We were playing on our bikes. Me and my older sister, Hailey. We live in one of the safest neighborhoods, so our parents weren’t worried about us riding in the street. It was a hot summer evening. We live in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, so, well, it’s always hot. I picked up the long, snake-like hose, and turned the knob. My sweaty hands fumbled over the rubber. I spray her. “Hey! RUTH!”  she shrieks. I’m falling over with laughter. As the stream of water soaks her face and hair, she giggles and screams. She grabs the hose out of my hands and aims it at me. The water hits my chest. Not so painful, but refreshing. Maybe it was the water or the screams or the laughter, but Hailey and I didn’t notice the yelling and car honks up the street. It couldn't have been worse timing.
It was like one of those movies, you know? When it’s all slow motion and one person is like, “Nooooo!” and their voice is super deep because the scene is in slow motion. Well anyways, it was like that. Hailey was in the middle of the street, laughing. I was on the sidewalk.  I turned my head and I see it. A rusty truck, a Toyota to be exact, barreling down the street. It’s honking and heading straight towards Hailey. It’s headlights are dim and slanted. I don't bother to look at who is driving the car because I have one thought in my mind. Hailey is going to get hit by the car, and I need to save her. She’s my older sister. I need my older sister. It doesn’t matter if she doesn’t want me too, I need to save her. Hailey has a surprised expression on her face. No, she mouths. She slightly shakes her head.  I run forward, reach out, and push her out of the way. She falls back onto the pavement. She might have a couple bruises and scratches, perhaps a broken bone, but at least she’s out of the car’s way. I try to run past the car, but it’s too late. I close my eyes, and I feel the rusty metal hit my chest. OUCH. SNAP. SCREECH. SCRAPE. THUD. OUCH.
The car is gone, I can sense it. I am not dead. Good. The pain suddenly sinks in. It hurts so bad, I am suddenly wishing I was dead instead. I try to scream, but I can’t. The pain is like an animal, ripping and tearing me apart, suffocating me. Someone is screaming for me though. “RUTH!” The volume of the voice in so overwhelming. I can tell that it is Hailey. That’s the thing about sisters. Even when you are suffering and can't talk or breath, you know who your sister is. I try to say something, but by the time I open my mouth, I’m out cold.
2 days later
I wake up to beeps and more hurting, but I am feeling significantly better. I don’t remember the specifics, but I can remember some highlights. The hose. The laughter. The car. Hailey shaking her head. The car. Me pushing her out of the way. The car. The crash. The pain. The screams. The car. I wonder who that gosh darn driver was. I wonder if they caught him.
I look around me. I am in the hospital. I see that I am hooked up to some machines. I notice the one that is beeping and has a jagged line going across the middle of the screen. I have always wondered what that one was called. I sit up abruptly. A rush of pain fills my whole body. A nurse smiles, shakes her head, and gently pushes me back down to a lying position. “Hailey,” I croak. I can’t find many words to describe that I need to see Hailey, but she seems to get the gist. Once the nurse leaves to get my sister, I look around again. I see some water and hospital food at the bedside table. Gosh I am hungry.
I look up again and see her. Hailey has tears streaming down her face. “Why did you do it?” she whimpers. “I had to,” I respond, “I just couldn’t...” I can’t finish the sentence. I don’t really know what to say. She runs to me and I bury my face in her sweater. It doesn’t matter if it hurts, this is the one thing that is worth the pain.