“Hey, hey are you ok?” My vision falls upon one of the joggers kneeling beside me. He has sandy blonde hair and hazel eyes. His voice is calming, reassuring. The second is wrapping a tourniquet around my leg while the third is on the phone. “What’s your name? I’m Nick. I’m an off duty paramedic. Can you tell me your age too?”

Pain shoots through my body as the second jogger tightens the tourniquet around my leg. Flinching, I direct my attention back to the one called Nick. “Amber, my name is Amber. I’m 18.”

“Ok Amber, we called 911 and an ambulance is on its way. I’m going to stay with you until the ambulance arrives.” My eyes start to close again and I feel a slight peace come through me; it feels so good. Then I feel Nick tapping me. “Amber stay with me ok? Don’t go to sleep. Stay awake. Force yourself to stay awake. Help is almost here. Do you have a phone with your medical info on it?”

I shake my head slightly in response only to feel pain once again. “Don’t move your head, Amber. You might have damage to your spine.”

“My phone is in my hoodie pocket.”

“Ok. Just try to stay with me.” I feel Nick reach into my pocket to get my phone and then feel him checking my pulse but everything after that is a blur to me. One minute Nick was beside me, the next the ambulance crew surrounded me. They put me in a neck brace and lay me on a backboard. I faintly remember being told that everything was going to be ok and being loaded into the ambulance but after that, I only remember blackness.

“This is Amber Smith. Age 18. She was found almost dead near the stream crossing in Smith Park Woods. She’s been in and out of consciousness since she was found.” Bright lights fly overhead while doctors and nurses run alongside the stretcher. “Amber you're in the ER. I’m Dr. Peterson. We’re going to take care of you, ok?” Arriving in the trauma bay, I’m moved to the bed beside me. Searing pain radiates through me. I hear people yelling all around me.

“We need portable X-Rays!”

“Call CT scan and tell them we have a patient that needs to get a head CT now!”

“Call the blood bank! Tell them to bring A positive!”

A doctor appears above my face. “Amber, can you tell me what all hurt's?”

Through the tears streaming down my face and my clenched teeth, I say, “My head, right leg and my ankle.” Once again, the feeling of peace starts to wash over me.

One of the nurses then yells, “The bleeding started again! She’s losing too much!”

The doctor acknowledges the nurse with a nod of his head. “Get her ready to go upstairs then.” He looks down at me. “Amber, we’re going to have to take you to surgery to stop the bleeding. Whatever you do, don’t fall asleep on the way up.”

After I’m ready to transport, I’m taken to the elevator then the OR. The feeling of no pain and calmness fills me a few times on the way up but I manage to fight it. A few minutes later, I’m rolled into the OR. They move me to the OR table. Someone who appears to be the anesthesiologist takes off my oxygen mask and puts on a new one. “Just breathe deeply Amber. You're going to be fine.” I follow his instructions and end up enveloped in darkness again.