The Sorrow Continues
Alvin and Simon trudged through the freezing rain, desperately searching for Brittany. They had been searching for an hour or so now and they were both cold and miserable. Simon could barely see from his broken glasses and regretted forgetting to switch them with his spare pair.
"I don't think she could have gotten too far! The rain is just too strong, even for her!" Simon shouted over the torrent of ice water. Alvin barely caught what he said. The rain was so heavy that his raincoat was soaking through to his sweater. He shivered as a raindrop slid down his neck. The street looked like a small river and leaves and rubbish floated along it. Suddenly a shrill howl broke through the rain's heavy pouring.
"That sounded like Brittany!" Alvin cried and pointed in the direction of the howls. Simon squinted and made out a large dark shape through the rain. The two chipmunks ran towards it and found Brittany. The werechipmunk had climbed up on top of a parked truck and was howling in fear. She was even wetter than they were and they could see her shivering as her matted fur continued to catch the freezing rain.
"We need to get her down!" Alvin shouted and made his way to the bonnet of the truck, Simon at his heels, still squinting to see Brittany clearly through the downpour. Thunder was now sounding as well, and both chipmunks saw the white flash of lightning streak across the sky. Brittany let out a whimper of fear then lay down on the roof of the car and started to shutter. The two chipmunks carefully climbed onto the bonnet of the truck and approached Brittany. She looked up at them, but she was far too scared to respond to them.
"Come on Brittany, let's get you home" Alvin said as soothingly as could be heard over the roar of the rain and thunder. Brittany let out another whimper and didn't move, her trembling growing even fiercer and the rain grew even harder. Alvin could feel small hail pellets start to fall as he bent down to grab Brittany. He gently scooped her up in his arms and turned around to Simon.
"This rain is getting really intense! Let's get back quickly!" Alvin shouted, but Simon only just made it out over the screaming rain. Carefully the three dismounted the slippery vehicle and started to trudge through the river covered streets. Suddenly a jolt of lightning struck a nearby power pole and it fell crashing onto the road. The electrical wires snapped and sparked as they fell into the gushing water. The three terrified chipmunks watched as the electrical currents shot through the water, directly towards them.
Theodore picked up the final broken table leg. He and Eleanor had spent the last half an hour trying to repair the table in the den. He was finding it incredibly difficult. Alvin and Simon were the builders of the family, not him. He held a nail over the leg and the broken joint on the table and lifted up the hammer in his other hand. He swung it down, but ended up just hitting his thumb for the third time. He let out a yelp then started to blow on his finger. Eleanor moved to him and gave him a reassuring hug. Unlike her counterpart, Eleanor was quite adept at building and construction work. She was the only competent one of her sisters with tools. It wasn't for a lack of skill. Jeanette was simply too clumsy to accurately use the equipment and Brittany refused to touch them because they were dirty and ruined her nails. The three of them had once built a huge tree house where they had lived before being adopted by Miss Miller. Eleanor had done most of the work, but her contribution wasn't forgotten. Her sisters had always been very grateful for her hard work and ensured that she didn't do any of the indoor painting.
Jeanette watched the two of them as she returned a lamp to its original position and started to glue a vase back together. It was cute to see how affectionate they were towards each other, even doing something like building a table. But most of her thoughts were devoted to another chipmunk, one in blue. It had finally happened, Simon had asked her out. She could still feel the taste of his lips upon hers. It was a moment she knew she would always treasure. Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt the sticky fluid of the glue cover her hands. She started struggling to pull them apart when she took a step backwards and slipped on an overturned chair. She let out a scream as she fell over and slid across the floor. She banged into a small table and the lamp she had just repositioned fell on top of her. Eleanor and Theodore looked up to see Jeanette standing with a shade over her head and her hands glued firmly together. They both let out a giggle and moved to help her.
