Chapter 31: Rescued
THE ALLY'S OF SAN FRANCISCO,
NEAR HIGHWAY #NO. 1, AND THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE
The sun was slowly starting to set; it will be a little over an hour before dusk approaches.
Simon walked through another ally and stopped for a second to light a cigarette. He was less then a mile away from the bridge and figured that this would be his last smoke before meeting his maker. Just before he continued his march towards the bridge he heard a voice calling out to him.
"Hey kid, bum a smoke off of ya?" An elderly man that sat in some garbage asked. He leaned up towards Simon holding out his hand.
Simon looked at him for a moment and reached into his pocket and pulled out his package of cigarettes. There were only a couple of smokes left and he threw the package and his lighter to the man.
"Here take it. I won't need them anymore." He said in a tired voice.
"Hey thanks, kid!" The bum was so thrilled that he was not receiving just one smoke, but four that he didn't realize the physical pain Simon was in.
Simon pulled out the silver container from his other pocket and twisted the cap off and took a sip from it. He then looked at, placed the cap back on and tossed it at the bum. "Here!" Simon said as the container landed right in front of the elderly man. "There isn't much left, but you can have that as well!" Then he continued on his journey to the bridge.
"Thanks!!" The bum eagerly picked up the container and looked at it, then looked up and saw Simon staggering off. Something about they way the man saw the young chipmunk walk made him think that all was not well with him. "Hey kid, are you alright?" He called out in concern.
Simon didn't answer. Either he was too far, or in too much pain to listen. The bum just figured he was high on something and shrugged it off then turned his attention to his prizes.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
HOUR AND A HALF LATER
The sun glistened on the ocean as it started coming down. Simon walked towards the middle of the bridge and peered over in the direction of the sunset. He let out a deep sigh as he realized this would be the last sunset he will ever see. The traffic has been very light and not many people driving on the bridge noticed the young chipmunk in his black leather jacket.
Simon crawled over the railing – his heart was racing, and fear filled his body. The wind began to blow gently threw the fur on his face and hair; to him it was a calling. Simon's fear faded and while he still hung onto the railing he leaned forward into the breeze with his eyes closed.
"When I grow up I want to fly!" Brenda's England-accent voice was heard in the wind.
"You guys are the best friends I ever had…Ah, hell, you're the only friends I ever had!" Simon heard Brian's voice.
"Hay handsome, penny for your thoughts?" Renee's sweet voice made Simon smile a little.
"We are family, and they can't take that away from us!" Tom's voice breezed by.
Simon wanted to let go and join his friends, but something kept him from doing it. Anytime he tried to let go his grip on the railing got tighter. Then he heard a voice that he hadn't heard for weeks. A voice that meant so much to him during the time he was on the island.
"It's not your time!"
Simon opened his eyes and looked over his shoulder and saw a familiar figure.
"Mary-Anne?"
"Simon, don't fall victim to this! Be strong, young one!" Mary-Anne's ghost said reaching out to him. Her voice has a soft New Zealand accent tone to it. She glowed with an eerie light around her and she wore her school uniform that seemed to float in the wind. Mary's hair matched every flow with her skirt. Simon could swear that he was looking at an angel.
"I can't! I'm in too much pain! There is no hope for me!"
"There is hope! You must believe! You're the only one that can bring Justus to our cause now!"
"Please, stop the pain!" Simon pleaded.
"They will come, and they will help you!"
"Who? Who is coming?"
"Just believe!" Mary-Anne's ghostly image faded as another gust of wind breezed by.
"Don't go!" Simon was alone again as he still hung onto the railing of the bridge.
He started to cry again. What could he do? He wanted to let go so badly, but it felt like something was preventing him to do so. Suddenly he heard a police siren heading his way on the bridge. Simon looked up and saw a beige car with flashing red and blue lights on the top of the vehicle stopping in front of him. The rest of the traffic behind the cop car came to a stop. Costar came out and waved his badge to the stopped traffic behind the cop car and called out "Police business!" Detective McCormick came out of the car with a nervous look on her face.
"Simon! Don't do it, please!" A female Chipmunk cried out.
"Stay back!" Simon demanded.
"Simon you don't have to do this!" McCormick pleaded.
"What is there for me, huh? Another hour or two before fate of death takes my hand! And that's if I'm lucky!" Simon was beginning to sound frustrated and angry. He even struggled to keep his grip on the railing.
"No Simon, we have a cure! It will help to clear your head so you can think normally again." She said as she slowly moved closer to Simon, and hoped that he would not notice too much.
Simon looked up slowly at the detective and blinked some tears away. "If you have a cure, then why weren't we told of it? Why did we have to suffer?" Simon's blood boiled at the news.
"The doctors weren't sure it would work, so they had to test it! We did not tell you and your friends in case the cure was a fraud! We did not want to risk giving your hopes up. Please Simon, trust me now! We can help you, now!" McCormick slowly reached out her hand in hope to meet his.
"How can I trust you – you aloud four great people die!" Fresh tears ran down Simon's face as he grieved for his friends.
