up because she needed help. And once, when living in Las Vegas, her mother hadn’t come home at all one night. Shelby had frantically looked for her the next day and even called the police. No one had been there to help her when her world was crumbling. Fear had gripped her heart as she wondered if she’d been abandoned, or worse yet, her mother was dead. Police found her at a poker machine in a casino. She’d been playing all night and lost track of time. Dana laughed about it when the police showed up. Shelby had been both furious and relieved. Here with her grandmother she felt safe and loved and wasn’t going to let that go.
The morning birdsong lightened Shelby’s heart as they walked briskly along the dirt footpath, mindful of rocks and branches. It was not a well-worn area, full of twists and turns as it led them through the trees to Mrs. Williams' home. When they got close enough, Shelby released Mutt from the leash, and he tore across the yard to the door. There were no lights on as they cautiously approached the front door and knocked. At first they didn't hear anything. Then Shelby put her ear to the door and thought she heard some moaning.
"I think something’s wrong,” Shelby said.
Alice tried the door and it opened right up. “Not even locked?”
Her grandmother’s expression did nothing to comfort Shelby’s mounting anxiety.
"I'll go first,” Alice said.
She opened the door and reached for the light switch. When she turned it on, Mrs. Williams was lying on the floor. One of her legs didn’t look right and she was shivering all over. Mutt went over and lay beside her.
Mrs. Williams reached out her hand. "Help me," she pleaded.
Alice dropped to the floor, taking the woman’s hand. "We’re here now. Everything will be all right.” In the calm voice of an experienced nurse, Alice said, "Shelby, call 911."
Shelby’s fingers could barely punch the three numbers in. The first thing the operator asked was for a location. "I don't know the address here," Shelby said, trying to keep the panic out of her voice.
With Alice’s help, Mrs. Williams was able to mumble the address to them.
While Alice comforted Mrs. Williams and put a pillow under her head, Shelby filled the operator in on the details of the situation. She sat down and wrapped her arms around Mutt, who was quivering too. The house was so cold and damp. Shelby wondered how long Mrs. Williams had lain on the floor by herself. Thank goodness Gabe hadn’t come here by himself last night. It really would have scared the boy. Shelby hoped she’d made the right call last night by waiting.
Alice found a tattered blanket on the sofa and placed it over Mrs. Williams, careful not to move her in case there was an injury.
The sound of a siren racing up the drive, and a howl from Mutt, alerted them to the help that was thankfully arriving. The EMTs rushed in, wheeling a stretcher and supplies. A tall man seemed to be in charge and immediately approached Mrs. Williams.
"How long has she been there?" he asked, kneeling on the floor.
"We don't know," Alice said. "We just got here about a half hour ago, but I think it's been a while."
They watched as the EMTs checked her pulse and blood pressure. "I'm a retired nurse," Alice said. "I’ve been monitoring Mrs. Williams’ vitals the best I could. Her pulse is slow and irregular, and her extremities are quite cold. I think she may have broken her hip."
The medic nodded. “Mrs. Williams, nod if you can hear me.”
Mrs. Williams groaned. “Pain,” she said.
“We’ll take care of you,” the medic assured her. He turned to Alice. “Did you notice any medications nearby or emergency contacts listed?”
Alice shook her head. “We’ll look around and let you know right away what we find. She’s a widow.”
Very carefully they slid Mrs. Williams onto a stretcher. “We are taking her to Lake County Hospital.”
As they reached the door, Mrs. Williams cried out, "My dog!” Mutt barked as if in response. "Please take care of him."
Shelby took Mrs. Williams' hand as they walked her out. "Don't worry about anything. We'll take Mutt home with us. He’ll be well cared for until you come home again."
"Thank you," she managed in a raspy voice.
Alice and Shelby watched as they put Mrs. Williams in the ambulance. Shelby held Mutt in her arms so he wouldn’t follow.