Promise of dawn

Chapter 3: Percy

My face was astonished and angry. I stood to go tackle Jaslynn, but Bethany grabbed my arm as I was pulling it back to punch Jaslynn square in the jaw. I guess all those medical classes paid off. I managed to stop the bleeding to a certain extent but we still had to get Clara to the hospital. When we got there, the ER was waiting for us. I carried Clara in my arms as Bethany followed behind, signing us in.  I layed her on the hospital bed just as a nurse and a doctor came rushing in. Another nurse walked in and asked Bethany and I to step outside for a moment.
        “We need some more information on the patient. If you don’t mind.” The nurse asks pulling out a clipboard and a pen.
        “Of course. What do you need to know.” Bethany says to the nurse.
        “We just need some information on how she was hit and with what.” The nurse explains
        “She was being punched in the head with a fist.” I explained.
        “Okay, How did you help her, that kind of violence would have done so much more damage!” She looks at both of us in amazement.
        “All of the credit is to Percy. He took medical classes at our school.” Bethany says with a worried look on her face.
        “Well thank god for you Percy. You just saved a life.” The nurse turned around and went to the desk that Bethany went to earlier when she signed us in.
        “Have a seat in the waiting room. Oh, and call her parents.” The nurse says escorting us to some chairs that were upholstered with an easy to clean green fabric. We sat down and I pulled out my cell phone to call her parents. Ring one, Ring 2, Ring 3,
        “Hello?” Clara’s mom picked up the phone.
        “Hi! This is Bethany. I’m calling about Clara.” Bethany said into the phone.
        “She isn’t home right now. Please call back later and you might get her.” She explained.
        “No she is with me. I called to tell you that she is in the hospital.” Bethany said biting her lip.
        “What is she doing there!?!” Her mom said with concern.
        “She was beat up by Jaslynn.” Bethany explained. For some reason she was always good with telling people things. “She is at the hospital at 27th West Rangeway in South Park.” She adds.
        “Okay, I’ll be right there!” Clara’s mom hangs up.
        “Do you think she will be ok?” I ask looking deep into Bethany’s eyes.
        “She has been in a similar situation before, but she did it herself.” She explains looking down at her phone.
        “Why? What did she do?” I ask just out of curiosity, not expecting the answer that lied ahead.
        “She used to cut herself. One day she just had enough, called me up, said that she was done and that she didn’t want to feel anything anymore. I tried to stop her, but I couldn’t. So I ran to her house and found her in the bathroom. She cut her wrists so I took her to the hospital. It’s just like total deja vu.” She explained trying to hold back tears.
        “Wow. That just proves how much our school sucks.” I say putting an arm around Bethany and propping her up in her chair. “I hope that I really did something good to help her.” I add.
        “Well the nurse did say that you saved her life, so I think that tells you something.” She says wiping away tears.
        “Are you the ones that took a girl named Clara here?” The doctor came out of the room. We basically ran to him.
        “Is she ok!?!” We both ask at the same time.
        “Yes, yes, she is fine. She will have to stay here for a little while though.” The doctor explained walking to the door.
        “May we see her?” I ask.
        “Of course.” He said and escorted us to the room. Clara had her head bandaged with some white cloth and she was just staring into space with no reason.
        “Whatever you did out there saved her life. Good Job.” The doctor turned around and shook my hand in congratulations.
        “Thank you.” I responded, still shaking because of what just happend. Suddenly Clara’s mom runs in, pushing us out of the way. She had a black jacket on with a pair of dark wash jeans.
        “What happened to her!” she screamed at us.
        “Jaslynn saw her showing us what she would do to her and she punched her like 4 times in the head. Percy stopped her and brought her to the hospital. Give him thanks she is even alive!” Bethany shouted across the room to the crying mother.
        “You saved her?” Clara’s mom looked up in surprise.
        “Well I guess.” I say rubbing the back of my neck.
        “Please don’t be modest. What happened to Jaslynn?” She asks still staring at us in amazement.