"Simon, I'm so sorry! Please forgive me! Simon… Please!" McCormick pleaded as her eyes as well swelled up with tears. She felt really bad that the other four chipmunks died. Guilt read all over her face and she felt her insides clinching up in a ball. "If I could turn back time, I would certainly have done things differently in order to protect you and your friends better."
Simon looked up at the detective and again saw the ghost of Mary-Anne standing in front of her. At this point he wondered if he was seeing her ghost because of the marijuana and alcohol combined or that she was actually there. Her own hand reached out along with the detective's. It was obvious that the detective did not see the spirit, only Simon could. He had always trusted Mary-Anne's wisdom and knew that there was a reason for him to go with the chipmunk detective. Slowly, Simon aloud his own hand to reach out to both spirit of his mentor and McCormack.
Suddenly, and without warning, Simon felt a surge of pain and it caused him to lose his grip and he began to fall. "NO!" McCormick screamed as she ran right through Mary-Anne's dissolving image. By risking her own safety, she leapt over, and while hugging the railing between her hips and thighs, she grabbed Simon's right hand. Costar, seeing this action take place, ran up to help his partner pull Simon to safety. He reached down in order to grab Simon's other hand. "Simon, give me your other hand!" Costar called out to him.
Simon looked down at the dark water below for a moment and realized how close to death he really is. He closed his eyes for a moment. Half of him wanted for the detectives to let him go – the other half just wanted this nightmare to be over and to go home. Slowly, Simon then looked up and saw not only Costar and McCormick, but also Tom and Brian's spirits reaching their own hands down for Simon to bring his other hand up to them. It reminded him of a time on the Island when he nearly fell off a cliff and his friends were there to catch him. This gave Simon courage and strength to bring his left hand up, so that Costar could grab it. Both detectives then pulled him back up onto the bridge. As soon as he was on the bridge he, again, felt weak and collapsed. Fortunately the two detectives were there to catch him.
"Come on Simon, let go get you some help!" McCormick said in a nurturing tone. They went into the car, while the rest of the people on the bridge around them cheered.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
A FEW HOURS LATER
AT THE SEVILLE HOME
Alvin sat in his room alone with the light out. After watching the news, he just could not take it anymore. Theodore was downstairs with Dave. They were watching updates from the news earlier. They were still talking about Tom and Renee and how their life was up to the point when they were found dead earlier in the evening. There was a brief mention of an attempted jumper on the Golden Gate Bridge that had been rescued and taken to the hospital. But no names and description of the jumper was mentioned.
Dave wondered if it was possible that the attempt jumper mentioned was Simon. This whole thing has been very upsetting – Alvin was unable to take being around anyone. He had been alone in his room for almost thirty minutes already. Things were tensing up, there were still there is no word on the whereabouts of his brother. Hearing about Tom and Renee just made Alvin more upset. He waited to get to see his brother alive again for five years. Now that he is back there is a chance he may be gone again…for good. This was not what Alvin wanted. He wanted things to be back to the way they were.
The feeling of guilt and self-pity brought Alvin to think that all of this just might be his fault. All he kept thinking about was what Tom had said to him at the park a few days ago. Alvin couldn't help to believe all that he said to him. 'How could I be so arrogant and selfish to my brothers, especially to Simon?' Alvin thought as he mentally started beating himself up over this.
When he first felt this bad was when Simon was first taken from the family over five years ago. Now this time there is a defiant possibility that he would never see his once smart and sophisticated brother again.
The day he heard that Simon was coming home, Alvin thought that everything would be perfect. Things would be the way it was before the kidnapping, but instead it wasn't. Alvin didn't expect the new Simon that came off the plane. The one that now smokes, drinks, and who knows what else he would do now. Probably drugs.
Alvin closed his eyes and prayed for his brother that he knew would come home. Just then the phone rang. Alvin held his breath. He sat up and looked out the bedroom door that he left open. This is the second time the phone rang today. Theodore, Dave, and he were sure it was Simon when it rang around dinnertime. But it could have possibly been a 'wrong number' due to the fact no one answered Dave when he responded to the phone call. After a couple of rings, Alvin finally heard Dave answering it.
"Hello…? Yes…? …Oh thank god!"
When Alvin heard Dave say that, he knew it had to be good news. He began to breathe again as he got out of his bed and walked out of his room then slowly headed down the stairs to join Dave and Theodore in the living room.
"When could we see him…? …I see… Thank you for everything, detective!" Dave hung up the phone and looked up at Alvin who, like Dave and Theodore, had tears in their eyes.
"He's ok, boys!" Dave announced to his sons. "They got him in one of the San Francisco hospitals. He's receiving the first part of the treatment successfully. They'll keep him there for a few days before bringing him to one of the hospitals here in L.A. to complete the treatments until he is 100% cured… Detective McCormick said that she is going to stay with him while they have him in the San Francisco hospital."
"Could we go see him?" Theodore asked hopefully.
"Well. According to what the detective was telling me that Simon would not able to receive visitors at this time. He is basically just going to sleep mostly through this first part of the treatment. We will be able to see him when they bring him to L.A's General Hospital in a few days." Dave explains.
Alvin did not know what to say; he was speechless do to the emotion of the news. Instinctively, Alvin decides to reach over the arm of Dave's chair to give his dad a big hug. Theodore got off of the couch and joined them.