[ - ]
Table of Contents [Report This]
Printer Chapter or Story Microsoft Word Chapter or Story
- Text Size +
Part 5

The phone rang only one time before his call was answered. Nick took in a deep breath, hoping that his prayers would be answered and he could finally get some help with this child. She was making his life a living hell.

“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?” came a calm, polite female voice.

“Yes...hi...my name is Nick...my niece is...she’s...”

“Sir, calm down please. What is wrong with your niece.”

Nick gulped and took in a deep breath, wondering how he was going to explain this. There was just so much wrong and not enough words to explain it. How could he fit it all in and what if he left something out? He absolutely could not leave anything out. Every thing that she’d done was crucial. His car, the blocks to his head, the mess in the restaurant, the mess at the house...the list went on...

“Sir, are you there...is your niece okay? What does she need help with?”

“She’s okay...I’m not...I need help!” Nick exclaimed in a panic, “Help me, please.”

There was a long pause and Nick could almost feel himself start to cry. He wondered if he was going to have white hair by the end of the evening. Nick could almost feel his hairline receding from the intense stress he was facing. Did Erica give her mother this much trouble? Or was this a first for the child, starting her terrible twos on his own poor soul? Either way, it didn’t matter. She was a terror to Nick and that was all his mind was on.

“I need help!” Nick repeated, “I’m babysitting and need help. Please, send someone out. I beg you.”

The response Nick got wasn’t what he expected. In fact, the receptionists voice was coming out in a soft coo as if she were talking to a child. Nick felt tears of frustration welling up in his eyes at the next series of questions.

“Little boy, does your mommy or daddy know that you’re calling?”

‘Huh?” Nick replied in confusion

“Where are your mommy and daddy?”

“What are you talking about?” Nick asked, “I need help.”

“This number is for emergencies only.” The receptionist told him, “Did you know that?”

‘This is an emergency!” Nick cried out, “I need help.”

There was another pause and Nick wondered what was going on as the emergency dispatcher just breathed on the other end of the line. The faint sound of typing he’d heard in the beginning had stopped. Erica shrieked in the background and Nick winced, wishing that this dispatcher would just help him already. Suddenly, he wished he were anywhere but there and had visions of being on stage with the Boys, singing and dancing. At least that was a good stress, which to him, wasn’t even hardly stressful at all. In the midst of Nick’s thoughts, the voice came again.

“How old are you, little boy?”

“Twenty-five...” Nick’s voice trailed off as if he thought the question was completely irrelevant to everything. Another pause. Nick hated those and he was getting rather annoyed with them, “Are you there?”

“Do you realize prank calling 9-1-1 is a federal offense?”

“It’s not a prank! My niece is too much for one to handle. I need help!” Nick defended himself loudly, his voice showing hints of disbelief.

“It isn’t a real emergency. Please hang up the phone or else I will send an officer over to escort you to jail.”

Nick tried to protest, but was greeted by the sound of silence as the dispatcher hung up on him. He closed his cell phone, sighing in defeat. He was back at square one and felt he was out of options. If not even trained professionals in emergencies would help him, then he honestly didn’t have any hope for anything else. Or did he?

Nick tried as hard as he could to wait patiently for Erica to finish her ice cream, and once she did, he wiped the melted mess off of her before picking her up and putting her in the car, strapping her in to the seat. Nick got in the drivers seat and as he backed out of the parking lot, he pulled his cell phone back out, dialing the number of one of his best friends. He was more relieved than he ever thought possible when he heard the mans voice, knowing that he had experience with young children now, as he had an almost three year old son. Erica wasn’t much younger.

“Brian?” Nick exclaimed, “What the hell do you do when Baylee wont behave?”

“Excuse me?” Brian asked, “Is that you Nick?”

“Yes...I called 911, but they wouldn’t help me...”

“Wait, wait, wait...”Brian stopped Nick, “You called 911 over babysitting problems?”

“Yes...what’s wrong with that?”

Brian laughed softly and Nick wondered what his facial expression was like, “They probably thought you were retarded.”

“Thanks...that does so much for my confidence.”

“Well, that number is for serious emergencies.”

“Why does everyone keep saying that?” Nick questioned, completely oblivious to the meaning behind it.

Brian ignored Nick’s naive comment, deciding to just look past it and try to forget that he’d just said and done something so stupid. Did Nick honestly not have more common sense than that? “So you’re having problems babysitting...what has the kid done?”

“The question is more like what hasn’t she done,” Nick looked back in the rear view mirror at her and saw a devilish glow in her eyes. He lowered his voice, hoping that Erica didn’t know that he was talking about her, “She’s wrecked the house...my car...I need help. Where can I get some holy water?”

“What?” Brian asked incredulously, “Nick...you’re being ridiculous. You are overreacting.” he told his younger friend.

“She’s about to end up in an orphanage if BJ doesn’t come home soon because I’m about to abandon the heathen alongside the fucking street.”

‘Nick, calm down...” Brian laughed, enjoying seeing or rather hearing Nick in such a panicked state, “Just sit her in front of a movie that she likes, or read her a story or take her to the park.”

“That won’t work. She is out to get me...” Nick embellished, “She was sent straight up from hell to get me.”

“Well then why don’t you read her the bible to bless her soul.” Brian suggested with a hint of sarcasm in his voice, rolling his eyes at Nick honestly thinking that the small two year old was seriously out to torture him. Sad thing was, Brian knew that Nick was definitely serious, not joking in the least bit.

“Read her the bible? Brian...that is so boring...it will put her to slee...Hey! That is perfect. It’ll bore her to sleep.”

“Nick...” Brian warned, offended at Nick’s slam, “Just...she can’t be that bad, alright. Just take in a few deep breaths and show her who is boss. Children only walk all over you if they know that they can.”

Nick thought about this, but found it nonsense that he was letting Erica walk all over him. There was no way, for he was being a good sitter. Erica was just a little out of control. So as he hung up the phone with Brian, Nick wondered what else he could do because his friend hadn’t helped much at all. Nick knew though that he couldn’t drive around all day, so he headed back towards the house praying silently that Erica would be asleep in the back seat by the time that they got there. If she wasn’t, he could only imagine what else she had in store for him.


Please let me know what you think! There will probably be 1 more part after this...although we'll see how things flow with Part 6.