"This is 911 emergency. How may I help you?" asked a woman's voice. For a moment, John's tongue glued to the roof of his mouth.
"Please get an ambulance to the corner of Radison right away! There's a man in the alley... he's lost a lot of blood!" John pleaded frantically.
"Stay calm. An ambulance is on it's way," the woman's voice assured.
"Thank God!" exclaimed John. The emergency dispatcher asked who he was, and then hung up when the sirens were within hearing distance. John dashed out of the bookstore, heedless of the oncoming traffic, and stood at the entrance of the alley. An ambulance pulled up beside the curb, it's red lights flashing.
"Over here!" he called. Two men jumped out of the ambulance and followed john down the alley.He watched as they unwound the limp arms of the stoplight panhandler.
"It's a knife wound," he heard one of the men say. When a policeman tapped John on the shoulder, he jumped.
"Were you the one who called 911?" he asked.
"Yes, I was," replied John, nervously.
"Did you know him?" the policeman asked, pointing at the limp form being lifted onto a stretcher.
"No."
"How did you find the body?" he asked. John felt faint. The walls of the alley began to spin around him.
"I was walking..." he began. Suddenly, everything became black.
When John opened his eyes, he found himself lying on a stretcher, with sirens screaming loudly in his ears.
"Do you feel better?" asked a voice. At the foot of his stretcher stood one of the emergency workers who had arrived in the ambulance. The stretcher suddenly bumped against the wall. It was then, John realized he was in an ambulance.
"I'm all right. You can let me out right here," he said pointing to a window.
"I think it would better to have a doctor examine you first," he explained.
"But, I'm late for School," he protested. The man did not hear him, for he was busily engaged with a person in the stretcher beside him. To John's surprise, it was the stoplight panhandler. A clear hose had been placed over his mouth, pumping oxygen into his still unconscious body. The emergency worker turned his eyes to a little monitor with a jumping green line. John lie quietly on the stretcher. Suddenly, the green line stopped jumping, and a flat line took it's place. The emergency worker grabbed two white discs and placed them on top of the panhandler's chest. His body jolted upward and then slammed back down onto the stretcher. He continued to do this until the green line began to jump again.
"He almost died, didn't he?" asked John.
"His heart stopped beating. But, for now, it's working again," the man said, sitting down. Soon after, they arrived at the hospital. The doors opened, and the stoplight panhandler was lifted out. John climbed down on his own two feet. A rush of activity surrounded john, as nurses rushed the unconscious panhandler into the hospital. John was led inside, and checked over to make sure he was really all right. Then, the police had him answer some questions. He told them what had happened.
"If I were you," warned the police officer who had been asking him the questions, "I would stay out of dark alleys. Especially, if you are alone."
"But, it's Providential I did, this one time," smiled John
"It's just another transient," shrugged the officer, tucking the clipboard he had been writing on, under his arm. "If this one lives to be discharged, he'll be out on the streets again. Bums like him die everyday." The police officer checked his clipboard one more time, and walked away.
A sick feeling crept over John. He navigated his way to the main exit, and quickly left the hospital. John looked up at the sky. Usually, the air was filled with smog, but a gentle breeze sent out from God's heavenly chamber had carried the man-made poison away. John gratefully thanked God for the safety He had given him that morning.
In spite of the pure air and the warm sunshine, John's heart was crying.
He arrived at work
The policeman's words echoed in his mind.
"Just another transient." A crowd of people exiting a nearby building, shook John from his uneasy solitude.
Fortunately or Unfortunately this incident made a deep encroachment in his mind ,that John drew stoplight panhandler in his next round of painting competition and won the first place fetching him the entry ticket for the next future rounds of the competition."Every single moment of life is precious"John whispered to himself.Ultimately his school days also came to an end.John secured good total and got a seat in the nearby college with computer science as his major.
No comments:
Post a Comment