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 andViolet 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.
