Josephine Rayne
"Unlikely Hero"
Little Men
E-mail: [email protected]
Summery: A Christmas Miracle….
* * *
Part 1
"But, mother I want to go ice skating." little Rob Bhaer whined to his mother as she tried to decorate the Christmas tree. She signed to herself, Jo had promised her son that they would go skating, but that was before she had realized how many things she had to do today.
"We can't go to today, honey. How about next week?" she said hoping to pacify her son. She hated doing this- this breaking of promises but sometimes, lately it seemed she was forced to do it more and more.
"Next week won't be Christmas." Rob continued further.
"I'm sorry sweetheart-"
"I'll take him, Aunt Jo." Franz interrupted upon hearing their conversation. He had been planning to go into town anyway, to pick up a present for Isabelle, surely he thought to himself, it would be no problem to take his cousin to the pond for a few hours.
"Thank you, Franz. Try to be back an hour before dinner, I want to do something special this Christmas Eve."
* * *
"Faster Franz, faster!" Rob cried as he skated upon the coat of ice. Franz held on to the little boy tightly, speeding upon the ice, their playful innocence and enjoyment filling the air. Franz didn't know that he was skating closer and closer to a patch of thin ice, he did not know that he shouldn't have gone alone, he did not realize any of this until it was to late. The pair crashed below, falling deep under the ice.
The cold, well below freezing water numbed Franz's body and he could no longer see Rob. Everything became blurry- until flash- he saw a spec of Rob's jacket. Not knowing where his sudden, unfamiliar strength came from he lifted the boy out of the water. As Rob's body lay somewhat safe on the banks of this deep hole, Franz's fell down, down till finally he could no longer breathe or hold his breath and felt himself drowning- dying. His eyes closed as he thought about his early life in Germany, his parents, their deaths when he was fifteen, he and his Uncle Fritz coming to America to start a new life and receive schooling, Aunt Jo, Plumfelid, Isabelle. His whole life ending in this one moment.
Suddenly he felt hands grabbing at his jacket, pulling him out of the hole and laying him next to Rob. It took Franz several moments to come to, when he did he weakly stood up to see who had pulled him out, but he could see no one.
Quickly, Franz's impaired mind flew to Rob as the boy lay cold and blue. Franz's took of his jacket and sweater from his own cold and blue body and put it around the child. Gaining more unknown strength Franz lifted the boy in to the wagon and speed back to Plumfield, his sickened mind remembering that Dr. Pierce was not in Concord for the holidays but in New York visiting relatives. .
* * *
Jo Bhaer stood looking at the clock wondering where her nephew and her son were. The children ran about the house excited about what the next Christmas morning would bring. Her sisters and parents were somewhere she suspected with Asia and Nick maybe, in the dinning room. She stayed in her room, hoping to wrap some of the presents for the children.
"Mrs. Jo." she heard Nat yell from the bottom floor. "Come quick it's Franz and Rob!" Jo dropped the unwrapped gift which happened to be Dan's and raced to the front doors.
Mrs. Bhaer ran to the wagon that was now swarmed with all the house's inhabitants and pushed through the crowed. She soon saw Rob asleep, blue and wet.
"What happened ?" she called to Franz who was shivering next to him as she carried her son out of the wagon.
"We-fell-through the the-ice." Franz spoke, his words slurred and stuttered, and short of breath.
"Lets get them in the house." Asia called as Franz preceded to get out of the wagon, but his body let him down and he collapsed to the ground.
"They have hypothermia." Nan announced minutes later in the boys rooms as Mrs. Jo began to take off Franz and Rob's wet clothes.. " I saw it in one of Dr. Pierre's patients ."
"He gave him his own clothes." Jo mumbled to herself. "We need Dr. Pierce."
"He's not here." Nan continued. "But, I think he left a colleague there just in case."
"Tell Nick to go get him. Quickly!" She said beginning to rub them and put them into warm dry clothes.
* * *
"The little boy should recover completely in time. By pulling him out as quickly as he did, adding though wet the extra clothes and rushing him here that fast Franz very well saved your son's life."
Jo breathed a sign of relief. "And Franz?'
"I don't believe he will survive the night. I'm sorry." Dr. Baker continued. " I'll see myself out."
