Christmas Cure

Chapter 7

The bus stops at 5th and Vine, and that's when Vance and I finally exit the bus together. We have spent the last thirty minutes getting to know each other, and I can safely say I have made a new friend in him. 

"Where's your house?" he asks while we walk down Vine street.

"The green painted house, how about you?" I return, gesturing toward the house.

Vance's jaw drops slightly; "I live across the street in the pale yellow house!" 

Grinning broadly at him since I'm glad my new friend lives across the street, and I'm sure B will like Vance, too. Stopping on the sidewalk in front of his house, I gently and tentatively hug Vance, who returns the hug, and it isn't awkward like I was afraid it would be. 

"Stop by anytime and don't be surprised if two older guys answer the door. I live with my granpa and papa," I tell him sincerely.

He instantly grins; "That's so cool, and I will, but the same goes for you."

"I will, and see you soon!" I agree, stepping off the sidewalk toward the house when I hear a loud horn blarring and tires squealing.

I didn't have time to process or react to the truck toward me before I'm thrown into the air from the force of impact. I don't remember hitting the pavement, but I can tell you the horrible pain that is shooting through my body, and it is nothing I would ever wish on anyone. I have pain shooting from the back of my head down to the tips of my toes. 

There's loud ringing in my ears, and my vision is fuzzy, but I can vagely make out Vance's horrified face hovering over mine. His mouth is moving, but I can't hear him, and my face is wet, but I can't seem to make my arms move to wipe it clean. I must have blacked out becuase the next time I'm blinking my fuzzy eyes, Vance's face is gone, and is replaced with a female E.M.T. and she's talking and I still can't hear her.

Vance's P.O.V.

Seeing Kai hit by the truck is the most horrifying sight I have ever witnessed in my 19-years of life. His body flew at least five feat into the air and backwards before his crashed into the pavement with a sickening thud. The back of Kai's head bounced off the pavement twice, his right arm at his shoulder and elbow are bent in the wrong direction, and his left knee is popped out of socket. The driver of the truck quickly exits his blue dodge Ram, blubbering how he tried to stop, and that Kai was stupid for not watching where he was walking.

"Shut up and call 9-1-1 for help!" I snap, shoutly loudly at the man.

The front door of Kai's home is thrown open and three men come barreling out of the house - two are older and I assume are his granpa's, and the other is around my age. 

"Oh my god, Kai!" the blond haired man hollers once the three of them have reached us, and are kneeling next to Kai's prone body.

"What happened?" the other man demands on a growl.

"He stepped off the sidewalk and was hit by this man's truck," I quickly explain. "He didn't see or hear the truck before he was struck."

The ambulance and police officers finally arrive. I gently hold down Kai with the help of the blond when the female E.M.T. starts accessing Kai's body. I tried talking to him, but I don't think he can hear me. The E.M.T. calmly talks while she does what she needs too, as he male partner grabs the backboard from the truck. 

"What's his name and age?" the female asks.

"His name is Kai Journey Brown, and he's 17-years-old. He's our grandson, and he lives with us," the blond replies. "I'm Adam Brown, and this is my husband Jaxson. We're Kai's legal gurdians, and I have the paperwork to prove it." 

"Okay sir, once we've finished here, we'll need you to meet us at St. Thomas' Hospital with your paperwork for his treatment," she replies, securing a neck brace on Kai, and then splinting his arm and leg. 

Adam nods as the male E.M.T. brings over the backboard, they carefully roll Kai onto it, and then strap him down. They lift him up, and place him in the back of of the ambulance, where she climbs in with him as the man drives. The entire time Adam was dealing with the paramedics, the other man was speaking with the police, and the man who hit Kai was taken into custody.

"Thank you for staying with Kai," Adam tells me with a slight tremor in his voice. 

"You're welcome, and may I meet you at the hospital, as Kai and are new friends? I'm Vance by the way," I ask, hoping they will let me come.

"Sure, and we'll meet you there," Jaxson says.

Arriving at the hosptial ten minutes later, I follow Kai's granpa's and the other guy inside, and we're directed to the correct waiting room by the emergency receptionist, and he tells us that a doctor will come to that waiting room to talk to us when he or she knows anything on Kai's condition. 

Settling on the hard cushioned chair next to Adam, who has Jaxson on his other side. The two older men are holding hands, with their conjoined hands resting on the armrests between them. The other guy is sitting on Jaxson's free side. 

"How did you meet Kai?" Adam softly asks after several quietl minutes. 

"We met on the bus on the way home, I just moved here with my mum. We live with my uncle, who lives directly across the street from you," I murmur, picking at a loose thread on the bottom of my shirt.

"Your uncle is a nice guy," Jaxson mumbles distractidly while rubbing his thumb over Adam's knuckles. 

Before I can open my mouth to reply, a young guy, a teenage girl, and an older woman bustle into the room. The guy looks like he's my age and going to vomit, the girl is sobbing, and the woman looks pissed.

"What happened? I leave Kai in your care, and this happens. Well, he's coming home to my house when he's released from here," the woman spits out at Adam and Jaxson, but the two men don't flinch.

"Nope, remember the paperwork, Mae, so Kai is staying with us. We're not going to fight about this, so instead we're going to focus our postive energy and throughts toward Kai," Jaxson calmly returns, deflating the woman's rant.

The girl climbs onto Adam's lap, snuggling into his body, with her face tucked into his neck, and her arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders. Adam gently wraps his arms around her slim waist and hugs her tightly.

"Vance, this is Kai's nana Mae, his sister Kacey, his best friend Blake, and B's friend Karter," Adam introduces as he gestures to everyone as he says thier names. 

"Hello everyone, wish I could have met everyone under better cirmcumstances," I numbly greet, seriously wondering why his nana seems like an angry, hateful woman.

"I should have picked him up from work like Blaze asked of me, and none of this would have happened. I shouldn't have thought surprising him at home would be better," Karter says glumly. 

"If I didn't have to help dad at home, I would have been there like I had promised, so don't blame yourself Karter, instead me," Blake comments, a tear running down his cheek from his left eye. 

"This isn't anyone's fault, it was an accident," Jaxson states, ending their debate. 

"Kai Brown's family?" a male doctor asks while entering the waiting room with a clipboard in his hands, while he looks around. 

The seven of us quickly stand, as Jaxson says; "We're Kai Brown's family. How is he doing?" 

"Kai has a large bump on the back of his head, along with a mild concussion. He has a dislocated right elbow and shoulder, and he has a dislocated left knee, all have been put back into place and impoblised. He has several cuts and bruises, but otherwise he's fine, and a lucky young man," Dr. Connors tells us, easing a bit of worry.

"Now, he has to stay for two days under observation, and he's asking for a Vance, so is he here?" Dr. Connors concludes. 

"That's me," I softly say with a slight pink blush coating my cheeks.