Breaking Dawn & Real Life Emergencies

My daughter and I took advantage of the Thanksgivingholiday to see BreakingDawn.While there, something happened to make me pause and acknowledge The Warrior Series hits closer to home than I previously realized.
We were sitting in the middle of the pitch-black andcompletely packed theatre and watching Renesmee's birth, an especially bloodyscene.  Suddenly, a voice overpowered theaction holding our attention.  The words utteredwere those you never want to hear…ones that instantaneously pump adrenalinethrough your veins.  "SOMEBODY CALL911!"  Without delay, I popped up, lookedback, and saw several people standing. Before I could move, my daughter said, "Go help, Mom!"It's been years since I've performed hands-on patientcare, but jumping into action was second nature for me because of the time Ispent in ICUs.  I rushed to the top ofthe theatre, squeezing past people still sitting in their chairs like the moviewas more important.  "I'm a nurse, pleaseexcuse me," I said passing each movie-goer. Realizing the critical nature of what was happening, they finally began risingand clearing the area.  At the end of the row and against the wall, I found a twenty-four-year-oldman who was no larger than a very young teenage boy.  He was pale, clammy, and sinking down intohis seat and toward the floor.  I grabbedhis wrist and – frightening me more thananything – found his pulse so weak and thready it was almost nonexistent. 

Worried about what I had just blindly encountered and mentallypreparing for the worst, I heard a woman behind me say, "I'm apediatrician.  Let's get his legselevated."  I immediately followed her instructions.  We lifted the arms on several of the movieseats and spread him out.  I knelt on achair and held his legs as high as possible. All around, I heard people making the 911 calls, askingquestions of the man's mother, and conveying the information back to theoperators.  She told the messengers herson had been known to pass out when the doctor's office drew his blood.  Everyone instantly assumed the bloody scene had elicited this man's reaction, one eerily similar to Bella's in Twilight  when she was exposed to bloody finger pricks. 

While waiting for the ambulance, I rubbed the young man'slegs, wordlessly assuring him he would be fine.   After a few minutes, the pediatricianconfirmed the boy's pulse was getting stronger, and he began looking better. BeforeEMS arrived, my newest friend (one whose name I'll never know, but a man I'llnever forget), said, "I think I've ruined vampire movies for myself."  Everyone's anxiety was quickly relieved withhis ability to make a joke and poke fun at himself at a time when an entiretheatre of people was standing over him and staring him down.Afterwards, my daughter – joking – looked at me and said, "I'm never going anywhere with youagain.  This happens every time."  I stared at her trying to understand what shemeant.  Then, it occurred to me she was notliterally right, but she was correct that I had been involved in similiar situations on numerous occasions…andshe was present for a few of them.

Last Christmas, she and I were shopping when a woman collapsedto the ground right in front of us.  Assoon as she fell, a door slammed onto her ankle.  Checking on her and trying to decide whatneeded to be done, I found that she was a diabetic who had not eaten after injectingher insulin.  Aftershe was stable, I offered to drive her to the emergency room.  She refused, but we did not leave her sideuntil we knew she had someone to make sure she was safe.A few months before that, I was driving home from work.  I was on the feeder road – in the middle of Houston – talking to myhusband on the phone and letting him know I was on my way. From the corner ofmy eye I saw something in an abandoned parking lot that wassurreal.  A grown man had a small boy onthe ground beating him with a belt.  Protectinghimself from the very violent lashes, the boy curled in a ball.  When he did, the man began kicking him. 

My instincts took control. I stopped in the middle of the road, laid down on the horn, rolled thewindow down, and began screaming for the man to stop beating the boy.  Fortunately, he stopped.  I waited where I was (unable to make it to the parking lot from my location), hung up with my husband, and called 911. The man made some threats geared toward hurting me, picked the boy up,threw him in the car, and dared me to follow him.  I provided the license plate number to thepolice, but they called back later and told me they had not located the car, man,or boy.While I have been involved in many other unexpected emergencies involving coaches,friends, and co-workers, the most memorable incident happened while myfamily and I were out having dinner.  Ahysterical woman rushed into our dining room, "DOES ANYONE KNOW CPR?"  As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Ijumped up, handed my son over, and followed her to the next room.  There, I found her husband in cardiac arrest. One of the restaurant's workers joinedme in performing CPR while the wife knelt by us and begged us not to give up…forus save him.  After several minutes, wewere successful in getting his heart beating again.  EMS took over when they arrived, and I wasescorted back to my dining room. 

I may never know the exact outcome of most of thesesituations, but I'll forever be grateful God embedded a passion in my heart tostep up and help those who can't help themselves.  While I'm in no way glad that theseemergencies happened, I realize now that every action, reaction, and emotionencountered during these crisis have become critical parts of my books. I've come to learn, writing about them allows me to process the incidentand sort through the powerful emotions which are stirred up afterwards.  Despite my formal training and experience.  Feel free to share with me some of your own heroic experiences.  Also, let me know if you would mind if I change your version up a bit in order to use it in a future Warrior Series book (if ever a scene arrives where it would fit perfectly).