Hi, everyone! As promised, here is the next chapter. I hope you like it.
Disclaimer: "Bob's Burgers" and all the characters belong to Loren Bouchard.
A Cry in the Park
Chapter 2
After several hours sleep, Linda awoke once more. She was lying on Bob, whose head was next to the well. Sitting up silently, she stretched, and looked around her. The sun had risen and early morning daylight flooded the park, shining in between the trees. The rig was still drilling, and there was now a canteen truck in the park, a few feet away from the ambulance. Most of the rescue personnel were sleeping, scattered about the area, using their jackets as blankets, with empty polystyrene cups surrounding them. There were more of them, she noted, looking at their hi-vis jackets, and she realised they must be more drillers.
Only Davis, Richards, Tim and Charlie were still awake; despite the tiredness in their eyes, they looked happy at the way the rescue operation was going.
Tim and Charlie had moved back to the well after Bob and Linda had fallen asleep. They had slept in shifts that previous night; one would sleep for a few hours, while the other listened to and comforted Louise; the girl had dropped off shortly after 4:00am.
Olsen Benner and Ed had filmed until gone 1am the night before and, after phoning her boss, Nathan, with the latest updates, they had gone home for the night, arriving back at 7am to resume filming. As Ed positioned the camera on his shoulder, Olsen noticed that a few other reporters had shown up. Due to all of the equipment in the park, they had pressed themselves up behind the barriers and some of the more nosey residents had returned to watch the scenes unfold.
"Louise?" Linda called, taking the headphones Tim offered her and placing them over her ears. "It's Mommy. Can you hear me?" Her only answer was silence. "Louise? Answer me!" she called, getting worried.
"She's probably sleeping, ma'am," said Tim, smiling comfortingly at her.
"No, she can't sleep! Because if she sleeps, then we can't hear her, and if we can't hear her, we -" she paused to gather herself, inhaling deeply. "I need to know she's still alive," she said desperately, trying not to cry. Tim nodded understandingly and they both began calling to Louise, not stopping until they heard her grumpy, tired voice. "Oh, thank God!" Linda cried, placing her hand over her pounding heart. "Louise, baby, we're coming to get you, just hang on, okay?"
Their shouting had woken Bob and Teddy, both of whom sat up, rubbing their eyes.
"A small mini-camera is on its way right now," Tim told her. "We're gonna try and use that to see if we can see her."
"Thank you," said Linda gratefully. "How far have they gotten?"
The smile on Tim's face dropped slightly.
"They're still digging the tunnel; we're more than halfway done."
"What time is it?"
Tim glanced at his watch.
"Eight o'clock, ma'am," he said and Linda's face fell.
"She's been in there for around twelve hours," she said worriedly.
"I'm sure she's fine, ma'am," said Charlie comfortingly, but Linda didn't look all that comforted.
"MOM! MOM!"
Bob and Linda turned around, only to be greeted with bone-cracking hugs from Gene and Tina.
"Mom, where is she, it's been all night! You didn't come and get us! Where is she?" cried Tina, with Gene pretty much saying the same thing.
"She's not out yet," said Bob, and Gene gripped him harder.
"But.. they said she would be," he said, unable to comprehend why Louise was still in the well.
"I know, I know they did, but they're working on it," he said, getting to his feet, which was difficult with his son wrapped around his waist.
The children swapped over and hugged the other parents, when Mort finally approached, panting slightly.
"I'm sorry, Linda," he gasped for breath. "As soon as they woke up, they were dressed and they ran down here. I couldn't stop them."
"That's alright," Linda forced herself to smile. "Thanks again for watching them."
"That's okay." He joined the Belchers, and Teddy, and they watched as the spiral bit continued to drill.
~ X ~
All too soon, Bob became aware of reporters; they had pushed their way to the front of the police barriers and were calling out to the Belchers'.
Each one of them had heard about the story and were competing to be the first to get an exclusive interview. A nine-year-old girl who had been pushed into a well, and was buried 80 feet down made for a very interesting story and soon reporters were turning up by the droves with cameras, each trying to get a look at this most unusual and interesting case.
Carol entered the park and smiled comfortingly at the family, before heading over to talk to Davis.
"Hey, kids, aren't those your friends?" Bob nodded over toward the barriers and Tina looked over and saw Regular-sized Rudy, Andy, Ollie, Jimmy Jr, Zeke, Darryl, and Pocket-sized Rudy on the other side of the police barrier. Tina and Gene didn't move. "Why don't you go over there and talk to them?" Bob suggested as a way of getting Tina to unstick herself from him, and he would be able to breathe. Tina, feeling as though her legs were rooted to the spot, slowly made her way over to the kids, followed by Gene.
"Hey, guys," she said as casually as she could, trying to ignore the reporter that had wormed his way over.
"She's still down there, huh?" asked Regular-sized Rudy, peering over Tina's shoulder, but unable to see anything due to all of the rescue workers surrounding the well.
"...Yeah," Gene said.
"It's all over the newspapers," said Regular-sized Rudy, holding out the morning edition of the paper to Tina, who took it and quickly flipped through it, with Gene looking over her shoulder. Louise's story was on page five. The article was accompanied by the picture of Louise that their mother had given to Carol, along with another photo of her and her family standing near the well, watching and waiting.
'A nine-year-old girl escaped fatal injury after falling eighty feet down a water well Friday evening.
By midnight, the girl, Louise Belcher, remained trapped in the narrow well, no more than 14 inches wide, located in Wharf Park, as local police and firemen fight to free her. It was revealed that she was pushed in by an unnamed teenage boy, who returned to the scene and apologised to her. It is not yet known why he pushed her.
Rescue workers were able to hear the girl after lowering a microphone down to her after rescue operations began later in the evening.
"She's very far down, but we can still hear her," said Deputy Police Chief Jack Davis.
A failed rescue attempt shortly after Louise fell in, which consisted of a schoolmate being lowered into the well was unsuccessful, as he was unable to be suspended upside down for so long. Louise is also buried up to her chest in rubble, which means that she cannot move her arms, so rescuers have to dig down to her.
The machine, a rotary drilling rig, is digging a parallel tunnel six feet away from the well; the plan is to dig over to the well and extract the child, as the well is too narrow for an adult to enter.
Oxygen and warm air are being constantly pumped into the well to ensure that Louise has fresh air to breathe, and to also help control her body temperature.
So far, the girl's family have remained near the well, but in seclusion ever since police arrived.
"They're kinda in shock, I think. You can't really imagine this happening to someone you know," said neighbour, Jimmy Pesto.'
Tina closed the paper and silently gave it back to Rudy.
"Is it true she was pushed?" asked Zeke, and Tina nodded.
"Logan did it," she revealed, and their jaws' dropped.
"That kid who worked in your restaurant?" asked Jimmy Jr. "But why?"
"He wanted to get revenge for when she threw a rotten cantaloupe, and it landed on him," said Gene, and the little group looked confused.
"She did that on purpose?" asked Zeke, and Gene shook his head.
"No; she didn't know he was there."
"So he pushed her into a well? Jeeze, what a jerk," said Jimmy Jr.
"When will they get her out?" asked Regular-sized Rudy. They were genuinely curious; like many others, they had never seen anything like this before.
"I don't know," repeated Tina, before looking over at the well. "They keep telling us a few more hours. They're still digging the tunnel; I don't know how long it'll take to dig across," and she didn't know, not exactly, but she definitely knew that it would take a while. But she didn't like to think about it, so they bade goodbye to their friends and returned to their family. They had timed it well, for Davis was beckoning them all over to him.
"We're lowering the camera down the well," he told them, "and the images are going to be seen on the news truck over here." He led them to where a white news van was parked a few feet away, a satellite dish on the roof, its sliding door wide open, revealing all of the electrical equipment inside. In amongst all of the wires, dials, buttons and phones, there was a decent sized screen in the top corner, which they gathered around, ignoring the shouts of the reporters and onlookers.
The miniature camera, with a small light attached to it, was already being lowered down the well; down, down down, before finally settling about a foot above the spot where Louise was. Her pink bunny ears were instantly visible, and Linda gasped. They were moving.
"There she is! That's Louise!"
Bob ran back to the well and started talking to Louise. Linda felt her eyes well up when she heard Bob's faint voice and Louise looked up at the well opening. They could see her face. The image was slightly blurry, but they were able to make out her features. As far as they could tell, she had a few scrapes and bruises on her face, but otherwise she looked fine, which was such a relief.
Louise continued to look up, and they could faintly hear her talking to her father, complaining that she was still trapped.
Being able to actually see her was a load off Linda's mind; it made everything a little bit easier to deal with.
