The Ghost of the Lake

Chapter 12

We arrived at Leo's house.  I got out of the car and knocked on the door.  No one answered, so I knocked again.  This time Charlotte answered.
"Hello sweetheart," she says sweetly.
"Hi is my sister here," I ask.
"Yes she is do you want me to call her?"
"Yes please."
"Okay come on in."
I enter and wait for May at the entrance. 
"Hi, Gem," says Leo.
I jumped at the sound of his voice.  "Oh hi Leo," I say.
"What brings you here?" He asks.
"Well I thought you were supposed to tell my sister, May, to come home."
"Yeah I did but and she said she would in a while."
"Well after a while couldn't you have reminded her?"
"Well I thought she would remember herself."
"Well obviously you don't know her.  I am here to pick her up.  We are going to take Jackson to the vet.  Didn't you say that your mom was a doctor?"
"Yeah I did.  Why? What is wrong with him?"
I think he might have broken his leg.  What time does your mom get out of work? "
"She usually leaves her office around 6:30."
"Oh."  Just then May and Julia come down the stairs.  Charlotte comes down too and goes into the kitchen.
"Hi, Opal," says Julia.
"Hey, sis. What's up?" asks May.
"Hi Julia.  Hey May, come on hurry up.  Nelly is waiting for us outside."
"Where are we going?  Home?"
"No we are going to the hospital."
"Why?  What's wrong?" asks Julia.
"Jackson may have broken his leg," responds Leo.
"Come on just get out, May," I rush.
"Okay.  I'm coming." she says.
"Wait.  Can I come too?  I'm sure I can let you guys in faster if I go with you," states Leo.
"Um..." I mumble.  I think about it.  There's plenty of space in the car, but will Nelly be okay with it?
"Sure there is enough space for you," responds May.
"Okay then lets go.  Julia stay here and tell Dad where I'm at when he gets home from work."
"Okay.  Bye Opal and May. Bye Leo," Julia says and leaves into the kitchen where Charlotte had entered moments before.
We leave the house.  I climb into the front seat, and Leo and May enter the backseat.
"Hey Nelly, we invited someone," I say as she starts the engine.
"Hi Mrs. Ballwin," said Leo.  Oh yeah, Ballwin is our last name.
"Hello Leo," Nelly said.
"Okay so what happened?" asked May.
"Well actually I don't know," responded Nelly. "I really wasn't there when it happened.  I just know that I had been writing in my book and Opal came in to tell me that Jackson and Balto had gone missing.  Then we went to look for them.  I was looking in the backyard when Opal came out and told me she'd found them in the basement."
"The basement?!  What were they doing there?" asks Leo.
"I don't know.  Opal says that Jackson heard something coming from the basement," responds Nelly.  "Right, Opal?"
"Yeah thats what Jackson said," I state.
"Oh," says Leo.  I'm sure he would ask more about this later.
We arrived at the hospital.  I got out of the car.  I was about to open Jackson's door for Nelly but Leo got to it first.
Nelly picked him up and walked towards the door.  I walked in front of Leo and opened the door for everyone. 
Nelly tells the lady at the front desk that we have an emergency.  The lady calls what I was guessing the doctor, on the phone.  She tells us to stay put while a nurse comes around and brings a wheelchair.
The nurse take Jackson and sets him on the wheelchair.  Thats when he awakens.  He doesn't say anything.  Just looks at everyone with big eyes.
The nurse tells Nelly to come with her.  They both go into a room, leaving May, Leo, and I in the waiting room.
After a while Leo asks me, "So where is Balto."
I turn around.  I don't want him to see the tears that were threatening to fall.  I guess he got the hint and didn't say anything else.  Unfortunately, May didn't.
"Opal, where is Balto?"
I didn't say anything.
"Opal!"
"May, be quiet!  We're in a hospital," Leo hisses.
May just looks at her then says to me in a softer tone, "You don't know where he is do you?"
I shake my head, shamefully.
"Why didn't you stay and look for him!"
"May! Nelly was in a rush, caring for her son!" I scream.  "You know her!  Do you really think she would waste time looking for Balto?!  In that time Jackson could have gotten worse!  Do you really think Nelly didn't think about that?!  The only reason why I didn't stay was because she practically dragged me out of the house!"
May looks at me horrified.  Leo grabs onto my shoulders trying to calm me down.  I hadn't meant to lose it like that.  Its just that May just wouldn't shut up.
I shake Leo's hands off my shoulders and walk outside.  Leo follows me.  I move my hands through my hair.  Leo grabs my hands and hugs me.
"We'll look for Balto as soon as we get home," he says trying to console me.  "I'm sure he didn't go pretty far."
I was crying now.  "I should have stayed"-sniff-"at home looking for him," I say through sobs.  "If I had kept calling him"-sniff sniff-"he would have eventually"-sniff-"found his way back to"-sniff-"the house."  I cry harder.  "Its all"-sniff-"my fault."
"Don't say that," Leo says wiping my tears off my cheeks.  "Its not your fault."
I keep crying and don't say anything.  After I'm sure that I'm calmer, and I won't scream at anyone again, I go back inside.  I sit down and wait for news on Jackson.