i guess i did a good deed.

yesterday was a dramatic day at work. 
we had only been open about a 1/2 hour when the drama happened. 
i was at the copier (yes making copies at the copier) and talking with our receptionist jackie, when all of a sudden we heard this loud thump. jackie and i turned and we saw a lady falling down the stairs. 
we ran to catch her but she went down so fast there wasn't enough time. this poor lady had no idea what had just happened. she was so dazed and confused. jackie asked if she was ok and she said her knees hurt. i am looking at her and all i could think of was that she needs the paramedics. i said i was going to go call and the lady said no she was ok. she didn't look ok to me and i told her i was calling anyway. 
while we waited for the paramedics to arrive, i sat with her and kept her talking to me. 
let's face it, you go down the stairs head first a concussion has to be building somewhere. 
as we talked she mentioned that she needed to get home and take care of her mother. 
i asked her about her mother and she told me that she was elderly and needed to be watched. i sensed that she didn't want to say anything more and it was a painful subject. 
then i asked her if there was someone we could call for her. she said she had a brother who was a police officer. so we called him. 
after she was done, i looked at her and started talking to her again. she was becoming pale and starting to shake. i asked if she ok and she said she was going to pass out. i held her hand and told her to just relax and take a deep breath. then she said her shoulder was starting to hurt. i asked if anything else hurt and she was not sure. 
the paramedics arrived and asked the same questions. you could tell she was scared. 
i said to her that everything would be ok, but she needed to go to the hospital and get checked. i asked if she wanted me to go with until her brother arrived. she smiled and said thank you but could i just keep an eye on her car. 
odd request, but i said yes. 
the paramedics got her into a neck brace and strapped her to a back board. jackie had brought down her coat and purse and handed them to the paramedics. 
she was grateful that she had her belongings and as they started to move her, she asked them to wait a second. she turned and looked at jackie and i and said thank you for calling the paramedics and for caring. 


later that afternoon i asked my manager if he heard how she was. as it turns out she did have a concussion and a broken shoulder. 
in a way had we not acted so fast, things could have been worse. i am grateful that it was only a broken shoulder, and not head trauma. 

so a good deed was done.