SPRING BREAK

“Triple, venti, non-fat latte, extra hot,” I tell the barista, giving her my phone to pay for my treat.

Surprisingly today, the wait is minimal. Tasting my drink after I stir in a packet of sugar, my phone rings. I smile, it’s Alex. Wait, am I still pissed at him?

“Hey lover boy, how is spring break?” I ask sarcastically.

“Nicole, it’s Rachel,” I don’t think I recognize her, this new voice, “Alex and I were hiking a mountain trail. He fell, Nicole. We are waiting for help.”

“How bad, Rachel? How bad?? Is he conscious?”

“Yeah, I think so. What do I do? Tell me.”

“Did you call 911? How far did he fall?”

“Yes, they are coming. I am not sure how far, maybe five or six feet? What can I do for him? Please tell me what to do, Nic.”

“Put me on Facetime, let me see him. DO NOT touch him.”

It was not until much later that I recall several people screaming in the Starbucks and crowding me to help with the scalding coffee that splashed down my bare leg.

“ALEX ALEX, can you hear me?” I watch his eyelids flutter and half open.

“ALEX, LOOK at me, it’s Nic. Don’t move. Rachel, put the phone right up to his face!”

“ALEX, can you hear me?” I could not really hear him but see him mouth a yes.

“ALEX, open your eyes wide for me.” He struggles and opens them little more. I squint and examine his pupils the best that I can but I can’t tell anything. He attempts a smile and a “hi.” I can barely hear him, but I hear it.

“Rachel, is he breathing okay, from what you can tell? Put your ear close, but not against him, do you hear anything unusual, wheezing?”

“I think his breathing is okay, nothing weird. I think, I’m not sure.”

“Okay, good job. Stay with me, Rachel. Put one finger into his hand gently; see if he can squeeze it.”

“YES, YES, he squeezed!!”

Shit, I lost the call. I try again.

“Rachel, the signal is not great. Let’s work fast, let me see his legs.”

“Okay. ALEX, Rachel is going to put her hands on your feet, just press against them a little, just a little.”

“He moved one, Nic, not sure about the other one.”

“ALEX FOCUS ALEX. Rachel has her hands on both your feet, move your right one for me a little, just a little.”

“Rachel?”

“Yes, that was the one that moved before.”

“ALEX, move your left foot, just a little. For me, Alex, move a little.”

“I think he moved it, weaker.”

“Put the cam up; let me talk to him, Rachel.”

“Hi Sweetheart, look at me, look at me, I need you stay focused, keep your eyes open. Talk to me.” I see him swallow and his lips move.

“Hey……Nic.”

“Hey…. I need you to stay awake and focused. Keep talking to me and Rachel.”

“I’m sorry, Alex, my first spring break and I get you into trouble.”

That gets a little smile out of him.

“Rachel, keep him awake. If I lose you again, I need you to make sure they take care of him. I want a CT scan and I need you to do whatever you need to do, Rachel, to get him evaluated right away in the emergency room.”

“I know my way around emergency rooms, Nicole. I know how to push for things.”

“ALEX, you are probably going to stay overnight for observation. I don’t want to hear it; you ARE going to stay.”

“Thank god. They’re here, Nicole. I will call you back after we get to the hospital, ok? Please don’t cry. “