As Mary sobbed, she suddenly heard another sob, almost like an echo
of her own. She quieted abrubtly as she stood, tilting her head slightly
for a moment to figure out where the crying was coming from. "Elmer?" She
whispered as she peered anxiously over the ledge. Okay, they were twelve
stories up but maybe he had landed in a tree or a bush or something and was
okay? "Elmer?" She called for him again as she tried to see through the
inky blackness of the night.
"Help?" Elmer whimpered when he suddenly heard a voice calling his name. The little girl, it was that little girl he had heard right before... He shuddered, feeling the material of the hospital gown starting to tear slightly. Tears started to run down his cheeks as he felt it giving way strand by strand. He was going to fall, he was going to fall and....
"Antubis, help!" Mary cried as she turned towards her friend for a moment before scooting out onto the ledge to try to see how in the world they could get Elmer back up safely. When Paul had broke the fencing, it had swung outwards and it looked like somehow Elmer was stuck somehow on the end of the broken fencing but how....
'Looks like the hospital gown got caught,' Antubis said as he put his paws on the ledge, trying to see exactly what the situation was. He shook his head slowly, hoping that Mary didn't notice. He could see that the material of the gown was fraying and that was the only thing currently standing between Elmer and a twelve story plunge to his death.
"Help him!" Mary demanded as she tried to slip closer to Elmer.
"Elmer, it's going to be okay. We'll get you out of this, okay? Can you try to grab hold of the wires for me?"
'Mary, don't go out there. You could make it break even further'
Antubis ordered the child as he leaned over the ledge himself, stretching to try to reach Elmer. The hospital gown was up over his head now but just out of the reach of the anteater's claws.
Elmer knew he should try to be brave, should try to be strong but he couldn't help it as she started to sob uncontrolably. He was going to fall off the roof and die and he would never see Lona or his father again and.... He shuddered a bit as he thought of his father, of what he had gone through when Edgar died. Despite their problems, Elmer would never want to put his dad through something like that again and now his father was going to be forced to go to the morgue to identify another body, plan another funeral.... He bit his lip trying to keep from screaming.
"Please, please, please."
"It's okay, Elmer. We'll get you off of there. Just try to grab hold of something, okay?" Mary said in what she hoped was a reassuring tone before turning to Blondi. "Go and get someone! Get Dr. Lona or Dr.
Hook or one of the nice doctors!"
"What am I, Lassie?" Blondi said with a shake of his head, coming over to peer over the ledge for a moment himself before he started to trot for the door leading back to the Sunshine Ward and the main area of the hospital. He wasn't really sure what good it would do though. With the cheap material that those hospital gowns were made out of, it would give way long before he could find someone to haul Elmer up to safety.
"It's okay, Elmer." Mary told him as the dog vanished through the door. "Blondi went to go and get help. You're going to be fine. Just try to find something to hold onto, okay?"
"I'm going to fall." Elmer whispered. He could feel his heart pounding as blood rushed through his almost frozen veins. Okay, he wasn't really sure which of three things would actually be the one to kill him,
the fall, the cold or possibly a heart attack. None of the options looked too good, though, His fingers frantically scrambled against the material over his head, seeking some sort of hold. He could feel the wires if he could just wrap his numbed fingers around them. "Please, help me."
'Just a little more. You've almost got it,' Antubis said quietly,
allowing himself a slight smile as he saw Elmer's fingers finally come into contact with the fence wiring and gain a hold this time. Okay, he seriously doubted Elmer could actually hold on for any significent length of time but maybe he could keep a grip long enough for them to figure out how to get him back up. The large anteater didn't dare try to lean down and snag him. His weight would either break the fencing further and make him fall for sure or his claws would tear through both the gown and Elmer,
also making him fall.
Antubis leaned a bit closer, trying to see if there might be something that he was missing, only to start chuckling a moment later.
'Hey, I see London, I see France, I see someone forgot their underpants!'
"Help?" Elmer whimpered when he suddenly heard a voice calling his name. The little girl, it was that little girl he had heard right before... He shuddered, feeling the material of the hospital gown starting to tear slightly. Tears started to run down his cheeks as he felt it giving way strand by strand. He was going to fall, he was going to fall and....
"Antubis, help!" Mary cried as she turned towards her friend for a moment before scooting out onto the ledge to try to see how in the world they could get Elmer back up safely. When Paul had broke the fencing, it had swung outwards and it looked like somehow Elmer was stuck somehow on the end of the broken fencing but how....
'Looks like the hospital gown got caught,' Antubis said as he put his paws on the ledge, trying to see exactly what the situation was. He shook his head slowly, hoping that Mary didn't notice. He could see that the material of the gown was fraying and that was the only thing currently standing between Elmer and a twelve story plunge to his death.
"Help him!" Mary demanded as she tried to slip closer to Elmer.
"Elmer, it's going to be okay. We'll get you out of this, okay? Can you try to grab hold of the wires for me?"
'Mary, don't go out there. You could make it break even further'
Antubis ordered the child as he leaned over the ledge himself, stretching to try to reach Elmer. The hospital gown was up over his head now but just out of the reach of the anteater's claws.
Elmer knew he should try to be brave, should try to be strong but he couldn't help it as she started to sob uncontrolably. He was going to fall off the roof and die and he would never see Lona or his father again and.... He shuddered a bit as he thought of his father, of what he had gone through when Edgar died. Despite their problems, Elmer would never want to put his dad through something like that again and now his father was going to be forced to go to the morgue to identify another body, plan another funeral.... He bit his lip trying to keep from screaming.
"Please, please, please."
"It's okay, Elmer. We'll get you off of there. Just try to grab hold of something, okay?" Mary said in what she hoped was a reassuring tone before turning to Blondi. "Go and get someone! Get Dr. Lona or Dr.
Hook or one of the nice doctors!"
"What am I, Lassie?" Blondi said with a shake of his head, coming over to peer over the ledge for a moment himself before he started to trot for the door leading back to the Sunshine Ward and the main area of the hospital. He wasn't really sure what good it would do though. With the cheap material that those hospital gowns were made out of, it would give way long before he could find someone to haul Elmer up to safety.
"It's okay, Elmer." Mary told him as the dog vanished through the door. "Blondi went to go and get help. You're going to be fine. Just try to find something to hold onto, okay?"
"I'm going to fall." Elmer whispered. He could feel his heart pounding as blood rushed through his almost frozen veins. Okay, he wasn't really sure which of three things would actually be the one to kill him,
the fall, the cold or possibly a heart attack. None of the options looked too good, though, His fingers frantically scrambled against the material over his head, seeking some sort of hold. He could feel the wires if he could just wrap his numbed fingers around them. "Please, help me."
'Just a little more. You've almost got it,' Antubis said quietly,
allowing himself a slight smile as he saw Elmer's fingers finally come into contact with the fence wiring and gain a hold this time. Okay, he seriously doubted Elmer could actually hold on for any significent length of time but maybe he could keep a grip long enough for them to figure out how to get him back up. The large anteater didn't dare try to lean down and snag him. His weight would either break the fencing further and make him fall for sure or his claws would tear through both the gown and Elmer,
also making him fall.
Antubis leaned a bit closer, trying to see if there might be something that he was missing, only to start chuckling a moment later.
'Hey, I see London, I see France, I see someone forgot their underpants!'