        “I broke her nose.” Bethany replied.
        “Hmmm. Well thank you for bringing her here, both of you.” Clara’s mom stood up and walked up to us. She gave us both hugs and left.
        “I really wish I could stay, but I have so business to attend to.” She walked out the door putting her coat and hat back on. Later that night I got a call from bethany.
        “Hey Percy, Claras mom is gone. I tried to call her and tell her to stay home because I’m staying with Clara but no one answered. I went to the house and no one was home. I’m really worried.”
        “No I don’t, where are you?”
        “At the gas station. I thought I could find her myself but my car is out of gas and I have no money. Can you come over and pick me up?”
        “Sure I’ll  be there soon.” I grabbed my coat and was just about to go when my phone went off again. I answered, the same as I always do even though I didn’t recognize the number.
        “Hello?” I said unsurely.
        “Hello, Percy.” Said a somewhat familiar stuffed-up voice on the other end.
        “Who is this?”
        “Oh, you know who it is. You know, my nose is still broken, and I just don’t have the money to pay the hospital fee.” My heart started thumping faster and faster.
        “Jaslynn, what do you want with me?” My voice was angry, and I was a little scared, but I tried not to show it.
        “One-hundred and fifty dollars for the E.R. visit, and another fifty for treatment.”
        “And that concerns me how...?”
        “Lets just say, that pretty little girlfriend of yours? Something bad might happen to her. Maybe even a little more head damage than before. Maybe even a broken nose, to match mine. You won’t be here to stop me this time. I want the money at the hospital, ASAP.  Clara isn’t with me, so you’ll get her later on.” I clenched my teeth for a threat, but before I could say anything, the line, went dead. I was in shock for awhile before my phone rang again. I was scared to look. It was Bethany I totally forgot to go get her. I picked it up.
        “Hey, sorry I was busy.”
        “Hey I walked to the hospital, they said Clara went home early.” She sounded worried.
        “I got a call from Jaslynn and she threatened me to give her the money for a hospital E.R. visit and treatment. She wants to hurt Clara more. We have to find them.”
        “Wow. I can’t believe it. That’s low. Even for Jaslynn, but I saw a car like Jaslynn’s driving out as I walked in the parking lot. I thought her mom was with her, but it must have been Clara.”
        “So, what do you want to do now?”
        “Well, the only way out of this that I can see, would be to give Jaslynn the monopoly money I won last night during my poker game. Just kidding we have to find a way to get the money. Oh I forgot, I have been saving up money from  babysitting to get a new I pod, but that can wait. I have about two-hundred and fifty dollars saved up, so I’ll just give you two-hundred. I’ll have fifty left, so I won’t have to start completely over.”  I could tell she was nervous because she often jokes around when she is scared or about to do something she will regret.
        “One, this is NOT the time to be kidding around, but I still like your sense of humor. Two, that is a really good idea, and three, I have 50 dollars in my wallet.”
        “Great. so, I can just give you one-hundred and fifty?”
        “Yup. Okay I’m almost to the hospital to give the money to Jaslynn but you have to stay in the car when I get there. I don’t want you getting hurt.”
Bethany smiled just a little but then she saw Jaslynn walk in and look around as if she was looking for Percy. She went and sat down.
        “Hey Percy, would you be mad if I tackled Jaslynn right now, and dislocated her face from her head?”
“She Deserves it, but yeah. We have to keep Clara safe. If Jaslynn is there go out to the hall in back to Clara's room then go through the hall to the right go out the door and don’t you dare touch Jaslynn. That’s my job.”
        Bethany was slowly getting up and about walk to Clara’s old room when Jaslynn got up and said;
“Hey where are you going?”
She turned and looked she was talking to a staff member so she ran, like someone was chasing her, out of there. She was running down the halls so fast, she could barely feel the ceramic tiles under her sneakers. They ran down the hall and there was Percy waiting like he was supposed to be.