Brittany felt herself being lifted, then placed gently on an uncomfortable surface. She heard sirens blaring, saw flashing red and blue lights.

What the hell? She felt her body being strapped securely in place. Oh, shit! Ambulance.

She wanted to yell Just take me home! but her throat only emitted a gurgle.

"You're okay, hon. We're taking you to the emergency room. Can you talk?" said one of the paramedics wheeling her into the ambulance.

"Yes…" Brittany rasped.

Brittany hated hospitals; the blinding whites, the smell of sanitizer, all the…sick people.

She sat back in her bed, propped up against a very uncomfortable pillow.

"Am I dying?" Brittany asked the doctor who was treating her.

"No," she laughed "You probably just have a minor concussion. We're going to do a CAT Scan to make sure you're okay; you'll probably be home in a few hours."

Brittany sighed.

"A few hours?"

"Yup. We'll send you home with some aspirin and you should be okay."

Brittany turned her head to look at Mrs. Miller.

"What happened?"

"You fell and hit your head on the curb, darlin'," Mrs. Miller replied, still somewhat shaken.

"I don't remember…" Brittany shook her head.

"That's perfectly natural," the doctor nodded her head. "That's a symptom of a concussion."

"Why did I fall?" Brittany frowned.

Mrs. Miller sighed. How was she going to answer this question?

"We'll talk about that later, sweetie."

"Where are Eleanor and Jeanette? Alvin?" Brittany asked, staring at the ceiling.

"Ellie and Jean are in the waiting room" said Mrs. Miller. "Alvin's gone."

"He ran away again?"

"I'm afraid so, darlin'."

"Damn," Brittany cursed. "Are Dave and the chipmunks still looking for him?"

"No," Mrs. Miller shook her head. "Dave called the police hours ago."

"Can I see Ellie and Jeanette?"

Mrs. Miller looked to the doctor, who nodded gently.

"Sure, honey. I'll go get them." Mrs. Miller smiled.

"That traitorous bastard!" Simon shook his fists. "That sadistic swine!"

Theodore watched in awe as his usually composed brother paced back and forth.

"Oh, I've always known that Alvin was a conceited jackass, but I never thought he'd go this far!"

"Simon, please!" Theodore cried. "I know you're angry at Alvin, but he's still our brother!"

"Unfortunately, yes," Simon seethed.

"Simon, I can't believe you're acting this way! Are you even worried about him at all? He could be lost or hurt or…worse."

"Ha! Alvin will never die," Simon chortled. "The arrogance running through his veins will keep him alive!"

Seeing Theodore wince, it occurred to Simon the implications of what he had just said.

"I'm sorry, Theodore."

"It's okay."

"No, it's not. I…I'm sorry," Simon bowed his head.

Dave entered the room, a relieved expression on his face.

"Boys, Brittany is going to be fine! She just has a minor concussion and should be coming home tonight!"

"There is no such thing as 'just' a concussion, Dave," Simon frowned.

"It could have been much worse, Simon." Dave sighed, sitting down onto the couch.

"Do you think we could see her tomorrow, Dave?" Theodore asked, moving to sit next to his father.

"If everyone's feeling well enough, I don't see why not," Dave smiled, mussing his son's hair.

"Oh, hello boys!" Mrs. Miller smiled at the handsome men standing on her doorstep. "David, Simon, Theodore. Come in!"

"Thank you, Mrs. Miller." Dave nodded.

As the group moved inside the house, Mrs. Miller whispered into Dave's ear.

"Alvin?"

"No news," Dave answered grimly.

Mrs. Miller shook her head. Then she looked to Simon and Theodore, who were waiting politely at the foot of the stairs.

"I'm sure Brittany would love a visit. Why don't go up and see her now?"

The boys nodded.

"Oh, thank you, Theodore!" Brittany sniffed the flowers the youngest chipmunk had given her. "They're beautiful!"

"You're welcome, Brittany!" he replied, beginning to wonder how much medication the doctors had given Brittany; she was nowhere as grumpy as Theodore had expected her to be-she seemed almost cheery!

"Here, Brittany." Simon handed his friend a hand-written letter. "My letter of apology-for my brother's actions."

"Oh, it wasn't your fault, Simon!" the girl smiled, reaching for a hug.

Simon hesitated awkwardly; Brittany wasn't acting like herself. After several seconds, the bespectacled chipmunk finally yielded to the Chipette's embrace.

On the other side of the room, Theodore whispered to Eleanor.

"What's wrong with Brittany?"

"I don't know," she frowned, watching beads of sweat form on Simon's forehead; Brittany hadn't let him go. "She's been acting like this all morning. My sister can be very sweet, but…I don't know…she's acting funny."

"That's what I thought, too," Theodore frowned.

Simon's shoulders slumped in relief as Brittany finally released him.

Freedom!