I was at the local BK for a late lunch and ended up calling 911. I had just finished eating and was finishing the chapter in my book when I heard a drunken voice. He was being pretty loud, although the only thing I could make out was something like "Don't do this." I also saw him pacing around a bit. The guy sitting at the next booth went to the front counter shortly thereafter.
I didn't really know what was going on, since I couldn't see over booths between where I was and where the guy was. Anyway, I thought it was a belligerent drunk, or two drunks getting into a fight. When I walked over, I found someone passed out on the ground and the drunk guy trying to wake the person up. I thought it was a guy at first, but the drunk guy kept calling her a her. He was also trying to pick her up and put her back in the booth. Which resulting in her falling again, and hitting her head on the ground (although that was from a mostly lying position).
I got out my cell phone and called 911. The guy who'd gone to the front said the people at the counter had already called. Of course, since no one aside from the drunk guy was anywhere near her, I thought it prudent to call anyway. Her pants were unbuttoned and her sweatshirt was pulled up revealing a lot of pale belly.
The 911 dispatcher told me to turn her on her side, which I should have remembered to do anyway, and monitor her breathing. The drunk guy was helping by saying "Charlestown", "Don't do this" and "wake up." He was saying it loud enough that the dispatcher asked me who it was. I thought they were together, because they were both clearly inebriated and wore matching green bead necklaces.
Anyway, it wasn't long before the fire truck got there. Hardly surprising since the station is literally right next door. While one of the guys was checking on the woman, a second was getting the medical stuff out. The third guy looked in the paper bag the guy had in the booth, revealing a small bottle of vodka. The drunk guy said that it was his and wanted it back. The guy from the fire station ended up giving it back but scolded the guy for bringing it in, there are kids around after all. He also questioned the guy about who the woman was. All the guy could manage was "Charlestown". He kept questioning the guy, and it turns out he had met the woman an hour ago. He also couldn't remember which direction they had come from.
The guy then found another bag which turned out to be the woman's. In the bag was a number of prescription medicine bottles. I counted at least five, including one of the extra large sized bottles. The guy read one of them out loud and it was codeine. By this point the woman was starting to wake up a little. The guy from the fire house kept asking her name, and if she took any pills. She couldn't manage her name but did claim to not have taken any pills.
The ambulance arrived a bit later. The guys from the fire station asked the EMT's if they knew the woman. The first EMT told the second she was smashed, the second one said "big surprise". The second EMT went on to explain that she had lots of "frequent flyer miles".
While all this was going on, a cop car came speeding towards us down Broadway. I thought he was also responding, but he proceeded up the street. A bit later two more cruisers zoomed by. One of the fire station guys said, "Looks like it's already started."
As the EMTs and fire station guys were loading the woman onto the gurney for the trip to the hospital, the drunk guy was sitting there with a bemused look. "I'm the bad guy" he said, with little conviction. He did thank the EMTs on their way out. He also offered the guy from the fire station something, but I couldn't make out what he said. He repeated the offer a couple of times before the guy figured out what he was saying, but turned him down and again gave the line about there being kids around.
I can hardly wait for the parade tomorrow, not to mention St. Patrick's day itself!
13 March 2010
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