Two best friends, one physically disabled, the other "normal", have an unfortunate accident that puts one of them into the hospital, and now the one kid is feeling lonely because the other kid is mad at him.
I guess I was a jerk. I should have known better than to blame my best friend, Eden, for something that was beyond his (and my) control; and it was because of my impulsive actions that I may have just jeopardized our friendship. I also put his life in danger, and because of me, he ended up in the hospital and had to have lifesaving surgery.
Eden Regal EagleFeather has been my best friend since we were in kindergarten; I met him when he and his family moved here to Texas from Nevada; and he and I have been almost like brothers ever since..that was, until today.
Eden was a funny kid; he could tell jokes better than anybody I knew, and he also had a talent for letting out the biggest burps or the smelliest farts in class, right when it got real quiet; and it really used to hack our teacher off. Of course, the kids in our class went wild with hysterical laughter every time Eden let loose; but Mrs. Crenshaw got very annoyed. He was always being sent to the principal's office for his actions in class or going to detention after school, which was always a pain.
Eden also happened to be physically handicapped. He had spina bifida, which left him paralyzed and relying on leg braces or arm crutches and/or a wheelchair for longer trips; but he absolutely refused to let his physical problems get to him. He always found a way around his disabilities; and he would sometimes joke about his spina bifida; but the kids gave him hell for it, and they teased him something fierce. I would get mad at the kids, and I would defend Eden; and this was how we became friends so fast. Eden was a very happy kid, and he lived life to the very fullest.
But then last week, THAT thing happened; and now I hardly see Eden except to pass him in the hall; and when we see each other, he looks away quickly and/or he gives me an ugly look on his face; and it cuts me right to my heart, and it really hurts my feelings.
What had happened was this: Eden and me were playing basketball, and as we were involved in the game, I accidentally knocked him (and his wheelchair) over; ran over him like a HUMMER at top speed. He ended up with a concussion, and then that night, he ended up in the emergency room because something went wrong with his shunt, and he started having severe headaches, double vision, and seizures. I felt horrible when I heard the news; and I worried that my friend wouldn't pull through the surgery. But he did, and he was in the hospital until only last Friday, and ever since then, he has been really cool and silent towards me. I guess he knew that I was the reason for his getting hurt and then needing surgery; and I somehow felt responsible for his unfortunate situation. It didn't help seeing his head wrapped up in a white bandage, and I felt that I had to try to make things right.
I tried to apologize, but Eden wouldn't accept my apology. I would try to apologize to him when I saw him at school, but all he did was wheel his wheelchair the other way without looking at me, and if he DID look at me, he gave me a dirty, ugly sneer, or if I tried to call him on the phone, he would tell his mother that he was too busy or he wasn't home or something to that effect. He has been mad at me ever since the basketball game.
I really can't blame him: I mean, Eden has had to go in and out of hospitals ever since he was born, and he has had many different surgeries; and now, when things were supposed to be looking up at last for him, I had to run my big, beefy self into him, and now he is recovering from yet another hospital stay and again had to have surgery after several years of not having any problems with his spina bifida. I guess I would feel the same way about hospitals or doctors as Eden does if I were in his situation; but I really don't know all he has had to endure. He's told me some of what has happened to him regarding hospitals and doctors and stuff, and he is sick and tired of being treated "special" because of his disabilities. All he wants to be is a normal kid with normal likes and interests; but there are always those goons who wreck it for him, or do something totally stupid and off the wall to bring attention to his disabilities; and then he has to fight all over again to gain people's acceptance of him, even with his being disabled. He is tired of having to "prove himself" to others, and all he wants is to be is a normal kid, even though his life is anything BUT normal.
It also doesn't help that his mother babies him; and it annoys him to no end. His mother is always hovering over him, and it drives him NUTS. His sisters also get mad at him because they are younger, and his needs take over their own concerns, and then they get mad at their mother because she spends more time with Eden than with them. It is really a sad situation at the EagleFeather place.
I wish I could try to make amends with Eden, but right now he is in too much pain and misery to be bothered with "the likes of me" (as he put it), and he would rather forget about me. I guess I can't blame him for being mad, as I was the one who had accidentally put him into the hospital in the first place, and that is something you really can't get over that quickly. But still, I do miss our times together, and I hate it when he looks at me like I am a goon, and I hate it when he always says to me, "It's too late for sorry; I don't accept your apology!" or calls me a "stupid jerk" who doesn't think of anyone but himself when nothing could be further from the truth!
Hello Karen,
In your usual way you have set the sense of suspence towsrds the next epidode. Asain good writing with that dramatic pause Well done Regards John W
Nice story Karen. But kids are always arguing and making up. I fully expect to see that happen in the next chapter because they both need each other !!
Oh,I have been there! I had a head injury
that left me with a shunt revision! YUCK!
You make everything so real! This one is a keeper!
I keep all of your stories,Karen! Just thought
you would like to know that!
Reviewed by Kate Clifford
1/13/2004
I am glad there will be a second part. Wonderful build up of the characters.
i wouldn't want to be in this child's shoes...knowing i had done something to physically injure him, causing him to have more problems on top of what eden already faces...but i guess the best thing would be for this child to continue reaching out toward eden. he's already said, "i'm sorry." but eden needs to learn that accidents happen, and if this child hadn't run over him, somebody else might have.
a compelling, interesting dilemma you've written about here--great job
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