"Oh Jeanette, you can be a klutz, but I love you" Eleanor said happily as she removed the shade, and the brunette Chipette started to blush. As they helped her, Theodore remembered how embarrassed he was after he had asked Eleanor out, and now decided that it was time for a little payback.
"So Jeanette, we saw you and Simon sharing a kiss" he said playfully. Jeanette's face turned from light pink to Alvin red. Eleanor giggled and decided to join in.
"And I heard him ask you out, are you excited?" she teased and Jeanette's face became a deep scarlet.
"Well… yes, I can't wait" she said shyly, but happily. Eleanor and Theodore smiled at her then gave her a hug.
"Good for you Jeanette. I hope Simon does something special for you. I don't think I'm ever going to forget the night I've had with Theodore" Eleanor said happily and Theodore joined Jeanette in blushing. Slowly the group started to get back to work, but Theodore and Eleanor continued to embarrass Jeanette with questions about her and Simon. Jeanette's face barely reverted back from its scarlet state, but she secretly enjoyed it. She loved hearing how happy the younger chipmunks were for her and Simon, how they had always known that eventually they would be together. Finally they finished cleaning up the den. Everything was back together except for the window, however the three of them had simply decided to lie and say they broke it with a baseball. As the group all huddled around the broken dry wall in the kitchen, struggling to think of an excuse for how it had appeared, there was a knock at the door. Jeanette headed through the den to open it, but gasped at who was outside.
The electrical currents shot towards the group rapidly.
"Run!" Alvin screamed and sprinted towards the side of the road, carrying the frightened Brittany along with him. The three of them were almost through the river, when Simon saw how close the sparking current was. With only a second to spare, Simon lunged forward and shoved Alvin out of the river. He and Brittany landed roughly on the cement path alongside the street. Alvin looked up angrily, but his eyes widened with fear when he spotted Simon. Simon's fur was fluffed up and pointing out and he was shaking uncontrollably as the electrical current gushed through him. He was in unbelievable pain.
"Simon!" Alvin screamed. He was about to race forward and grab his brother, but the electrical currents prevented it. He watched in torment as Simon's eyes closed and he collapsed into the sparking water. Brittany started to howl in fear and was quivering place. Alvin looked around frantically, there had to be something he could do to help Simon. His eyes rested upon a broken tree branch lying on the pathway. Alvin sprinted toward it and grabbed a hold of it. He swung the branch out and snagged a hold of Simon's raincoat before he was swept away in the water. He dragged the unconscious chipmunk out of the street and lay him down carefully on the cement. His fur was singed and smoking, despite the cascade of water and thundering rain and hail.
"Simon! Simon can you hear me!" Alvin shouted, but he was met with no response from his younger brother. Tears started to leak down his face and the warm liquid mixed with the freezing rain. Brittany timidly approached and nuzzled Simon gently with her nose, her own way of trying to communicate with him, but once again Simon did not reciprocate a response.
"Brittany, follow me and don't run away!" Alvin commanded forcefully as he picked up his brother and started to run back towards his house, the frightened werechipmunk at his heels. As they approached the house he practically smashed the door. Moments later the door opened and a startled Jeanette answered.
"Oh my god, what happened!" she nearly screamed as she pulled them inside. Theodore and Eleanor sprinted into the room to see what was going on. The sight of the unconscious and smoking Simon caused them to gasp as well.
"A power line came down. He shoved me and Brittany out of the street, but he wasn't fast enough. He was electrocuted. Quickly, someone call an ambulance" Alvin instructed as he lay Simon down and tore the melted raincoat off him. Eleanor and Theodore raced from the room to grab the phone. Jeanette crouched down next to Simon and grabbed his hand. His fur was hot and pointed, but the most disturbing part was that he didn't respond to her touch. Brittany sat on the floor whimpering, covering her eyes with her paws. Alvin still felt the warm tears on his face as he gazed down at his brother. His heroic actions had just saved Brittany and himself, but left Simon injured. He didn't know the exact effects of being electrocuted, but he knew that Simon was in a lot of pain. He was about to speak, but Jeanette prevented it. She burst into tears and grabbed a hold of Simon.
