DISC: I DO NOT own any of the chars from BSC. They belong to Ann M. Martin. I Do however own anyone you don't recognize!
Enjoy!

"Kristy's Big Decision"

CHAPTER 22

When we reached the game room, Anya rushed to Alex's side and started asking questions in rapid succession while trying to keep her daughter calm at the same time.

I held Karen back as she tried to get close enough to see what was going on with Alex.

As for the other members, they had their hands full as well.

Emily was crying from all the noise and was currently being comforted by Mom.

Jon apologized profusely, but Anya seemed to be ignoring him at the moment. Her attention was focused solely on her daughter and the paramedic named Lucy, who was talking to both of them.

At the last minute, Jon hopped into the back of the ambulance with them as it sped off.

After they left, we tried to keep busy and help the kids do the same.

I prayed silently that Alex would be okay. I wasn't even sure what had happened. I knew Anya would explain it to everyone when she and Alex returned.

"Kristy?" Emily said as she calmed down. She walked over to me and I put an arm around her.

"Yeah, Em?" I asked.

"Pluto has to go potty." She said.

I giggled despite the situation.

Emily's comment gave me an idea.

"Who wants to take a walk?" I asked the kids around me.

Almost everyone agreed.

Before I knew it, the kids and us remaining baby-sitters were walking down Main Street.

I could tell everyone was worried about Alex and therefore, their HEARTS REALLY WEREN'T IN IT.

Sari was an exception to the rule as well as Emily.

Both girls started squealing excitedly when they saw Mickey.

I was about to walk them over with Claudia carrying Sari, when Karen ran ahead of me and into the arms of someone just ahead of us.

"Ariel! Ariel!" She shouted. "Kristy, its Ariel!"

I smiled at my sister and then up at the woman she had called Ariel.

Jodi smiled down at her in recognition.

"Hi Karen." She said. "It's good to see you again. Is that your big sister?"

Karen nodded proudly.

"Yup!"

Jodi smiled at me and held out her hand.

"What are you guys doing here? " Jodi asked curiously.

Karen frowned and told her all about Alex.

"I'm sorry she's in the hospital." Jodi said sincerely. "I hope she gets better soon."

"Me too." Karen said. "It was scary."

Jodi nodded sympathetically and hugged her once again.

After we talked to Jodi for a few more minutes, she explained she had to go and meet her husband and children at one of the parks.

Before she left, she sung "Part of Your World" for the kids, which put a smile on Gabbi's face as well as Char's.

After Jodi was gone, we stopped at a local café to get something to eat.

As we were finishing up our treat, my cell phone rang.

Mom and Watson had given me one the Christmas before in case of emergencies. They allowed me to give the number to my friends as well as our charges' parents since I was the club president.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Kristy, it's me." Anya said.

"How's Alex doing?" I asked.

"She's going to be okay." Anya replied. "Jon's beating himself up over this."

"I can imagine." I said. "It wasn't his fault."

"I keep telling him that. But he won't listen. He bought Alex this really big Pooh bear. I convinced him to take it back and get her a smaller version."

"That's sweet." I said

"Yeah." Anya agreed. "I'm just afraid he's gonna go a little overboard with the gift thing."

Just then, a doctor came in.

"Kristy, I have to go." Anya said. "I'll explain everything when we get back."

"Okay. Tell Alex we said hi."

"I will." Anya said. "Dosvedanya." With that, the phone call ended.

"Is Alex all right?" Karen asked the minute I Hung up on my end.

"She will be." I told her.

"Goody!" Karen cheered.

I smiled and gave her a hug.

Meanwhile at the hospital, Jon was playing a game of tic tac toe with Alex, while Anya spoke to the doctor about what had happened and how to prevent it from happening again.

The doctors had performed various tests on the little girl to try and figure out what was wrong.

Anya had stayed with her throughout all of them, trying to keep her calm and distract her from the pain.

Finally, almost an hour after Alex had arrived, the doctor who later introduced herself as Dr. Eliza Barnes, concluded that Alex was allergic to honey and would have to watch what she ate.

She had given Alex a shot to counter act the affects of the honey she had ingested and explained to Anya that Alex would have to take medicine if another allergy attack hit.

Once Dr. Barnes was done explaining everything to the small family, she left Alex to get some rest. She told the little girl she could go home in a little while, much to Alex's relief.

"Mama's not gonna be happy when she sees how big Mickey is." Alex said as she took her turn in the game.

"Oh sweetie, he's not that tall." Jon said. "He's only a few inches taller than you are."

