A Cry For Help

I was actually trying to clean my apartment this afternoon . Today has been a quiet Father's Day Sunday. I've spoken with my daughter who lives in Oregon and I was just finishing up making a potato salad which I thought would be a great addition to a stake I'm planning to cook later on this afternoon when I heard “Help!”, “Help!”. The door to my apartment is open as it is most days during the summer and there's a constant din from the skateboard park just across the driveway from my apartment as the teenagers wander eternally up-and-down the concrete ramps. When I heard the cries for help. In the back of my mind I noted how the cries for help sounds like me when I'm calling for help when I fall out of my power chair or shower bench. I heard that “Help!” Again and finally said “What” and wandered towards the open door.

“I've fallen and I can't get up” by that time I got out onto my patio and there to my left, across the road, onthe concrete and stones, just under the fence that separates us from the skate park was Deeann, one of the residents at our facility. I of course did not know what to do, I rolled directly out there to see if I can be of any help. Today is a sunny day almost hot, actually it is hot when you're laying on your back in the direct sunlight with a possible broken elbow. I got to Deeann and thought maybe she can climb up my chair if I can get it close enough to her but that was a no go. I talked with her and could see that she was in great distress. She was just happy to have somebody responding to her calls. I tried to call someone in our apartments but the sun was too bright on my cell phone and I could make any calls we finally decided to call 911 let the professionals handle it.

As soon as I got 911 online I was thrown back a couple of months to when Honey and I were stranded on a shower seat in my shower and having to communicate with 911. The time was about 2 o'clock and it seemed like Deean and I were the only human beings except for the kids at the skateboard park, on the earth. Deeann had actually had initially called out hoping to get one of the boys/teenagers at the skate park but they all but ignored her which is weird because someone should've heard her if I heard Deeann across the driveway– – idiots. I suppose the 911 operator has a particular protocol he/she has to go through but the protocol is sure annoying. I found if I could stretch my hand out I could block the sun out of Deanne's eyes which I did. I was worried because I'd did not know if the fire guys could get into the gated community – – they couldn't. I almost felt I should leave Deanne and knock on doors at the apartments so I can get someone to give me their want to open the gate.

The firemen got there and could not open the gate of course. I'd given explicit directions to the 911 operator that someone would have to go in and contact the resident advisors and they would open the gate or any one of the residents could open the gate but that didn't seem to happen. In fact the firemen had their axes out and were about ready to chop the gate open when someone did finally come and opened the gate.

I have to admit sitting there with my outstretched hand over Deanne, blocking the sun, as these emergency vehicles moved the vehicles were kind of intimidating to say the least. But I stayed there and finally when the fire guys came over and engaged us with questions regarding Deanne I booked . Soon they had her bundled up and taken away and I have gotten back to my day, finishing the potato salad. It sure is amazing how much  your day can change with a cry for help.