Right Place, Wrong Time
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the character in this story, except Annette, and Dr. Taylor, the rest belong to the WB.
Rating: PG-13
Ephram quickly realized the danger he was in, and did the first thing that came to his mind. He jerked his bike vigorously to the left toward the side of the bridge. Luckily he didn't get hit, the truck sped by with only inches to spare, and he never stopped. Ephram wasn't safe yet. He had looked back at the truck without stopping his bike. He was going so fast when he turned around that hitting the brakes didn't help.
When he had turned back around what he saw wasn't very encouraging. He was going straight for the edge, and like I said before, he couldn't stop. His bike hit the edge of the high bridge violently, and Ephram was thrown off. He hoped he was only going to land on the sidewalk, but that hope was soon yanked into a wish of what could have happened.
Ephram had been thrown over the edge, and was now falling toward the icy water below. He didn't want to swim, not today; he didn't have the time, or energy to do so. But that was what he was going to have to do if he wanted to stay alive.
Ephram hit the water with unbelievable force, and nearly blacked out after being pulled under, but he, with much force, swam his way to the top. Even though Ephram knew how to swim very well, it wouldn't be easy. The water was not very calm, and Ephram was getting colder with every second that went by. His head went under water several times, causing Ephram to cough painfully into the frigid air.
"Help!" Ephram finally attempted to scream after drawing in enough air to breathe properly.
No help was in sight, and he was being swept further and further down river even as he tried paddling to the side. It was no use; he didn't have the strength to go anywhere. He was too cold and scared, but he knew he had to keep trying. He couldn't die just yet, he had to be there for Annette, and make sure she would be okay.
So, with all of his might, Ephram started swimming to the right side of the small river, and to his surprise, he was actually moving! He kept moving his arms and legs in a steady pace so he would stay above water, and get to safety. He, in time, made it to the edge and started grasping for rocks and small branches sticking out of the ground, but he couldn't reach anything.
Ephram was at least a mile down river now, and had no idea if he would be able to make it all the way back to the bridge, and his bike. He finally grabbed hold of a small boulder and held on for dear life. His body was still moving in the current, but his head was above water, and he was staying in one place. Now all he had to do is pull himself out...Ephram had thought the hard part was over.
******
Andy walked into a deserted house, questioning the things he didn't hear. He was almost positive Ephram would be home by now. Then he saw the flashing light on the answering machine. He walked over to it and pushed the small button that said play.
He didn't have to listen to the whole message, because after hearing small parts, he knew what had happened to his son. He had to go back to that Annette girl's house, and get his son out of there. Ephram had been told by the police not to get into any trouble with her, and here he his getting all buddy-buddy with her. This was beginning to make Andy worry.
He got back into his car and drove toward Annette's place. A few minutes had passed and Andy was nearing the bridge between the two cities, if you could count Everwood as a city. He started to drive over, but something on the right sidewalk caught his eye.
He looked over and saw that it was a bike, Ephram's bike, Andy was almost sure of it. He looked it over carefully, and knew his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. His son's bike was lying on the side of a bridge, and it looked a bit beating up. He then realized that it must have hit the side, and Ephram...A father never wants to think of such things, but he knew it had to have been true. Ephram had gone over the edge; and there was no telling if he was dead or alive.
******
Ephram had attempted to climb out of the icy water many times, and every time he failed. He was shaking too much to move now, and he had almost given up hope. He knew what he had to do.
He opened his mouth and took the deepest breath he could manage, which wasn't very deep, "Help, please! Somebody help me!" Ephram was surprised to hear his voice so weak and squeaky; he didn't think he was that tired.
But he kept yelling, and yelling, and yelling. He yelled until he thought he couldn't make another sound, and then he stopped. No one had come. It was useless, he was practically dead already. Ephram wished he hadn't even met Annette, then none of this would have happened.
