lost in worry over Annie, looked up, startled, when he heard his name. Mrs. Whitman then glanced at Jessica. "And you're a friend of Annie's, we met one night...." Her sentence trailed off distractedly.
"That was me, Mrs. Whitman. Elizabeth. This is my twin sister, Jessica." Jessica lowered her head in shame, afraid to meet Annie's mother's
eyes, but Mrs. Whitman had already turned back to Ricky.
"They say she tried to--they say she took ..." Mrs. Whitman couldn't go on. Tears streamed down her face, and she put her hand to her mouth.
Ricky stood up and put a comforting hand on Mrs. Whitman's shoulder. He guided her to an empty seat next to Elizabeth and eased her into it as Johnny looked on in silence from a few feet away.
"She'll be OK." Ricky tried to sound convincing. "She's got to be." His words were as much for himself as for Annie's mother.
"Ricky," Mrs. Whitman said, "I'm so glad you're here."
"Ricky brought her in," Elizabeth said.
"How can I thank you, dear boy," said Mona Whitman, looking into his sorrow-filled eyes. "You've been so good to my kitten, calling her and coming to visit. You care for her, don't you?"
"Yes, ma'am," Ricky whispered,
"Can you tell me why she did this?" Mrs. Whitman shook her head vehemently. "I can't understand it."
"She did it because of the way kids treated her at school," said Ricky.
"You mean that cheerleader business?" she asked.
"Yes, mainly."
"She did mention that," Annie's mother said. "She said somebody kept her off the squad. Why would anyone do that to my kitten?"
Ricky looked at his feet. Elizabeth looked at Jessica, who, moving like someone who'd been drugged, wandered over to the only window in the emergency room and stared out at the hospital grounds in a daze.
It seemed like years later when a nurse walked over to them, looking frazzled and exhausted, and told them that Annie's stomach had been pumped and that she was sleeping.
"We're moving her to a room upstairs," she said.
"Is she going to be all right?" Mrs. Whitman demanded.
"We won't know that until she wakes up," the nurse replied. Then she turned away and disappeared through the heavy metal doors at the far end of the emergency room.
Mrs. Whitman and Johnny, the twins and Ricky Capaldo ended up together in the hospital cafeteria sipping coffee with little interest, waiting for news of Annie and praying fervently that she would pull through. Every conversation that had taken place earlier was repeated over and over again. The terrible question of why Annie had done it hung over them all. Jessica shrank back in the booth where they were all huddled. She couldn't look at Mrs. Whitman, or at Ricky either.
Finally they were allowed up to Annie's room. Elizabeth and Jessica trailed the others down the long, antiseptic corridors, all too clearly remembering the time Elizabeth had been rushed here after a nightmarish motorcycle accident.
The girls half expected to see John Edwards, the young doctor who had been assigned to Elizabeth's case. But the man who greeted them at the door to Annie's room was older, more seasoned-looking.
"I'm Dr. Hammond," he said.
"I'm her mother," said Mrs. Whitman. "How is she?"
Dr. Hammond betrayed no emotion. "I wish I could tell you everything is fine, but we just don't know yet. You can't tell me how long she was unconscious before the ambulance arrived?"
Ricky stepped forward. "I found her, Doctor. But I can't say how long she'd been out. I just don't know."
Mrs. Whitman, Johnny, and Ricky entered the room and rushed to Annie's side. Mona Whitman took hold of her daughter's limp hand. Elizabeth and Jessica moved to the foot of the bed, looking at the pale figure stretched out in front of them. She seemed lifeless, and there wasn't a trace of color in her face. Jessica felt faint. She reached for the metal guard at the end of the bed to steady herself. The twins looked on in silence for a few minutes, and then Elizabeth ushered her sister back out of the room to a
"That was me, Mrs. Whitman. Elizabeth. This is my twin sister, Jessica." Jessica lowered her head in shame, afraid to meet Annie's mother's
eyes, but Mrs. Whitman had already turned back to Ricky.
"They say she tried to--they say she took ..." Mrs. Whitman couldn't go on. Tears streamed down her face, and she put her hand to her mouth.
Ricky stood up and put a comforting hand on Mrs. Whitman's shoulder. He guided her to an empty seat next to Elizabeth and eased her into it as Johnny looked on in silence from a few feet away.
"She'll be OK." Ricky tried to sound convincing. "She's got to be." His words were as much for himself as for Annie's mother.
"Ricky," Mrs. Whitman said, "I'm so glad you're here."
"Ricky brought her in," Elizabeth said.
"How can I thank you, dear boy," said Mona Whitman, looking into his sorrow-filled eyes. "You've been so good to my kitten, calling her and coming to visit. You care for her, don't you?"
"Yes, ma'am," Ricky whispered,
"Can you tell me why she did this?" Mrs. Whitman shook her head vehemently. "I can't understand it."
"She did it because of the way kids treated her at school," said Ricky.
"You mean that cheerleader business?" she asked.
"Yes, mainly."
"She did mention that," Annie's mother said. "She said somebody kept her off the squad. Why would anyone do that to my kitten?"
Ricky looked at his feet. Elizabeth looked at Jessica, who, moving like someone who'd been drugged, wandered over to the only window in the emergency room and stared out at the hospital grounds in a daze.
It seemed like years later when a nurse walked over to them, looking frazzled and exhausted, and told them that Annie's stomach had been pumped and that she was sleeping.
"We're moving her to a room upstairs," she said.
"Is she going to be all right?" Mrs. Whitman demanded.
"We won't know that until she wakes up," the nurse replied. Then she turned away and disappeared through the heavy metal doors at the far end of the emergency room.
Mrs. Whitman and Johnny, the twins and Ricky Capaldo ended up together in the hospital cafeteria sipping coffee with little interest, waiting for news of Annie and praying fervently that she would pull through. Every conversation that had taken place earlier was repeated over and over again. The terrible question of why Annie had done it hung over them all. Jessica shrank back in the booth where they were all huddled. She couldn't look at Mrs. Whitman, or at Ricky either.
Finally they were allowed up to Annie's room. Elizabeth and Jessica trailed the others down the long, antiseptic corridors, all too clearly remembering the time Elizabeth had been rushed here after a nightmarish motorcycle accident.
The girls half expected to see John Edwards, the young doctor who had been assigned to Elizabeth's case. But the man who greeted them at the door to Annie's room was older, more seasoned-looking.
"I'm Dr. Hammond," he said.
"I'm her mother," said Mrs. Whitman. "How is she?"
Dr. Hammond betrayed no emotion. "I wish I could tell you everything is fine, but we just don't know yet. You can't tell me how long she was unconscious before the ambulance arrived?"
Ricky stepped forward. "I found her, Doctor. But I can't say how long she'd been out. I just don't know."
Mrs. Whitman, Johnny, and Ricky entered the room and rushed to Annie's side. Mona Whitman took hold of her daughter's limp hand. Elizabeth and Jessica moved to the foot of the bed, looking at the pale figure stretched out in front of them. She seemed lifeless, and there wasn't a trace of color in her face. Jessica felt faint. She reached for the metal guard at the end of the bed to steady herself. The twins looked on in silence for a few minutes, and then Elizabeth ushered her sister back out of the room to a
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