A Hero

When you were fourteen, living in Wisconsin. Your parents took you and your younger siblings to Yosemite. You were setting up camp when you heard girls screaming. Your dad and you ran to see what was going on. A group of girl scouts, seven of them, ages 8 to 12 and their den mother were two camp sites over, you later learned their names; Angel, the youngest at 8-years-old, Lyra and Dana 9-year-old twins, Janis 10, Grace age 11, Emma and Fran 12-year old twins, the Den mother was Mrs. Judy Anderson 32-years old and Emma and Frans Mother. A juvenile grizzly bear had wandered into their camp, the rangers said it was looking for the bacon from their bacon macaroni and cheese they were cooking, It was angry, had hot macaroni and cheese all over its muzzle, probably burned pretty bad. It was roaring at them, had them huddled against their car. You didn’t think, you just put yourself between them and the bear. It swiped me, bit me a lot. You don’t remember much after that. You came awake in the ICU and the nurse told you that you had bear hugged the bear and held it until the ranger who had responded tranquilized it. You had been bitten fifteen times and the claw slash across your chest. you spent three months in the ICU. You are now recovering in the pediatrics ward. You got a letter from the girls and their den mother thanking you for saving them. A medal of heroism from the Girls Scouts of America, and was made an Honorary Eagle Scout by the Boy Scouts. Now you lay in your hospital bed, in a single room, filled with balloons and flowers, the awards from the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts displayed on the shelf behind you along with the Girls letter of thanks. You're bored, knowing you have two more months until you can be discharged. Who will come visit the local hero. You have four bear claw scars from the top of your right pectoral muscle to the bottom of your left pectoral muscle. Proud member of the CozyChaos server.