He would be safe at home right now, probably reading a comic book or talking on the phone with Amy. He wouldn't have passed out so many times, and he wouldn't of had to escape from the hospital and get grounded. He knew his life was coming to what seemed like rock bottom, but he couldn't be quite sure yet. He wanted to die, actually. But that was probably just the cold getting to him. Ephram had given up hope, and he decided the best thing to do would be to just let go. Nobody would miss him that much...That thought was because of the cold, too.
Ephram closed his eyes tight and let his fingers loose from the rock, and he moved for a split second. But then he realized that something was wrong, he opened his eyes again and he was just sitting in one spot. He looked at his arm and saw there was a hand wrapped around his wrist.
"I'm not going to let you go! You're too important to me for that to happen!" Ephram looked up and into his father's eyes. He had never been so glad to see that face.
"I...I'm...Fre...Freezing, dad." Ephram could barely speak those words.
"I'll have you out in a second Ephram." Andy pulled with all his might and slowly pulled Ephram onto the grass.
As soon as Ephram touched solid ground, his eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he remembered nothing more.
******
Ephram woke up at his house. He was surprised when he opened his eyes, because he was almost certain he would have been in the hospital. He tried to speak, but his voice was still gone. He looked around the room, but no one was there.
Ephram tried sitting up, but became very dizzy.
"Whoa Ephram, lay back down." Andy walked into the room and put a hand on his son's shoulder, "You've had a rough trip." He smiled softly.
Ephram cleared his throat and started to talk in a small whisper, "Dad, why am I not at the hospital?"
"You've seen enough of those. Besides, all you need is a good nights rest and to be warm in your own bed and your bed is here, at home." Andy smiled again and then left the room, but he soon returned with a sly smile on his face this time.
"What?" Ephram got a little uncomfortable when he saw that look.
"I have someone here who wants to see you." Ephram looked over the top of the couch and saw standing there above him was Annette, "She came from her house just in time to see me carrying you from the river, and she practically jumped out of her car to see if you were alright. She followed me back here, and has hardly left you side, not that you have been unconscious that long."
"I was coming to see if you were home so I could apologize for what I did, and I really am sorry. I don't know what came over me, but that meeting wasn't supposed to go that way. It was just supposed to be a nice friendly chat among two people, but it turned into me hitting on you, which is something I never should have done." Annette looked down at her feet and began shuffling them around on the floor.
"Annette, trust me, I figured you didn't mean to do it...Well, you meant to do it, but..." Ephram was beginning to confuse himself, so he just looked at her and said, "All is forgiven, you don't have to worry about me pressing charged or anything." Annette looked back up at him and smiled.
"So we're still cool?" She smiled a little bigger.
"Of course, nothing could change our friendship, even if I wanted it to..." Then Ephram remembered why all of this happened. It was because of Annette's parents. They had, for some reason, blown her off earlier that day, "Annette, did you talk to your parents?"
The smile was all of a sudden wiped off of her face as she looked into Ephram's eyes, "Yeah, they told me we would talk tomorrow, but it didn't sound too good. I'm sure it's nothing and I'm just over reacting, but I guess we'll see tomorrow, won't we?" Annette's smile returned once more, but it looked uneasy this time.
"Okay Annette, I hate to do this to you, but I think you need to go home. Ephram needs his rest and by the sound of it you've had a hard day too." Andy slowly led Annette to the door, "By the way," He added in a small whisper so Ephram couldn't hear, "You've caused my son a lot of trouble, and I would appreciate it if you would give him a break." Andy didn't know what the outcome of what he just said would be, but if he had at that time, he wouldn't have said it, trust me.
"Um, okay, that's fine." Annette opened the door and walked outside. She didn't like Ephram's dad any farther than she could throw him. And she didn't plan to revisit Ephram while Andy was there.
That was only one of the things that led Annette to make a drastic decision, the next...And worst, is yet to come. Read chapter twelve, whenever it gets written and uploaded, and you will see what I am talking about!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the character in this story, except Annette, and Dr. Taylor, the rest belong to the WB.