Gene and Tina were staring at the image of their sister as well.
"How did Kuchi Kopi get down there?" asked Gene, recognising the toy.
"We put him down there last night," said Linda, as Louise looked up again, her features creased in annoyance. "Thought she'd need him."
Bob and Linda kept alternating between the well and the truck, between hearing Louise and seeing her. Usually, one parent would be at the well, talking to their daughter, while the other would be watching the images, and then they would swap over. Despite the constant drilling, the vibrations were not close enough to bother the camera; however, as the rescue team got closer, the quivering might render the camera useless.
~ X ~
More and more residents turned up, wanting to watch the rescue efforts. The people who had arrived early, got the best view, as they were at the front, where the barriers were. The schoolkids eventually sat cross-legged on the grassy ground, and chatted as the rescue proceeded.
The reporters, of course, were doing everything they could to remain at the front, so they could get the best pictures. The Belchers were beginning to get used to the constant shouting; they were learning how to block it out, and they continued to ignore them as they watched the rescue efforts.
The crowd of onlookers couldn't help but feel sorry for the Belchers'; one only had to take one look at their distraught, worried faces to see how much this was affecting them. Even Jimmy Pesto couldn't bring himself to taunt Bob.
The children remained on the grassy field behind the barriers, watching the rescue unfold, and chatting amongst themselves. They were fascinated by what they were seeing. It seemed so surreal; the park was crammed with people, most of them surrounding the well. There were two policeman lying on their stomachs next to it, with a few more people standing by them; a large drilling rig was plunging into the ground, digging into the solid rock, its boom extending several feet into the air; there were floodlights everywhere; an ambulance was parked some thirty feet away from the well, its doors wide open; benches had been ripped down and barriers had been set up around the park; mostly reporters were stood behind them, as well as the crowd of curious onlookers. It was like something out of a film.
"Do you think they'll get her out today?" asked Regular-sized Rudy, pulling his inhaler from his pocket and pumping it.
"Well, once they dig down, it shouldn't take them too long to dig over, should it?" said Zeke.
"But how long will it take to dig down?" asked Pocket sized Rudy, but no one answered him, because they didn't know.
For those residents who had not yet heard of the story, they were soon informed when they switched over to the local news station that morning. Homes, places of business, cafes, and other such places that housed televisions were greeted with images of the drilling rig digging deep into the earth, with a young man reporting from behind his desk inside the studio.
"And, finally,; a young girl remains trapped in an abandoned water well despite continuous efforts to free her. Nine-year-old Louise Belcher was pushed into the narrow well in Wharf Park at around 6pm on Friday. Authorities say she may not be freed until later this evening. Reporter Olsen Benner is live at the scene. Olsen?"
The scene then cut to the Wharf Park, where Olsen was standing near the well.
"Thank you, Max. Yes, the rescue workers are still digging, but, uh, they are making progress literally by inches. Louise has been trapped for almost eighteen hours, and she's still alive and communicating with us. We are still able to hear her; she's continued to respond to the voices of her family, and the personnel. They are also still giving her oxygen and warm air to keep her alert." At this point, the camera panned down to the well, and jaws would drop.
Hearing reports that a little girl was not only trapped in a well, but she had been pushed in, was enough for the story to reach far and wide, tugging the heartstrings of many parents.
~ X ~
Of course, Logan could not care less about what was happening. He had apologised; he'd done his part, and he was continuing with his life.
That morning, Cynthia drove him to his karate lesson, and everything appeared to be fine. But inside the lobby, there was a flat-screen television mounted on the wall, which was tuned to the local news. On the television was clips of the rescue effort, and he rolled his eyes again.
"Hey, guys," he said, as he entered the main hall, where the rest of his group were already in their uniforms, and a few of them mumbled greetings in return. "What's up?" he noticed that a few of them were staring at him.
"Some kid's stuck in a well," said Jason, whom he didn't know that well.
"Oh, yeah, I heard about that," Logan quickly pulled on his uniform before the sensei arrived.
"She was pushed," revealed Jason, and Logan froze.
"Yeah?" he tried to act casual.
"People are saying that you pushed her. Did you?" asked Rick, and Logan scowled.
"It was an accident!" he snapped. "It's not like I threw her in!"
"So, you did push her?" asked Jason. "Why?"
"You don't know her; she's an evil, manipulative little brat! She's a psycho! She hired a biker gang to cut off my ears!"
None of the group said anything, but he could tell by the looks on their faces, that they didn't believe him.
However, at that moment, the sensei arrived, and so they focused their attention on him.
~ X ~
When Cynthia came to pick him up an hour later, Logan had a face like thunder, and he threw his bag into the car, before climbing into the passenger seat, and slamming the door.
"What is it, sweetie?" she asked, starting the car.
"Just everyone saying, 'oh, my God, you pushed a little girl into a well, you're a terrible person, you suck!'" Logan snapped, folding his arms and scowling.
"Is that what people have been saying to you?" said Cynthia, and Logan nodded, huffing. "I can't believe it! You don't deserve that; it was an accident!"
"That's what I said! But no one believes me! I even told them about the biker gang, and they don't believe that either!"
"Well, don't you worry," Cynthia's eyes were blazing. "When we get home, I'm gonna make a phone call."
Sure enough, when they arrived home, Cynthia immediately picked up the phone, while Logan grabbed his skateboard and headed out. "Hello, Channel 6 news?" she enquired. "Yes, I'd like to speak to someone about Louise Belcher."
"Yes, ma'am. What is it regarding?"
"Well, my son is the one who accidentally pushed her, and I think people would be very interested to know that she once hired a biker gang to cut off my son's ears, and I'd like to arrange for a television interview to talk about her, and set the record straight," said Cynthia.
"I'll see what I can do, ma'am. I'll be in contact with you shortly."
"Thank you." Cynthia hung up the phone and smiled to herself.
~ X ~
Back at the well, Tim and Charlie, along with Davis, were talking with Cabell about lowering some water down to Louise, as they were growing concerned about dehydration. The tunnel was still being dug, and so Cabell was backtracking on his previous comments about not letting Louise drink in case she needed surgery; at this point, they were more concerned with keeping her alive.
"I don't know how we'd manage it," Davis was saying. "She can only lift her head, how will she be able to drink?"
"We'll fill a baby bottle, and lower it upside down, and she'll be able to drink from it that way," said Cabell.
"It's worth a try," admitted Davis. "Alright, we'll do it." He called over one of his officers and ordered him to find a baby bottle. Once said bottle had been found and brought to the rescue site, it was filled with sugar water and the water line was marked with a pen. A string was tied around it, and it was lowered, upside down, down the well.
Bob, Linda, Tina, Gene, and Teddy were once again watching the images on the screen in the back of the news truck, and after a while, the bottle came into view. From across the way, Tim could be heard calling to Louise, telling her about the water. Louise looked up, and a small smile crossed her face once she saw the water.
Being unable to move her arms, Louise opened her mouth, and leaned forward as much as she could, hoping to grasp the bottle in her mouth. It wasn't yet far down enough.
"More, more!" came her faint little voice. "Down a bit more!" The bottle continued to be lowered, and she closed her mouth around the teat. "I got it!" she announced, her voice slightly muffled, before she began to drink. It was like heaven.
The Belchers' couldn't help but smile; Louise was still going strong, and the sugar water would keep her energy levels up. They started to feel that maybe everything was going to be okay.
~ X ~
A small group of reporters were gathered outside the Bush family home. Cynthia and Logan were stood on the porch, with a media representative standing next to them. In front of them was a television camera.
"My name is Logan Bush," said the teen after being given the cue, "and I would like to apologise for pushing Louise Belcher into the well," he fought to keep himself from rolling his eyes. "I didn't know the well was there, and I didn't know she would fall in."
"People have been implying that Logan did this on purpose," said Cynthia, "but I know my son, and he's a good kid. He wouldn't do something like this."
"But what made you push her?" asked a reporter.
"Well, a while ago, she threw a rotten cantaloupe on me," he said, "and she didn't apologise for that."
"Did she do that deliberately?" asked a different reporter, and Logan squirmed slightly.
"Well... she didn't say sorry..." he began.
"Louise is a difficult child," said Cynthia, desperate to get their side of the story across. "She goes out of her way to antagonise my son. She actually hired a biker gang to cut off Logan's ears."
The reporters, along with the neighbours' that had gathered, began to mutter amongst themselves.
"And why would she do that?" And Cynthia hesitated, before deciding to tell the truth. She figured it would be better for them.
