"Aislinn!" Once-ler shouted, running to her.
Pipsqueak jumped when he heard Once-ler but barked in joy at the sight if him.
Once-ler began lifting the trees carefully off of Aislinn, trying not to hurt her anymore than she probably already was.
When he had gotten all the trees off of Aislinn, he saw that the blood was coming from cuts that were all over her arms and legs and there was a particular large gash that ran from the back of her right knee to a little past the middle of her calf.
Once-ler gently shakes Aislinn and calls her name, hoping that hearing his voice would wake her up.
She doesn't.
Once-ler quickly takes off his vest, and wraps it around Aislinn's leg, remembering how she kept pressure on his wound to stop or slow the bleeding down when he was shot.
"We need to get her back to the house," the Lorax said, holding a trembling Pipsqueak close to him. "I'll ask Pipsqueak what happened when we get there. He's really scared right now."
Once-ler was really scared right now too. Aislinn was pretty pale and she was starting to shiver now that the weight of the trees were off of her.
Once-ler carefully picked Aislinn up bridal style, and held her close. Sun-Ray, who had been circling the whole time, lead the way back home.
It didn't feel like it took them long to get back home. The still pouring rain had pelted Once-ler in the face as he ran, his arms feelings Aislinn's weight.
When they got close to the house he shouted for Gran.
The older woman quickly came outside onto her porch, followed closely by Melody. Gran's eyes narrowed and she said something to Melody who hesitated a moment but then went back inside the house.
Once-ler ran toward his house and kicked the door in and quickly made his way to his and Aislinn's bedroom.
He laid Aislinn on their unmade bed and chuckled to himself, thinking that Aislinn would be mortified that he let Gran and Melody in the house with their bed not even made up.
Once-ler heard Gran come in the house, close the door, then start messing around in the kitchen. Then she came into their bedroom.
"What happened?" she demanded, quickly undoing Once-ler's vest and looking at Aislinn's leg.
"I-I'm not sure," Once-ler said. "Me and Lorax were looking for Pipsqueak, when Sun-Ray took off toward where Aislinn went. We followed her and found Pipsqueak shaking Aislinn, who was trapped under several Truffula trees."
Gran glanced up at Once-ler.
"Tell me how many trees and where they landed on her," she said, looking back at Aislinn and scanning over her body.
Once-ler told Gran where he found the trees and that he lifted them off and carried Aislinn back home.
"Gran the water's boiling!" came Melody's voice in the kitchen.
Once-ler hadn't heard Melody even come in.
"Good," Gran called to Melody. "Get some towels and dip them in the water and the suture needles. Then bring them here. And hurry dear! We don't want your sister bleeding out more than she already has!"
Melody quickly brings the things Gran asked for. Once-ler stepped out of the way of the two of them. He realized then how helpless he felt. And he also knew how Aislinn felt when he was shot.
"Once-ler can you please bring a bowel full of hot water from the sink?" Gran asked, wiping around Aislinn's wound. "And an empty bowel too?"
Once-ler nodded and went and grabbed two bowels and filled one with hot water from the sink. He quickly brought it back to Gran and Melody.
They began to flush out Aislinn's wounds with the hot water and catching the water in the empty bowel. Gran then grabbed the suture and carefully sewed up Aislinn's wounds. Gran then cut the thread and wiped around the wound again with another towel that had been dipped into the boiling water.
Even after all of the poking, prodding, and sewing, Aislinn hadn't moved nor even woke up the whole time. Gran took this opportunity to physically examine Aislinn for any further injuries. Luckily, Aislinn wasn't injured anywhere else, besides the other cuts Gran just bandaged up. Gran had to sew up several other cuts on Aislinn's legs and arms, and Gran said she would have horrible bruising and be sore for several days.
Once-ler was relieved.
"I want to stay here till she wakes up, if that's ok," Gran said to Once-ler.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Once-ler smiled.
Melody and Gran went into the living room and cut the TV on low, watching the news about the weather.
Once-ler noticed that he was still wet from being in the rain, but he didn't feel like changing into different clothes.
He went and grabbed a chair from the nook and brought it in their bedroom and sat beside Aislinn and gently held her hand.
He heard the soft padding of feet coming into the room, and glanced to see the Lorax standing beside him.
"How is she?" he asked.
"Gran sewed her up," Once-ler replied, looking back at Aislinn. "And she said that she wasn't hurt anywhere else and that Ais will have some horrible bruising and be sore for several days."
"That's good," the Lorax said.
They were silent for a moment.
"I talked to Pipsqueak about what happened," the Lorax said, softly.
Once-ler gripped Aislinn's hand a little tighter.
"Pipsqueak said that Bret and Chet came and picked him up and carried him to Isabella," the Lorax explained. "Then they waited and Aislinn came up. She asked for Pipsqueak back and they actually gave him back to her. Bret and Chet talked to Aislinn a little bit before Isabella yelled at them and made them get in a car they had driven in. Then Isabella said that kidnapping Pipsqueak wasn't part of the plan. It was just to get everyone separated. Isabella then pulled a rope and it took just a moment before Pip and Aislinn heard cracking and she turned and saw the trees falling toward them. Pipsqueak said Aislinn threw him out of the way and the trees fell on her. Bret and Chet got out of the car and wanted to go help Aislinn, but Isabella screamed at them and they got in the car and drove away. Before Aislinn lost consciousness, she told Pip to blow Sun-Ray's whistle. He did and that's where we come in."
It was silent again, as Once-ler processed all the information. His family was behind this? Again? They just didn't want him happy. Except maybe Bret and Chet. They were always there for him in private, but when Isabella was around, his brother's always did whatever their mother said.
Once-ler then made up his mind what he was going to do.
He stood up and leaned over Aislinn and kissed her forehead. Then Once-ler walked toward the doorway of their bedroom.
"What are you doing?" the Lorax asked.
"I'm going to stop this once and for all," Once-ler simply said. "I'm done being pushed around by them and having them hurt my family."
The Lorax followed him into the living room where Gran asked where Once-ler was going.
She got the same response as the Lorax.
Once-ler walked out the door to see that the rain was still falling but not as hard as it was before. The animals had gathered outside Once-ler and Aislinn's house. They all had anger in their eyes.
Once-ler stared at them slightly confused.
"We're going with you," the Lorax said, standing beside Once-ler. "Aislinn is important to us too."
Once-ler looked at the Lorax then at the animals.
"Then let's go," Once-ler said, walking off of his porch and back into the rain.
The animals and the Lorax followed silently behind him.
Author's Note:
I don't own The Lorax or Once-ler or his crazy family.
I DO OWN Aislinn, Melody, and Gran!
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A friend on DeviantArt said Once-ler sounded like he was Batman in this last bit! LOL!
Again I apologize for not uploading these yesterday guys!