someone shout through the rain, through the pain in her head, her arm.
Twig tried to crawl deeper into Avery’s arms. She was terrified. She didn’t know any of the people she saw crowded around her. “Where’s Daddy?” she sobbed.
“Shh, shh,” Avery cooed. “It’s okay, baby. Everything is going to be okay.” Avery’s voice sounded panicked. Twig thought it sounded like Avery was crying. Avery never cried.
“Mommy, just take me home. Where are we? Take me home! Now!”
“What’s happened?” Another man’s voice that Twig didn’t recognize.
“She got bucked off Sapphire,” Twig heard her mother yell into the rain. “She’s shivering, Doc. Why is she shivering when it’s ninety degrees out? She doesn’t know where she is. We have to get her to a hospital!”
The man came closer. “Get away from me! I want my daddy!” Twig screamed, and Avery pulled Twig closer.
“What do we do, Doc?”
“Mommy, I can’t breathe. Please help me, Mommy.”
“Doc!” Avery’s voice teemed with urgency.
“She’s breathing, Avery. She’s breathing. She’s in shock from the fall, and she’s having a panic attack. But look, she’s breathing.”
“What the hell is going on here?” Another man’s voice, furious. Twig clung even tighter to Avery.
“Adam, we need to get her to the hospital. She’s had a bad fall. She’s completely disoriented and isn’t recognizing anyone besides Avery. She’s having some sort of amnesic episode.”
Twig felt like she was going to pass out again. The man called Adam kneeled down next to Avery, and Twig’s head popped up. “You get away from me!” she shrieked. “All of you get away from me! Mommy, help me. Why won’t you help me?”
“Adam, we don’t have much time,” Doc said. “I’m going to sedate her.”
Twig felt herself slipping away again.
“Can’t you treat her here? Give this a little time to see what happens?”
“She could have severe brain damage, and she could be bleeding internally. Adam, she could die. We need to get her to the hospital. Now. If we don’t hurry, we might lose her.”
Those were the last words Twig heard before she slipped into unconsciousness.
14
“Thank God they brought her in. They look Amish or something.”
“Sorry, doctor? Amish?” Twig heard a woman’s voice respond.
Twig felt fuzzy but wonderfully calm. She kept her eyes closed. It felt like too much effort to open them.
“Right, you wouldn’t know that reference. They…never mind. Listen, her father said they’re Costa Rican, but I don’t buy it. I was born and bred in the States, a dyed-in-the-wool Texan. I know a group of expats when I see one.”
The man stopped talking, and the room became quiet.
“The CT scan shows a subdural hematoma. I want her on Mannitol and Keppra IVs to prevent any seizing. She was very lucky. Let’s keep the oxygen going for the night. She should be fine, but I want to take every precaution. We’ll do another CT scan in the morning, and I want a follow up CT next month.” The man paused. “Pretty girl.”
“Yes, doctor.”
Twig wondered whom they were talking about.
She let her eyes flutter open. She was in an alarmingly white room. A very tanned man with white-blond hair, maybe in his fifties, stood near her. He wore a white coat and stared at a clipboard. A younger woman with warm brown skin and shiny black hair pulled into a bun stood next to him, looking at the clipboard over his shoulder. The woman was dressed all in white with a small white hat fixed into her hair. They didn’t notice Twig looking at them.
Twig was too tired to be scared. She just wanted to sleep. The pain was gone, and she just wanted to go back to sleep. She felt as if she were floating.
“I want her here overnight. There’s something about this crew. I just can’t shake the feeling that something is…” He tapped his pen on the clipboard. “…not quite right with them.”
The man and the woman looked up from the
Twig tried to crawl deeper into Avery’s arms. She was terrified. She didn’t know any of the people she saw crowded around her. “Where’s Daddy?” she sobbed.
“Shh, shh,” Avery cooed. “It’s okay, baby. Everything is going to be okay.” Avery’s voice sounded panicked. Twig thought it sounded like Avery was crying. Avery never cried.
“Mommy, just take me home. Where are we? Take me home! Now!”
“What’s happened?” Another man’s voice that Twig didn’t recognize.
“She got bucked off Sapphire,” Twig heard her mother yell into the rain. “She’s shivering, Doc. Why is she shivering when it’s ninety degrees out? She doesn’t know where she is. We have to get her to a hospital!”
The man came closer. “Get away from me! I want my daddy!” Twig screamed, and Avery pulled Twig closer.
“What do we do, Doc?”
“Mommy, I can’t breathe. Please help me, Mommy.”
“Doc!” Avery’s voice teemed with urgency.
“She’s breathing, Avery. She’s breathing. She’s in shock from the fall, and she’s having a panic attack. But look, she’s breathing.”
“What the hell is going on here?” Another man’s voice, furious. Twig clung even tighter to Avery.
“Adam, we need to get her to the hospital. She’s had a bad fall. She’s completely disoriented and isn’t recognizing anyone besides Avery. She’s having some sort of amnesic episode.”
Twig felt like she was going to pass out again. The man called Adam kneeled down next to Avery, and Twig’s head popped up. “You get away from me!” she shrieked. “All of you get away from me! Mommy, help me. Why won’t you help me?”
“Adam, we don’t have much time,” Doc said. “I’m going to sedate her.”
Twig felt herself slipping away again.
“Can’t you treat her here? Give this a little time to see what happens?”
“She could have severe brain damage, and she could be bleeding internally. Adam, she could die. We need to get her to the hospital. Now. If we don’t hurry, we might lose her.”
Those were the last words Twig heard before she slipped into unconsciousness.
14
“Thank God they brought her in. They look Amish or something.”
“Sorry, doctor? Amish?” Twig heard a woman’s voice respond.
Twig felt fuzzy but wonderfully calm. She kept her eyes closed. It felt like too much effort to open them.
“Right, you wouldn’t know that reference. They…never mind. Listen, her father said they’re Costa Rican, but I don’t buy it. I was born and bred in the States, a dyed-in-the-wool Texan. I know a group of expats when I see one.”
The man stopped talking, and the room became quiet.
“The CT scan shows a subdural hematoma. I want her on Mannitol and Keppra IVs to prevent any seizing. She was very lucky. Let’s keep the oxygen going for the night. She should be fine, but I want to take every precaution. We’ll do another CT scan in the morning, and I want a follow up CT next month.” The man paused. “Pretty girl.”
“Yes, doctor.”
Twig wondered whom they were talking about.
She let her eyes flutter open. She was in an alarmingly white room. A very tanned man with white-blond hair, maybe in his fifties, stood near her. He wore a white coat and stared at a clipboard. A younger woman with warm brown skin and shiny black hair pulled into a bun stood next to him, looking at the clipboard over his shoulder. The woman was dressed all in white with a small white hat fixed into her hair. They didn’t notice Twig looking at them.
Twig was too tired to be scared. She just wanted to sleep. The pain was gone, and she just wanted to go back to sleep. She felt as if she were floating.
“I want her here overnight. There’s something about this crew. I just can’t shake the feeling that something is…” He tapped his pen on the clipboard. “…not quite right with them.”
The man and the woman looked up from the
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