"Well, he did steal her hat," she admitted. "But I think trying to cut someone's ears off over that is an overreaction. I think Louise is a dangerous little girl."
"So, she apparently hired bikers to cut off your son's ears? Did you press charges?"
"Well, no. See, one of them went into labour, so we were a little focused on that, and we forgot. The point is, my son is being victimised for this, and it was an accident. He didn't mean to do it."
~ X ~
The Belchers' remained near the well, watching and waiting. None of them spoke; instead they stared silently at the well, which was still surrounded by policemen, firefighters and rescue workers. The bottle had come up a few minutes previous, completely empty.
Reporters remained behind the police barriers, as did the onlookers and Gene vaguely recognised some kids from school that he knew by sight. He did not go over to talk to them.
Dr Cabell remained near the well, helping to monitor the amount of oxygen and warm air being pumped into the well, with the help of the two paramedics, replacing the tanks whenever they ran out, and occasionally listening to Louise through the headphones, and according to him, the girl did not appear to be seriously injured, although "there will be no clear way to tell until she's out," he'd said. He was very adamant about not giving her anything to eat, and he told Tim and Charlie why when they'd asked.
"Because she could have internal injuries," he said, when Charlie had mentioned lowering some food down to Louise. "I don't want to risk it; she could die. The sugar water will be fine for her."
"Bob?" came a familiar voice and Bob raised her head to see his father standing behind the barriers.
"Oh, my God," he muttered, before walking over to him.
"I just can't believe it," said Big Bob, pulling his son into a hug. "She's really down there?" he asked, looking over his son's shoulder at the well. Bob could only nod and his father pulled him into another hug. "I'm sure she'll be fine," he soothed, placing his hand on Bob's shoulder.
"How - how did you know about this?" Bob, of course, had been so preoccupied with Louise that, although he'd noticed the reporters gathering around the park, he hadn't made the link between them and the large crowd. The only thing that mattered to him was getting Louise out of the well.
"It's all over the news," Big Bob told him, glancing around and spying some reporters filming the ongoing efforts. "I read about it in the paper, and then I saw it on TV this morning, and I had to come and see for myself." He saw the anguish in his son's eyes. "Oh, Bob, she's going to be fine," he assured him.
"I know she will. They're gonna get her out; it'll be just a few more hours." It had become almost a mantra for him and Linda; the only thing that kept them going was believing that Louise would soon be rescued.
"That's right," was all the man found he could say. For a while, both of them watched the drilling rig in silence, before Big Bob spoke again. "So, are they just leaving her down there deliberately?"
"What?" Bob turned to face his father.
"I mean, are they taking their sweet time just because? How long has she been down there? Since yesterday?"
"..Yeah."
"So, why isn't she out yet?"
"They – they've been working non-stop," said Bob, much to his surprise. "They haven't stopped since she fell in."
"Well, yeah, I know, but I'm just asking what's taking so long."
"The rock is really thick," said Bob through gritted teeth.
"What, so thick that they're still digging this tunnel?"
"Oh, my God," Bob muttered under his breath. "Pop, I know you're worried," he fought to keep his voice even, "but trust me when I say that they're doing everything they can." Big Bob opened his mouth to retort, but saw the look on his son's face, and closed it again. He placed an arm around Little Bob's shoulders, with Bob doing the same.
Big Bob stayed for around thirty minutes before he had to get back to his restaurant, "but I'll be back this evening," he'd said before he left. "I wanna see her come up."
"That was nice of him to come and see you," said Linda when Bob returned, and Bob only nodded in reply.
"Should we call Grandma and Grandpa?" Tina asked, all of a sudden remembering them.
"What?" said Linda.
"I think they should know what's going on."
"Oh, honey... If we call, they're gonna want to come down here; I don't wanna worry them if Louise is going to get out soon."
"Mom, they deserve to know what's happening. I'd want to know."
"You know, honey, she does have a point," said Bob, and Linda looked back over at the well.
"We'll give it one more hour; if she's not out by then, then we'll tell them to come. It can't take them that long, right?"
Bob checked Teddy's watch; it was almost 1pm, which meant that Louise had been in the well for almost 19 hours, he realised that his children hadn't eaten, and neither had he or his wife.
"Well, we should probably go home and have something to eat," he said, his voice strangely monotonous.
"Or we could have food brought here?" suggested Gene, and Linda found herself nodding.
"That's an idea; and we wouldn't have to leave."
"Okay, fine," said Bob. "I'll see what I can do."
"Or, there's a food truck over there," said Tina, looking over the truck, which was distributing sandwiches and hot and cold drinks to the volunteers. "We could just go there."
"Well, alright, then," said Linda. "But just for a snack; you need to have proper meals."
As Gene and Tina wandered off towards the food truck, Davis and Carol approached them.
"Mr and Mrs Belcher," he began. "It's time for you to make a statement to the press."
"What?" said Linda. "Why?"
"Well, this is becoming a high interest story, and the reporters would like to talk to you."
"Really?" asked Bob.
"Yes, and it is completely your choice."
"I would recommend that you speak to them," said Carol. "They can be ruthless if they don't get what they want."
"How do you mean?" asked Teddy.
"Well, if you refuse to talk to them, then you virtually have no control over what they say; I knew a journalist and she told me that they actually have stolen private information, because it's in the 'public interest.'"
"That's awful!" Linda gasped.
"But it can be a good thing," interjected Davis. "This story is starting to gain a bit of interest; they're willing to pay you."
"We're not going to make money off our daughter's misery!" Bob snapped, outraged that he could even think that they would consider selling their story.
"Oh, I know that, sir," said Davis quickly, not wanting to incur Bob's wrath again. "I was just saying that people want to know what's happening, and they want to hear from the family." He then left, leaving the family to confer with each other.
"So, should we talk to them?" asked Gene, having returned with some sandwiches and a Coke.
"Well, if it draws attention, maybe more people will come to help," said Bob thoughtfully.
"Maybe it will prevent this from happening again; if someone else has a well they know about, they can cover it," Tina suggested.
"I think we should do it," said Gene, and for the longest time, Linda was silent.
"Alright," she finally agreed. "Who's going to give it?"
"I'll do it," Bob volunteered. "I'll do it; it's the only thing I can do to help."
Linda only nodded understandingly.
The couple made their way away from the well, followed by Davis and Carol to prepare the statement, which would be read aloud at a conference shortly.
"This is big," said Tina quietly, looking around properly at the park. It wasn't quite a media circus, but there were still a lot of local reporters and she could see someone filming them. Looking up, she even saw a photographer standing on a tall ladder, taking bird's eye view photos of the rescue efforts below.
"Yeah, it's crazy to think it's even happening," said Gene.
"Right, kids, stay here with me out of the way until they're done with the statement," said Teddy, standing near the children, and putting his arms around them.
About thirty minutes later, Bob and Linda, accompanied by both Richards and Davis, were stood in front of the barriers, and a herd of reporters, photographers and cameramen were armed with cameras, microphones, and good old fashioned pen and paper, in front of them. Bob was clutching a piece of paper in his hand.
Tina, Gene and Teddy were huddled together, watching from their spot next to the well.
"I'm Bob Belcher, Louise's father," he began, somewhat nervously, placing his arm around his wife. "I, uh, I have a statement here that I'd like to read out; it's from the whole family." He fumbled with the paper. "We want to thank everyone for all they've done, and all they're doing. There's, uh, there's too many to mention, but we are so, so grateful to everyone here. Ever since yesterday, they have been digging non stop, and... I don't know what we would have done without everyone's help. I know that my daughter is going to be all right, and, uh, once again, we just want to say how grateful we are to everyone who's helping us." Bob couldn't say anymore; there was a lot more he wanted to say, but he couldn't find the words to express himself.
"Is it true she was pushed in the well?" one reporter called out.
"Yes," he said. "I, uh, can't name names, but it was a teenage boy," said Bob, after a look from Davis.
"Have Louise and the boy crossed paths before?"
"Yes."
"Can you elaborate on that, sir?"
Bob looked uncomfortably at Linda, before deciding to just tell the truth.
"Yes, he's bullied her in the past," it was the right word to use, he thought.
"Bullied her? In what way?"
"Well, he stole her bunny ears hat, which is the most important thing to her, and generally likes to make her miserable."
"Is it true your daughter hired a biker gang to cut off the boy's ears?"
Hearing that made Bob fume; Cynthia had obviously been speaking to the press.
".. No," he lied. He didn't know why he lied. Well, if he had to be honest, and he knew it was stupid and ridiculous, but he was afraid they would stop helping Louise if they knew the truth. He knew that she would have cut Logan's ears off. He was worried that if they thought Louise was a horrible little girl, they would just leave her down in the well. He and Linda wouldn't be able to get her out by themselves.
