Twilight and Shadow
by
Numb3rsfan
Chapter Two: While I Cry
By the time Keith reached the bus his face was covered in sweat. Danny who had been seated on the right side of the bus, just waiting for everyone else to board so they could leave, glanced out the window and when he saw Keith's face he stood up straight. Either Keith had dunked his entire face in the nearby stream or something was wrong; very wrong. Danny's worst fears were confirmed when he heard Laurie ask, "Danny, help me!"
Walking to the small set of stairs, Danny saw that Keith was breathing hard and he was turning pale even as Laurie was fighting to keep him upright.
"What happened?" Danny asked, reaching to grasp Keith's arm. He watched as Keith weakly placed his right leg on the first step of the bus but it was clear that was about all he could do...he was so out of it that even as he tried to step up, he fell against the steps.
The venom was taking effect awfully fast, a bit of it must have entered in to a vein, that was the only explanation that Laurie could think of.
"Danny, grab Keith's shoulders, I'll grab his legs. We need to get him in..." Laurie paused, glancing to the hills when she heard her mother cry out Chris's name. Now what?
"Laurie what's going on? What happened to Keith?" Danny asked. The tone of her brother's voice caused Laurie to look at him. It was clear that Danny was scared and that was something that normally didn't happen.
"He was bitten by a rattlesnake." Laurie replied softly. She hadn't wanted to tell Danny, knowing how he'd react to that news, but her brother needed to know the stakes, and true to her expectations, Danny dropped Keith's shoulders and backed up. At any other time the look on Danny's face would have been comical but now was the time to be serious!
"Danny! Grab Keith's shoulders! We need to get him in!" Laurie said sternly. Thankfully the tone in her voice caused Danny to snap out of his semi panicked mode. Returning to his brother, Danny knelt down and put his small hands underneath Keith's shoulders.
"Ready?" Laurie asked, seeing Danny nod his head a moment later. "Okay, One...two...three...lift!" she said.
As one she lifted Keith's feet and Danny lifted Keith's shoulders. Now that their limp brother was in the air, Danny backed up, going slowly enough that Laurie was able to carry Keith's lower torso and legs up the steps and make the sharp left turn in to the main isle of the bus.
"Keep going back, towards the back door." Laurie instructed. Danny did as instructed and moved back, passed the rows of bench chairs. Finally at the back of the bus, near the area where they stored their amps and large equipment, he got a nod from Laurie.
Gently the two of them placed Keith on the ground; Danny actually grabbing one of his jackets from his suitcase, placing it under Keith's head.
"Where's mom?" Danny asked just as Tracy boarded the bus; her young cheeks pink from exertion.
"Trying to get Chris out of big, dark hole." Tracy said in answer to Danny's question. Hearing her response, both Danny and Laurie looked at their younger sibling in shock. Just how big and bad was this 'hole?' Knowing Chris and Tracy, they could be grossly exaggerating the size of this hole...then again...the panic in mom's voice when she had yelled Chris's name seemed to lend credit to Tracy's 'big hole' theory.
"Do we have any rope?" Tracy asked.
That does it! If she was asking for rope then things had just gone from bad to worse! Rising to her feet, Laurie instructed Danny to watch over Keith. Normally she would have expected Danny to do just the opposite but Laurie was certain Danny knew the severity of the situation and would do as he was asked.
Stepping out of the bus, Laurie looked towards the hills, sighed and then started to run up the incline. She had no idea where her mother was so she began to yell for Shirley when she had made it up the incline.
"Mom! Mom!" Laurie yelled, looking both left and right.
She paused, listening for an answer; any answer. When none was forthcoming she yelled again.
"Mom!"
Third time must have been the charm because a little way's off she heard her mother's voice calling out to her.
"Laurie! Over here!"
Hearing the same panic in her mother's voice, Laurie booked it over in the direction the voice had come from. Crashing through some trees Laurie came upon her mother's kneeling form. She was near a hole that was in the ground, but not too close to it. Tracy's comment suddenly returned to Laurie's mind.
~Oh no...please tell me Chris is not...~ Laurie thought to herself, but her mother's question interrupted her thoughts.
"Did you bring some rope?"
Arriving at her mother's side, Laurie knelt down and gazed down in to the darkness of the hole, barely being able to make out Chris's blond hair.
He was a good fifteen feet down; small hands holding on to an old plank that was over his head; the plank being the only thing that was preventing him from falling further. The knowledge that if that plank failed or worse...if Chris let go then he would fall...that scared Laurie.
"Mom...there is no rope." Laurie said a moment later. Even if there was, Laurie knew that Chris wouldn't have been able to grab it anyway, but that knowledge didn't help the situation.
Now both Chris and Keith's lives were on the line in two separate ways. Keith's was thanks to the snakebite and Chris's was thanks to the hole and his curiosity.
