I immediately swung my vehicle around and went back to where she was sitting on the ground. I was out of the car in a flash and went straight to her because there were obvious signs that she was in a lot of pain.
She had a few grazes on her knees but the main problem appeared to be her right ankle. Her foot was at a strange angle to her leg, and I could see the pain etched on her face.
“Hi, I’m Steve Carter, may I have a look at your ankle please?”
I think that she wanted to argue but the pain was too much and she reluctantly let me get closer to her damaged ankle.
“Are you a doctor?” she asked through clenched teeth.
“No, I’m not a doctor and I’m not a nurse but I am a qualified first aider and I think you’ve broken your ankle.”
“How can you be so sure of that? You haven’t even touched it?”
“I’m not going to touch it either because the pain could be so intense that you could pass out. But I know that it’s broken because I’ve never seen you walk or run like a penguin before.”
“Huh? Oh god it hurts!”
“Your foot is pointing outwards by about 45 degrees. Why don’t I help you lay down on the grass and then I’ll call an ambulance?”
She agreed to let me help her to lay back on the grass and then I called the Ambulance … or tried to.
The operator gave me the wonderful news that all units were busy and it could be as long as 45 minutes before they could get one to my location. The operator and I discussed the situation for a minute or two and then she rang the Emergency Room at the local hospital to let them know that I was bringing a patient in who had a broken ankle.
It wasn’t ideal but taking her in my vehicle was a lot better than keeping her on her back by the side of the road till an Ambulance could reach her.
Once I had finished with the Operator I turned to my patient, “Can you tell me your name please?”
I could tell that she was becoming a little wary of me and she didn’t want to tell me who she was, “OK, I told you that I’m Steve Carter, what I didn’t tell you was that I’m a retired Police Sergeant and, you might recall that my wife and I have waved to you as we’ve passed for several years.”
“I do recall seeing the car and waving to you, but where is your wife?”
“She passed away 12 months ago,” I said softly.
“Oh … oh shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to give you a hard time. My name is Heather … Heather Baker.”
“Heather, you might have heard that phone call I just had with the Triple Zero operator. They told me that there are no Ambulances available right now, so I want to take you to hospital in my vehicle.
“Your injury isn’t life-threatening but we should get you to hospital as soon as possible so that they can deal with the pain. It’s going to hurt putting you into the vehicle but it is the only way to get you to where someone can help you.
“So will you let me do that Heather?”
Two things made doing a dead lift straight from the ground far easier than it sounded. The first was that weights were a part of my daily exercise routine and while I wasn’t exactly the Hulk, I was packing a fair amount of muscle in all the right places.
The second thing was that Heather was short and slim so picking her up and getting her into the passenger seat wouldn’t be so hard, but it would be painful for her.
“I won’t lie to you Heather, it is going to hurt but it’s a case of short term pain for long-term gain.”
She looked up at me and I could see the pain in her eyes but she hardly hesitated, “OK, just do it!”
I opened the passenger side door on my vehicle and then went back and helped Heather get herself up into a seated position.
“I’m going to put one arm across your back and the other under your knees Heather. Then I’m going to pick you up and carry you over to my old Landcruiser and put you in the passenger seat. Please don’t try and do anything, let me do all the work for you.
“OH YOU DIRTY MOTHERFUCKING BASTARD!”
So I didn’t exactly tell her how much it was going to hurt when I moved her and she didn’t tell me that she could swear like a wharfie either.
On the way to the hospital I asked her if there was anyone I could call to let them know what had happened to her.
“I’m on my own … my husband and I split years ago but I have a daughter in Brisbane. Could you ring her for me please?”
Six hours later Heather was making her way to my vehicle on a pair of crutches. Her ankle was firmly encased in plaster and would stay that way for weeks before she graduated to a Moon Boot and then a long period of physiotherapy.
“Thank you so much for helping me, Steve, and I can’t believe that you’ve stayed with me through all that, and you’re still helping me.” I knew that she would need some help getting home and getting settled once she got home and there was nowhere else I needed to be.
“Heather, I’m only too glad that I was in a position to help you and I’ll stay with you till your daughter arrives. I’ve got nothing urgent to do at home … and if your daughter can’t make it till tomorrow I can camp on your couch.”
“Steve you don’t have to do that … I’m not totally helpless you know.”
She was right, she could do things for herself but there had been some hesitation at the hospital, about sending her home, when the doctor learned that she lived alone. He was much happier when I volunteered to stay with her till her daughter arrived from Brisbane.
Heather also seemed surprised that I would volunteer to stay and I remembered her suspicions about my motives when I first went to her aid.
“Heather, I’m retired so I have all the time in the world to look after you till your family arrives.”
Things got a little awkward when we got back to her place. She wanted to have a shower but then discovered that she needed help to put something on her foot and lower leg to keep the plaster dry. She knew that a plastic garbage bag sealed at the top and bottom would work but it needed to go on after she had taken her running shorts and panties off and she couldn’t put it on by herself.
I helped her into the bathroom and then left her to it, but I didn’t go far, “Oh bugger!” I heard her curse and I chuckled. I knew what the problem would be, but I wasn’t about to mention it to her until she had discovered it for herself.
“Got a problem Heather?” I called through the bathroom door.
She flung the bathroom door open and stood there on her crutches with her running shorts snagged around her knees. I tried hard not to look at her cute little cotton panties and I tried hard not to laugh, and somehow I succeeded although I think that I may have smirked a little.
“So you can’t get your shorts and underwear off while the garbage bag is tapped around your leg and so you need someone help you?”
“That’s right!”
“OK, well, we’re both adults I’ve seen plenty of naked women before so what if I help you take the garbage bag off your leg, help you remove your shorts and underwear and then put the garbage bag back on so you can have that shower you want so badly.”
She looked at her ankle, she fumed and huffed about it, I’m sure she would have stamped her good foot in frustration but she couldn’t take it off the ground.