First Aid for First Grade

Excerpt from my first draft of First Aid for First Grade: Mrs. Bittlebottom and The Bloody Arm- comments in the comment or guest book section are welcome.

Mrs Bittlebottom held up an arm. It had something red dripping. Could it be blood?  The whole class saw it. The first grade students kept their eyes glued to the arm.   Was it real or fake?  Wes James leaned closer to the arm. Fake, he was sure of it.

Wes watched and listened.  Katie White turned white. Pricilla Estes groaned and put her head on her desk. Eddie Bates tried not to throw up. Wesley could hear him two seats back. He  made sounds like his dog, Rex.  Rex made those  sounds when he gagged on a bone. Wes tried not to laugh.

" If you see a friend bleeding, would you know what to do?" asked Mrs. Bittlebottom.  No one in first grade raised their hands.

Wes's heart was beating fast. This was the best class ever. He was going to like first aid for first grade. Charlie did not like first aid or first grade.  Charlie didn't listen. He twisted scraps of paper into snakes instead.

Wes and Charlie were best first grade friends. Wes wants to be a paramedic like his uncle.  Charlie didn't know what he wanted to be.

 Wes listened to everything Mrs. Bittlebottom said about first aid for first graders.  He listened when she said  " Make sure it is safe to help so you don't get hurt too" and " If you see a friend bleeding, send someone else to get help."

Wes heard her say "First put on gloves or cover your hand with your shirt" and "Put pressure on the cut"  He was still listening when she said  "Stay with your friend so no one is scared."

Charlie was too busy to listen. Recess was in a five minutes.  He kept thinking how he wanted to beat Wes to the slide. He fidgeted. He whispered. He tapped his pencil. He let out a squeeky whistle.   The kind  you make sucking in air through your front teeth when one tooth is missing.

Mrs. Bittlebottom gave Charlie the "look" and he quickly turned to watch the clock, tick-tock-tic. Finally the bell rang for recess. Charlie jumped up dashing for the door.

"Chaar-leeeeeeee!"  Mrs. Bittlebottom said Charlie's name. She said it in a loud  voice.  Her tongue shrilled the "leeeeeeee" part of Charlie's name.  Tiny drops of spit sprayed like a garden hose through her teeth. Charlie slid back to his seat. He thumped his knee against the desk. It sounded like a drum. He was in a hurry  to be outside away from first aid and Mrs. Bittlebottom.

What do you think will happen next? Will Wes or Charlie ever need to use their skills in first aid?