The Optimist

twenty seven

This is the real chapter twenty seven. Enjoy! -Mo

Nadia

. . .

Jacob wipes his brow again before pressing down on my Dad's chest hard with all his strength. He does it a few more times, before falling breathless, but suddenly, all is calm as Dad goes back to breathing normally again. Only, he doesn't open his eyes, but I know he's still alive. The color returns to his worn face, and he seems to have what seems like a smile.

One attacks my face, too, and in less than a second, I'm beaming.

Jacob and Dad are both breathing heavily, Nathan is fainted out, and Mom and I are watching with the utmost joy and delight.

"Thank you." Mom says, and I nod in agreement as she smiles.

"So much more than you know." I add, honestly. I don't know what we would've done without Jacob, and I don't want to think about it either. Mom is too nice innocent to try and save him, Nathan is purely clueless and would probably end up hurting him more, (only when it comes to dating terms, is when he's a genius), and I..

... Well, me?

I'd be just like Mom, a softie, but way too extremely frightened to try and settle a situation like this. Suddenly, the silence vanishes as we all jump when someone barges in the room, dark blue polo shirts and matching sleek pants and a chair, followed by more of them wearing the exact same thing.

The ambulance.

Someone called them! But, who?

"Move out the way!"

"Get the man!"

"Who called the ambulance?"

The commotion rises again. Questions go unanswered, commands go undone, and there is collision everywhere. My face re-collide into Jacon's chest again, Mom collides with the dresser in shock right, causing the lamp to wobble before colliding with the ground, and last but not least, Nathan collides with the ground, fainting seriously this time.

More men are called to the scene in our parent's poor little room, and it's like a party, or maybe a war, betwen us and the ambulance, but no fight or violence. They ambulances' attention shifts to Nathan as yet another white up-lifted stretcher is brought in the room, barely fitting.

The loud, obnoxious sirens of fire trucks and police men ring my ears as Jacob grabs my arm, pulling me out of their vicious pathway. My few tears are muffled by his gray shirt and I accidentally stain them a darker shade. He presses my head into it to and I miss all the unwanted action as he covers me and sets his head on my shoulder.

I'm sort of glad I'm missing it as Jacob soothes my back. I almost get knocked down by Nathan's stretcher as we attempt to exit the house before they do. I stand in our limited front yard, Jacob next to me.

"It's okay, you're okay." He repeats Mom's words with a twist as I watch the two ambulance fade. Following them are the police, after one specific policeman eye us suspiciously, and then the firetrucks, one at a time.

The last sound of the alarming sirens fade soon after. I take a deep breath out, a sigh of relief, and step back from Jacob's safe embrace. My legs give out and I plop down in the gound, not even bothering to close the house door that seems miles away. I think Mom is in there, but the flies can have the oranges anyway.

Then, the question pops in my mind, yet again: Who called the ambulance?

The Mystery Life Saver, whoever he or Mom may be, will be triple times as loved by me now.

"Did you do it?" I ask Jacob.

"Do what?"

"Call them, the ambulance. Someone did." i say, pulling up pathce sof grass in my balled fifts. THe gras is my heart, and I'm ripping it to peices, stepping on it, and sitting on it with all my weight.

"Yes."

It's quiet for a moment before I ask, "Why?"

"Becuase I know you can't stand the thought of you losing your father, or at least I know I can't. When I went outside with Nathan, we'd called them, and Nathan was quite speechless to the ambulance." We share a small laugh before he continues. So they knew they were coming, it didn't tell anyone? How can I stay mad?

"I don't know what happened, Nad-"

In an impulse, I collide my lips to his and kiss him, hard. After all I've done, it's the least I can do to show my appreciation and affection for him and all his hard attempts to get me to smile and to love him and to save my Dad.

"Thank you," I appreciate gratefully, almost breathless for the second time today after the lengthy kiss. "It's my fault, I know it."

"It was no one's fault."

I jump at my Mom's sudden appearance. Her red lacy gown is wrinkled and she's wearing no shoes. Had she been here the whole time? I blush a little as I think about her possibly seeing Jacob and I kiss.

Or, me kissing him.

Her face is darkened in some areas on her cheeks from the ruined mascara, but she's smiling. "You're Dad requested, no begged, for us not to call an ambulance."

"But, why?" I'm utterly confused on why Dad wouldn't want to save his own life.

"'He's a man and he can handle is own business himself', as he puts it," Mom and Jacob and I laugh at Mom's imitation of Dad. Oh, Dad, always thinking he's a self-server, an army man, stronger than anyone and can save himself by himself.

"Dad can't do everything, gosh." I touch my forehead dramatically and giggle at my Dad's delusional.

"Poor man." Jacob says and rubs my back. The grass must feel good against Mom's feet and suddenly I want to feel it for myself, but I remain calm as we discuss the irrational decision of my Dad.

"Yeah, but I love him. I married his foolish self." Mom jokes, smoothing her dress down a bit. "Well, come in. Let's clean up this hurricane-wrecked house and we'll head to the hospital to check on your Dad and Nathan's weak ass after." Mom smiles at the rare profanity as she leads us back into the house.

The description "hurricane-wrecked" is a severe underestimate. Not even
walking in yet, the Welcome mat has been moved two feet across the porch. The porch chairs are scattered in every unordered fashion and my dog, my poor baby, is shaking behind one of them.

"I got it." Jacob mutters before I can react. He jogs across the porch to retrieve the misplaced mat. Mom and I step inside to a new mess, but not here the couches and rugs and all are in place, in tact.

We head to their room next. Where Dad's head was is a few droplets of blood, and panic and shock wash over me again. Dad's blood, I guarantee.

"It's fine, it's not his." Mom steps in behind me and I hear the heavy thud of Jacob's footsteps. He must be finished outside.

I hear no yelps or barks or whines from Yita, what I named my pug, after one of my favorite book characters, of course! I want to call the pug Jacob and I's, or mostly Jacob's, because he bought it, but he insist I call it mine.

"Then whos..?" I ask as soon as I return back to reality.

"Nathan's, believe it or not. I'll tell you why later." she smiles, picking up the lamp off the floor.

My panic relieves a bit after Jacob comes in the room. We begn to tidy it up. After half an hour, the room is almost back to normal, except the blood stains on the carpet. Jacob scrubs it out wth an old method of his grandma's, who knew after a horrible marriage with Jacob's abusive grandfather, Tito Perez, how to do.

Infamous woman abuser and psycho.

"Thank you so much Jacob." Mom thanks again, and I hug him, burying my chest in his now pillow-soft chest.

"Shall we go to the hospital now?"

"We shall."

. . .

Tadaaaaaa! Shazam!... Out of the black night! Kay, bye lol. -Mo