Stay...Together

Chapter13

"I'd like to point out that you're spontaneous at guilting people," Victorine told Yolanda as they got ready to load into the ambulance. Yolanda chuckled.

"Thanks," she responded. "And look who's talking in full sentences. And two days in a row."

Victorine shrugged with a smile. The doctors got in first, taking the seats in the very front. Opal merged right in with them without breaking a sweat. Other than the fact she was a few inches shorter, she fit like a glove. Gina sat down on the floor next to her. She curled up into a ball, knowing there'd need to be as much space as possible. The older ones loaded in next, standing up and grabbing a shelf instead. They packed in like sardines

"Lee," Yolanda called out, "get your hand off my thigh."

"Jeez, chill," Lee grumbled. Asha swerved past all of them to the back, where she sat next to Gina. Victorine crawled into the ambulance and plopped down on Asha lap. Asha grunted on impact, but muttered, "Don't worry, my brother did this all the time."

Victorine felt the floor begin to rumble and was slightly surged backward. Asha's back pressed against the back seat.

The ambulance wasn't that big. It was about the size of a small bedroom you give the second born child. The inside was just a bunch of boxes and cabinets. There were only enough seats for the doctors. The floor was a little greasy, but likely, Victorine didn't have to sit on it. Asha though...

"So, we'd have to load up in trucks a lot like this," she informed. "Sometimes half a town! Even worse, we'd have to pay for it. So, my sister and brother and I would all sit on each other's lap so my parents would only pay for one seat. I also get to hold my brother steady, 'cause it was a bumpy ride."

"What are you?" the odd man said, glancing over his shoulder.

"Oh, I'm-" Asha began.

"A girl!" Opal called out.

"A human," Jacey added.

"Nice to point it's weird," Yolanda suggested.

"Afgan!" Asha shouted over everyone.

"Oh...dear," the preppy lady muttered, avoiding eye contact and biting her lip. Her eyebrows bunched together as she tried to think up something to change the subject too.

"So...are you feeling any better today?" the preppy doctor asked, turning to Jacey.

"A-a little better," she responded a bit meekly. "The burns still hurt, though."

"That'll happen. But your leg will get better."

Jacey cringed a little, her left hand gripping a shelf above and her right hand gripping Parker's shoulder. He winced a little as she grasped his shoulder, her fingers digging into him.

"Ow," he mumbled.

"Sorry, sorry," Jacey gasped, her legs wiggling a little.

"You may sit down, young lady," the preppy lady advised. Jacey immediately loosened her grip on Parker's shoulder and he slowly eased her to the ground. She sat on the floor, one leg pulled into her chest. Jacey bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut. Victorine felt sorry for her, but something else caught the little girl's eye. She tilted her head and squinted at it. Not getting an answer (and also a smidge overwhelmed with empathy), she let herself fall off Asha's lap.

She crawled through the center of the ambulance, swerving around everyone's legs. She felt the greasy floor vibrating beneath her. Her palms almost stuck the ground with each crawl. She stopped at Jacey's side. With a closer look, Victorine noticed dark black circles under her eyes. And not just the kind that you see on a stressed teen. It was more in the ballpark of a middle-aged woman at the brink of a breakdown. Her brown eyes struggled to remain open. They were staring into nothingness; devoid of the energy to focus.