Every minute that passed by the blood was flowing out of Chris's arms. Sooner rather than later the boy wouldn't be able to hang on and he would start to fall again. Time was against the Partridge Family and they knew it.
Laurie saw her mother close her eyes in dismay. What were they going to do?
"Mom...Keith is getting worse, he needs to get to a hospital soon." Laurie said. She didn't want to leave Chris down in that hole, especially with his current situation but the fact was that Keith was going to die without help, but what about Chris? He could die if they left!
"Mom! I'm slipping!"
Chris's tiny voice sounded from the hole, causing both Shirley and Laurie to lean over just enough that they could see him. Hearing the panic in her son's voice but not being able to touch him; to comfort him was torture for Shirley; just plain torture.
Trying to stay brave for her youngest son, Shirley said, "Hang on Chris, we'll get you out!"
Laurie was about to echo her mother's confident answer to her brother but instead of speaking words of confidence, Laurie simply shrieked "CHRIS" when she saw one of Chris's hands slip off of the board.
Now it was only one hand; five fingers that separated Chris from the effects of gravity...and that hand was slowly slipping as well.
"Momma...help!" Chris shrieked out, looking up in to his mother's eyes. Now more than anything he wanted to feel his mother's arms wrapped around him; protecting him. But now his mother and safety looked more than a thousand miles away; so close and yet so far.
When Chris's left hand slipped and he started to fall once more, Shirley instinctively reached down in to the hole. In the back of her mind she knew that her arms were too short to be able to latch on to her son; not only that but she was putting herself in danger as well. Dimly she was aware of Laurie latching on to her; preventing her from falling in the hole as well.
"MOMMAAAAA!" Chris shrieked, his voice getting lower and lower as he fell. Shirley had tears rolling down her face as she yelled "CHRIS!" back to her son. Suddenly Chris's shriek was cut off; he must have hit bottom and since Shirley didn't hear any kind of splash she feared that her youngest son had impacted a hard surface and was now dead.
Laurie herself was in shock. She couldn't believe she had just witnessed that; the death of Chris. He was so young and so full of life and now it had been taken and snuffed out.
Laurie barely registered the tears rolling down her face since her mother's hysterical sobs were drowning out her own sobs.
Knees shaking, Laurie got her mother on to her feet and led her away from the hole and towards the bus. Shirley was in no shape to drive; course neither was Keith and no one else knew how to drive at all; let alone drive a stick shift bus!
It took them a good ten minutes to reach the bus and get in, and by that time storm clouds could be seen on the horizon; the storm was most obviously coming in.
"Mom?" Danny and Tracy asked in unison, seeing the shocked and saddened look on her face, "Where's Chris?"
They watched their mother; as if on autopilot, take the seat behind the driver's seat and place both hands over her mouth and nose; obviously trying to hold her emotions in check.
"Chris...is..." Shirley began, but she wasn't able to get it out; her mind not even wanting to believe it. She shook her head, her voice still wracked with sobs. "I can't...I can't..." she bellowed, her shoulders shaking.
Swallowing, Laurie sat down beside her mother and held her; it being the least she could do.
"Danny...Tracy...Chris is dead." Laurie said, her own voice faltering yet stronger than Shirley's.
When Laurie said that the bus became so quiet that would could have heard a pin drop; in fact several crickets that were outside were then heard; quite loudly in fact.
A loud thump was heard at the back of the bus. Laurie, Danny and Tracy looked in that direction and saw that it was Keith. He must have been awake and he must have heard Laurie's statement because tears were rolling down his sweat covered face.
Eyes going to Danny, Laurie gave a small jerk of her head, indicating that Danny should come over to her. Understanding the jerk of his sister's head, Danny did indeed approach Laurie who stood up and allowed Danny to sit down next to his mother.
Danny knew that Laurie expected him to try to comfort his mother but what could he do? What could he say that would make any difference? Besides, normally he wasn't the comforter; that was Shirley's job! Danny was more of the antagonist but now he was expected to put that aside.
Looking back behind him, Danny watched Laurie go over and kneel down next to Keith who was still crying.
He mumbled something to which Laurie shook her head and said, "It's not your fault. Don't go blaming yourself."
Laurie must have reached in to Keith's pockets because the jingle of keys was then heard. Laurie stood up and headed for the driver's seat.
"Uh...Laurie what are you doing?" Danny asked, having a feeling he knew exactly what Laurie was planning.
"I am going to drive the bus to the hospital. How hard could it be?" Laurie asked.
Danny's eyes grew as big as saucers. Images of the bus flying down the road like a rocket or worse, jerking every few feet or worse...crashing, came in to his mind.
"But you can't drive!" Danny shot back.
Sitting down in the driver's seat, Laurie fitted the key in to the driver's seat.
"Do you have any better suggestions?" She asked. When nothing else was forthcoming from Danny, Laurie turned the key and fired up the engine on the bus. There was nothing to it right? Keith and Shirley made it look easy; surely Laurie could drive the bus as well...right?