asked Elizabeth, worriedly.
"I just want her to be okay," Mark said between sobs.
"It'll be okay Mark," lizzie said in her comforting tones.
Meanwhile, Sara was sitting on the bench, tending to the fussy Ella. Elizabeth looked over at Sara and mouthed thank you, which made Sara smile.
Just then, Rachel's monitors began beeping wildly. "She's crashing!" yelled mark, "Somebody go get help!" mark cried.
Sara ran out of the room and screamed into the hallway " Somebody, we need help!" but there was no answer. Sara ran down the stairs to the ER and bumped into Abby who was on her way to get coffee. "Hey, Hey slow down!" Abby said, not realizing that the little girl's eyes were filled with fear. Her voice softened, "Can I help you?" she asked.
"Its my friend, upstairs, the doctor said she needs help!" Sara said between sobs and began to run back upstairs, followed by Abby. They both ran into the room to find Mark and Elizabeth standing over Rachel who was stable at the moment.
"She's okay now," Mark explained to Abby.
"Wait a minute, whose patient is this?" Abby asked, a little confused.
"This is my daughter," Mark replied, a bit frustrated.
"Oh God, Mark, Elizabeth, I am so sorry. Can I get you guys anything?" Abby asked guiltily.
"No, no we're fine, thank you Abby," Elizabeth said gently.
Chapter 2
Unraveling mysteries
Time passed and Sara went home and told Mark and Elizabeth to please update her on Rachel's condition.
"She's a sweet girl," Mark said, trying to make conversation.
"Rachel always told me that she was her best friend. She was always so excited because a senior was actually her friend which is a cool thing for a freshman you know," Elizabeth said and laughed a bit. Mark joined a bit in her laughter.
Just then, Mark noticed his daughters eyes begin to open. "Rachel, can you hear me?" Elizabeth asked.
"Elizabeth? Dad?" Rachel asked, her eyes full of fear.
"Its okay sweetie, you're alright!" Said Mark with excitement as he kissed his daughter's forehead.
"Rachel, you must tell us what happened," Elizabeth said in a serious voice, rubbing her step-daughter's arm
Rachel's eyes filled up with tears.
"It was Mr. Mac."
Chapter 3
Lizzie sat next to Rachel rubbing her arm as Rachel winced in pain. " Sweetie? Where does it hurt?" Elizabeth asked
"Right here," Rachel managed to whisper and pointed to her arm.
Lizzie lifted her stepdaughter's sleeve and to her horror found her arm covered in bruises. Lizzie put her hand to her mouth.
"Oh God, Rachel what the hell happened to you?" lizzie asked, now in a stern but soothing voice.
"You really want to know?" she asked, hoping they would drop the subject.
"Honey we want to help you!" Elizabeth said, staring into the wide eyes of her 15-year old step-daughter.
"Ok," Rachel took a deep breath and began to tell her story.
***********************FLASHBACK**************************************
"No Rachel. That is all wrong," Mr Mac yelled at Rachel. " You must act happy in this scene. We want the audience to be happy, not feel like they are going to a funeral! This is Mama Mia not Les Mis! Now do it right or I'll have to give the part to Annette."
"I'm sorry Mr. Mac." Rachel said quietly.
"You better be sorry!" Mr. Mac said and gave Rachel a breathtakingly painful punch in the arm.
I'm not going to cry, I'm not going to cry-
Suddenly the sound of a door opening to the auditorium and the sound of her best friend's voice awoke her from her thoughts. "Hi ya Rach!" Sara said in a cheerful voice
"Hello Sara," Rachel managed to say before spilling out all of her tears.
"Oh God, Rach! What's wrong?" asked Sara, pulling her friend into a tight hug.
"I'll tell you later, I have to go onstage now, its our big scene together." Rachel said, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"PLACES EVERYONE! PLACES!" Mr. Mac yelled, "I AM GIVING YOU 5 SECONDS TO GET INTO YOU'RE PLACE OR YOU ARE OUT OF THIS PLAY! 1, 2, 3…"
"Come on!" Sara exclaimed and pulled her friend along.
"Honey, Honey how you thrill me, uh huh, Honey Honey."
Rachel felt a wave of dizziness as she was singing her part of the song. And then it all went blank….
*********end of flashback**********
"And that's all I remember." Rachel said as she buried her face into Lizzie's warm cardigan sweater.
Lizzie too was crying, sympathizing for her step-daughter. Mark was sitting on the bench, Ella asleep on his lap, as he stared at his daughter in awe.