"Mr. Belcher! How has this tragedy affected you and your family?"
"How many other children do you have?"
"We have three children, including Louise," Linda spoke up.
"Yes, and I really think that this is bringing us even closer," said Bob, answering the first question. "We're always together now, because we all want to be there for Louise."
"What you like to see done now?" a female reporter called out the final question, and the cameras focused on the Belchers'.
"What we want is for Louise to get out of the well as soon as possible, safe and sound," said Linda sincerely. Both she and Bob wanted nothing else. The reporters started to ask more questions, but the parents were ushered away by Davis, and they immediately went back to the well.
~ X ~
Olsen Benner was sitting in the park, leaning against nearby oak tree. Her chin was resting in her hand as she watched the ongoing rescue efforts.
Ed had left a few hours ago, but another cameraman, Brian, had taken over and was filming the drilling rig as it plunged into the ground.
Olsen was determined to stay until Louise was out. She knew it would take a while, maybe a day, maybe more, but she was going to stick it out. Olsen was going to see it through to the end; nobody ever took her seriously, and she was convinced that this was her chance to prove herself as a serious reporter.
After a while, she rose and made her way over to the family; Nathan was still pestering her about getting an interview.
"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Belcher," she greeted them. Bob nodded politely in reply, but Linda didn't acknowledge her. "May I speak with you for a few moments?"
They didn't say yes, but they also didn't say no, so Olsen remained next to them. Being the first reporter on the scene, she still got told the latest news first, and although Bob and Linda had given a brief statement, they had still not given a proper interview. Olsen didn't want to pressure them; she wasn't going to force them to talk, but if they did, it would make her job a whole lot easier. "Is there anything you wanna say about how the rescue operation is going?"
"Look," said Linda, "I know that you've got a job to do, and I don't wanna sound rude, but I don't care. The only thing that I care about is my baby girl getting out of that well. The only reason we made a statement is because we had to."
"What she means to say," Bob continued, trying to be polite, even though he felt the same way, "is that we're still a little shook up from all of this. We'll talk to you when she's out." It wasn't ideal, but it was clear that there was to be no negotiations, and so Olsen took it. It would probably happen before the day was out, therefore a chance to get a story for the front page.
"Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Belcher," she said before walking away.
"I wanna talk to Louise," announced Gene, as he sat down next to the well and took the headphones from Tim. When he put them on, he couldn't hear anything. "Louise? Louise?" he called into the darkness.
"Gene?" came her voice through the speaker.
"Yeah, it's me. You should see it up here; there's policemen and firemen, and trucks, and diggers; it's insane," he told her.
"Yeah? Sounds cool," she muttered.
"It really is," he said. "And there's all these people that have come to watch; lots of kids from school."
"Great(!) Just what I wanted; an audience." Louise wasn't happy to hear that. She didn't know how long she'd been trapped, but if it was long enough for word to spread, then must have been a while. Now this would be all people would see when they saw her, 'the girl who was stuck in the well.'
"Are you okay?" Gene asked, noticing her subdued tone. "Are you tired?"
"... Yeah," Louise admitted, but she would rather spend a week in the well than admit that she didn't want to sleep. It wasn't that she was afraid, it was because she didn't want to miss it when they reached her. At least, that's what she told herself.
"Well, don't worry; you be in there for much longer," said Gene, trying to cheer his sister up.
"That's great," try as she might, Louise couldn't sound happy; she was too tired. "Can't wait to get out."
"We can't wait to see you," he told her. He couldn't really think of anything else to say, plus he thought that if Louise was left in peace, then she might get some sleep. And so, he gave the headphones back to Tim and rejoined his family.
When he returned, two policemen was standing there with them, and looking at him.
"Hello, son," Brian smiled, and Gene smiled back uneasily. "We were just wondering if we could talk to you."
"About what?"
"About Louise, and the boy who pushed her in. Is it true that you know a few things about why he pushed her?" Gene looked over at his parents; Louise had made him swear to never tell about the Reverse Norwegian Stink hold incident. But he knew that this was more important.
"Well," he began, very aware that the younger officer, Derek, had a notepad and pen. "Last October, Mom and Dad left me and Louise home alone, and she found a rotten cantaloupe in the refrigerator."
"It was just the two of you?" Derek confirmed, and Gene nodded.
"Tina had detention," said Bob, and Tina looked to the side, embarrassed.
"She wanted to throw the cantaloupe off the fire escape into the alley," Gene continued. "So, she did, but Logan was skateboarding down there, and she didn't see him. I saw him, but it was too late, and it exploded all over him."
"And what did Logan do?" asked Derek, scribbling away.
"He said he was gonna make Louise's life a living hell," said Gene. "His friends left, and he stayed outside our house for ages."
"How long was he there?"
"Over an hour," said Gene after a moment's thought. "He kept doing karate on a parked car, and he climbed on the car to try to jump through the window, and I told Louise to apologise so he'd go away."
"And did she?"
"No."
Bob inwardly groaned, even though he knew that was the answer.
"Okay, then what?"
"He said he was going to ruin her life, and he said he was going to get revenge."
"Did he clarify what he meant by 'revenge'?"
"Yeah, he said he was gonna give her a Reverse Norwegian Stink hold."
Upon hearing that, the officers looked at one another, as did the Belchers.
"What's a Reverse Norwegian Stink hold?" asked Brian.
"It's a wrestling move; the signature move of Norwegian Steven!" he cried, "It's horrible; they put you in a headlock, and then they pinch you, and makes you breathe in his B.O.!"
The Belchers looked horrified.
"He was gonna do that to Louise?" Linda asked, looking shocked, and Gene nodded.
"Okay, and then what happened?" asked Derek.
"Well, then he tricked us into leaving the house."
Derek opened his mouth, but Bob got there first.
"Wait, how did he do that?"
"He called us and said he was in the house, and then he threw a shoe through the window, and we got scared and ran outside. Then, he chased us through town."
"He chased you through town?!" Linda gasped, her arms encircling Gene in a protective hug. "My poor babies! Didn't anyone help you?"
Gene only shook his head.
"So, we hid at Lobsterfest, but he found us hiding in this warehouse, and he backed us into a corner, and then..." Gene hesitated.
"What? What happened?" asked Bob.
"L-Louise was so scared, she started crying," he admitted, watching his families jaws' drop. Of course they were shocked; Louise was not a crier, even when she was younger and she hurt herself, she would try to hide her tears.
"Then what?" asked Derek.
"I told him to do the move on me; he didn't want to, but then he did, and it was horrible."
"Right, okay. Gene, thanks for telling us this; I just have one last question, and be honest; do you think Logan was going to leave your sister alone after she started crying?"
"I don't think so," said Gene truthfully; from what he remembered, Logan hadn't seemed to concerned about Louise's tears, and he still wanted to perform the move on her.
"Okay, well this is very helpful." Derek closed his notepad, and placed it in his pocket.
"Is that the only time he's given her trouble?" asked Brian.
"He's gotten worse lately," said Tina before she could stop herself.
"What do you mean?" Brian looked down at the worried teenager.
"Well, I mean, he was always mean to her; he would do things like burping in her face, and annoying her, but he's been really mean lately."
"What has he done?" asked Linda.
"Well, remember that snowfall we had at Christmas? Logan and his friends took over the sledding hill and threw snowballs at everyone, and wouldn't let us sled. But when it snowed again, he made some ice snowballs, and was going to throw them at Louise. In the face."
"What?!" Bob was fuming now. "What is wrong with him?!"
"He was going to throw them at all of us," Tina clarified, "we went over to protect Louise, and he was still going to throw them."
"He stopped because the high school girls threw snowballs at him," Gene added. Brian and Derek looked at one another.
"Okay, well, thanks again. We're gonna go over to Logan's house, and get a statement from him, and from there, it's up to you to decide what you want to do."
"What do you mean?" asked Bob.
"Well, any injuries Louise may have is a result of her being pushed by Logan. At the very least, she'll need to be checked over. You could press charges."
"What?" Bob glanced at his wife, unsure of what to make of this. He was very tempted; it was the least Logan deserved.
"Well, that's interesting," muttered Linda, her mind still focused on Louise. "We will definitely think about it."
The two officers nodded, before leaving the park.
~ X ~
Olsen Benner once again approached the family, and she saw Bob pull a face.
"Sir, I'm not here to interview you," she began, "I just want to show you something."
Bob and Linda looked over at her, curious.
"What is it?" asked Bob.
