Notice
She stared at her leg. There wasn’t much else she could do. A throbbing pain blossomed from where the metal bars squeezed just above her knee. There was just enough light in the drain to see her foot. Otherwise, a twitchy smile flashed on her lips with no one to see, the numbing would have led her to believe it was gone.
Jeanette was clumsy. Everyone had their fair share of falls, but she simply more often than not found herself colliding into walls, the floor, or wherever. This hadn’t even been a fall but a slip. A wrong step right into a drain while her mind was elsewhere. Now there was nothing else to think about but where her feet were. At least one of them.
It had been a shock. Not only a surprise to her but a jolt to her entire body. As her knee popped through the ugly grate, she could feel skin being torn. Her entire body’s weight had been placed on the foot, and it instinctively scrambled to keep from completely falling atop of it. Her actions most likely had even worsen the situation, twisting the leg into a tighter hold.
She couldn’t even sit properly. If she tried, her tight would snap right in two she feared. She had both hands firmly planted beneath herself to keep such a thing happening and from slipping further down. Her other leg was awkwardly folded and almost useless. If she put too much weight on her free knee, then the grain of the concrete began to dig into it.
Her mind wasn’t doing much better. After a while of calling for help, she gave up, seeing no one would come no matter how hoarse her throat became. And of course she was in this predicament. Of course she was. A simple walk around the neighborhood was simply too much to ask of Jeanette Miller. Some people would joke that she couldn’t take too steps without fumbling on her own feet, without someone to hold her hand. Guess they were right.
Her ego’s bruise was small, though. Especially in comparison to that hurt. The one bubbling up as she tried to push it away. The one that made her smile a little sadder when no one wanted to hear her gush about her pet spider. The one that prepared her for the “no” to her offers. That helped her prefer solitude. That made her understand her own... uniqueness. The very same one telling her no one would notice she was gone until nightfall. Maybe until the next day.
A rare but painful hurt. Just as she felt her hands begin to shake, she heard her name being called.
“Jeanette!”
She lifted her head.
“Jeanette...!!!”
Her sisters... and the boys... all five of them were running towards her. She stared at them, feeling as if she could hold out for another week if needed. They all began speaking. To her and one another, causing a ruckus.
“Oh, Jeanette, Jeanette, your leg! Are you okay?” Theodore looked afraid to get any closer, as if he would only worsen the situation.
“Simon! Help me keep her up!” Eleanor barked. The two grabbed an arm, pulling it around their shoulders and lifted her as much as they could. Theodore continued to fuss over Jeanette, going as far to whisper if she needed to use the bathroom. She could feel Eleanor’s hand gently patting her back as Simon’s squeezed her shoulder.
“You’re going to be just fine,” he said over Theodore’s fussing. “Just as soon as some people” he shot a look forward “Stop. Arguing!”
As soon as they had reached Jeanette, Brittany screeched, “Someone call the police! The firemen! Anybody! Now!”
“I’ll get a crowbar!” Alvin offered. Turning on his heels, he found his collar tugged at and himself violently yanked back.
“No way!” she turned the rambunctious chipmunk back around. “I am not letting you anywhere near my sister with a crowbar! We’re calling the police!”
“They’ll take forever to get here! By then Jeanette’s leg will have fallen off!”
“WHY would you say that!? Go get Dave and have him call the police!”
“Right! ... And I’ll come back with a crowbar.”
“Ugh...!” Brittany was out of breath and redder than red in the face. Facing Simon, she pointed at Alvin, “He’s the one arguing and being stupid!”
“If you bring that crowbar, Alvin Seville, I will beat you over the head with it,” Eleanor stated dryly.
With a sharp breath, Jeanette began to sniffle and give shaky, squeaky wheezes. The others fell silent instantly, the reality of the situation laying a heavy blanket over them.
“I’m... so glad you’re all here...”