"Jeanette he…" Alvin started, but he didn't finish. He didn't know what to say. He simply sat and let the tears roll from his eyes.
Eleanor and Theodore rushed back into the room.
"The ambulance will be here any minute" Eleanor said weakly. Tears dripped from her eyes and she grabbed Theodore. The green Chipmunk pulled her into a hug and allowed her to cry on his shoulder. He felt his own tears rolling down his cheeks, but he did his best to fight them. He wasn't successful. The group all surrounded Simon not saying a word. The only sound came from the gentle sobs they were all emitting. Alvin slowly turned to Brittany. Her wet fur hung limp around her and her hair was saturated. He moved to comfort her when the sound of a car's engine stopped him.
"Stay with Simon" he told the others. Quickly he picked Brittany up and took her out of the room. He placed her on the floor in the Chipmunk's closet. She looked up at him sadly.
"Please stay here and be a good girl" Alvin pleaded to her, the tears still falling from his eyes. Brittany nodded then returned to whimpering and covering her eyes. Alvin closed and locked the door then returned to the den. The front door slowly opened and Dave walked inside.
"I'm home, can you believe this rain…" he started when he spotted them all crowded around Simon. His eyes widened and he rushed to his son.
"Simon! What happened to him!" he cried as he bent down next to his son. He moved to hug him, but Jeanette pulled him tight.
"A power line went down and he was electrocuted" Alvin said weakly. Dave looked up at Alvin shocked, before returning his gaze to Simon. Tears started to form in his eyes. Slowly the sound of sirens started to approach and moments later, a group of paramedics rushed into the room. They placed Simon onto a stretcher and took him out to the ambulance. As one of the paramedics was telling Dave which hospital they were taking Simon to, Jeanette climbed into the vehicle and sat next to the injured Chipmunk. Tears were still heavy in her eyes as she moved to him and wrapped her arms around him, never wanting to let go. Things had been so happy. The two were now a couple; Simon had asked her out, they had shared their first kiss. All that love and happiness was now replaced by deadly sorrow.
"Oh Simon" she managed to say before her sobs became too intense. One of the paramedics turned to her.
"What are you doing in here Miss?" he asked urgently. The ambulance needed to get going and he wasn't about to dilly dally with some little girl. However he flinched as she looked up at him. Despite the uncontrollable tears still streaming down her cheek, the flames in her emerald eyes were so intense that the paramedic was lost for words, too paralyzed with fear.
"I'm staying with him" she said angrily before turning back to Simon and placing her head on his chest. The paramedic nodded nervously and informed Dave. He and the other chipmunks had piled into Dave's car preparing to follow the ambulance. The sirens blared and flashed through the downpour of rain before the two vehicles were speeding down the street and out of sight.
Miss Miller parked her car and entered the house. As sad as the sight was, she was not surprised by the still destroyed house. She tried to ignore it and think about something else. Her thoughts landed on Eleanor and Theodore. She couldn't believe how happy she was for them. She had raced back to pick them up after the rain had started, but was shocked to see them happily playing hugging each other, ignoring the effects of the thundering water. All the drive home she had asked them how the date went and if they had fun. Eleanor said it was one of the greatest nights of her life and Theodore responded in kind. It was so good to see them so happy together. Miss Miller smiled and entered the kitchen. She let out a sigh remembering that this room was also destroyed. She walked to the dented fridge and pulled out a TV dinner to cook for herself and another for Brittany. Wait Brittany? Miss Miller had completely forgotten she had left her daughter home alone while she took Eleanor and Theodore for their date.
