CHAPTER 13: Jason to the Rescue
The first thing I did was move Andrew's bike out of the way, but his screams and cries were so frightening that I could hardly hold onto it. Then I saw Kristy and David Michael. "Andrew's hurt!" I shouted to them.
They stopped their bikes and ran over. "Oh, no," Kristy gasped. She helped me untangle the shoelace, and then she and David Michael moved the bike out of the way. "What happened?"
"A squirrel," I said, trying to keep myself from crying. I didn't want to scare Andrew any more than he already was. "There was a squirrel. Andrew tried to miss it, and he fell and hit his head."
Kristy knelt down beside Andrew. "Listen to me," she said, fighting the panic in her voice. "We need to lay Andrew onto his back. You two take his arms and legs. I've got his head. We need to be very careful here, all right?"
As loud as Andrew was, I was surprised that we could still hear Kristy, but we very carefully rolled Andrew onto his back.
"Okay," Kristy said, yanking off her jacket. "David Michael, get back to the house and get Watson. Karen, you stay here and help me put this under his head." David Michael got back on his bike and took off like a bullet as I tucked Kristy's jacket underneath Andrew's head.
"Is he bleeding?" Kristy asked. "Karen! I said, is he bleeding?"
I shook my head as I felt tears coming to my eyes. All the while, my poor brother was still screaming his head off. And I thought I had a loud scream!
"Andrew?" Kristy asked, trying to stay calm. "Andy-Pandy?" (That's Mommy's special nickname for him, by the way.) "It's Kristy. Are you all right? What hurts, honey?"
"M-m-my neck!" Andrew sobbed.
"Anything else?"
"N-n-no!"
"Andrew, look at Kristy, okay? Can you wiggle your fingers or toes for me?"
Luckily, Andrew could do both. "Good boy," Kristy panted. "Now, don't panic here. I need you to take some deep breaths for me. Just stay with me, okay, buddy?"
Kristy had managed to calm Andrew down, but I was trying my hardest not to come unglued. Then I heard a motorbike approaching, and turned around. It was Jason! I jumped up and ran to the curb.
"Jason!" I yelled, in the loudest possible outdoor voice I could use. "Jason, come quick!"
Jason stopped his bike and ran over. "Kristy, what happened?" he exclaimed.
"He fell off his bike and hit his head," Kristy gulped "He hurt his neck."
Jason took off his jacket, knelt beside Andrew, and put it over him like a blanket. "What's your name, kid?" he asked.
"Andrew," my little brother said in a trembling voice.
"Andrew, I'm Jason," he said soothingly. "I'm going to help you, okay?"
"Okay," Andrew nodded.
"Keep him warm," Jason instructed, then unhooked his cell phone from his belt and started dialing.
In the meantime, I couldn't take it anymore. Removing my helmet, I sat down on the curb, buried my face in my hands, and started crying. I was crying so hard that I started to shake and couldn't catch my breath. I thought I was having my first-ever nervous breakdown.
Through my tears, I could hear Jason's voice saying, "Yeah, I've got a little boy with a neck injury outside Stoneybrook Elementary. We're holding his head still and keeping him warm...Can he wiggle his fingers or toes?...Yeah!...Okay, send an ambulance to Stoneybrook Elementary School right away."
Then I felt a hand on my back and heard Jason's voice saying, "Karen? Karen, look at me, please." I raised my head, but didn't look in his direction. He slipped his other hand under my chin and turned my face toward his. I could barely see him because my glasses were so fogged up, but I could tell that his emerald eyes were studying my face intently.
"The ambulance is coming, okay?" he said, in the gentlest voice I'd ever heard. "Your brother's going to be fine. They're going to take care of him now. Karen, I promise you that Andrew's going to be all right, yes?"
That did it. I took off my glasses and threw my arms around his neck. "Shh," he whispered as he held me. "It's okay, love. Everything's going to be all right."
Oooh. He called me "love"! That was so sweet of him, but I was too worried about Andrew to think about that now. Jason took a tissue out of his back pocket and handed it to me, then we rocked back and forth for a minute or two.
Another minute or so later, I heard the station wagon pull up. I looked up to see Daddy and David Michael get out and hurry over to Andrew. Kristy explained to them what had happened.
After Jason helped me up, I put my glasses on and ran up to Daddy. "You kids did the right thing," he said as he hugged me. "Everything's going to be all right now."
"Wait!" Kristy remembered. "Where's everybody else?"
"Your mother and Nannie went shopping, your brothers are with their friends, and Emily's at the Kishis'," Daddy answered. "And don't worry, your mother said she'd call your brothers right away." Then he saw Jason.
"Uh—hi, Mr. Brewer," Jason stammered. Apparently, Kristy had told him what Daddy and Elizabeth had told us. "I'm Jason."
"Watson," Daddy said, extending his hand. "I've heard a lot about you, Jason, and I'd like to say thank you for helping my kids."
Jason sighed with relief. "You're more than welcome, sir," he said, shaking Daddy's hand.
At that moment, the ambulance arrived, and we headed to the hospital.