Chapter 9
A Few Weeks Later
I signed up as a chaperone for Reign’s first school trip of the year.
They were going to the local zoo. I had arranged for a substitute to cover my classes while I went on the trip.
Things between Micah and me were going well.
He took our conversation about what I needed and put it to use.
That morning, there were fresh daisies on my desk with a card that read:
To my favorite teacher. Good luck on your first school trip.
The man knew how to make me blush. Flowers were becoming a regular gesture from him.
One thing I appreciated about Micah was that he listened.
When he asked me questions, it was with intent, like he wanted to make sure there was always a smile on my face.
While we couldn’t see each other as much as we wanted, he never stopped showing interest in me.
I took the card from the flowers and put it in my bag. Before my day got crazy, I sent Micah a text.
Me:
Thank you for the flowers.
Mr. Black:
No need to thank me, Freckles. Just trying to keep a smile on your face.
Me:
It’s working. *Kiss emoji*
I put my phone away as I approached Reign’s classroom, where Mrs. Thomas had the class lined up. There were a few parents who volunteered along with another teacher. For a class of twenty, there were plenty of chaperones. Reign and Violet spotted me.
“Mommy, can we sit together?” Reign shouted.
“We use our inside voice in school. Mrs. Thomas will let everyone know where to sit, okay?” I explained.
Reign looked like I hurt her feelings. I knew she was excited, but she still needed to mind her manners.
Mrs. Thomas announced that the class was to follow her to the bus.
The chaperones, including myself, followed behind the last student.
As I got on the bus, I realized Mrs. Thomas had let Reign and Violet sit together, and she also left the seat across from them open for me.
“We got to sit together, Mommy,” Reign said.
“Yes, we did, Nugget. Now, both of you, put your seatbelts on,” I instructed. I looked over at the girls to ensure their seatbelts were on, then I checked the students in front and behind me. Before taking off, Mrs. Thomas took one final head count.
“Alright, everyone, we have about an hour before we reach the zoo. I hope everyone has their seatbelt on. If you don’t, please do so now. Remember, safety first. Now let me hear you say ‘road trip,’” she instructed.
“Road trip!” all the students shouted together.
The trip was officially in full swing. As expected, the ride was loud. About halfway through the ride, it felt like the bus swerved. It could have been in my mind, so I looked around, and no one else seemed to have noticed. A few minutes later, I felt it again.
This time, when I looked up, the bus swerved from side to side.
Mrs. Thomas was frantically yelling at the bus driver.
He seemed to be out of it. He appeared to have been experiencing some type of medical episode.
Mrs. Thomas tried to move him so she could reach the brakes, and the next thing I heard was yelling and a loud boom.
I was groggy as I came to. When I remembered what happened, panic set in.
“Reign! Violet! Where are you guys?” I yelled out for the girls. My head was pounding, the ball of fear in the pit of my stomach taking precedence over the headache. I struggled to get out of my seatbelt. When I realized the bus was on its side, I tried not to become paralyzed with fear.
“Nugget, answer me, please,” I pleaded this time. I couldn’t believe what was happening. I couldn’t lose my baby. Just as I was about to lose it, Reign’s little voice called out to me.
“Mommy, my head hurts,” she mumbled. I freed myself from the seatbelt. The bus was on its side. While it was hard to maneuver, I made my way to the girls. Reign was groggy, but Violet was out cold.
“Reign, don’t move. Violet, I need you to wake up,” I called out to her. I continued to talk to her until she came too.
“My arm hurts,” she murmured softly.
“We’ll get you some help. It’s important that you stay up, okay?
I know it’s hard, but you have to stay awake for me,” I coached her.
The sound of sirens approaching was what I heard next.
I continued to talk to Violet to make sure she stayed awake.
The screams of the children on the bus were gut-wrenching.
There was no way to tell who was in pain or just afraid.
“Everyone, please, try to remain calm. We’re going to get you all out of this ditch. Please remain where you’re at until we reach you,” a firefighter instructed.
“Hold on a little longer, girls. We’ll be free soon,” I confirmed.
An hour later, we were at a local hospital.
Reign and I rode in the ambulance with Violet.
Aside from a headache, Reign and I appeared fine.
Once the firefighter freed Violet from the bus, she continued to complain of pain in her arm.
Upon our arrival at the hospital, the staff quickly led Violet to a room for observation.
Reign and I followed, so we knew where she was when her parents arrived.