Rating: PG-13
Ephram quickly realized the danger he was in, and did the first thing that came to his mind. He jerked his bike vigorously to the left toward the side of the bridge. Luckily he didn't get hit, the truck sped by with only inches to spare, and he never stopped. Ephram wasn't safe yet. He had looked back at the truck without stopping his bike. He was going so fast when he turned around that hitting the brakes didn't help.
When he had turned back around what he saw wasn't very encouraging. He was going straight for the edge, and like I said before, he couldn't stop. His bike hit the edge of the high bridge violently, and Ephram was thrown off. He hoped he was only going to land on the sidewalk, but that hope was soon yanked into a wish of what could have happened.
Ephram had been thrown over the edge, and was now falling toward the icy water below. He didn't want to swim, not today; he didn't have the time, or energy to do so. But that was what he was going to have to do if he wanted to stay alive.
Ephram hit the water with unbelievable force, and nearly blacked out after being pulled under, but he, with much force, swam his way to the top. Even though Ephram knew how to swim very well, it wouldn't be easy. The water was not very calm, and Ephram was getting colder with every second that went by. His head went under water several times, causing Ephram to cough painfully into the frigid air.
"Help!" Ephram finally attempted to scream after drawing in enough air to breathe properly.
No help was in sight, and he was being swept further and further down river even as he tried paddling to the side. It was no use; he didn't have the strength to go anywhere. He was too cold and scared, but he knew he had to keep trying. He couldn't die just yet, he had to be there for Annette, and make sure she would be okay.
So, with all of his might, Ephram started swimming to the right side of the small river, and to his surprise, he was actually moving! He kept moving his arms and legs in a steady pace so he would stay above water, and get to safety. He, in time, made it to the edge and started grasping for rocks and small branches sticking out of the ground, but he couldn't reach anything.
Ephram was at least a mile down river now, and had no idea if he would be able to make it all the way back to the bridge, and his bike. He finally grabbed hold of a small boulder and held on for dear life. His body was still moving in the current, but his head was above water, and he was staying in one place. Now all he had to do is pull himself out...Ephram had thought the hard part was over.
******
Andy walked into a deserted house, questioning the things he didn't hear. He was almost positive Ephram would be home by now. Then he saw the flashing light on the answering machine. He walked over to it and pushed the small button that said play.
He didn't have to listen to the whole message, because after hearing small parts, he knew what had happened to his son. He had to go back to that Annette girl's house, and get his son out of there. Ephram had been told by the police not to get into any trouble with her, and here he his getting all buddy-buddy with her. This was beginning to make Andy worry.
He got back into his car and drove toward Annette's place. A few minutes had passed and Andy was nearing the bridge between the two cities, if you could count Everwood as a city. He started to drive over, but something on the right sidewalk caught his eye.
He looked over and saw that it was a bike, Ephram's bike, Andy was almost sure of it. He looked it over carefully, and knew his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. His son's bike was lying on the side of a bridge, and it looked a bit beating up. He then realized that it must have hit the side, and Ephram...A father never wants to think of such things, but he knew it had to have been true. Ephram had gone over the edge; and there was no telling if he was dead or alive.
******
Ephram had attempted to climb out of the icy water many times, and every time he failed. He was shaking too much to move now, and he had almost given up hope. He knew what he had to do.
He opened his mouth and took the deepest breath he could manage, which wasn't very deep, "Help, please! Somebody help me!" Ephram was surprised to hear his voice so weak and squeaky; he didn't think he was that tired.
But he kept yelling, and yelling, and yelling. He yelled until he thought he couldn't make another sound, and then he stopped. No one had come. It was useless, he was practically dead already. Ephram wished he hadn't even met Annette, then none of this would have happened.