"Follow me." Olsen led the parents over to the news van, while Gene and Tina stayed with Teddy.
"Do you kids wanna go home for a while, get some rest?" asked Teddy, looking down at the siblings.
"I wanna stay here," said Tina, and Gene nodded.
"Yeah, me too." Teddy nodded as well.
"Okay, then."
Olsen, Bob, and Linda had reached the news van, and again they saw their daughter on the screen. Their little girl, who had been trapped for almost an entire day.
"Did you know this place has CCTV?" Olsen's voice brought the parents back to reality, and they faced the reporter.
"What?"
"They decided to put CCTV in here a couple of years ago after Halloween. Some drunk guy with a broken leg ended up hiding in the play area, chased by a nurse carrying a table. Weird."
Bob cleared his throat nervously.
"How did you find out about the CCTV?"
"Well, I don't know if you know this, but the boy who pushed her in – he and his mom spoke to reporters earlier today. They claimed it was an accident, and so I wanted to see for myself. I got the footage from yesterday." Olsen pointed at the screen, and the image changed from Louise to a view of the park. "I spent hours digging through this," Olsen told them, speeding through the footage. "Ah, here it is," and the footage began to play. The time stamp in the bottom left corner of the screen read 17:50pm. They waited for a moment, and then a figure who was unmistakably Louise came into view; she was walking through the park, minding her own business, and she was straying off the path. Then, Logan was shown approaching her, and they appeared to talk, before Logan stepped right up close to Louise. More talking, before he shoved her, and Louise was seen staggering backwards, before disappearing into the well. The time stamp now read 17:54pm.
Bob and Linda's jaws were hanging open.
"That little brat!" snapped Linda. But she stopped, continuing to watch. Logan, who had dropped to his knees, jumped up and ran off. "He left her!" Linda growled. "He left her there!"
"Oh, my God," said Bob, looking disgusted. "He just ran off! If those two girls hadn't found her..."
"I'm gonna kill him!" Linda growled.
"Ma'am, the police will see this tape, and they'll decide what to do with the boy," Olsen said.
"I'll tell ya what we'll do with him; we'll throw him down there for a day, see how he likes it." Muttering angrily under her breath, Linda, along with Bob, returned to their other children.
"What did you see?" asked Gene.
"There's video of Logan pushing Louise into the well, and then he ran off and left her!" Bob told them, and Teddy gasped.
"He just left her? How could he?!"
"Because he's evil, Teddy!" Bob snarled, his hands clenching into fists. He took a deep breath, and tried to calm down. "Once Louise is out, then we'll deal with him. How far have they gotten?"
"Uh, about ten feet to go," said Teddy. "They just told us that."
"Okay, good," said Bob.
"Mom?" began Tina. "Don't you think we should call Grandma and Grandpa now?"
"Oh, God," she said quietly. "We really should, but I don't wanna worry them."
"I'll do it," said Bob. "Teddy, can I borrow your phone?"
"Sure thing, Bobby." Teddy reached into his pocket, and handed Bob his phone, and Bob dialled his mother-in-law.
"Hello?" Bob wasn't as irritated by Gloria's voice as he usually was.
"Hi, Gloria, it's Bob. I, uh, I don't know if you've heard, but Louise is.. trapped in a well," he said.
"We know. It's on the TV," she told him.
"It is?" he looked confused. They were in Florida; how could it be on TV?
"Yeah. We wanna come down, but we don't have a car. We're trying to book a bus or maybe a flight," she said. They were extremely worried about their youngest grandchild, and they desperately wanted to be there when she was freed.
"Okay, well, come down if you can. Bye." Bob hung up, and, figuring he might has well kill two birds with one stone, he dialled Gayle's number. "Hello, Gayle?"
"Hey, Bob, it's Gayle!" she cried, her voice sounding out-of-breath. He sighed.
"Gayle..."
"Bob, I'm glad you called; I've been so worried about Louise! I've been doing my praying mantis ritual for the woods for the past 16 hours!"
"Gayle, I – wait, what's a praying mantis ritual?" Bob had to pinch his nose.
"You know; it's where I put on my long green dress, and dance like a praying mantis. It brings good luck. Have you had any good luck, Bob?!" Her voice suddenly grew frantic.
"Uh, yeah, we've uh... Louise is feeling optimistic," he said.
"Oh, good, it's working, then! It's also supposed to make things go quicker; so you can thank me when they get her out."
"We will. But, Gayle, what about your cats? Don't tire yourself out; don't you have to feed them?"
"Oh, Rebecca from upstairs is doing it for me."
"Okay, then. Well, thanks for your, uh, help. See you later."
"Bye, Bob!"
As he handed the phone back to Teddy, he had to admit it was rather sweet. Gayle may be certifiably insane, but she was genuinely doing her best to help.
~ X ~
Once again, Brian and Derek climbed the steps of Logan's house, and rang the doorbell. Again, the door was answered by Cynthia.
"Yes?" she said, just a hint of annoyance on her face.
"Hello, again, Mrs. Bush, we'd like to speak to your son, if we may," said Brian.
"You already did that!" came a snappy voice from the living room.
"What's this about?" the mother asked.
"It's about Louise Belcher," he said, and Cynthia narrowed her eyes slightly.
"You already spoke to us about her," she made to close the door, but Brian prevented her from doing so.
"Ma'am, we have received some new information, and we'd just like to speak to your son, to make sure the stories match."
"Okay, come in," said Cynthia, after a moment's hesitation, and allowed the two officers to enter her home.
The three of them went into the living room, where Logan was sat on the sofa, his feet on the coffee table, and flicking through the television channels.
"Feet down!" Cynthia ordered, and Logan scowled before complying. "Please, sit," she turned to the policemen. "What have you come to talk about?"
"We've been speaking to the Belcher family, and according to them, this isn't the first time Logan has harassed Louise. Is that true?" he faced the boy in question.
"She's the one who harasses me!" Logan snapped, folding his arms.
"Have you ever harassed her before?"
"What do you consider 'harassment'?" Cynthia raised an eyebrow.
"Well, ma'am, it's technically defined as intentionally targeting someone else with behaviour that is meant to alarm, annoy, torment or terrorize them," Brian quoted from memory. "And as Logan is believed to have had several unfortunate encounters with Louise, it could qualify, which is why we need him to tell us what happened." With Cynthia momentarily speechless, he turned back to Logan. "Have you ever harassed, threatened or intimidated Louise Belcher before?" he repeated, and Logan nodded after a while. "Okay, and have you ever tried to physically harm her?" he asked, and Logan shrugged after a long pause. "According to Louise's brother, you tried to perform a wrestling move on her. Is that true?"
"Yes," Logan muttered. "But she threw a rotten cantaloupe on me!"
"Is it true that you lured Louise and her brother out of their home, and chased them through town?"
Logan's eyes widened slightly, and he had no choice but to nod.
"And what made you approach Louise on Friday evening?"
Logan felt that telling the truth was the only option; they knew everything.
"I wanted revenge," he said, kicking the sofa.
"Revenge for the cantaloupe?"
"Yeah, I was gonna do the wrestling move on her," he admitted.
"So, why did you push her?" asked Derek, and Logan froze.
"I – I..." he stuttered.
"According to both yourself and Gene Belcher, you wanted to hurt Louise by performing a wrestling move on her, so why did you push her?"
"I don't know! I – I was angry!"
"What would have done if she didn't fall in the well?" asked Brian, causing Logan to stop and think. He didn't know what he would have done. He would definitely have given her the Reverse Norwegian Stink hold, but after that? He didn't know.
"Dunno," he muttered. "But I would have done the move."
"You would have performed a wrestling move on her after pushing her?" Brian confirmed, and Logan nodded, looking annoyed. "Would you have continued hurting her after you did the move?" he asked another question that made Logan stop in his tracks. It would have been too easy to have just let her go, he thought. After everything she had done to him, he thought it was only fair that he got a little payback.
"Dunno," he repeated.
"You also tried to throw ice-filled snowballs at her and her siblings, is that correct?"
Logan had to nod, as he knew he couldn't lie his way out of that. There were too many witnesses. Judging by the look on Cynthia's face, it was the first time she'd heard about that.
"What?" she asked.
"Yes!" he snapped. "I was gonna throw ice balls at them! Happy now!?"
"Why?" asked Derek.
"They – they wanted to go sledding!" Logan groaned, "okay, that makes it sound bad, but they just wouldn't leave us alone!"
"Son," Brian leaned forward, looking serious, "if you had done that, that would be considered assault," he said, and Logan paled, as did Cynthia.
"There's no need for that," she said breezily. "I mean, it didn't happen, so no harm, no foul, right?"