“Can Reign stay with me?” she cried out.
“Don’t worry, honey. We’ll be right outside the door. I’m sure your parents are on the way. Just listen to the doctors, okay?” I said.
Violet nodded her head as tears streamed down her face.
“Ma’am, are you in any pain? Do you need to be examined?” someone in scrubs approached me.
“My daughter and I just have headaches. I don’t want to leave her friend alone,” I explained.
“Don’t worry. We can do a basic exam here,” the person explained. In the middle of our conversation, Micah burst through the emergency department.
“Violet? Violet, baby, where are you?” he yelled in a panic.
“Micah, she’s over here!” I shouted as I waved my arm to flag him down, and he ran down the hall toward us.
“Are you guys okay? What happened?” he asked.
“Violet may have broken her arm. She kept complaining of pain. Reign and I seem to only have headaches. I felt the bus swerving. The bus driver likely had some type of medical episode. I was with both of the girls the entire time.” I reported the events of our day.
“Where is my daughter? Violet? Violet! Oh my God! Where is she!” Iris screamed as she walked around the emergency room. She spotted me first, then looked over at Micah. As she made her way toward us, her face changed from panic to anger.
“Where is my daughter? I would think you would be with her,” Iris snapped at Micah.
“Cool it. She’s in there. Harley just explained to me what happened on the bus. She’s kept an eye out for Violet this entire time. Violet complained of pain in her arm,” he informed her.
“I’m glad that she wasn’t alone. Thank you for looking out for her, Harley,” she said through clenched teeth.
Before either of them could utter another word, a nurse came out of Violet’s room. “Are you the parents of Violet Black?” she asked.
“Yes, we are. Is she going to be okay?” Iris and Micah asked simultaneously. The worry they felt was prevalent in their tones. I watched as the nurse led them inside the room with Violet.
Since Violet’s parents were there with her, I flagged down the person who wanted to exam Reign and me earlier.
She turned out to be a doctor. Then she took us to a bay and did a basic exam of our vitals.
Not long after, she confirmed we would be just fine.
I heard a familiar voice asking for Reign and me.
When I came from behind the curtain, my grandparents came into view.
Nana burst into tears at the sight of us.
“My babies, I’ve been praying since we got the call. I’m so happy to see you both. My heart couldn’t take it if anything happened to you,” she expressed. She pulled Reign and me in for a joint hug.
“It was scary for sure, but we’re okay,” I said.
“Come on, let’s get you guys home. You need some rest. Did the doctor say you’re good to leave?” PopPop inquired.
“Yes. We’re free to go. Please get us home.”
After I signed off on our paperwork, we were on our way out when I noticed there was a bin with items from the crash. There was a lot to sift through, but eventually, I found my bag. I didn’t bother looking for Reign’s backpack, we would just have to replace it.
I woke up with Reign sleeping peacefully on my numb arm.
She didn’t want to sleep alone, which was understandable.
Before Reign went to sleep, she made me promise to check on Violet.
My head hurt badly, so I would’ve agreed to anything, but after some rest, the headache mostly subsided.
I grabbed my phone off the bedside table.
When I unlocked it, I went to the message app, located my thread with Micah, and noticed there was a message from him.
Mr. Black:
I’m just checking on you guys. I hope you’re feeling better.
The sight of the message made my heart swell. In the midst of taking care of his daughter, he still thought about Reign and me.
Me:
You read my mind. I was just about to ask how Violet was holding up. I’m feeling better. Reign finally went to sleep.
Mr. Black:
She broke her arm, but she’s okay. They gave her some medication for the pain. She’s been sleeping since we got home.
Me:
I’m glad it wasn’t anything worse than that. Reign will be happy she’s okay.
Mr. Black:
I’m so glad you were there with them today. If anything would’ve happened to Violet I have no idea what I would’ve done.
Me:
I’m glad I was there too. Everyone is alive and well. I’m just grateful the girls weren’t alone.
Mr. Black:
You guys keep resting. I will tell Violet Reign checked on her. I’ll check in with you a little later.
Me:
You try to get some rest too.
I put the phone down, relieved that Violet was okay.
The sounds of the screams from everyone on the bus replayed in my mind.
I used to be afraid of accidents happening in the rain.
After what happened, I would be afraid to let Reign go on another school trip.
Micah was happy I was there, but maybe the accident wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t been there.
The days I lost my mother and Jude haunted me until I fell asleep.