Alex rolled her eyes.

"His head almost touched the ceiling." Alex pointed out.

"See? You said almost," he said. "Therefore, I'm off the hook."

"If you say so." Alex said with a shrug.

"Well, would you like something taller?"

"NO thanks. " Alex said.

"Jon, you didn't." Anya said as she came into the room. She glared at the Mickey standing in the corner. "The Pooh bear was enough."

"I tried to tell him that," Alex said as she coughed a few times. "But he's stubborn."

"Doesn't everyone need a five and a half foot tall Mickey mouse?" Jon asked.

"No." Anya replied. She held out a cup of water to Alex and coaxed her to drink some.

When her daughter's coughing fit had subsided, Anya turned her attention back to Jon.

"You need to take him back." She said.

"For something taller, I can easily agree." Jon said.

"NO." Anya said.

"Do you think Sari needs a seven foot tall Goofy?" Jon asked.

Anya ignored him.

"Take Mickey back and don't come back with anything else unless it's a book."

"But I wanna stay here." Jon said in a perfect imitation of Mickey.

"Tough cheese mouse," Anya said.

"Aw, Alex wants me to stay here though. Don't cha?"
Alex didn't answer due to the fact she was half asleep.

"Take him back now. And that's an order." Anya said through gritted teeth.

"Aw, I wanna stay here." Mickey said. "Please?"

"No." Anya said. "Unless you don't want me to treat you to dinner tonight, I suggest you take him back."

"You know, Mickey, on second thought," Jon said. "You should go live with all your other friends." With that, he left the room with Mickey in both arms.

Anya sighed with relief as she sat down on the edge of Alex's bed.

Just then, her cell phone rang.

"Privyeyt?" She asked.

"Hiya there Anya!" Goofy's voice said. "Can I come live with Alex?"

"No!" Anya said in frustration. With that, she hung up.

Not two minutes later her cell phone rang again.

"What do you want now?" She asked.

"Aw, gee," Mickey said. "Can't I come live with you?"

Anya hung up and turned the phone off.

She waited a minute and turned it back on.

It rang shortly afterwards.

She counted to ten silently in Russian to keep her cool and patience in check.

"Yes?" She asked through gritted teeth.

"Howdy! It's me, Goofy! I was just wondering if you changed your mind."

Anya hung up the phone once again.

She fought the urge to throw it against the wall.

"Mama?" Alex asked. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, my cherina." Anya said softly. "How do you feel?"

"Tired." Alex replied. "I wanna go home."

"I know you do. You'll be able to go home soon."

Just then, her phone rang again.

"Yes?" She asked.

"Howdy, it's me, Goofy." Came Goofy's voice.

"Goofy, you can tell Jon that none of you are coming home with us." With that, she hung up.

"Mama?"

"Yeah, sweetheart?" Anya asked, turning to face her little girl.

"Are you and Jon gonna get married?"

"If I don't kill him first." Anya said just as her cell phone rang once again.

She ignored it.

Jon returned shortly afterwards with a thick book in his hands. HE set it across Alex's lap and watched as she looked through it.

"Thanks!" She said. "Mama, look! IT has Ariel in it."

"I can see that." She said.

"Can I keep it, please?"

"Sure, sweetie." She replied. Then to Jon she said, "You did good this time. Where did you find the book anyway?"

"I found it in the gift shop." He replied.

Anya nodded.

Anya and Alex arrived back at the hotel just before dinnertime.

Once she had gotten Alex settled, she filled us in on what had happened as well as what went on at the hospital.

"Alex is allergic to honey." Anya explained.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Claudia asked.

"Yeah." Anya replied. "She just has to be careful of what she eats."

"Oh the horror!" Claudia said. "She can never have cookies again!"

"Not exactly." Anya said with a laugh. "We just have to make sure there's no honey in them."

Claudia sighed with relief, which made us all laugh.

After we talked for a little while longer, Anya talked Jon into bringing dinner up for her and Alex since she didn't want to leave her.

He ended up bringing dinner for everyone.

We ate and chatted for the next hour and had a pretty nice time.

Once Jon left, we all retired to bed.

I was aware that we were leaving in two days.

We would get back to our normal lives of baby-sitting, hanging out and more baby-sitting.

This trip had also helped me come to a decision of my own. One I Had been struggling with all summer. But now I knew what to do. I kept this bit of information to myself though. I would tell everyone at our next meeting the Monday after we had returned home to Stoneybook.

I fell asleep easier that night than I had since we had arrived in Florida for our vacation.