"I should check on her and make sure she hasn't gotten into any trouble" she said to herself. It was late at night so the girl would probably be asleep, but she wanted to see her anyway. As upset as she was with her at the moment, she still loved her daughter dearly and needed to make sure she was ok. Quietly she headed up the stairs and opened the door the girl's room. The room was trashed, but that wasn't unexpected. Eleanor and Jeanette's beds were deserted, but Brittany's bed had the covers over a large lump. Miss Miller let out a breath of relief. For some reason she had a feeling in her stomach that something would have been wrong and Brittany wouldn't be in her bed.
"I'll see you tomorrow Brittany" she whispered and closed the door. She didn't notice the pillow underneath the sheets.
Dave and the chipmunks all sat in a waiting room in the hospital. Theodore and Eleanor were holding each other crying. Alvin had his face in his hands; quiet sobs could be heard emanating from him. Dave sat patiently. He had interrogated the group thoroughly on why Simon had been outside in the rain for him to be struck by power lines. They had managed to come up with the lie that Simon and Alvin had been heading to the Chipettes house to grab something for Eleanor and Jeanette, but it had been hard to sound convincing when they were crying so much. Dave however believed them and was now sitting quietly, doing his best to act strong for the group, but he wanted to do nothing more than break down and cry. Jeanette hadn't said a word to anyone. After the ambulance had arrived Jeanette had been forced to wait in the waiting room with the others while the doctors took Simon away. He had been in an even worse state then they thought. He was barely breathing and his nervous system had been damaged, to what degree was still uncertain. Jeanette couldn't stop the tears flowing from her eyes. The once beautiful emerald eyes were now bloodshot and puffy from tears. Her throat hurt from the uncontrollable sobs but the worst pain was her heart. She was shattered. Why had this had to happen to Simon? He had volunteered to help Alvin and saved his and Brittany's life. Why did this deserve to happen to him?
"Dave Seville?" someone called. The whole group turned to see a doctor had entered the waiting room searching for Dave.
"That's me, how is my son doing?" Dave asked and approached the doctor, the chipmunks mimicking his move. The doctor gave no indication of Simon's condition in his expression so the group all listened intently as he started to speak.
"Well, for someone who was just electrocuted from a power line, he is doing alright. Most people don't live through something like that. Currently we have him in room 235. However before you see him, I must warn you of his condition" the doctor said sternly. Everyone froze, hearing that made them all begin to think the worst.
"Simon is alive; however he may be in some serious trouble. We still cannot determine how severe his nerve damage is. Currently he is still unconscious and he is still very weak. Until he regains enough strength to be moved, there is no way for us to tell just how bad it is. However under the circumstances, you should be informed on just how bad it could be. If he has sustained enough damage, he may lose motor control throughout his body, living him…" he started but Jeanette finished for him.
"Paralyzed" she said quietly, her teary eyes staring at the doctor, almost pleading him to tell her that Simon would be ok. He looked down at her sadly and gave a nod. Everyone let out a gasp and tears began to trickle from their eyes again. The doctor let out a sad sigh then indicated towards a door.
"You can see him now. As I said, he is in room 235 at the end of the hall. I'm sorry to be giving you this bad news, but… well it's part of the job I guess" he said giving a half hearted chuckle before letting out another sigh and walking off. The group all trudged through the indicated door and proceeded along a hallway. The final door read '235'. Quietly they all entered. Simon lay in a bed to the left of the room. An ECG machine beeped slowly indicating Simon's heartbeat. The rhythm was slow and quiet. The group surrounded his bed. Simon's fur was no longer smoking but it remained fluffy and pointed. His sweater had been removed and now he was in a hospital robe. His glasses had also been removed. Everyone gazed down at him sadly, silent tears running down their faces. For the next few hours everyone sat quietly around the bed. Jeanette held Simon's hand, but all it did was make her feel even worse. There was still no response to her touch. Slowly Theodore and Eleanor wrapped their arms around each other and closed their eyes. Soon they were deep in sleep, huddled together on their chairs. Alvin started to feel tired, but he refused to sleep. He was too worried for Simon. He had saved both his life and Brittany's at the cost of harming himself. Now he risked life paralysis. Tears started to flow from Alvin's eyes as he thought of his brother being stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
As bad as Alvin and the others were taking the situation, Jeanette was the worst. She still hadn't said anything to anyone else since they had arrived at the hospital. She just sat next to Simon holding his hand, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably. Quietly a doctor entered the room and approached the group.
