The guys kept repeating ”Walk it off. You'll be alright. Be tuff." I yelled, "Please call my Mom." I sobbed in pain holding my hands around my left ankle. I could not get up, completely helpless. Some other kids we knew from the skating rink had heard my screams. They came and asked what had happened. I told them I fell and could not walk. One of the guys tried to get me to stand. I screamed more and more. I could not control my crying. I was in incredible pain and my friends just couldn't believe it. Christine said "let's see it. Take your hands off and let's get a look at it." I took my hands off and my shoe on my left foot was much bigger and wider then my right. Christine rose up my pant leg and shouted, "Oh my GOD!" My left foot had swelled massively in just minutes. I kept crying and begging for them to call my Mom. Finally two girls ran up the hill and knocked on the door of house first at the top of the hill. At first the lady at the house didn't believe the girls. She wouldn't let them use her phone. They pleaded with her, "Please, please, let us call our friend's mom!"

The woman wouldn't even open the door. She spoke to them through the window. She told them to give her the phone number and she would make the call herself. The woman called the police and reported two trespassers on her property. She told the police she was scared and didn't believe the girls' story. The police came about 15 minutes later. A group had started gathering at both ends of the trail. The police arrived and questioned the girls. The girls told the story of how I fell and could not walk. The policeman went down the path and slipped and fell on his butt. He got up and asked me if I could walk. I told him there was no way that I could stand or walk. He told me that it was a steep hill and I have to stand up and lean on him. I tried to get up, but could not keep my balance. I sat back down and cried. The policeman called the Fire Department. While waiting on the Firemen to arrive, the policeman tried to get me to take off my shoe and sock. He was amazed at how big and fat my left lower leg and foot had become. He shined his flashlight on my ankle; the skin around my lower leg was pure black.

The firemen arrived and put me in a brace right away. They harnessed me to a board and tied a rope around me. The firemen and residents lined up along the path, each holding the rope. They pulled and pulled and pulled. It seemed like forever, only an inch with each tug. Finally I reached the top of the hill. An ambulance was there waiting. They wrapped me in a blanket and checked my heart rate and blood pressure. They put more braces on my leg to keep it steady. They sliced my pants open at the seam and placed cold packs on my ankle. Just before the ambulance drove away, my mother showed up.

My Mom was excited and could hardly catch her breath. She told the ambulance driver to take me out of the ambulance. She said she would drive me to the hospital and could not afford an ambulance. The cops and firemen tried to get her to change her mind. She kept saying no. So I had to get out of the ambulance and hop with one leg to my mother's car. She turned her car around and drove off. I was still crying and she didn't turn right at the stop sign. Instead she turned left and drove me home. I was begging her to hurry and take me to the hospital. She said, "Let's go and show Darlene. She was a registered nurse for 20 years. Let her look at it before we go, OK?" I didn't agree with it. I was screaming and begging. I couldn't believe this was happening to me. My Mom was more interested in the advice of a stranger she brought home than the police, the firemen, the paramedics, and me, her own daughter.

Darlene came out to the car. She looked at my leg and said, "It's probably just a bad sprain!" I cried," No you're wrong! It's broken I know because I felt it when it broke." Darlene replied, "I've seen much worse looking that turned out to be nothing" They helped me out of the car and into the house. I lay down and my Mom took off my jeans. The pants were hard to get off. With every movement I would scream. My Mom yelled at me, "You're a baby, stop whining." I couldn't believe I was in my bed and not in the hospital. I looked at the ceiling and prayed out loud. "God please help me". I started sweating and could not sleep. The pain was excruciating, worse then anything I had ever experienced in my life. And to this day, that pain is on the 'Top of the list' for worst physical pain I've ever had in life. I tossed and turned, moaned and groaned. By 3:00 or 4:00am I had a fever of 101f degrees. I begged and cried out to my mom. She came in my room and shouted, "What do you want? I'm sleeping." "Mom, please drive me to the doctor. Please!” I pleaded. She spoke like she hated me. She yelled and told me she couldn't afford to take me to the hospital because my father did not have that kind of insurance coverage. She told me I was overreacting. She even punched me in my left leg and told me, "There is nothing wrong with you! You're a little whiny BITCH!” When she punched my leg, the pain increased and I kicked her in the jaw with my right foot. She was very angry and warned she would kick my ass if I ever did that again. So I just lay there in my bed and cried. I never slept because the pain was so severe.

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