"Shit," Pope gasped before yelling, "Move!" as he rolled to the side causing everyone to scatter as the cross fell from the rafter landing where Pope had just been laying.
Breathing heavily Coral rushed towards Pope, "Pope, are you okay?"
"Pope!" Kie yelled when the boy didn't move.
"Yeah, I'm good. Just give me, like, one second to, like, catch my breath," he told them laying on his side gasping.
"You did it Pope," John B laughed as he and JJ looked over the large gold cross, "Hey, here's why Limbrey wanted that key so bad," John B said pointing to a key hole on the front of the cross.
"How much do you think she's worth?" JJ asked running his hand over the detailing on the cross, "Like if we melted her old bones down I'm thinking like high billions."
After helping Pope up and to one of the pews Coral walked over to get a look at the cross, "JJ, something like this belongs in, like, a museum or something."
"You did not just say that," he replied looking affronted.
"It's history."
"It's our payday," he contradicted.
"Hey, it's my ancestors cross," Pope reminded them, "This is bigger then money and the world's gonna know the truth."
"Yes, and if we don't get this shit out of here before Limbrey gets here nobody's gonna know," John B said looking at all of them.
Nodding they all moved to a part of the cross to carry it out of the church.
"Alright, John B you have to pull. Pull down."
"Got it. I'm gonna pull down. You guys pull up," John B instructed, "Ready? One, two, three."
"Oh my God!"
"JJ, watch my foot!"
"Who's not lifting right!"
"I'm lifting!"
Grunting they moved the cross a few feet before Pope started gasping, "I can't. I can't," he told them before dropping his end.
"Put it down! Put it down!"
"Watch it! Damn you all almost dropped that on my foot!" JJ complained.
"Okay, so what if we make like a sling or something," John B suggested.
"Yeah, and put it on, like, the tail hitch," JJ added.
"Pope, are you okay?" Coral asked noticing the boy breathing heavily from where he sat on one of the pews.
"No, no I'm not okay!" he moaned.
"Your eye is all puffy," Sarah commented.
"Dude, you don't look so good."
"Helpful JJ," Coral said before looking more closely at Pope, "He's having an allergic reaction. How many times did you get stung? We need to get him to the clinic," she told the others as Pope struggled to breath and just shook his head at her.
Just as she finished her sentence Pope dropped over sideways, "Shit we need to move!"
"JJ, try and hide the cross!" John B yelled grabbing one of Pope's arms as Coral got the other side. "Hide the cross? Where?" JJ exclaimed.
Pulling Pope up the twins hurried their friend outside and into the back of Kie's truck ignoring JJ's rambling about trying to hide the cross.
"He's not getting enough oxygen!" Coral yelled as she climbed into the backseat with Pope keeping his head propped up on her shoulder, "He needs like an epi pen or something."
"Give me the keys. I know someone who can help," JJ said appearing at the truck as Kie was climbing in the back.
"They're in the ignition!"
"JJ, he needs medical help!"
"I know. Ricky is closer then the clinic," he responded as he started the truck up as John B and Sarah jumped in the front.
"Keep breathing Pope!"
"I'm gonna try something I don't know if it'll help," Coral told them before moving Pope's head to her lap. Tilting his head up she blew a breath into his mouth.
"Kie, right here," Coral pointed, "Make a fist with your two hands and push down five times. Then stop," she instructed.
The drive only took minutes but to Coral it felt like hours as she and Kie alternated trying to help Pope breathing.
Pulling up to Ricky's house (a/n now that we know JJ's cousin's name I edited my earlier chapters) John B jumped out his door and opened Coral's door.
"Come on," he said as he helped her pull Pope out. Hurrying to the house JJ was already there banging on the door yelling for Ricky's help.
"Look, man, I know you're mad at me!"
"Oh you mean because you stole my ambulance?" Ricky retorted crossing his arms on the other side of the door.
"Ricky! It's literally life and death!" Coral yelled through the door as she and John B pushed their way to the front with Pope.
"God damn it!" Ricky swore as he turned the lock on the door and swung it open, "Come in. Put him on the table," he told them as Kie and Sarah immediately began clearing the table.
Laying Pope down Ricky asked what happened.
"He got stung by a bunch of bees."
"Bees? Is he allergic?"
"Obviously!" Kie cried rolling her eyes.
"Okay, okay. I have to find my kit," he told them before disappearing into another room.
"You have to find your kit?" JJ questioned, "You're a paramedic you should have it with you all the time!"
"JJ, JJ, go help him," Coral said before blowing another breath into Pope's lungs.
"Keep focused on your breathing, Pope!" Kie cried.
"Well what does it look like?" JJ asked in a panic following Ricky back into the room as he headed out towards the garage.
"It's like, like, a duffel bag," he answered disappearing through another door.
"You can't find it? Where's the kit!"
"Okay, okay, I got it!" Ricky announced hurrying back into the room.
"So what do we do now?" JJ asked. "You don't do anything cause you're not a paramedic," Ricky replied as he opened the bag.
"What's his name?" Ricky asked, pulling out a syringe and a small vial, "Okay. Hey Pope, how you doing man?" he asked as all five of them yelled Pope's name at him, "So here's the thing. This is a pediatric dose of epinephrine," he told them.
"That's not enough!" Coral cried.
"He's not a kid!" Kie retorted.
"It's ten times the normal dose. So...if it doesn't stop his heart, it'll help him. But I have to use the whole thing, or it won't work," he replied, "And I'm not going down if he dies."
"Just do it! Do what you have to do!" JJ told him making the decision.