He would be safe at home right now, probably reading a comic book or talking on the phone with Amy. He wouldn't have passed out so many times, and he wouldn't of had to escape from the hospital and get grounded. He knew his life was coming to what seemed like rock bottom, but he couldn't be quite sure yet. He wanted to die, actually. But that was probably just the cold getting to him. Ephram had given up hope, and he decided the best thing to do would be to just let go. Nobody would miss him that much...That thought was because of the cold, too.
Ephram closed his eyes tight and let his fingers loose from the rock, and he moved for a split second. But then he realized that something was wrong, he opened his eyes again and he was just sitting in one spot. He looked at his arm and saw there was a hand wrapped around his wrist.
"I'm not going to let you go! You're too important to me for that to happen!" Ephram looked up and into his father's eyes. He had never been so glad to see that face.
"I...I'm...Fre...Freezing, dad." Ephram could barely speak those words.
"I'll have you out in a second Ephram." Andy pulled with all his might and slowly pulled Ephram onto the grass.
As soon as Ephram touched solid ground, his eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he remembered nothing more.
******
Ephram woke up at his house. He was surprised when he opened his eyes, because he was almost certain he would have been in the hospital. He tried to speak, but his voice was still gone. He looked around the room, but no one was there.
Ephram tried sitting up, but became very dizzy.
"Whoa Ephram, lay back down." Andy walked into the room and put a hand on his son's shoulder, "You've had a rough trip." He smiled softly.
Ephram cleared his throat and started to talk in a small whisper, "Dad, why am I not at the hospital?"
"You've seen enough of those. Besides, all you need is a good nights rest and to be warm in your own bed and your bed is here, at home." Andy smiled again and then left the room, but he soon returned with a sly smile on his face this time.
"What?" Ephram got a little uncomfortable when he saw that look.
"I have someone here who wants to see you." Ephram looked over the top of the couch and saw standing there above him was Annette, "She came from her house just in time to see me carrying you from the river, and she practically jumped out of her car to see if you were alright. She followed me back here, and has hardly left you side, not that you have been unconscious that long."
"I was coming to see if you were home so I could apologize for what I did, and I really am sorry. I don't know what came over me, but that meeting wasn't supposed to go that way. It was just supposed to be a nice friendly chat among two people, but it turned into me hitting on you, which is something I never should have done." Annette looked down at her feet and began shuffling them around on the floor.
"Annette, trust me, I figured you didn't mean to do it...Well, you meant to do it, but..." Ephram was beginning to confuse himself, so he just looked at her and said, "All is forgiven, you don't have to worry about me pressing charged or anything." Annette looked back up at him and smiled.
"So we're still cool?" She smiled a little bigger.
"Of course, nothing could change our friendship, even if I wanted it to..." Then Ephram remembered why all of this happened. It was because of Annette's parents. They had, for some reason, blown her off earlier that day, "Annette, did you talk to your parents?"
The smile was all of a sudden wiped off of her face as she looked into Ephram's eyes, "Yeah, they told me we would talk tomorrow, but it didn't sound too good. I'm sure it's nothing and I'm just over reacting, but I guess we'll see tomorrow, won't we?" Annette's smile returned once more, but it looked uneasy this time.
"Okay Annette, I hate to do this to you, but I think you need to go home. Ephram needs his rest and by the sound of it you've had a hard day too." Andy slowly led Annette to the door, "By the way," He added in a small whisper so Ephram couldn't hear, "You've caused my son a lot of trouble, and I would appreciate it if you would give him a break." Andy didn't know what the outcome of what he just said would be, but if he had at that time, he wouldn't have said it, trust me.
"Um, okay, that's fine." Annette opened the door and walked outside. She didn't like Ephram's dad any farther than she could throw him. And she didn't plan to revisit Ephram while Andy was there.
That was only one of the things that led Annette to make a drastic decision, the next...And worst, is yet to come. Read chapter twelve, whenever it gets written and uploaded, and you will see what I am talking about!