"Ma'am, your son has already assaulted Louise, by pushing her. Any injuries she has from the well are a direct result of her being pushed." He felt that they had a right to know. "It's up to her parents, but they could press charges against your son." Now, they both looked rather unwell.
"Just for a little push?" said Cynthia. "But if the well wasn't there, then this wouldn't have happened!"
"I understand that, ma'am, however, it doesn't change the fact that Louise only fell in the well because she was pushed. Assault is physical harm or unwanted physical contact. But, you could sue."
"What? Who would we sue?"
"You could sue the local council, as the well was uncovered, which they knew about." Brian felt he had to be fair; he couldn't take sides. "But this is just conjecture; they may not even press charges, I'm just letting you know that they could."
"Of course they'll press charges; they hate us!" Cynthia muttered.
"It was just an accident!" Logan protested. Derek said nothing, and merely pulled out his phone. He pulled up a video and turned the device to face them. Both Cynthia and Logan paled even more as they watched the CCTV of the incident. None of them knew what to say to that; it didn't make Logan look good at all.
Since Brian and Derek had gotten what they came for, they bade the mother and son goodbye, and headed back to Wharf Park.
~ X ~
By 8pm, the rescue shaft was getting very close to being completed. Bob, his family, and Teddy, were all standing together, waiting silently, anxiously, when Davis approached them.
"So, the tunnel is almost done," he said. "And when it's done, we'll be able to start the digging process."
"Great," said Linda. "How long will it take?"
"We're hoping to have her out by tonight," said Davis, after the slightest hesitation. "But we will keep all of you updated, okay? So, if you have any questions, let us know."
"I'm gonna go home for a minute, okay, Bobby?" said Teddy when Davis had walked away. "I'll be back soon."
"Okay, Teddy," said Bob, before turning to his wife. "We should take the kids home for a while; so they can have something to eat."
"I don't wanna eat when Louise can't!" said Gene, looking horrified.
"Gene, you have to eat," said Bob.
"But why haven't they given Louise any food? She must be really hungry," said Tina, which made Bob stop and think.
"I'm going to find out," he said, walking over to where Davis and Richards were, past the well, near one of the trees. "Hey, I have a quick question," he said, facing them. "Why haven't you given Louise any food? She hasn't eaten since yesterday."
"Well, sir," Richards began, "the doctor advised against it. He said that he doesn't know for sure whether she has any internal injuries, and if she does, giving her food could do more harm than good. As long as she has water, she'll be fine," he assured the distressed father, who could only nod tautly, before he made his way back to his family.
He was surprised to see the One Eyed Snakes standing with them.
"Bob!" Critter pulled Bob into a rough, one armed hug. "How you holdin' up?"
"We're managing," was all Bob could say. "What are you doing here?"
"We saw it on TV, and we had to come down."
The entire gang was there, even Mudflap and Sidecar.
"It's so sweet of you guys to come down here," said Linda, who managed to smile as Sidecar reached out for her, and she took him.
"It's nothing," said Critter. "How's she doin'?"
"She's... hanging in there," said Bob, "she just wants to get out."
"Oh, they gonna get her out," said Mudflap comfortingly, clapping a heavy hand on Bob's shoulder, causing his knees to buckle. "She'll be fine."
"Thanks," said Bob sincerely.
A spurt of sudden, light applause caused them to look over to the tunnel, where Richards and Davis were standing with a few drillers.
"Right, let's get some oxygen tubes down there, and get drilling!" Richards ordered, and there came a lot of hurrying about following that.
"We've finished digging the tunnel," Davis grinned, having ran over to them. "We're going to send somebody down to start digging once the oxygen tubes arrive."
"So, you can start right away?" asked Bob.
"Pretty much," Davis told him. "We've already called for lights, cables, rigging apparatus, and the oxygen tubes are on the way."
"Oh, thank God," said Linda, and Davis noticed that the little group had more than doubled in size.
"Friends of yours?" he asked.
"Yes, these are.. the One Eyed Snakes," said Bob. Davis nodded, but was prevented from answering by a few reporters, including Olsen Benner, asking them questions, with Brian filming them.
"Sir, is this the same biker gang who Louise apparently hired to cut off the boy's ears?"
"Yes," Bob didn't know why he was talking to them. Maybe it was because he felt a little better knowing that Louise would be out soon.
"How do you know each other?"
"They're regulars at our restaurant; we're friends."
"You work in a restaurant?" asked Olsen Benner.
"I own one; Bob's Burgers," said Bob out of habit.
"And they all came in one day?"
"Yeah; the kids love them."
"So, you didn't try to cut off a boy's ears?" Olsen directed this to Critter, who shook his head.
"No, ma'am; we ain't that kind of gang. We wouldn't take orders from a kid. The Belchers are our friends, and we're here to support them."
Bob remained silent until Olsen and the other reporters had moved away.
"Critter, what are you doing?" he whispered.
"Look, we both know Louise would have made us do it if she could. Would we have done it? I wouldn't have, but we did say we owed you a favour, and you know that she would have done anything to get that hat back. I can't go back to jail, Bob; I think it's best that we just say it didn't happen."
~ X ~
Loud voices and quick movements drew their attention back to the well, and they watched silently as the pipes were hooked up to a generator containing the oxygen and were lowered into the tunnel, and the first digger was hooked up to the rigging apparatus; a cable attached to the winch of the drilling rig, with a mining light on his head and a jack hammer in his gloved hands.
He was attached to a harness and promptly lowered by the drilling rig down the eighty-five feet to the bottom of the narrow shaft. He felt as though he were in a very long barrel. There were lights attached to a cord than ran the length of the tunnel, as well as the two canvas pipes containing the oxygen. Added to this the fact that he was welding a forty-five pound jack hammer and the space soon became extremely cramped. Within minutes, he was bathed in sweat.
A large 'X' had been marked on the side of the tunnel so that he would know where to start, and the young, rather inexperienced man began to dig into the wall. After a few minutes, he paused to see how much progress had been made, and he was dismayed to see that he had not even dented the rock, so he pulled his mask back down over his face and continued to drill.
"At least they're drilling now," said Bob, as Teddy came running up to them, panting, with several bundles under his arms. "What are those?" he asked, as Teddy placed them on the ground. Teddy lifted one up and unfolded a camping chair.
"I brought five," he said, unfolding them, and gesturing for them to sit. Gene and Tina did so, along with Linda, but Bob hesitated slightly. Sitting in a chair would be like admitting that Louise was not going to be rescued for a while. It felt wrong, but he forced himself to sit. It didn't mean anything, he told himself.
~ X ~
Tim and Charlie remained by the well, both of them sitting cross-legged. Charlie was wearing the headphones, and Tim was discussing the rescue operation with a nearby officer. Louise had been continuing to talk to them, but she had been silent for the last twenty minutes. At first, Charlie had been okay with it; but after a while, it became rather frightening. When Louise fell silent, they had no way of knowing whether it was because she was sleeping, or worse, and so Charlie began to call down to her.
"Louise, can you hear me?" When the girl did not answer, he called again, louder this time.
"Is everything all right?" Tim turned his attention back to the well, as a few police and firemen gathered around.
"I can't hear her, and she's not answering when I call," said Charlie, and Tim took the headphones and placed them over his ears.
"Louise?" he called. He couldn't hear anything, except for the faint sound of drilling. "Louise? Come on, Louise, answer me! Louise!"
The girl still wasn't answering, and Tim looked up at Charlie in desperation. "I'm pretty sure she's asleep; what do we do?" Charlie stared down into the well for a few seconds, thinking.
"Wait, I've got an idea!" He took up the microphone lead, and began to lower it even further down the well until it reached something solid. Gripping the cord, Charlie bounced the microphone off of Louise's head several times.
"Ow," came a tired whine from below.
"Sorry, Louise!" Tim called, relief flooding through him. "Had to make sure you were still awake."
"I'm awake," came Louise's tired, irritated mumble; it sounded as though she had just woken up. "Want to get out," she said, raising her voice slightly.
"I know you do, Louise, and we're working on it, okay? We're still digging, and we won't be long."
"I want to get out now!" Louise called.
"I know," Tim repeated. "We want to get you out, too. I promise you it won't be long."
"You've been saying that for hours! I want to get out!"
Both Tim and Charlie felt so bad for her; there was nothing they could do except talk to her, and they wanted to do more.
"I know it's hard, but just hang in there; we're coming. We're almost there!" Charlie called. He felt bad about lying, but the poor kid was scared, what else was he supposed to say?
