Today’s random word is…

ANT

“Fuck! Something just bit me!” Sarah squirmed underneath Aaron on red blanket they had laid on the grass.

“Just relax Sarah, I’m sure it wasn’t something horrible,” he said as he continued to kiss the tender skin of her neck. “Just relax and I’ll make you forget all about it.”

Sarah knew him well enough by now to know he’d winked when he’d said it. Aaron was certainly a charmer and there was no way he’d miss a chance to get into her pants. “Seriously dude, it hurts. Get off. Now!”

Aaron continued to kiss her neck, running his tongue up the length of it and using his lips to draw her ear into his mouth. He sucked for the briefest of moments until he felt her shiver before letting his mouth fall back to the spot just above her collarbone. His hands traced a number of paths over her clothes, venturing closer to the lower hem of her powder blue t-shirt.

Suddenly Sarah’s body jerked; the length of it jumping off the ground in chaotic movements. A seizure. Aaron had no idea how to help and wished he’d paid better attention to her lessons on what he should do if her epilepsy flared while they were out.

Rolling to the side, he brought himself up to his knees, taking her right hand in his and patting her shoulder awkwardly. As he stared into her face, tears of helplessness welled in his eyes. He could see the angry red rash creeping over the landscape of her skin, but he was at a loss at what to do.

Grabbing his phone, he called 911 and was connected in short order.

“Fire, Police or Ambulance?”

“Ambulance. My girlfriend is having a seizure or something and I need help!”

“Calm down, help is on the way. Tell me where you are.” The calm demeanour of the operator had no effect on Aaron.

“You have to come quick. She has epilepsy.”

“I need to know where you are sir. Can you tell me?”

“Granger’s Park. Behind the Snack Shack. Hurry! Please!”

“I have a unit on their way to you now. Can you tell me your name please?”

“Aaron. Aaron Samuels.”

“Thank you Aaron. What is your girlfriend’s name?”

“Sarah Codger.”

“Do you know if Sarah takes any medications for her epilepsy?”

“I have no idea. Can’t you just come and make her better?” At this point Aaron was crying, the words coming out in huge slobbering gulps.

“Aaron, I’m going to need you to calm down. Can you do that for me?”

Aaron took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves and compose himself. Within a minute he’d calmed down a small amount as he continued to stare at Sarah flopping around on the ground. “I think I’m okay now.”

“Good Aaron. Is Sarah still seizing?”

“Yes.”

“How long has it been going on?”

“Maybe 3 or 4 minutes?” He heard the pause on the other end and said, “That’s bad isn’t it? You’ve got to get here faster! Sarah can’t die!”

“Aaron, calm down. No one is going to die today. Can you do me a favour?”

“What is it?”

“I need you to put the phone down and place something like a belt or some sort of stiff fabric between her teeth so that she doesn’t bite down on her tongue. Can you do that for me?”

“Ummmm, yeah, I think so.” Aaron activated the speakerphone before placing it down on the blanket beside him. Unbuckling his belt, he drew it through the loops until he held it in his hands. “Okay, I’ve got my belt off and I’m going to try and get it between her teeth. She’s foaming at the mouth a bit, is that okay?”

“Aaron, that’s normal during a seizure. I just need you to concentrate on getting that belt between her teeth, okay?”

It took Aaron more than a few seconds to get the belt worked into place, the whole time worrying that he was going to hurt her. “Okay it’s in.”

“Okay good, now I need you to hold her head somewhat still. Can you do that?”

Aaron repositioned himself at the top of Sarah’s head and bent over her, placing his forearms on either side of her ears and tried to keep it stationary. “She’s moving around a lot still.”

“That’s okay. Her seizure will be over soon. You’re doing an excellent job Aaron.”

The next few minutes passed as the operator talked to Aaron, trying to keep him calm through the ordeal. Aaron did his best to follow the instructions of the voice on the other end of the phone, but he found his resolve slowly melting away. He wanted this all to be over, and he wanted Sarah to wake up.

“Wait! I think it’s stopping. She’s stopped shaking!”

“That’s good news Aaron. When she wakes up, she might be groggy or confused. I will need you to keep her from getting up. Can you do that Aaron?”

“Yes. I think so.” Part of him was relieved, the other part still scared shitless. “Sarah, everything’s going to okay. Help is on the way.”

“That’s good thinking Aaron, keep talking to her.”

“Ummm, I think there’s something wrong…”

“What do you mean Aaron? What’s wrong?”

“Are they coming soon?”

“They should be there soon Aaron, just hang in there.”

“I can hear screaming.”

“Screaming?”

“Yeah, it’s close too. This is really beginning to freak me out.”

The line fell silent for a moment and the eerie sounds of screaming in the distance came through the operator’s receiver. The switchboard lines at dispatch lit up almost instantaneously and all she could do was stare at her computer screen as the cacophony of calls echoed through the room.

“Aaron, are you still there?”

The last thing she heard before the line went dead was his scream, terrified and full of panic.

All Rights Reserved © 2014 Julianne Snow