* * *
More to Come!
"Unlikely Hero"
Little Men
E-mail: [email protected]
Summery: A Christmas Miracle….
* * *
Part 1
"But, mother I want to go ice skating." little Rob Bhaer whined to his mother as she tried to decorate the Christmas tree. She signed to herself, Jo had promised her son that they would go skating, but that was before she had realized how many things she had to do today.
"We can't go to today, honey. How about next week?" she said hoping to pacify her son. She hated doing this- this breaking of promises but sometimes, lately it seemed she was forced to do it more and more.
"Next week won't be Christmas." Rob continued further.
"I'm sorry sweetheart-"
"I'll take him, Aunt Jo." Franz interrupted upon hearing their conversation. He had been planning to go into town anyway, to pick up a present for Isabelle, surely he thought to himself, it would be no problem to take his cousin to the pond for a few hours.
"Thank you, Franz. Try to be back an hour before dinner, I want to do something special this Christmas Eve."
* * *
"Faster Franz, faster!" Rob cried as he skated upon the coat of ice. Franz held on to the little boy tightly, speeding upon the ice, their playful innocence and enjoyment filling the air. Franz didn't know that he was skating closer and closer to a patch of thin ice, he did not know that he shouldn't have gone alone, he did not realize any of this until it was to late. The pair crashed below, falling deep under the ice.
The cold, well below freezing water numbed Franz's body and he could no longer see Rob. Everything became blurry- until flash- he saw a spec of Rob's jacket. Not knowing where his sudden, unfamiliar strength came from he lifted the boy out of the water. As Rob's body lay somewhat safe on the banks of this deep hole, Franz's fell down, down till finally he could no longer breathe or hold his breath and felt himself drowning- dying. His eyes closed as he thought about his early life in Germany, his parents, their deaths when he was fifteen, he and his Uncle Fritz coming to America to start a new life and receive schooling, Aunt Jo, Plumfelid, Isabelle. His whole life ending in this one moment.
Suddenly he felt hands grabbing at his jacket, pulling him out of the hole and laying him next to Rob. It took Franz several moments to come to, when he did he weakly stood up to see who had pulled him out, but he could see no one.
Quickly, Franz's impaired mind flew to Rob as the boy lay cold and blue. Franz's took of his jacket and sweater from his own cold and blue body and put it around the child. Gaining more unknown strength Franz lifted the boy in to the wagon and speed back to Plumfield, his sickened mind remembering that Dr. Pierce was not in Concord for the holidays but in New York visiting relatives. .
* * *
Jo Bhaer stood looking at the clock wondering where her nephew and her son were. The children ran about the house excited about what the next Christmas morning would bring. Her sisters and parents were somewhere she suspected with Asia and Nick maybe, in the dinning room. She stayed in her room, hoping to wrap some of the presents for the children.
"Mrs. Jo." she heard Nat yell from the bottom floor. "Come quick it's Franz and Rob!" Jo dropped the unwrapped gift which happened to be Dan's and raced to the front doors.
Mrs. Bhaer ran to the wagon that was now swarmed with all the house's inhabitants and pushed through the crowed. She soon saw Rob asleep, blue and wet.
"What happened ?" she called to Franz who was shivering next to him as she carried her son out of the wagon.
"We-fell-through the the-ice." Franz spoke, his words slurred and stuttered, and short of breath.
"Lets get them in the house." Asia called as Franz preceded to get out of the wagon, but his body let him down and he collapsed to the ground.
"They have hypothermia." Nan announced minutes later in the boys rooms as Mrs. Jo began to take off Franz and Rob's wet clothes.. " I saw it in one of Dr. Pierre's patients ."
"He gave him his own clothes." Jo mumbled to herself. "We need Dr. Pierce."
"He's not here." Nan continued. "But, I think he left a colleague there just in case."
"Tell Nick to go get him. Quickly!" She said beginning to rub them and put them into warm dry clothes.
* * *
"The little boy should recover completely in time. By pulling him out as quickly as he did, adding though wet the extra clothes and rushing him here that fast Franz very well saved your son's life."
Jo breathed a sign of relief. "And Franz?'
"I don't believe he will survive the night. I'm sorry." Dr. Baker continued. " I'll see myself out."
* * *
More to Come!