“Okay, all instructions, list of medicines and allergies, and her favorite activities are on the fridge. She can go out swimming but you are going to have to uncover the pool because we haven’t swam in it yet this summer. If she goes swimming make sure you watch her carefully. Are you sure you’re going to be okay, Kate?” said Mrs. Barr.
“I’m going to be just fine. I’ve babysat many times before and I’m sure we will both be fine!” Kate assured her.
“Okay! Bye, Chelsea. Be good for Kate, okay?”
“Okay, Mommy! Bye!”
As Chelsea’s parents pulled out of the driveway, Kate pulled out her cell phone. She started to dial her best friend’s phone number. You see Kate had just gone through a break up that very morning. She didn’t feel like babysitting but she had already committed to it so her parents made her.
“I wanna play in the pool, Kate!” Whined Chelsea.
“Go upstairs and put on your swimsuit and wait by the back door for me. Don’t go out yet because I have to remove the cover.” Kate sighed.
Chelsea ran upstairs to get her swimsuit.
Her friend finally picked up. “Hello?”

“Janell, I don’t know what to do Jason just broke up with me, my parents are still making me baby-sit, and I don’t know if I can focus to watch this little girl!” Kate let out.

“You’ll be okay! What does she want to do first?”

“She wants to play in the pool. Hold on let me go check to see if she has got her swimsuit on yet.”

Kate shouted up the stairs.
“Chelsea? Chelsea do you have your swimsuit on yet?”
No answer.
“Chelsea?” Kate was becoming impatient. “What are you doing? Answer me!”
Still no answer. Kate stomped up the stairs and entered Chelsea’s room. She wasn’t there. Kate’s heart started to race.
“Janell, I have to call you back!” She snapped her phone shut.
Kate ran downstairs. Chelsea wasn’t waiting by the back door. Kate flung the door open and went to the edge of the deck. She saw Chelsea trying to unhook the cover on one edge of the pool. She was pulling so hard when it flung off she jerked back then whip-lashed forward into the pool, under the cover!
“CHELSEA!” Kate ran as fast as she could down the stairs. She tried to pull the girl out of the pool but she couldn’t feel where Chelsea was. She tried to open the cover but it was stuck.
She started to panic and all these different thoughts were racing through her mind. I need to call Janell back!…no, I don’t have time. I could keep tugging, oh it’s no use! The knife that Mr. Barr used to cut his steak is still on the grill! Kate grabbed the knife and immediately started cutting the hooks off the pool cover.
Kate saw Chelsea floating. She started to scream and sob! She jumped in the pool and grabbed Chelsea’s arm. Chelsea didn’t move at all. She dragged her up onto the side of the pool. She checked her pulse and her heart was beating but she wasn’t breathing.
Kate learned CPR in girl scouts but suddenly her mind went blank! The best thing to do is just call 911. That is the only way to save Chelsea now. There is nothing I can do!
BZZZ, BZZZ, BZZZZZ…Kate’s cell phone vibrated in her pocket.
“Hello???”
“Kate, It’s Jason. I made a huge mistake and I wanna get back together.”
“Oh Jason, I…crap! I cant talk to you right now! I’m babysitting and the girl is unconscious because she fell in the pool under the cover.” Kate just about screamed!
“Oh my gosh! Is there anything I can do?”
“Call 911 and give them the address to the Barr Estate! Tell them what happened!”
“Okay bye!” Kate snapped her phone shut and started to push rapidly over and over on Chelsea’s chest. Suddenly she remembered what to do! She opened Chelsea’s mouth slightly. She pressed her own up against Chelsea’s and started to blow.
Blow, push, push, push.
Blow, push, push, push.
Blow, push, push, push.
Suddenly Chelsea started to spurt up water. Then she started to cry.
“Mommy…huh…I. Want. My. Mommy…huh...I. can’t. breathe!”
Ignoring her words Kate cried, “Oh Chelsea! Thank God you’re okay! The doctor is coming are you in pain?”
“No. I. Just. Can’t. Breathe!” Chelsea kind-of-incoherently huffed.
“They’re coming to check on you okay? I’m going to call your mommy and daddy right now!”
She pulled out her cell phone and started to dial when the back door burst open.
“Chelsea!” Mrs. Barr was racing to her daughter, “How could you be so irresponsible, Kate?”
“I…I…” Kate began to stutter.
“Oh my gosh is Chelsea okay?” Mr. Barr ran out of the house.
“Daddy. I. Can’t. Breathe!” Chelsea muttered.
“It’s okay baby girl! The doctors are coming!” her Dad said.
“I’m so sorry!” Kate started to say.
“Save it! I don’t want to talk to you right now I have to deal with my unconscious daughter!” Mrs. Barr barked under stress.
Wee-ooo, wee-ooo, wee-ooo!
The gateway opened and men were running in with a stretcher and a cardiac defibrillator (heart shock paddles). They started to get the paddles ready but then Mr. Barr yelled, “She’s conscious you idiots! Just help her she can’t breathe!”
They put an oxygen mask on her and put her on the stretcher.
“Kate, if you think you can handle the responsibility ride with her in the ambulance and Mrs. Barr and I will drive separately.”
“No! I will not leave my daughter with her again!” Mrs. Barr shouted above the sirens.
“I will…be okay…I am so sorry…I’ve been off tra…”
“SAVE IT KATE! Get in the frikkin’ ambulance and don’t sit by her oxygen tank! I don’t want to loose her!”
They waited in the waiting room for a long time while the doctors did tests. Finally the doctor came out and said, “Chelsea will be okay. She can go home in about an hour. All we are doing now is watching her breathing patterns.”
Kate was crying at this point. “Really, Mr. and Mrs. Barr, I am so sorry! I didn’t mean for this to happen! I should have been watching her more closely. I am sooo sorry!”
“It’s okay, Kate. We’ve been thinking about it and we were too hard on you! We know Chelsea can be a handful and…” Mrs. Barr said.
RING RING RING! “Sorry,” Kate said. “I have to take this!”
“Hey.” Jason said.
“Hey Jason? I’ve been thinking and I don’t think it is a good idea for us to go back out. Thanks for all you did helping me with the Barrs but I think we should just be friends!”
“Okay. I understand. I’ll see you at school. Good luck with babysitting from now on!”
“Okay, thanks bye!” Kate shut her phone.
“As I was saying we were too hard on you and we are the ones who should be apologizing.” Mrs. Barr continued.
“It’s okay. I know you were upset. I would be too in that situation! It would be hard to loose your daughter. I know you were scared!” Kate assured.
“I wasn’t scared just a little nervous. Men are never scared!” Mr. Barr explained.
“Shut up, Danny! She’s your daughter! You don’t have to act like a tough guy!” Mrs. Barr almost laughed.
“Well thanks for being so understanding.” Kate said.
“Your welcome. And Kate you are welcome to babysit when ever you want! We understand about Jason. He took up for you and explained everything!”
“Thank you!” Kate expressed as her parents came in to get her. “Bye!”