Trish Norris sighed as she turned into the driveway. It had been a long day. Rushing straight from work to the squash club monthly meeting had been too much. Then she saw the old green Daihatsu ahead of her and she smiled. “Kate’s home….” She glanced at her watch. “We can chat while I cook something,” she thought to herself. She leaned over, grabbed her handbag from the front passenger’s seat, and climbed out of the car. As she locked her door she glanced at the Daihatsu. It was a bit of a bomb but at least Kate was independent.
As Trish swung around towards the house, the front of Kate’s car caught her eye. “What’s that?” she frowned to herself. The front of the automobile was badly damaged. She felt her skin begin to prickle. “Kate,” she called out, as she rushed in the back door of the house.
“Kate, are you there?” Trish’s voice grew louder when she found the kitchen silent. She ran along the hall and into Kate’s room. “Oh, no,” Trish exclaimed. Kate lay on the floor by her bed and Trish fell down beside her only daughter. “Kate!” she yelled again. There was no response.
Trish couldn’t think. Her head was spinning. She should be doing something but she didn’t know what. “Check breathing!” she shouted out in relief. Trish’s heart was thumping and its sound filled her eardrums as she pushed her cheek close to Kate’s nose to see if she could feel her daughter’s breath. Trish raised her head. “Ambulance, ring ambulance.” She tugged her cell phone out of her bag.
Trish was shaken out of her sobbing by the siren. The house was suddenly chaotic. “What’s happened?” one of the ambulance officers gently inquired. “It’s my daughter, along here, she’s on the floor, I don’t know… quickly, quickly… her car’s badly damaged,” the words tumbled out.
The officers pushed past Trish and knelt beside Kate. They talked quickly and quietly to themselves as they examined Kate. One lifted his head up. “Has she been taking any medication lately?” he asked.
“No, no, I don’t think so,” Trish shook her head in the negative.
“What’s in that bottle up there?” He waved his hand towards a small bottle on the bedside table.
“I don’t know, I really don’t know, just something… something for headaches I suppose,” Trish replied.
The officer retrieved the bottle and the two men conferred. “I’m sure you realize we need to get your daughter to hospital as fast as we can but first we must put a tube in her throat to help her breathing,” said one of the men to Trish.
It seemed only moments later that Trish heard the back door of the ambulance bang shut behind her. She clung to Kate’s hand as the vehicle lurched out of the driveway. Then the door was opening and someone took Trish’s hand. “Come with me,” said a gentle voice and Trish followed in a daze.
Date Posted: 09/29/03 nas
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