It was the sound of a car skidding and then accelerating hard that brought them out.
The man and the woman came out of nearby buildings to find the victim of a hit and run accident. The victim was laying in the otherwise quiet street. The man quickly took out his mobile and rang for an ambulance, giving the address and details, while the woman took her woolly cardigan off and folded it to make a pillow. She couldn’t help noticing the absence of blood as she tucked it under the man’s head. She noticed that the flap of broken skin on his temple had dropped, revealing a metal plate. She moved the gash on his elbow around a little until it gaped open, she saw metal. She then looked closely at the damage to the man’s leg, and saw metal rods!
The man’s head turned and his eyes opened a crack.
“Sorry,” she said, “don’t try to move. I’m just doing what I can to make you more comfortable.”
The victim said, “There are, of course, degrees of comfort, but for some, there are also levels of comfort below these, and beyond that there are many conjoining aspects that relate to each of these levels of comfort…” With that, his eyes closed and he lay still.
The man walked over. “How’s he doing?”
The shaken woman hesitated, then said, “Not sure; delirious I think.”
Wagging his head, he said “Not surprising, eh? The ambulance should be here soon.”
Minutes later the ambulance pulled into the street, followed immediately by a large black van. Two men from the van jumped out and talked to the medics, showing them paperwork. After a short discussion the ambulance left.
The two bystanders watched as the two men loaded the body onto a stretcher, loaded it into the back of the van and left; without anyone saying a word. The whole thing seemed to be over in just a couple of minutes.
The man turned to the woman with hands flapping. “What just happened here?”
The woman shrugged, and with fear in her eyes, said, “I really do think it’s best if we don’t ask.” Without saying more she turned and went back into the building.
The troubled man, reluctantly did the same.