"I'm sorry but it is getting late and visiting hours have just ended. I'm afraid you are going to have to leave. If Simon awakens we will contact you immediately, but until then we'll just have to wait and see what happens" the doctor said. Dave nodded and picked up Eleanor and Theodore. He and Alvin got up and headed for the door but stopped. They turned back to see that Jeanette hadn't moved.
"Jeanette we need to…" he started but she cut him off.
"I felt something!" she cried out. A noise sounded and everyone turned to see the ECG machine had started to pick up. Simon's heartbeat had increased. Jeanette let out another cry. She felt a gentle squeeze on her hand. Everyone raced to Simon's bed. The chipmunk twitched a little. Slowly his eyes opened.
"Simon" Jeanette said softly. He opened his mouth but only a strange groaning cough came out.
"Take it easy Simon, you're in the hospital" Dave said. Simon squinted his eyes as he scanned around the room, causing Dave to realize he didn't have his glasses on. He quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out Simon's spare pair and carefully placed them over his eyes.
"Th…anks…" he managed to say weakly. He looked at everyone clearly.
"Wh…at… hap…pend?" he asked quietly, his voice still only just audible.
"You were electrocuted by some power lines. You saved my life Simon" Alvin said lightly and smiled at his brother in gratitude. Simon gave a weak smile.
"You… are my… brother… I had… to… do… something" he said, his voice growing even quieter. Alvin smiled at him.
"Thanks Si" Alvin said as light tears started to drip from his eyes. He lent down and wrapped his arms around Simon. Simon attempted to do the same however he found that it was too painful to move. As Alvin stood back, Dave now moved in closer. He placed Theodore and Eleanor on the end of Simon's bed.
"I'm so glad you're ok" he said as he too gave Simon a hug. Alvin slowly moved to Theodore and Eleanor and gave them both a gentle nudge. They murmured sleepily and opened their eyes. As soon as they saw that Simon was awake they both jumped and moved up so that they were next to him. they also gave Simon a hug.
"I'm glad you're awake Mr. Seville. Tomorrow if you feel any better we will conduct some tests" the doctor said and moved towards the group. In their rush to see Simon, they had all forgotten the doctor was in the room. Dave turned to him.
"I know it is time to leave, but could we spend a few more minutes with Simon?" Dave asked. The doctor smiled and nodded his head.
"I'll be back in a minute, but after that I'm afraid you will have to leave" he said and departed from the room. Everyone turned back to Simon. Jeanette continued to hold his hand. The group all sat quietly for a few minutes. Simon attempted to sit up a few times, but it still hurt too much to move. He knew that if he had been electrocuted he was probably going to be in pain for some time. He remembered learning how electricity affected people, instead of burning them on the outside; it harmed them internally, channeling itself through the small pathways of muscle and bone within people. The doctor reentered the room.
"Alright, I'm sorry I can't give you any longer, but we really do need to ask all visitors to leave now" he said and indicated to the door.
"Ok Doctor, thank you" Dave said and he hopped up from his seat. The other chipmunks all copied his move, except for Jeanette. She leaned close to Simon.
"Good Bye Simon" she whispered then moved her lips to his. Simon wanted to move close to her and pull her into a hug, but he was restricted from his pain. This however felt good. Despite the pain he was in, just having Jeanette in his presence made him feel better. The two remained interlocked for a few minutes. Dave smiled at them. He knew it was only a matter of time before it happened. Alvin gave a happy chuckle. Despite what had just occurred, it made him happy to see the two of them together. Eleanor and Theodore both let out a giggle and decided to follow their lead and moved to each other and began to kiss as well.
