CHAPTER 14: At The Hospital

We were all sitting in the waiting room: Daddy, my brothers, Kristy, and me. Since Jason was the one who'd called the ambulance, Daddy said it was all right for him to sit with us, too.

I was sitting on the end of the couch, completely out of it, with Jason's arm around me. I was in such a daze that I didn't hear Nannie and Elizabeth when they came in.

"Oh, Watson," Elizabeth said breathlessly. Her voice brought me right back to reality. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart."

Nannie and Elizabeth hugged Daddy. "Is Andrew all right?" Nannie asked anxiously.

"The doctors are examining him now," Daddy answered. "Oh, this is the young man who called the ambulance."

The two women saw Jason sitting between Kristy and me. "Hi," he said. "I'm Jason. I go to school with Kristy."

Both of them said hello, and thanked him for helping Andrew. They seemed to like him, in spite of what Kristy had said. Finally, Dr. Dellenkamp came out to talk to us.

"How's Andrew?" Daddy asked.

"Well," the doctor said, "the good news is, Andrew's neck is not broken."

"Oh, praise the Lord," Elizabeth whispered, putting her hand to her heart.

"However," the doctor continued, "when Andrew's head hit that wall, the impact snapped his head back so hard and so fast that it gave him whiplash. He may also have a concussion, because of the helmet. We're going to keep him overnight for observation."

"Thanks, Doc," Daddy said.

Just then, Mommy and Seth rushed in, and they were worried sick.

"Watson?" Mommy called. I could tell she'd been crying. "How is he?"

"Hi, Lisa, Seth," Daddy said. "The doctor was just saying that Andrew's neck is fine, but they still want to keep him tonight. He suffered whiplash, and might have a concussion."

"Oh, God," Mommy murmured. She clung to Seth's arm. "I hope he's all right."

"I'm sure that he'll be fine," Seth reassured her.

"We'll know for sure by tomorrow, Mrs. Engle," the doctor told Mommy.

"Mommy?" I spoke up finally. "Jason called the ambulance. I saw him on his bike, and got him to stop and help. He took really good care of us."

Mommy went over to Jason and gave him a hug. "Thank you so much," she choked.

"I'll get the necessary paperwork now," Dr. Dellenkamp said. "I'll be back in a few minutes, okay?"

After the doctor left, Mommy and Seth sat down across from Daddy, Elizabeth, and Nannie. "It's a good thing that you were there, son," Seth said to Jason.

"We don't know how to thank you enough," Daddy added.

"Does this mean you're not upset with me?" Jason asked.

All four of my parents, and especially Kristy, were surprised to hear this. "Why would we be upset?" Kristy wanted to know.

"Because of what happened at school," Jason answered. "I've been meaning to tell you why I did what I did, and what makes me the way I am, but I haven't been able to go through with it until now."

He laid his jacket on the back of his chair, took a deep breath, and let it out.

"You see," he began, "for the first few years of my life, it's just been me and my mum. My dad—my real dad, I mean—was killed in the war in Iraq about a month before I was born. Mum and I stayed with my granny, her mother, until she got her green card and visa, and we moved to New York when I was four. About a year later, she met Steve, my stepdad, who was already divorced from his first wife, and Bebe wasn't even a year old yet. He told us that he just took Bebe one day and walked out, leaving Marie, his ex, with the divorce papers. Well, they were married six months after that, and since she already agreed to take his last name, he decided to adopt me as well, so my last name was also changed from Crowe to Everett.

"It was hard, those first few years, living on Long Island, trying to fit in, and sounding nothing like the other kids. I guess my accent never went away completely, and that's why I got picked on so much. In fact, I hardly ever spoke out in class, because I knew I'd be made fun of. It eventually got to the point where I had to resort to my fists to stand up for myself. Well, one day when I was ten..."

"How old are you now, Jason?" Charlie asked.

"Fourteen," he answered. "Anyway, I was on my way to soccer practice when I saw some sixth-grader picking on Bebe. I ran up and told him to leave her alone, of course, then this kid not only made fun of my accent, but he also called my mum a really filthy name, which I'm not going to repeat. I turned around and slugged him in the jaw. We started fighting, then he grabbed a board, hit me in the face with it, and ran."

"Is that how you got your scar?" Sam asked.

Jason nodded. Also, I'm not too sure, but I think I saw a tear slide down his face. After wiping it away, he continued, "It wasn't until after he ran off that I saw a little tiny nail sticking out of the end of the board. It looked about a sixteenth of an inch long. That was when I got so dizzy I passed out. When I woke up at the hospital, the doctor told me that if the nail had gotten me an inch higher, I would've lost my eye."

So that's what made Jason do what he did. He'd done for Kristy and Abby the same thing he'd done for Bebe. Even though he knew fighting wasn't allowed, it was all he knew to do.

"Jason," Daddy said, looking him in the eye, "I'm sorry for all you've been through growing up. And I'm also sorry that Elizabeth and I didn't give you the benefit of the doubt. It's just that when Kristy told us what happened, it scared us, mostly the thought of her being in harm's way."

"And I'm sorry for telling them too much," Kristy added, patting his arm.

"Aw, that's okay," Jason sighed. "If I were you, I would've squealed on me, too."

"Anyway," Daddy continued, "what's important is that you helped Andrew. He's getting the attention he needs, and we're all grateful for that."

"I'm glad I could help," Jason said, managing a tiny smile.

"Well," Mommy said, "the four of us have some paperwork to fill out."

"That's right," Elizabeth remembered. "Mom, do you think you could take the kids home?"

"Sure," Nannie said. "We'll keep dinner warm for you."

"Thanks so much."

"No problem, dear. Come on, kids."

"Thanks, Jason," David Michael said, giving him a Kristy arm-punch.

"You got it," Jason grinned, giving him one back.

I got off the couch, then turned around and gave Jason a kiss, right on his scar. "Thank you, Jason," I whispered, then followed the others out as he stood up to get his jacket. I was glad he was there to help, and my two families trusted him now.