Dr Cabell had also warned them to not let Louise cry; tears meant she would get dehydrated quicker, and they couldn't afford to let her lose vital fluids. So when Louise got upset, Tim and Charlie would do everything in their power to prevent her from crying.
"How long is it gonna take?" and Tim and Charlie looked at each other.
"Not long," said Tim. "Just a few more hours!"
"Well, speed it up; I'm hungry!"
Charlie bit his lip.
"We'll get you some food the second you're out, alright? I promise!"
"Just put it down here!"
"Uh, we can't do that, Louise!"
"Why not? Just put it down! Come on, I'm starving!"
"Well, honey," Tim began, "the doctor said no food for a while; until he can be sure you're okay."
"I'm fine, so tell him that, and give me something to eat!"
"We just want you to be okay," said Tim.
"Well, what you could do is get me out of this freakin' well!" Louise screamed. "If you're happy to let me starve, you could at least do that!"
At that moment, they saw Bob approaching the well, and they shuffled aside to let him sit down. "She's awake," said Tim, and Charlie passed the headphones over. Bob only gave a weak smile before placing them on his head.
"Louise?" he called.
"Dad? Dad, I wanna get out!"
"I know; I want you to get out, too." Bob couldn't describe how terrible he felt; his child was trapped underground, and his only means of comfort and communication were through a pair of headphones. He looked up as some of the reporters began to press themselves up against the barrier.
"Mr Belcher!"
"Over here, Mr Belcher!"
"Is there anything you'd like to say?" Bob wanted to go back to the rest of his family, but he needed to stay with Louise.
"Dad!" Louise sounded angry now, and Bob supposed that that was a good thing; it meant that Louise still had enough strength left, and that she wasn't too badly injured. "I've been stuck in here for hours! It hurts; I can't move, and they won't let me eat or sleep!"
"I'm sorry, Louise," called Bob, trying not to cry. "It won't be long; I promise." He heard her growling, a long, drawn-out growl that was steadily rising in volume and pitch. He knew what was coming. He took the headphones off just as Louise let out a high-pitched, frustrated scream that could be heard clearly over the sounds of the drilling and the generator. "Louise, calm down!" he had to yell to make himself heard.
"I don't wanna calm down!" Louise screamed. "I wanna get out! Get me out!"
"We are, Louise! We are!" Bob assured her, and he heard her growling frustratedly once again. Hearing that made Bob even sadder, and then he had to leave, lest he burst into tears.
Seated behind a desk, in a comfortable news studio, local anchor Valerie Hope smiled into the camera. "Welcome to the evening news," she began professionally, "tonight's top story; a nine-year-old girl still remains trapped 80 feet below ground in an abandoned water well. We do have an interesting update in this story for you; we've mentioned previously that Louise Belcher was pushed into the well by a teenage boy, Logan Bush, who has apologised, and we now know why he did it. Our very own anchor, Olsen Benner, has been talking to Louise's parents, along with the police. They have also spoken to Logan, and it's now said that the boy wanted revenge.
"According to the Belchers, a few months ago, Louise threw a rotten cantaloupe off the fire escape of her home, which landed on Logan. Louise's older brother has told us that Logan said he was going to make Louise's life a "living hell." Luring them out of their house, Louise and her brother were chased through town, before being cornered by Logan, who was intending to perform a wrestling move on Louise. He never got to do it. Logan revealed that he was planning on performing that wrestling move on her on Friday evening, which is when Louise fell in the well. However, he admitted he was angry at her, and he shoved her, causing her to fall in."
The wonders of modern technology meant that viewers were able to leave their thoughts on the news channel's social media, allowing the editors to read them instantly. While Valerie was presenting the other news stories, the best comments were picked for her to read aloud. "And just quickly heading back to the Louise Belcher story, our viewers have been sharing their views on the rescue," said Valerie, after the weather updates. "Joanna Smythe says 'that boy should be punished for what he has done. That little girl could be seriously injured. I can't stand bullies.' And Emma Waters says, 'They need to hurry up and get her out. How long can drilling a tunnel take? Poor little girl.'
"But Scarlett Leigh says that, 'well, maybe if she had apologised, he wouldn't have pushed her. I'm not condoning what he did, but it's clear he was angry. I don't think he meant for her to end up in the well, but I still think she could have said sorry to him.'" Valerie looked up from her tablet and into the camera once more. "It's clear that there a lot of people who have taken this story to heart. Keep tuning in for regular updates on the rescue efforts."
Bob looked at Teddy's watch; it was almost 9pm, which meant that Louise had been in the well for 27 hours, and once again, he realised that his children hadn't eaten, and neither had he or his wife. "Well, we should probably go home and have something to eat," he said, glancing over at Linda.
"Okay; you guys do that," was all she said, eyes fixed on the well.
"Come on, Linda, you need to eat," Bob lowered his voice, not wanting the kids' to hear.
"I can't," Linda's voice cracked unintentionally, and Bob grabbed her hand. "I can't eat."
"Look, I know how you feel, but you need to," he told her.
"But I just feel so guilty. I'm not eating when Louise can't!"
"Louise has the sugar water; she'll be fine," said Bob, as much for his benefit as it was for Linda's.
"You don't think I know that?" she snapped irrationally. "I don't think I could eat even if I wanted to."
"Well, let's try," Bob helped his wife up, and looked over at the Snakes. "You guys wanna come?" he offered.
"We're good," called Critter. "We're gonna stay here." Bob nodded and escorted his family through the park. His father hadn't yet returned, but he knew where Bob lived.
The crowd began to surround them, and Bob placed his arms around his children. Lots of people were talking to him, but he couldn't make out what they were saying; everything was blending together until it sounded jumbled.
"Please, let us through," he said, as he tried to navigate.
Truthfully, Richards and Davis were glad the Belchers were leaving; the press were getting very persistent, and would continuously shout out to them, doing their best to get an answer. Maybe now they could all get some peace.
Davis caught the attention of officer George, and nodded in the direction of the Belchers. George nodded in return and jogged after them.
Bob and Linda were finding it extremely hard to move through the crowd, even more so now that the press had moved over to were they were and they were blocking the way. There were cameras, microphones, cables, and lots of people, and everything seemed to be swirling around them.
"All right, back up! Back up now!" came a sharp voice, and Bob turned to see George next to them. "Let them through!" Although the crowd backed up, the reporters didn't and they continued to film and photograph the Belchers', shouting out question after question. "Move back!" George ordered, guiding the family through the park.
When they had reached the entrance, they hesitated momentarily. None of them wanted to leave Louise. "If you want, I could give you a ride," George offered.
"Okay," Bob nodded after a moment, thinking that it would be easier; at least they would get there without being crowded. George led the family over to one of the police cars, and they climbed in; Bob in the front, and Linda squeezed into the back with Gene and Tina.
The ride home was silent; none of them could think of what to say, nor did they want to speak. Thankfully, the drive was short, and they were outside their home in no time, and they got out of the car.
"When you want to come back to the park, let me know. We'll call you the moment we reach her," George smiled, and Bob nodded in reply.
For a while, the family remained outside their home, looking in at the empty restaurant, before Bob opened the door to the apartment. He took Linda and the kids inside, and sat her at the kitchen table, and he set about making dinner for them, while Linda, Gene and Tina sat in silence.
Linda was loathe to stay inside and leave Louise alone no matter how anyone tried to convince her.
"I can't stay here! She's been in there for too long; she needs me!"
"Lin, you need to keep your strength up."
"I want to stay out there, Bob. I want to be here when they get her out."
"If they get her out while we're sleeping, they'll come and wake us up," said Bob.
"Mom, you look really tired," Gene observed. He was right; Linda had bags under her eyes, she was pale and she looked washed out in general. Both she and Bob were wearing the same clothes they had on the previous day, and the wrinkled clothing made them look more weary and ragged.
"It doesn't matter how tired I am; you kids' go on and eat your dinner. You need to eat."
"And so do you," said Bob. "Come on, Lin."
"No, Bob! I want to go and be with Louise; she must be so scared. She's been down there for two days!"
"Mom, please sit down," said Tina, gesturing the table.
"No, Tina! I am going back out there and waiting until Louise is safe! Oh, what is taking them so long?! They should have been finished by now!"
"Well, digging a tunnel isn't really the problem," said Gene unexpectedly, causing everyone to look at him. "That's easy enough; but they have to make it big enough for Louise and the guy who's going to get her out to fit in." The three of them just stared at Gene in shock. That had never even occurred to them. What he had just said made the most sense out of anything they had heard all day.
"You're right," Bob realised. "They have to make the tunnel wide enough; Louise isn't going to get out of there herself." The group fell silent once again upon hearing this.
