Saving Grace

Chapter 2

Yak went up to call the ambo while Jesse and Maxi sat with Grace.

"So what do you like to do in your spare time?" Maxi asked Grace after a few minutes of silence between the three who were listening to Yaks conversation on the phone.

Grace perked up

"I love to surf and swim. I have been surfing since I was a little kid and it has always been my escape. James can't swim," Grace giggles a little bit, surprising the boys, "So I could just grab my board and paddle out and I was safe."

"What do you do for a living? Like what your job?" Jesse asks, trying to keep building the trust.

"I am an ocean lifeguard at a beach in California. I've been doing that for the last 5 years." Grace beams

Yak walked back over from the phone.

"The ambo will be here in about 5 minutes," Yak said

Grace nodded softly, starting to sink back into her shell at the thought of going to hospital.

"Have you thought about want you are going to do for work here?" Jesse says quickly, trying to pull Grace back to them.

"I haven't thought about it. I have enough money saved for a little while. I didn't really think about it when I was trying to come here. I was just thinking about getting away." Grace says looking down at the floor.

KNOCK KNOCK

"That's the ambo, Gracie, honey, are you ready," Yak asks standing up

Grace shakes her head and starts to breath faster.

Jesse goes and squats down in front of her, while Yak makes sure that the paramedics stay outside.

"Grace. Gracie look at me," He prods, "Gracie."

She slowly looks up at him. Tears streaming down her face again.

"Grace, why do you not want to go to hospital, they will help you feel better and make sure that you are okay and have no serious injuries," Jesse asks carefully

"The...The..." Grace stutters through tears "The last time I went to hospital they told me that it was all in my head and I had done it to myself. They called me crazy." She sobs

"You are defiantly not crazy." Jesse says quietly "Gracie, these people are the best. I went to them after I broke my back and they took great care of me."

She looks at Jesse and he smiled, she looked over at Maxi and he also had a reassuring smile on his face too. She thought about what Jesse had said about them being good to him after his injury.

"Okay, I will go with them," Grace says quietly after sitting in silence for 5 minutes thinking

Jesse radioed Yak to let the paramedics in.

"Grace, these are my friends, Katie and Von. They will be taking you to hospital. They are the best, okay? Let them take you so you can get the help you need."

Grace nodded.

"Grace, my name is Katie, can you walk over to our ambo? We will get you situated in there and take you to hospital. I will be in the back with you and Von will drive."

Grace nodded standing up slowly. She swayed a little on her feet. Jesse softly grabbed her arm to keep her standing. Grace looked at him. Jesse nodded.

"Let's get you to the ambulance, okay?" Jesse said calmly

Grace nodded. Maxi opened the door and let the paramedics out the door and held it open for Grace and Jesse. Grace walked slowly behind Maxi with Jesse holding her up carefully.

They took the short walk up to the ambo. Katie opened the back door of the ambulance and hopped in and turned around to help Grace in the back.

"Honey, sit down on the bed and we will have to seatbelt you in okay?" Katie said softly.

Grace nodded and sat down on the bed. Katie came around her carefully and buckled the seat belt.

"You guys ready?" Von said softly, standing at the back door easy to close it.

Katie nodded and smiled up at Von. Von closed the back door and turned to Yak, Maxi, and Jesse.

"We will take good care of her," Von said putting a hand on Yaks back.

"I know this isn't the usual protocol but could you let us know how she is doing?" Jesse asked

"Sure thing, I can tell how much she means to you all already. I will let you know." Von shakes the hands of the lifeguards and walks around to the front of the ambo and gets in.

"How are we doing ladies?" Von asks looking back

"Grace, breath honey, you need to breathe for me," Katie says trying to calm Grace who was starting to panic again.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

"Grace you need to breathe!" Katie said, "Von, get back here. We need to stabilize her before we can move."

Von jumped out of the front and ran around the back of the ambo, startling the three lifeguards who were still standing there chatting.

"Von, whats going on?" Yak asked trying to read his colleagues face.

Von opens the back door of the ambo and jumps in.

"NO! Get off of me James!" Grace yells from inside.

"Yak, can you jump in and help us a minute?" Von asks

Yak looks at Jesse and Maxi and jumps into the back of the ambo.

"Grace, honey breath for me, okay? We won't hurt you." Yak says calmly.

"Let me out of here! I need out of here!" Grace says in a rush trying to stand up and get out of the tight space she was in. She could feel the walls closing in on her and her vision was getting blurry.

"Okay, Okay. We will open the door wider but you are in no condition to get out and stand up hon." Katie said opening the door wider, showing the two young lifeguards exactly what was happening inside.

Grace still continued to thrash around, swinging her arms around and knocking Katie in the face in the process.

"Ouch," Katie says stumbling back

Jesse and Maxi look at each other.

"Yak, let her out, we are right here," Jesse says trying to figure out how to ease the situation

Grace struggled out of Yak and Von's hold and stumbled out of the ambo door and crumbled onto the floor.

Jesse and Maxi looked at each other, not really sure what to do.

"Grace, what do you need hon? How can we help you?" Jesse asked softly crouching down next to the sobbing frame.

"Just make it stop" Grace sobs

Maxi and Jesses hearts break at the sound of the frail women in front of them.

"Grace, can we help you up and sit down with you over on the edge? It will be more comfortable for you until you are ready to go." Maxi asks quietly.

Grace nods, tears still streaming down her face and breathing still rapid. Jesse and Maxi both reach down a hand to Grace. She looks up and between the two for a minute then reaches up and takes both of their hands and slowly stands up. Her legs wobble beneath her but they only have a short walk to the edge so she forces her legs to cooperate. When they reach wall the boys slowly help Grace to the ground and join her, sitting against the wall.

"Grace, I want you to listen to our breathing, Okay? You need to breathe slower, it will help you feel better." Maxi says exaggerating his breathing so she can follow him. Her breathing starts to slow then suddenly speeds up again, another wave of emotion catching up to her.

Jesse does the only thing that there is left, he wraps his arms around the trembling girl, holding her tight. She resists at first but after a few minutes she slumps against him, resting her head on his chest, tired from the long day that she has had. She is still crying and struggling to breath but Jesse exaggerates his breathing so that she can feel it and it helps. Over the next 5 minutes Graces breathing slows tremendously. She starts to sag into Jesses arms and her eyes slowly slip closed, the weight of the day coming over her.

"Everything will be okay," Jesse whispers, "Everything will be okay."