“Do you need an ambulance?” I asked.
She tried again to speak.
Then her knees buckled.
I lunged forward and caught her under the arms before she hit the ground.
“Hey. Hey. Stay with me.”
Her body felt heavier than I expected.
Not heavy like weight.
Heavy like helplessness.
I eased her down onto the grass beside the sidewalk and pulled out my phone so fast I nearly dropped it.
The dispatcher answered.
I gave the location.
Told them she had chest pain, trouble breathing, possible heart attack.
The dispatcher asked if she was conscious.
Barely.
Was she bleeding?
No.
Was she speaking?
Not really.
Was I alone?
At that exact moment, a compact gray sedan pulled over a few yards behind my car.
A woman in blue scrubs jumped out and ran toward us.
“I’m a nurse,” she said before she even reached us. “What happened?”
I could have cried from relief.