Jeanette slowly parted from Simon and he smiled at her.
"Good bye Jeanette" he whispered back. Jeanette smiled and moved away. As she walked to the others, she noticed their smiles and started to blush.
"Come on, let's go. We'll be back in the morning Simon. I love you" Dave said. Everyone waved good bye to Simon. He couldn't wave back but he said good bye as loudly as he could. Everyone exited the hospital and piled into Dave's car. As Dave started the ignition and started to drive away he began to speak.
"Alright guys, as soon as we get home, you need to get to sleep. We'll stop in at the hospital before school to see Simon" he said. Everyone nodded and let out a yawn, just realizing how tired they really were. The car drove for a few minutes before arriving at the house. The rain continued, but it had eased up significantly. Everyone scrambled out of the car and into the house.
"Alright guys, good night, I'm off to bed" Dave announced and trudged upstairs into his room.
"Alright guys, let's hit the hay" Alvin said sleepily and lead them up to their room. Everyone got changed and brushed their teeth. The hit the lights and started to clamber into their beds and sleeping bags. Alvin was just about to drift off when he heard a whimper.
"Brittany!" he cried out, causing everyone to jump. They all watched as he leapt out of his bed and opened their closet. Brittany lay on the floor, still whimpering. She looked up at everyone sadly.
"It's ok Brittany. Simon is at the hospital" Alvin said softly and he gave her a pat. She still seemed upset but she stopped whimpering. She cautiously exited the closet and looked around the room.
"Do we have to go out to the tree house? It is still raining" Theodore whined. Alvin looked down at Brittany.
"Brittany if you be a good girl and stay quiet, you can stay in here tonight" Alvin instructed. Brittany looked at him and gave a nod then she moved over and hopped onto Alvin's bed and lay down.
"I'll stay up first" Alvin said as he climbed up next to her and stared to stroke her hair. She lowered her head and rested it on the bed, content as Alvin gently stroked her. Eleanor, Theodore and Jeanette all looked up at him.
"Go to sleep you guys, I'll watch her first. I'll wake you up later" he said. The group all nodded and returned to their sleeping areas.
For Theodore and Eleanor, their dreams were filled with thoughts of the other. Despite what had happened to Simon, the date they had shared was magical, something that they would remember forever. The kiss that they had on the beach was the most amazing, breathtaking thing that either had ever experienced before. Neither could wait for the next time they were able to do something like that with each other.
For Jeanette, her dreams were focused on one person, Simon. She was so worried for him, but she couldn't ignore the happiness that was swelling within her. Despite what had occurred, they had kissed. He had asked her out on a date. Never had she been so happy before. She smiled as her dreams player over the scene again in her head. Their lips touched and the feelings that it brought. It was magical.
Alvin watched everyone as they slept, noticing the smiles appearing on their faces.
"Well Brittany, it seems that everyone has finally gotten together" he said happily. Then the dark spot that had surfaced in him earlier returned. Looking down at Brittany, he couldn't deny the longing he felt for her. Seeing everyone else so happy, it had a strange effect on him. At first it had brought him nothing but joy, but now. Now he felt… jealous in a way. That they got to be with the person they cared for, and he was denied that. It made him sad. He looked at Brittany and she could sense his change in mood. She snuggled next to him.
"Soon we will cure you Brittany. I just hope that when we do, we can be together. You have no idea how much I care for you" Alvin said softly as he gave her another stroke.
He sat with Brittany for a few more hours, simply stroking her hair, enjoying what time he could with her. Then when it grew late, he awoke the others for one of them to take a shift. His dreams were all of Brittany. The real Brittany, the one he wished he could see again someday. The one he cared for with all his heart.
Well, I hope you like the chapter, once again, sorry about the wait. What will happen now? Simon is in the hospital and he may be paralyzed for life! Will he recover and help the others? Will the newly formed couples be able to last? And will Brittany ever become her true self again? Find out soon!