THE ACCIDENT
Caramel Cinnamon awoke to a searing pain in her leg and chest. Water began rushing through the open windows pooling rapidly, engulfing her in a heartbeat but somehow she knew to hold her breath. Shutting her eyes tightly, she tried to block out the pain when a splash startled her. Her world spun making no sense at all until a familiar face swam in front of her, speaking into her thoughts.
‘Keep holding your breath honey, just till I get you to the surface.’
She couldn’t answer him, not even in her mind, as fear gripped her by the throat. Carob Cinnamon undid the car seat harness urgently, pulling her into his arms and stroking frantically towards the gleaming light above.
Caramel felt desperate for her next breath and she gulped for air, spitting out dirty water as they broke the surface. Waves of pain went pulsing down her leg and in the distance there was cat-like screaming as Carob plucked her from the water.
To her relief the screaming stopped as a red and white vehicle pulled up abruptly beside the river bank. Its double doors flew open and Arianna Cinnamon jumped out. She ran to the river bank carrying a large black pack on her shoulders, and she dropped to her knees where Caramel and Carob had made their frantic exit.
‘Caramel, I am here sweetheart. Can you hear me?’ Caramel opened her eyes, blinking slowly.
‘Mummy,’ she whispered, and her chest made snap-crackle sounds. ‘It hurts Mummy.’
‘I know honey. Can you point to where it hurts?’
Caramel’s little hand slid to her chest and down her leg. Giselle, Arianna’s assistant, had followed her onto the river bank with her arms laden with an assortment of medical gizmos. She carefully dropped them to the ground one by one and Arianna reached for them with her eyes only leaving her daughter for a second. Caramel had begun to cry and shiver. ‘You’re okay, Mummy’s here. I am going to make it all better for you,’ and she placed a mask over Caramel’s face. ‘Now we are going to give you something to help the pain in your leg and chest.’
Caramel clutched onto the mask desperately trying to slow her breaths, but she just couldn’t seem to. Giselle administered an injectatube into her leg and within moments her cheeks faded to pale pink and her body began to relax.
Arianna paused a moment, then she grabbed the radio attached to her shoulder. ‘This is Arianna in Elf-Emcare One; departing now; estimated time of arrival ten minutes; please power the scanner, over!’
‘Copy that Elf-Emcare One; mobilising scanner and emergency response team; proceed to emergency bay two, over!’
Arianna jumped into the vehicle, nodding to Carob who stood by wringing his hands and shifting from one foot to the other. He gently picked up Caramel and carried her into the back of the vehicle, placing her on a trolley bed.
‘All clear, proceed!’ said Arianna pertly to the driver and as they pulled away from the river, a siren began whining its urgent tune.
Carob and Arianna each sat vigilantly holding Caramel’s hand, while Giselle sat at the top cradling Caramel’s head protectively. Within moments, the vehicle shifted forward, pulling up in front of two large open doors marked Elf-Care Emergency Bay Two.
Four healers stood in white coats and blue goggles holding various kinds of medical equipment like a concert band at the ready. The vehicle doors burst open and Arianna sprang forward issuing orders. They all moved in sync like a dance, transferring Caramel from the vehicle into the emergency bay, each holding a part of the bed as they shuffled towards the scanning area. Giselle sprang ahead leading the way and Carob followed along silently with his shoulders slumped.
When they reached the entrance Arianna motioned for the healers to proceed. She calmly took Carob’s hands in hers, speaking into his thoughts.
‘You must leave now Carob and let me begin the healing.’ Carob looked miserable.
‘I am sorry Arianna, can you ever forgive me?’ Arianna dropped his hands, gently placing hers on either side of his face and speaking back to his thoughts.
‘Of course Carob, you mustn’t blame yourself. It was an accident.’
Carob nodded solemnly and he kissed Arianna on the cheek, exiting without another word. Arianna dashed toward the scanning bay.
Inside, Caramel lay on a luminous blue bed with a large metal arm shaped into a half moon reaching across her middle. Beside her was a reclining chair with a small shimmering glass screen built into the right arm. The walls of the room were shiny and white like brand new false teeth and a television screen filled the entire wall at the foot of the bed.
Arianna swept across the room, launching herself into the chair.
‘Begin diagnostic protocol.’ She lay back in the chair, tapping away on the glass screen. The television in front of the bed illuminated, while Giselle tapped away on a tablet intently recording Caramel’s vital signs.
A vibrant green light shone from the metal arm like a rainbow over Caramel’s bed and it began to pass slowly over her body until it reached her legs. Within seconds an image projected in three dimensions onto the television and Arianna’s face drained of all colour. ‘It looks more like a shattered vase than a bone,’ she choked. ‘I am commencing surgivention.’
She lay back, closing her eyes tight, making the mental link to Caramel’s body. The screen mirrored the changes made in real time as she moved the bones of Caramel’s leg into realignment.
Three hours later, Arianna sat up sweating, her face red and her eyes swollen and watery. ‘Surgivention complete! The rest of her healing will take time.’
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