It was an early Saturday morning and I really didn't feel like working. The good news was that it was raining, so I could enjoy the next few hours I have to myself alone and relaxing in the backseat without the blazing heat of the sun forcing me to wait back there nearly naked.
I was on my way to my destination several blocks away and I came up to a stop sign. I looked over to my left quickly, did a double take and noticed on the sidewalk a toque just sitting there, upright as if the sidewalk was actually wearing it. I thought it might look like a cool photo so I inched forward to take a better look.
And then I saw the rest of what the parked car was blocking. First the very large, very thick pool of blood which led to the body laying face down in it, unmoving. Horrified, I froze. I know it seems obvious now to just run out and call for help right away, but in those situations of instant panic, weird things can pop into your head For the first few seconds I was afraid to leave my car mostly because the body showed no signs of life and I wasn't sure I was ready to handle dealing with finding a dead body first thing in the morning. Also, I was on my way to work and what if the body was dead and I had to answer a myriad of questions and provide a statement. All of this takes time.
Luckily my rationalization took over and I got out of my car and walked across the street. The bloody mess was disgusting and looked almost like there were chunks of brain in it. I found myself surprisingly calm at this gruesome discovery once up close. The man was breathing, struggling through the massive amount of blood that was blocking his nose which was making mucusy bubbles. As I called 911, I touched the man's arm and he instantly came to and splashed his hand around in the pool of blood which now fully surrounded his head. He tried lifting his head and for the first time made eye contact with me. I told him it's going to be ok and help is on its way, though I'm not sure he spoke English. He became frantic and quickly reached out with his bloody hand and grabbed my free arm and pulled me down towards the ground; his grip was impressive. My arm got completely covered in blood and so did my favourite wool sweater. I tore my arm away as the implications of this stranger's blood all over me quickly set in.
A man driving by stops to help and I free my arm from the increasingly agitated man on the ground. He helps me calm the fallen man down but he is very confused (understandably so) and continues to splash his hands in the thick pool of blood while reaching out trying to grab one of us. There is so much blood all over his face and head it's hard to see where the blood is coming from aside from the mucousy mess of his nose. He gets a hold of his toque and tries putting it on his head. This didn't seem like a good idea but the implications of this stranger's blood all over my arms was beginning to set in.
Finally, paramedics arrives. About 5 guys who all looked the same; similar in age, build and height and none of them particularly unattractive. I stepped away with a sigh of relief and called my boss as I watched them try to calm the man. I don't know why I called my boss, he was probably sleeping. It was kind of one of those things where you can't believe how fucked up what just happened was and he was the first person I thought of who would answer that early on a weekend.
After answering some questions and having my arms cleaned and disinfected by the paramedics, I was unsure if I should leave. I stood back and watched for a bit, maybe expecting some kind of good civilian certificate until I realized I wasn't needed anymore. I looked down and found a 4 leaf clover at my foot. It was then I decided to leave and I quietly sunk back into my car as the man was put into an ambulance, now fully strapped down. One of the paramedics saluted me and I continued on to my destination. Just another day at the office.
