Chapter 42 Nash – Epilogue
25 years ago…
“Nash, why don’t you go play outside while Mrs. Ashwood, Mrs. Vector, and I finish setting up dinner?” my mom asked.
I grumbled in response, setting my Hardy Boys book down. Reluctantly, I stood up and headed out to the Ashwood’s backyard. The book was just getting good, but I understood my mom’s desire for us to get some fresh air before the holiday gathering that included six adults and Mr. Ashwood’s two granddaughters.
Wylie was off somewhere, zipping around on the golf cart that Mr. Ashwood insisted he could handle, though I harbored doubts about his driving skills, so I had no one to play with.
I strolled to the edge of the expansive yard and peered down at the pool, still closed for winter. Suddenly, a glint of pink clothing caught my eye from the small treehouse Mr. Ashwood had erected the previous year. Although Wylie and I weren’t regular visitors, the last time being when my dad assisted him with a tractor issue, I recalled some of the cool wooden toys he’d put in the treehouse and felt compelled to investigate.
Climbing the long ladder to the top, I swung my legs up and noticed a small girl huddled inside by a toy fridge.
“Hey,” I huffed as she turned around, her big green eyes and long brown curly hair was blowing from a slight breeze that reached us in the sky. She was so tiny; I wondered if she would even reach my shoulders.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“Nash Cameron. Who are you?”
“Jovie Vector.”
“What kind of name is that?”
She shrugged. “Want to play with my teapot?”
Rolling my eyes, I walked over to the table where she had a tea set and pulled out a chair, grabbing one of her mugs and taking a faux, dramatic sip from the cup, my pinky raised high in the air.
“Hey, that one’s mine.” She protested.
“They all look the same,” I said, shrugging.
She grumbled and reached for the teapot, but on impulse I tossed it out the window onto the ground instead.
She stood up, stomping towards the ladder to retrieve it but before she could crouch down and climb, she slipped, disappearing over the edge with a yelp.
Oh no!
I sprang into action, scaling the rope ladder in two jumps to find her sprawled out on her back in the grass like a starfish.
“Mom!” I shouted, but no one was coming from inside the Ashwood's house.
My eyes frantically looked down at the small girl who still wasn’t breathing. Panicking, I pressed my ear closer to her mouth again to listen for noise, however the response was nothing but silence. This time I shouted louder.
“MOM!!! HELP!!!”
Realizing I was on my own, I did the only thing I knew how. My dad had shown me how to give CPR before – a necessary skill, especially working on a ranch when you could be miles out with no one in sight. Since no one was coming, I gently tilted her head back slightly to open her airway, pressed her lips shut, and then began chest compressions. She was so tiny and short I was afraid I was going to hurt her and crack a rib.
But after 30 compressions and still no improvement I knew, I was going to have to place my lips on hers. I gently covered her mouth with mine, providing two rescue breaths as my dad had instructed.
At some point during alternating these movements, my mom and Mrs. Vector had shown up at my side just as the little girl’s eyes floated open, staring deep into my soul.
“Mom?” she asked, her big green eyes brimming with confusion.
“Oh, thank God,” Mrs. Vector spoke as she scooped her daughter up into her arms and quickly carried her inside.
My adrenaline was through the roof as I rocked back on my heels and then fell onto the grass, landing on my butt.
My mom stood quietly next to me as she waited for Mrs. Vector to return inside with the little girl.
“You did a good job, son,” my mom said, her smile genuine and warm. “Are you alright?”
“I think so,” I replied, still trying to catch my breath. She patted me gently on the back as she stood up before heading back inside.
“You saved Jovie's life with your quick thinking, Nash. I’m proud of you.”
Little did I know it was she who would save mine over 25 years later…