Troubled Boy

Seven

The ride to the hospital made Kylie nauseous. The scent of the rubber gloves above her head in the small compartment made her stomach queasy. The low hum of the Electrocardiogram and the oxygen tank hooked up to Harry seemed louder than it should be. Steady beeping noises filled the small vehicle and Kylie counted each beep in order to calm her nerves.

...Forty-six...forty-seven...forty-eight...

Clara sat on the bench next to Kylie and James was in the passenger seat in the front. Two other EMT assistants sat across from her. They spoke in rushed tones and most of what they said couldn't be heard. She was desperate to know what was being said. Kylie wanted to explain everything that happened including the incident at school. This happened two times in the span of a week, she wanted to tell them but she couldn't get the words out. The last time she thought it was just normal. Like maybe he was overwhelmed with being in a new school and area. The more she thought about it while sitting there, she realized that those tweets she read before might not have been a coincidence.

The tweet directed toward Harry mentioned his "thing."

What thing? Kylie thought, His seizures?

Suddenly the beeping of the machines grew louder and had accelerated. Clara shot up and leaned over Harry, her bosoms only inches from his face, her silver-chained necklace swinging above him like a pendulum. Kylie's heart pounded against her chest and her eyes widened in shock. The two paramedics started shouting orders to each other as Clara worked on Harry and the ambulance lurched forward gaining more momentum, more speed.

"What's going on?" She asked no one in particular. Her eyes darted to Clara then the two men. Realizing that she couldn't interrupt them, she slid across the bench toward the front of the truck. Kylie peeked around the passenger seat and violently tapped James' shoulder with frantic eyes.
He turned to look at her.

"Kylie, just stay calm. they are handling it."

"But shouldn't you be helping?!" she yelled.

"I'm not certified to do so. I just volunteer and help with the simple issues."

Kylie stared at James blankly. There was nothing she could do but watch the paramedics rushing around the tight space. She quietly slid back over to her spot on the cold, metal bench and closed her eyes. Bright spots danced under her eyelids as she prayed for Harry. Shadows moved in front of her as Clara and the men moved around. Kylie wanted to burst into tears. His heart wouldn't slow down and it seemed as if the beeping had consumed her. At this point, it was all she could hear. She opened her eyes but that made it worse.

Soon the voices sounded distant and muffled. Black dots clouded her vision and her temples started to pound forming an excruciatingly painful headache. She winced in pain. She felt dizzy and everything turned blurry. She tried to focus on Harry's rapid breathing. His heart rate had sky rocketed and the beeps weren't ceasing. Kylie wanted to scream for help. She knew she was going to faint. She felt constricted like the sides of the ambulance were closing in on her. She didn't know what to do. Harry was more important. She couldn't risk their attention being averted from him. So she took deep, painful breaths. The sounds echoed around her and she felt her body sway back and forth. She grasped the stretcher where Harry was lying to steady herself. God, please don't pass out. Please. She pleaded, begged. She didn't want to do this to Harry. He needed more assistance than she did. She needed water but she couldn't force the words out to ask. Her throat started to close up and her breath grew ragged. Tears slid down her pale cheekbones. Kylie felt hopeless. She trailed her eyes over Harry's body and then she heard Clara say something that shattered her heart.

"His heart rate is too fast. He might not make it if we don't hurry."

Kylie's stomach plummeted. Stay awake. Don't pass out. You have to stay awake for Harry! That's all she could think. Her light crying turned to full on sobbing and Clara rushed to her side.

"Kylie, calm down. It'll be ok."

"You...said...he wasn't gonna make it!" Kylie said in between sobs.

Nothing could compare to the amount of pain she felt physically and emotionally. She'd only known Harry for a small amount of time but she knew he was so different and she cared so much about the boy.

Clara wrapped her bony arms around Kylie and reassured her that Harry would be okay. She pointed to the two men helping Harry.

"See? They are helping him the best they can. Now, when we get to the hospital you will have to answer a few questions about your friend," Clara said softly gazing into Kylie's tear-filled eyes.

Suddenly, the stretcher started vibrating and both Kylie and Clara swiveled their heads and saw Harry thrashing around, caused by another seizure. Sweat glistened on his torso and the wires attached to him slid off, the adhesive on the small circled tape connected to the wires were no longer sticking to Harry.

"No!" Kylie screamed and rushed to Harry's side.

Clara grasped Kylie's arm in an effort to keep her away. She knew Kylie couldn't interrupt his episode for fear that it would get worse. Kylie sobbed hysterically and her body swayed back and forth. Her vision blurred once again and her eyes kept focusing in and out of everything she looked at including Harry. She felt claustrophobic and the heat she felt running through her body was too much for her to bear. She blinked over and over again to try and get her pupils to focus. That didn't work and within seconds her body crashed to the ambulance floor. The last deafening sound she heard was Harry's machine flatlining.

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep...