A Terrifying Three Seconds

Jessica Deakyne

English 111

"Jessica! Help, Help! Run down the street and get the doctor!" Those were the words that came out of my mother's mouth on the morning of December 11, 1998. It was a cold and crisp winter morning. I was 10 years old and my brother, Ricky, was 8. We had just woken up around 8:00 a.m, and were watching television. At around 9:00 my mom and dad woke up. My dad was the first to go downstairs. He went into his office and checked his email and buried himself in a pile of papers, to get a head start for work the next day. Soon after my dad was downstairs, mom woke up and got the newspaper and brewed some coffee for my dad and her. Then they started. It's what they did every morning. They argued. They could argue about anything, even little things, things that didn't even mattered. I secretly thought they loved to argue just to get a rise out of each other.

As they were arguing, I heard a pause. When I heard a pause I knew something was wrong. My heart stopped, I jumped up listening for when they were going to start back up. Then I heard the words, "Don! Don! Are you okay?  Oh my gosh!! He is having an asthma attack!! Jessica! Jessica! Go get help!!" I got straight up and ran down the stairs as fast as my legs would let me. My heart was beating so fast, tears were forming in my eyes with fear. I ran into the kitchen and there was my dad. He was kneeling in front of the kitchen sink with the water running out like a rocket getting ready to crash to the ground. He was trying to gasp for air. His face was all red and eyes more bloodshot than ever. He had a glass of water in one hand and his inhaler in the other. Then I glanced and I noticed my mom had called 911. She said "Jessica, you need to run down the street, and go get Dr. Degree, hurry! Hurry!" she cried. I through on a jacket and I ran out in my street barefoot. There was frost on the bushes and in the lawn of my neighbors. I was cold and numb, but I had to run eight houses down to save my dad's life. As I was running, I felt sharp rocks beneath my feet, scrapping me. Then I tripped over a rock and fell to the ground. I was screaming in the middle of the street and there was no one listening, no one there to help. I had two more houses to run past. I got up and finally got to Dr. Degree's house. I frantically ran up the rocky drive way. As I approached the door, I through myself on it. I banged, and banged, and screamed and rang the doorbell. My nose was runny and my face was tight from the cold brisk air. My throat was hurting from screaming for help, and I felt like I was alone. There was no response at the door. I knew I had to go back.

As I was running back to my house, I saw my Aunt Debbie fly past me in her jet black Lexus. I waived my hands and jumped, but she passed me like a cheetah running for its prey. I was tired and I didn't want to run back, but I had to. The whole time I was praying to God, saying, "Please Lord, don't take my daddy away from me!" I finally got home, and when I got there I saw my aunt Debbie's car, and another one of my neighbors who was a doctor. I ran into the garage, busted open the front door, and screamed "Mommy, Mommy I tried but no one was home! I tried, I really did!" She hugged me and told me it was alright and not to worry. Just then the paramedics came and burst through the front door. Seeing them put me in a relief. I knew everything was going to be alright after I saw them.  My aunt Debbie sat with my brother and me while the paramedics were helping my dad. They put him out on stretchers and away they went to the hospital. My mom went in the ambulance with my dad, and Ricky and I stayed home with Aunt Debbie.

After everyone was out of my house, I was in a state of shock. I was trying to rethink everything that had just happened that seemed like a hour, but in reality was only ten minutes. I cleaned off the cuts from my feet and sat and talked with my Aunt Debbie. We were talking about how you never know when your life will be gone, and to live each day to the fullest, and to get every piece of knowledge that you can possibly retain. A few hours later, we got a phone call from my mom. She had said that my dad was alright, and that he was on stronger medication. She also said that if it had not have been for three seconds of reaching to the hospital, my dad would have been dead.

When I heard that, it really opened up my eyes to reality. I always try to live my life by this quote said by James Dean, "Dream as if you will live forever; live as if you'll die today."

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