Emma felt weird, like everything was spinning. His tiny eyes fluttered open. The car was upside down, and he could hear faint noises, like beeping and sirens, but it was all fuzzy. His chest hurt, and his breathing was funny—too fast, then too slow–like he couldn't catch his breath. He tried to move but felt stuck. The straps from his booster seat pressed tightly against him.
"Dad?" Emma mumbled, but his voice was too quiet. His head felt heavy, and it was hard to keep his eyes open. Everything spun dizzily as Emma's eyes blurred.
Everything felt wrong.
The noise outside got louder. There were people talking, footsteps crunching on the broken glass. He couldn't understand what they were saying. His fingers felt tingly as he tried to reach out for his stuffed animal, but his hand wouldn't move right.
"Hey, child in the back car seat!" Suddenly, a face appeared at the window. It was a woman in a blue uniform. She looked worried but gentle. She had bright eyes that locked on to Emma as she crouched closer from just outside the car.
"Hey, sweetheart," she said softly, her voice calm.
"Can you hear me? We're going to help you, okay?" Emma blinked slowly, feeling something sticky on his cheek, maybe blood. His heart kept doing that weird fast-then-slow thing, and it scared him. He could feel his breath coming out in short, shaky puffs, but he didn't know why. The lady—Rachel, her name tag said—was saying something, but it was hard to understand. She was touching him lightly through the shattered windows, checking his arms and legs, but nothing hurt as much as his chest.
"Stay still for me, buddy," Rachel said, her voice soft and warm like a blanket.
"We're getting you out of here soon." Emma tried to nod, but his head felt too heavy. He could barely move. He glanced over to where his dad was, but he couldn't see him properly. The car had smashed in on that side, and Alex wasn't moving.
"Dad?" Emma whispered, feeling tears sting his eyes. He wanted to go to him, to make sure he was okay, but Rachel was already working on undoing the straps of his booster seat. Everything felt too fast, and too slow, all at the same time.
"Up we go…" She carefully lifted him out, and for a moment, the world tipped again. He felt dizzy. His heart was still thumping weirdly in his chest, and he didn't like it at all. Rachel held him close, carrying him toward a big flashing truck. Emma's stuffed animal slipped from his fingers and fell to the ground, but he couldn't reach for it.
"Stuffed… animal…!" Rachel stopped for a moment, another EMS worker grabbing the toy and putting it back in Emma's hands. Rachel smiles at the fellow officer.
"Thanks, James" Rachel turned around and continued, Emma hugging the stuffed toy.
As they got closer to the truck, Rachel laid him down gently on a soft, padded bed. There were more people in uniforms, all moving quickly, saying words he didn't really understand.
"Let's get this hooked up," Rachel said to another person as she placed sticky pads on Emma's chest. He could hear beeping—fast at first, then slow—and the worried looks on the paramedics' faces made his stomach feel tight.
Emma's head violently started spinning. His heart still felt wrong, like it was skipping beats or doing strange flips. It was scary. He wanted his dad.
"Dad… where's Dad?" Emma's voice was barely a whisper, his body feeling heavy and weak. Shivering under the small blanket.
"They are getting him out now, he's gonna be okay" Rachel was by his side, smoothing back his messy hair. She smiled, but Emma could tell she was worried too.
"He's right behind us, sweetheart. They're helping him now," she said, her voice as calm as it had been before.
"You just focus on resting, okay?" Emma tried to focus, but his eyes were so heavy. His Dad was injured, and everything hurt too much. He tried to stay awake, to wait for Dad, but his body wasn't listening anymore.
"You're doing so good, Emma," The EMS rubbing Emma's back as she sticks an IV into Emma's arm. Emma silently cried. Rachel's voice faded as the darkness crept in around the edges of his vision.
"We'll be at the hospital soon, and the doctors will take care of everything."
Emma's eyes fluttered closed. His heart didn't feel as strange now, but his head was so tired. The world slowly faded away as the ambulance sped toward the hospital. And suddenly, his eyes could no longer stay open. They closed and Emma couldn't stop it.