Don't Leave Me Hanging

Lord, I prayed, please protect my girls from these evil men chasing us. Don't let Frank take them after I'm gone. Let them live with Gigi. She'll protect them and love them. I'm sorry for all I've done wrong in my life. Forgive me. Forgive me. Forgive...

Black stars danced in front of my eyes and my ears rang. The grip I had on the leather around my neck was weakening and I knew it was time, but I couldn't leave until I knew the girls were safe.

The stars gave in to a black curtain over my eyes, the ringing stopped, and I could feel my bladder release. A rush of stale air washed over me while I hung in space and feet thundered down the metal steps below me.

Everything was so peaceful.

"Oh, my God! Miss, Miss?"

"This is Russ, a woman is hanging by her neck on the emergency stairwell. Uh, second floor. Help!"

"I've got you. I've got you. Please don't be dead." Russ Norman prayed out loud, grasping Karol under her arms and pulling her body upward to keep her from being strangled by the leather belt.

"What the fuck? Russ, it's Gracy from the front desk. There's a body on the stairs. I'll go around to the elevator. Is she still breathing? This one is dead, I think."

"Just hurry. I can't hold on much longer," Russ answered.

Gracy pulled open the door and gasped, "What the hell happened here? Let me hold her until the paramedics arrive."

They took turns pulling Karol's dead weight up to relieve the pressure on her airway. Soon, sirens rang out, coming closer to the hotel. Gracy pulled her phone out and relayed instructions to the 911 operator.

In and out of the fog, Karol's only thought was that her babies had to be safe. They had to be. Then, she slipped back into peace.

Police and Paramedics rushed into the crowded landing, the officer taking over for Russ and Gracy by holding Karol up while the paramedics cut the binding leather strap and, together with the officer, pulled Karol over the railing.

They set her down on the concrete floor and checked her breathing and heartbeat. They were faint but present. An oxygen mask was placed over her face, which she tore off angrily. "My girls. Someone check on my girls," she hoarsely sputtered.

"I've got the universal," Gracy said. "I'll go check."

"215," Russ yelled as she ran out of the emergency exit door.

"Girls? It's Gracy, the lady at the front desk. Your Mom is going to be fine. We have her and she's safe. You can let me in. She is worried about you."

"Beanie, stay in the bathroom and don't come out until I tell you," Katie warned before approaching the door.

"I want to see you through the lookie-thing first. I'm bringing a chair over."

"Okay. I understand," Gracy replied.

Struggling with the office chair, while it bounced off other furniture in the room, Katie finally got it to the door and climbed on it carefully, peeking out of the lookie-thing.

"Whew. You can come in. I'll unlock the door," she said, and then called out, "Beanie, you can come out now. It's safe."

Katie unlatched all the door locks and peeked out into the hallway cautiously, expecting a trick. But it was just a nice lady kneeling down, who caught her up in a bear hug.

"I'm so happy you girls are safe. So, so happy. Your Mom is worried about you two."

"Where's Mommy? Where's Mommy?" Beanie sobbed, tears running down her pink cheeks.

"I'll take you to her," Gracy said, against her better judgment.

By then, they had seen the stretcher being loaded into the elevator and broke loose, racing down the hallway in a panic. "Mommy! Mommy!" Katie screamed.

The paramedic who has wrangling the stretcher stopped the door from closing and let the girls run in with them. He hefted the little one up so she could see her Mom. Karol cried and went back to sleep, satisfied that the girls were with her and safe.

The police officer and other paramedic tended to the victim lying unconscious on the lower stairway, his head canted in an impossible angle. He was breathing-- just barely and his pulse was weak. Without equipment, he couldn't be moved, so another ambulance was called in. Both his bowels and bladder had released and the stairwell was a stinking mess.