"Call 911! Lucy, Mary! One of you, call 911!" Annie exclaimed. Lucy and Mary both scrambled to their feet and rushed to the nearest phone.
"Simon go to your room," Eric demanded.
"Why?" Simon asked.
"Just go," Eric replied.
"I want to be with my sister!" Simon screamed.
"Simon! Obey your father!" Annie replied.
"No! I can't! I need to be with Ruthie! I have to be with Ruthie!" Simon said.
"No! Simon. This is bad enough already. Please. Just go to your room," Annie tried to stay calm.
"No," Simon replied.
"Simon!" Eric yelled, and then lowered his tone, "Go." Simon ran out of the room as Mary and Lucy came back. Mary went into the room with Ruthie, Eric, and Annie while Lucy stayed out, and beyond her own tears, comforted Simon.
"Simon. She's going to be fine," Lucy consoled.
"You don't know that," Simon cried. Lucy hugged him as her own tears fell.
"I knew she was up to no good. Ruthie said that she hit her, but I figured she was just playing. I could have stopped her but I didn't," Lucy said.
"It's not your fault! It's my fault! I've always watched Ruthie but I got so obsessed with my friends that I ignored her. I didn't mean to!" Simon cried.
"She's going to be fine," Lucy replied.
"I'll try to believe you," Simon said. He went into his room.
"Yeah, me too," Lucy replied, she got up and leaned against the wall with her arms crossed.
****
Mary watched as her sister was loaded into a stretcher. Lucy came up to her.
"I, I don't know what to do," Lucy said.
"I know what I want to do, but I can't do it," Mary replied.
"What's that?" Lucy asked.
"I wanna go kick that housekeeper's lying butt!" Mary replied.
"It wouldn't solve anything," Lucy said.
"I know," Mary replied, "How's Simon?"
"He's taking it really hard. He wanted to be in the room with his sister," Lucy said.
"He's too young to see this," Mary replied.
"Yeah. I would've went in, but I was too afraid," Lucy explained.
"Afraid of what?" Mary asked.
"That I'd be looking at my sister for the last time," Lucy replied.
"She's not gonna die. She can't die. She's seven. She's a baby," Mary said.
"Yeah. I've been telling myself that, too," Lucy replied.
"What do you mean?" Mary asked. All of a sudden, Annie came up to them, hugging them and crying.
"She quit breathing," Annie said, "My baby quit breathing."
"What are you talking about?" Mary asked.
"Ruthie quit breathing?" Lucy asked.
"Yes," Annie replied, choking over her tears.
"Mom, we'll be back," Mary said.
"Where are you going?" Annie asked, but Mary had pulled Lucy and they ran to the car.
"Where are we going, Mary?" Lucy asked.
"Get in the car!" Mary replied.
"Last time I got in a car with you driving we wrecked the stupid thing!" Lucy exclaimed.
"We're taking a short cut to the hospital," Mary replied.
"How do you know of a short cut to the hospital?" Lucy asked.
"I was barely consious when I got run over," Mary explained, driving away, "And I remember where they went."
"Oh great. You better not get us lost," Lucy said.
"I won't. This is for our sister. I have a bad feeling," Mary replied.
"Simon go to your room," Eric demanded.
"Why?" Simon asked.
"Just go," Eric replied.
"I want to be with my sister!" Simon screamed.
"Simon! Obey your father!" Annie replied.
"No! I can't! I need to be with Ruthie! I have to be with Ruthie!" Simon said.
"No! Simon. This is bad enough already. Please. Just go to your room," Annie tried to stay calm.
"No," Simon replied.
"Simon!" Eric yelled, and then lowered his tone, "Go." Simon ran out of the room as Mary and Lucy came back. Mary went into the room with Ruthie, Eric, and Annie while Lucy stayed out, and beyond her own tears, comforted Simon.
"Simon. She's going to be fine," Lucy consoled.
"You don't know that," Simon cried. Lucy hugged him as her own tears fell.
"I knew she was up to no good. Ruthie said that she hit her, but I figured she was just playing. I could have stopped her but I didn't," Lucy said.
"It's not your fault! It's my fault! I've always watched Ruthie but I got so obsessed with my friends that I ignored her. I didn't mean to!" Simon cried.
"She's going to be fine," Lucy replied.
"I'll try to believe you," Simon said. He went into his room.
"Yeah, me too," Lucy replied, she got up and leaned against the wall with her arms crossed.
****
Mary watched as her sister was loaded into a stretcher. Lucy came up to her.
"I, I don't know what to do," Lucy said.
"I know what I want to do, but I can't do it," Mary replied.
"What's that?" Lucy asked.
"I wanna go kick that housekeeper's lying butt!" Mary replied.
"It wouldn't solve anything," Lucy said.
"I know," Mary replied, "How's Simon?"
"He's taking it really hard. He wanted to be in the room with his sister," Lucy said.
"He's too young to see this," Mary replied.
"Yeah. I would've went in, but I was too afraid," Lucy explained.
"Afraid of what?" Mary asked.
"That I'd be looking at my sister for the last time," Lucy replied.
"She's not gonna die. She can't die. She's seven. She's a baby," Mary said.
"Yeah. I've been telling myself that, too," Lucy replied.
"What do you mean?" Mary asked. All of a sudden, Annie came up to them, hugging them and crying.
"She quit breathing," Annie said, "My baby quit breathing."
"What are you talking about?" Mary asked.
"Ruthie quit breathing?" Lucy asked.
"Yes," Annie replied, choking over her tears.
"Mom, we'll be back," Mary said.
"Where are you going?" Annie asked, but Mary had pulled Lucy and they ran to the car.
"Where are we going, Mary?" Lucy asked.
"Get in the car!" Mary replied.
"Last time I got in a car with you driving we wrecked the stupid thing!" Lucy exclaimed.
"We're taking a short cut to the hospital," Mary replied.
"How do you know of a short cut to the hospital?" Lucy asked.
"I was barely consious when I got run over," Mary explained, driving away, "And I remember where they went."
"Oh great. You better not get us lost," Lucy said.
"I won't. This is for our sister. I have a bad feeling," Mary replied.