I'm Sorry Too

“Tyson! What the hell?!”

“What?!”

“What do you mean, ‘what'? I can smell it on your breath!”

“Shut up! She’ll hear you!”

“Good! She needs to hear me. You said you were going to stop drinking those damn 99s. If you won’t, then you shouldn’t be here. Isn’t that what she told you? You could do whatever you wanted when you are not around her, but in her presence you are to be free of it and to not have any here to drink?”

“Maybe you should mind your own business, Shannon. We’re fine, she’s fine.”

“Is that what you told yourself after the first time you put your hands around her throat, that she was fine? What the hell is wrong with you?!”

“She forgave me pretty quickly, didn’t she?”

“No! She thinks that she can fix you and overlooked the fact that you put her in the ER that night.”

“I didn’t put her in the ER. The 99s didn’t put her in the ER. She put herself in the ER!”

“Oh, so, I guess she also strangled herself?!”

“I told you both, I don’t remember that night!”

“It’s called a blackout, Tyson! That’s what happens when you have four or more 99s and three quarters of a bottle of coconut vodka on top of that. You need to go! You need to go and leave her alone! You need help.”

“I’m not leaving!”

“You need to get out!”

“No! You leave!”

“What’s going on out here?! Tyson, what are you doing?! Let her go!”

“911, what’s your emergency?”

“My boyfriend has his hands around my friend’s neck. He won’t let go. I tried to pull him off but he’s too strong. He’s not listening to me!”

“I have help on the way. Stay calm. I know you want to help your friend, but you could make it worse. If he lets go, you can aid your friend.”

“Tyson, please, please, let her go. She can’t breathe; you’re going to kill her.”

“She should’ve thought of that before she stuck her nose in!”

“Sherriff's department! We’re coming in!”

“Get down on your knees with your hands on your head, son. Officer, put him in cuffs and take him to the car.”

“He only just let her go! I don't think she's breathing!”

“Ok, please step back.”

"Is she ok? Is she breathing?"

“Ma’am, my name is Sam and I’m with the medics. Can you hear me? She’s unresponsive with a faint pulse and constricted breathing. We need to get her stable and to the hospital immediately.”

"John, her breathing has stopped. I need an ET tube and a BVM right away. I still have a heartbeat for now. Let's get that oxygen going."

"Ok people, we have her stable for transport. Let's get her loaded onto the bus."

“Shannon! I’m so sorry! Can I go with her?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name.”

“It’s Alexis.”

“Nice to meet you, Alexis. I'm Samantha. Call me Sam. Yes, you can ride along. Hop in the seat right up here. There are tissues on the shelf beside you. I know this looks really bad right now, but you did everything right. She has a great chance of a full recovery. You were very brave trying to help your friend. The doctors will do everything they can. This hospital has a great trauma unit. So, try not to worry too much. Could you answer a few questions about your friend for me?”

"Yes, of course."

“Dispatch, this is unit fourteen. We’re five minutes inbound. We have a code 3 with a 54-year-old female, faint radial pulse, and significant respiratory distress. We are providing high-flow O2 and assisting with respirations with a BVM. Requesting Trauma Alert and Critical Care Team activation.”

“Alexis, once we arrive, we have a nurse on standby to take you and get you situated in the waiting room.”

“Hello, my name is Chris. I'm the nurse you were told about. Follow me, please. Have a seat here and someone will be out to give you updates. There is a vending machine down the hall on your left if you need anything."

“Thank you, Chris."

“Paging Doctor Whitaker to the ER.”

“Hi, my name is Sandy. I'm sorry that I'm just getting to you. Your friend is doing well and resting in her room. You can see her now. Follow me. We’ll be going to room 412. She's a little groggy from the meds right now, but you can sit with her. I’ll close the door for you.”

“Thank you so much.”

"You're welcome."

“Hey, I’m so sorry. This should’ve never happened. Not to you. You tried to tell me, over and over, and I kept choosing to believe the version of him that didn’t scare me. Because believing you meant admitting how dangerous he really was. Every time you tried, I chose not to hear it. I told myself I could handle it, that if I just stayed calm, stayed careful, it wouldn’t happen again. And tonight, watching you fight for air, I finally understood how wrong I was. I know better now. I should have listened. I promise you, this ends here. I’m sorry it took this for me to understand.”

“I’m sorry too.”