I had no idea, but luckily, I knew someone who did.
I yanked my phone out of my pocket. One bar.
Please let me be able to make a call. I swear, I’ll never be mean to this woman again,I promised any deity who might have been listening.
I called Josh and put it on speaker. A few seconds passed before it finally started to ring, and I swear my heart stopped while I waited.
“Yello,” Josh said.
“Can you hear me?”
“Kinda. You’re breaking up a little. Are you on the shitter? You know your bathroom gets the worst reception in the apartment.”
“Is Aly with you, or is she on shift?”
“She’s here. Why?”
“Can I talk to her?”
“Seriously?” he griped. “I barely hear from you in weeks—weeks, Tyler—and the first time you actually call me first, it’s to speak to my fiancée?”
“I have an injured woman here!” I yelled. “Quit fucking around and give Aly the phone!”
“Oh, shit. One second.” I heard the sound of running feet. “Babe! Tyler needs your help, and before you say something sarcastic like I did, it’s serious.”
A scuffling noise came over the line, and then Aly’s voice. “Tyler? What happened?”
“She got clipped by a car and hit her head,” I said, hating the panic in my voice. “Now she’s unconscious. What do I do?”
“Call 911,” she said.
I hung up, called them, gave them our location and then called Aly back. “They’re on their way, now what do I do?”
“Call them back so they can talk you through it.”
“That’s what I called you for! They’re just an operator. You’re a fucking ER nurse.”
“Jesus. Okay, is she breathing?”
“She has a pulse.”
“Yeah, butis she breathing?”
“I don’t know!” I yelled, staring down at Stella’s slack-jawed face.
Aly went into full nurse mode. “Put a hand on her ribs and your cheek near her mouth. Wait to see if her lungs expand or she exhales on you.”
I did what she said, shaking with adrenaline, and just like with Stella’s pulse, it took me far too long to feel anything.
“She’s breathing,” I said, about to pass out from relief.
“That’s good,” Aly assured me. “Keep one hand on her ribs to make sure she doesn’t stop. What position is she in?”
“She’s on the ground. On her back. I didn’t move her.”
“Good. Don’t. Make sure her head stays slightly tilted back while she’s unconscious to keep her airway open. If she starts to gag at all, roll her sideways so she doesn’t choke.”
“Puking after a head injury is bad, right?”
