Part 6 (1/2)
”Try the pocket on my brown suitcase,” Mr. Taylor suggested weakly.
Katani quickly unzipped it. Lots of socks-no cell phone.
”Did I forget it?” he wondered. ”That would have been a HUGE mistake.”
The girls warily looked at each other. ”Never mind, Dad,” Maeve said. She tucked her dad's jacket under his head so he could lie more comfortably on the ground. It was not likely that's he'd be moving anytime soon. Every time he tried to get up he winced and had to lie back down.
Katani whipped out her business notebook and made a quick note: Ask Mom and Dad to buy me a cell phone for emergency situations. She wondered how long they'd have to wait there before Mr. Taylor would feel well enough to sit up. And what if he didn't feel well enough to drive? They could spend the whole weekend stuck out here in the middle of Nowheresville!
Sam seemed to be reading her mind. ”Hey, no problem. I can change that tire in nothing flat,” he boasted. ”The first thing I need is an a.s.sistant.” He looked at the girls and stuck out his hand. ”WRENCH!” he called. Sam began to pry at the hubcap until his father noticed what was going on.
”Sam,” Mr. Taylor said sharply. ”Sam, step away from the hubcap. Just give me a few minutes kids. I'll be fine,” he said after seeing the worried looks on everyone's faces.
Maeve and Katani looked at each other helplessly. ”What do we know?” Maeve asked in a low voice.
Katani shook her head. ”I don't have a clue. We've only gotten a flat tire once, and when we did, my dad was there to fix it.”
”I can't believe this!” Maeve said quietly to Katani. ”I'm sorry this trip is taking so long. If I were you, I'd be really b.u.mmed out,” she added, looking genuinely miserable.
”Hey, it's okay,” Katani said, trying to convince Maeve AND herself that it was. ”These things happen, right?” She couldn't help but wonder how they were going to get out of this mess. They had no phone, no idea where they were, no chance that another car would pa.s.s by, and the only adult in their group was lying on the ground in agony while his eight-year-old son tried to figure out how to change a tire.
Perfect.
”Wait a minute!” Mr. Taylor said suddenly. He tried to raise himself up, but that brought another groan. Still, he looked optimistic as he smacked his forehead. ”Of course! I just remembered-I put the cell phone in the console underneath the arm rest!”
”Great!” Maeve clapped. She crawled into the front seat and popped open the middle arm rest to find everything-maps, a little flashlight, car registration, insurance information, and underneath the ma.s.s of paper-a small silver cell phone.
”Yes!” she breathed excitedly. She turned it on and handed it to her father. ”Here you go!”
”Thanks, sweetheart.” Fortunately, he had programmed his auto club emergency number into the phone. In under a minute he was in touch with someone from the AAA hotline. When he hung up, he announced that they were sending out a truck with someone to change the tire in about twenty minutes.
Maeve and Katani smiled at each other. Things were definitely looking up.
After fifteen minutes, Katani s.h.i.+vered and noticed that she could not longer see the exit sign in the distance. On the horizon, the sun was casting its last glimmer of gold. And through the magenta clouds, the pale moon was beginning to peek out.
”Look!” Katani said, pointing at the beautiful country sunset. She couldn't believe the day had ended so soon. They'd left Brookline in the early afternoon, and here it was already getting dark! ”Where is daylight savings time when you really need it?” Katani whispered to Maeve.
Maeve cupped her ear. ”Listen!” she said. There was a soft hooting that sounded like it came from the trees just behind them.
”Owls!” Sam said excitedly.
”Oh, no,” Katani moaned. She liked some things about the nighttime, but creepy noises were not among them. Looking at the stars was pleasant; imagining big birds of prey that hovered all around in the darkness was not!
Behind them, Mr. Taylor talked softly on his cell phone. ”That's right, Larry,” he said. ”It's been a rough day, and we're temporarily stranded...Well, no...Thanks for the offer, but we can't stay with you...I've got to get my daughter and her friend to New York City, and hopefully tonight...Yup, I'm sure we'll do it another time soon...Sure thing, Larry...Thanks for being so understanding.”
He clicked off the phone and smiled cheerfully at Katani. ”Well, this is quite an adventure!”
Katani tried to smile at him. She also knew lots of people who thought outdoor adventures were great, who liked dealing with challenges and problems. Katani Summers was not a nature lover, and furthermore, she'd already overcome a ton of problems just last week. And for what? To end up stranded in the middle of nowhere in the dark with a hooting owl, an injured man, and a crippled vehicle? Adventure, Katani thought dismally, is definitely overrated. Give me fas.h.i.+on any day!
CHAPTER.
8.
Sally to the Rescue
Ten minutes crawled by, though to the stranded travelers it felt like an hour. The night sounds grew louder, as Mr. Taylor managed to lower himself into a comfortable position without groaning. Maeve and Katani looked nervously at each other. This was not fun. Would Mr. Taylor ever be able to drive?
Then suddenly, they heard a sound that made them all hopeful. It was the low rumble of a car.
Even better-it was a state trooper's car!
”Look!” Katani cried. She threw up her arms and shouted, ”Stop. Please stop!”
The car slowed down and pulled to a stop behind them.
”Oh, sweet!” Sam exclaimed. ”Whoa, a state trooper! Awesome! This is almost as cool as meeting an army dude!”
”Sam, stop trying to sound like you're a teenager,” an annoyed Maeve snapped at her brother.
Ignoring his sister, Sam dropped his jack on the ground and dashed over to meet the trooper. The trooper was a tall young man who drove a beige cruiser with flas.h.i.+ng lights.
The trooper got out of his car and sauntered over to Mr. Taylor, who was on the gra.s.s. He was clad in full uniform with a brimmed black hat, s.h.i.+ny black boots, and a black leather belt. ”Wait 'til I tell Harry!” Sam murmured under his breath when he saw the s.h.i.+ny gleam of the trooper's pistol resting safely in the holster.
”What seems to be the trouble here?” the trooper asked. No one answered for a minute. Mr. Taylor strained to sit up and actually made it this time.
Sam straightened to his fullest height, which at eight years old wasn't all that impressive, and whipped his hand sharply to his brow. ”We have the situation under control, sir,” he barked. Sam gave him a fierce salute and added, ”You can go back to your duties now.”
The trooper raised an eyebrow. ”Oh, really?” he remarked, looking at the flat tire and the stricken Mr. Taylor. ”Well, maybe I can still be of some help.”
He started toward Mr. Taylor. ”He's so handsome!” Maeve whispered to Katani. Katani hadn't even noticed. She was just thrilled that ever since they had been discovered, the creepy night sounds seemed to have vanished.
The trooper squatted by Mr. Taylor. ”What happened here, sir?” he asked. Mr. Taylor explained how he'd tried to lift out the spare tire and had thrown his back out. The trooper nodded. ”I have some Advil and some ice in the cruiser. Would that help?”
Mr. Taylor looked relieved. ”Yes, a lot!”
”You're our hero!” Maeve blurted out. Katani gave her a look as the trooper turned. ”What?” Maeve asked Katani, who rolled her eyes.
The trooper pa.s.sed Sam, who was still standing stiffly at attention. ”At ease,” the trooper said with a wink after he snapped off a smart-looking counter salute. Sam sighed and brought his hand to his side.
”Here you go,” the trooper said. He handed Mr. Taylor a first-aid sample packet of two Advil pills along with an ice pack. ”I've pulled my back before,” he said. ”The ice and Advil really does the trick. Give it about ten minutes.”
Just then, they all heard the screech of tires. ”Gee, it's getting a lot busier on this road,” Maeve said to Katani.