"I never really thought about that," Linda admitted, sinking into her chair.
"So, they're gonna have to.. pull her out?" asked Tina, also sitting down.
"Well, yeah," said Bob. "If her back is hurt, she might not be able to get out by herself. When they've dug the tunnel, someone'll go down and pull her out."
"Will it hurt?" asked Gene, once again, causing everyone to look over at him.
"It shouldn't," said Linda quickly, more to herself than anybody else. "I mean, all they have to do is pull her into the tunnel; it shouldn't hurt that bad. She can't be hurt that bad, can she?"
"No," said Bob quickly, not wishing to upset his wife. "I'm sure she's just fine, a-and pulling her out shouldn't hurt her too much, either."
True to her word, Linda didn't eat. She couldn't. She looked up at her children, eating silently, and caught Bob looking at her. 'Please,' his eyes said. She could see the fear and heartbreak written all over his face, and so, she complied. However, just as she predicted, she did not feel any better after eating; in fact, she felt worse, if that were possible. But, she would do it for Bob, and for Louise.
Once they had finished, they did not immediately go back to the park. It was almost 11pm.
"Alright, kids, it's time for bed," said Bob, still sat at the table, and they looked up at him.
"What? Dad, no!" Tina protested.
"We wanna go back with you!" said Gene. "They're gonna get Louise out, and we wanna see!"
"Gene, you still need to get some sleep," Bob told him. "And they'll come and get us, okay? And, remember, sleeping makes the time go quicker." He couldn't fool Louise with that, but Gene and Tina accepted it. The siblings rose quietly, and went off to their respective rooms.
When they were in bed, Bob and Linda went to Gene's room.
"Goodnight, Gene," whispered Linda, giving him a kiss on the forehead.
"How long will it be until they get her out? Will they get her tonight?"
"I hope so," said Bob. "I don't know how long it'll be," he admitted, and Gene looked worried.
"It won't be long, right?" the boy asked, and the parents looked at each other.
"Not too long," said Linda. "Goodnight, baby."
"Goodnight, Mom, goodnight, Dad."
"Night, Gene," said Bob, as they left his room, and went into Tina's.
"Goodnight, sweetie," said Linda, tucking her eldest in.
"Goodnight, Mom. Will you wake me up when they get her out?"
"Of course we will," Bob assured her. "Now, try and get some sleep." He and his wife both kissed her, and left the room.
On their way back to the living room, they stopped by Louise's bedroom, and looked inside. Linda felt tears building up, and she quickly went into the living room. Bob followed her, and placed his hands on her shoulders.
"There, now," Bob said, taking Linda's hand and making her sit on the sofa. "Let's just sit in here, and try to get some sleep; even if it's only an hour."
"I don't wanna go to sleep, Bob; I wanna go out there and be with Louise!"
"I know you do, and so do the rest of us, but exhausting yourself isn't going to do anyone any good."
"I just wanna stay with her; she must be so scared."
"She'll be fine," Bob told her. "She's not alone; she's got Kuchi Kopi, and all the policemen talking to her, and everything."
Linda didn't say anything; she rested her head on Bob's shoulder, and he hugged her tightly.
After a while, Bob stood and went over to the bookcase, pulling out a photo album. Returning to the sofa, he opened it, and he and Linda began to look through their kids' childhood photos. On the second page was a picture of Bob holding baby Louise, not long after she had been born; he had the biggest grin on his face.
They continued to flip slowly through the book, and every time they came across a photo of Louise, they stopped and stared at it.
"Oh, I love that one," said Linda, pointing at the picture of Louise's first birthday. She was sitting in her high chair, her eyes wide at the chocolate cake that had been placed before her, a single candle in the centre. Like lots of other babies, Louise had been mesmerised by the flame, and when Linda had blown it out for her, she had immediately dove head first into the cake.
The parents chuckled as they looked at the next photo, one of Louise, her face, arms, and torso completely covered in chocolate.
Her second Christmas, with her hugging a large plush dog, which had been her favourite toy. Her first Easter, in which a five-month-old Louise was being held by the Easter Bunny, with Gene and Tina also on his lap.
There was her first Halloween; Louise, almost a year old, and wearing a cat costume, and holding (with Bob's help) a small pillowcase. Her first day of kindergarten, her pink beanie looking far too big for her four-year-old head, and holding her teddy-bear lunch box. There was the first photo of her wearing her brand new bunny ears. This photo was precious to Bob and Linda as it marked the first time that Louise had smiled since the accident. The next photo was of her looking up at her bunny ears, her mouth open in a wide smile, gently holding onto the tassels. She looked so excited that it always brought tears to Linda's eyes when she saw that photo.
"I think this one is my favourite." Bob pointed to a picture of a five-year-old Louise, smiling widely, her two front teeth missing. He couldn't remember when or where the photo was taken, but he loved it because she just looked so happy.
Eventually, they both fell asleep on the sofa in each others' arms, the photo album on Linda's lap.
~ X ~
Tim and Charlie were still lying by the well, still talking to Louise, who was being very ill-tempered; she kept ordering them to hurry up and get her out, and to go faster, and she kept making long, frustrated groans. The two policeman would then reassure her that it wouldn't be long, even though they had no idea how long it was going to take.
As the night went on, Louise grew more and more agitated, screaming, and shouting up repeatedly for them to get her out; Tim and Charlie's constant reassurances were doing little to comfort her.
Louise screwed up her face; she was sick of this, of all the waiting. She looked over at Kuchi Kopi, and glared at him.
"Don't look at me like that," she muttered. "They're doing this on purpose, and you know it!"
She looked up once more, even though she knew she couldn't see anything. She felt tears pricking her eyes once again, and she blinked them away, but this time they kept coming. Louise scowled, and continued blinking fiercely. All she wanted was to get out; why were they taking so long? Her arms and legs had long gone numb and her hands and feet were cold. The bricks that were piled on top of her were hurting. She didn't know how much longer she could take this. "Just get me out!" Louise screamed, sounding distraught, tired, and angry all at once.
"Louise, we are!" Tim called down to her, as the nearby adults gathered around to listen. "We are getting you out!"
"Get me out! What are you waiting for?!"
"Louise, we're not doing this on purpose."
"Yes, you are!"
"We're going as fast as we can, sweetie."
"I wanna get out!"
"I know you do, and we're still digging to reach you."
Louise shook her head frustratedly, her face contorting with anger.
"GET ME OUTTA HERE!" Louise's head dropped down onto her chest, screwing up her face, and blinking away more tears.
"It won't be long, okay? Louise?" Tim had the headphones over his ears, and listened for a while. Due to all of the noise, nobody else could hear Louise, but Tim could, and what he heard was heart-wrenching "Oh, my God," Tim bit his lip and looked up at Charlie.
"What?!" Charlie feared the worst.
"She's crying." Tim passed the headphones over and Charlie heard Louise sobbing quietly.
"Don't cry!" he called, fighting back tears himself.
"I'M NOT CRYING!" Louise screamed, throwing her head back, tears streaming down her red face.
"It's okay, Louise; we're going to get you out. Don't be scared, sweetheart, we're getting you out. Don't cry."
Richards and Davis heard and stopped to listen. One by one, a quiet swept over the park, as all of the workers, police, firemen, all stopped to listen to the crying child.
The man who was supervising the driller down below, gestured for the digger to stop, Tim disconnected the headphones, and the weeping from Louise became louder.
"Should we get her parents?" Tim asked.
"...No. They need to rest," said Charlie after a moment. "If – if she's still like this after a while, then we'll get them."
"Hey, Louise?" called Tim after a moment. "You like Pokemon? Wanna hear a Pokemon joke? How do you get Pikachu onto a bus? You Pokemon!" He started laughing, and Charlie followed his lead.
"Louise?" he called. "What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta!"
Louise was still crying, so they began to tell more jokes, any jokes they could think of, the cheesier, the better. "Louise, what did the cookie say when it got run over? Oh, crumbs!"
"Why do bicycles fall over? Because they're two tyred!" Tim was struggling to think of appropriate jokes. He knew plenty, just none that were clean enough to tell a frightened nine-year-old girl.
"Tell her the one about the "R" rated pirate movie," George suggested when Tim and Charlie faltered.
"Oh, yeah. Louise, why couldn't the kid see the pirate movie? It was rated Arr!"
Soon, the other people surrounding them began suggesting jokes and anecdotes, and after around fifteen minutes, Louise had calmed down and had stopped crying, and Tim and Charlie relaxed slightly.
~ X ~
Well, that's the second chapter done. What did you think? I'd love to know your thoughts!