"Okay," Ricky muttered taking the syringe and inserting it into Pope's arm, "Just hang in there buddy. If it works it should be fairly fast."
"Why isn't he moving?" Coral asked a few seconds later staring at a very still Pope.
"You killed him!" Kie accused.
"No," Ricky denied, "I didn't do shit except what you asked me to do."
As the two argued back and forth Coral bent over and blew another breath of air into Pope's lungs. Jumping back as the boy gasped out a breath and began to cough she breathed out a sigh of relief, "He's fine," she announced helping him sit up.
Looking around wildly Pope sat for a moment breathing heavily as he looked around, "It's hot! I'm real hot, guys!"
"It's okay. Take it easy," JJ said as Pope started to pull off his jacket.
"I gotta get outside," he announced moving to get off the table.
"Whoa, simmer down," John B responded trying to keep him on the table.
"No, I gotta go," Pope insisted pushing his way up and towards the door, "I owe you," he called over his shoulder to Ricky as John B, Sarah, and Kie followed him outside trying to get him to slow down.
"What the hell was that?" Coral asked looking at Ricky.
"Yeah, uh, he's gonna have a rocket up his ass for about a half an hour," he answered watching Pope run around the yard like a crazy chicken, "He'll be fine once it wears off."
"Let's go get that cross!" Pope yelled running through the yard, "Game six! I'm Michael Jordan!" he yelled running towards Kie's truck.
Thanking Ricky, Coral and JJ ran out of the house back to the truck where Pope was behind the wheel, "Let's go!" he yelled banging on the steering wheel.
Climbing into the backseat with JJ and Kie Coral looked at Pope concerned, "I don't think you should be driving, Pope."
"I can drive! I'm fine!"
"Maybe you should let me drive, buddy," John B attempted to force Pope over into the middle of he and Sarah.
"John B, I will rip your ears off if you don't get the hell in the truck," Pope threatened shoving the boy away and slamming his door shut. Starting the truck he put it in drive, "Two seconds, JB!" he yelled out the window.
Hurrying around to the passenger side John B jumped into the truck barely shutting the door before Pope was tearing off down the road.
"This isn't gonna end well," Coral muttered.
As they barreled down the road heading back to Freedman's Church, Sarah cleared her throat, "Hey, uh, Pope you're driving kind of fast."
Whooping he stepped on the gas harder.
"Pope, last to judge, but I think you should slow down a little," JJ suggested.
"That would definitely delay our arrival to the cross," Pope replied, "We gotta get there."
"We understand that Pope, but you know that saying 'arrive alive'. I think that applies in this particular case," Coral spoke up.
"Hey, how ya feeling, buddy?" John B questioned looking over at the boy in concern.
"Uh, fantastic," Pope responded happily, "I don't know what JJ's cousin gave me, but I am moving!" he exclaimed, gesturing wildly.
"We couldn't tell," Kie said sarcastically.
"Okay, well, um, you're going really fast right now," John B said. "I know!" Pope exclaimed looking over at the boy causing the truck to swerve.
"Woah! Listen, I don't know if you noticed but there are like these gigantic oak trees all along the side of the road. They're like six inches from the road and I don't want to be wrapped around one," John B said panicked as he held onto the dash in front of him.
"It's fine!" Pope responded as he came up on another car.
"Hey, no, we don't need to go around him!" Kie yelled as Pope swerved into the other lane as another car was coming right at them.
Screaming they all hung on as Pope swerved back into their lane just barely missing the oncoming car, "What an asshole, right?" he questioned looking at Sarah and John B next to him.
"He was doing the speed limit," Sarah replied.
"We're not gonna get to the cross if we're dead, Pope!"
"Put your seat beat on," JJ muttered pulling the strap down and across Coral's lap.
"We're not gonna die," Pope responded to Kie, "It's our divine right to get that cross," he said looking back at her in the back seat.
"Pope, look at the road!"
Screaming as he cut the wheel to sharp going around a bend in the road the truck began to spin, hitting a tree on one side, before spinning across the road and slamming into two trees on the other side.
Hearing metal crunch and glass breaking Coral ducked her head as JJ covered her as much as he could. When the truck came to a stop he sat up as she did the same, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she responded, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, yeah I'm good," he answered, "What about everyone else?"
Groaning John B shoved his door open, "Never better," he responded as he helped Sarah out of the truck.
"That is the last time you drive, Pope," JJ said as he too shoved his door open. Climbing out of the wrecked truck Coral helped Kie slide across the seat and out the open door, "My dad's truck," she moaned looking at the destroyed truck.
Using the flashlight on his phone JJ shook his head, "Yeah, that's totaled," he declared.
"My parent's are going to kill me, like, for real this time."
"Yeah, well weren't they already going to do that anyway?"
"That's helpful, JJ," Kie responded.
"Well, we're gonna have to walk the rest of the way," Pope declared.
"Pope, we were just in a serious accident," Coral reminded him gesturing towards the wrecked truck.
"I'm going to get my cross," he responded, stubbornly as he began walking down the road.
Leaving John B to chase after Pope, Coral leaned back against the wrecked truck and sighed, "You sure you're okay?" JJ asked as John B argued with Pope and the girls were yelling to get out of the road as there was a truck coming.
Looking up at him she gave him a small smile as her eyes drifted to the passing truck. Sucking in a breath she stood up straight as Rafe and the man working with Limbrey drove by in a large box truck.
"JJ," she pointed.
Turning JJ swore, "Come on. We have to get back to the church!"