Josephine Joanna Dedrick's Story

Josephine sighed aloud, her long curly red locks of hair falling into her face as she huffed up the stairs of the apartment complex to her home, in one hand she carried three bags of heavy groceries and in the other hand she carried her baby who was nestled asleep in her baby carrier. 'Of all days for the elevator to not be working.' She mentally groaned as she huffed and puffed the muscles in her long thin legs burning. A bead of sweat rolled down her freckled decorated brow, as she reached the last flight of stairs to climb. 'Uhg. almost there! ' She chanted mentally as she climbed up each step until at long last she made it to her floor. "Ah hah!" She panted triumphantly as she swung the hallway door open and stepped out into the ratty hallway. She blinked as the scent of blood caught the edge of her nose. her soft hazel eyes traversed the hall to see the source of the strange scent to see a body sitting at her front door step. She nearly screamed, covering her mouth with a thin hand to muffle her reaction as to not wake her baby. 'Just what on earth was going on here? ' She very cautiously approached the body, mentally swearing at the landlord for painting the windows, and not putting new light bulbs in the hallway lights, thus making the hallway unnaturally dark on what was a bright summer's day. thus making it hard for her to see. 'Oh god.. Oh god..'She came closer and closer to the body, soon the shadowed mass took shape, it was a man... And not just any man.. She had seen this fellow before.. It was her neighbor.. 'Just what on earth is he doing here at my door? Passed out drunk maybe?' She thought to herself as she quickened her pace, setting her things and baby gently on the ground.

"Sir?" She questioned kneeling down, blood. Oh god there was blood! 'Is he dead? oh god he's dead! Why do all the cute ones die young?!' She mentally screamed as she slowly reached out a thin shaking hand. oh god she was afraid. What if this man was dead? what then? she had to be sure. She gently pressed the tips of her thin fingers against the side of his thick neck. Thump.. Thump thump.. 'Oh thank god he's alive..' . A sigh of relief escaped her plump lips. "Sir?" She called again. Still no response.. 'He must be unconscious..' She thought to herself. 'OK Jo Jo. calm down.. Time to get help.' She instructed herself, even with all her mental promoting she was still afraid. her hand shook as she dug into a holey pair of jeans and fetched out her cell phone. She flipped her phone open. 'Shit! out of battery! Shit shit..' She swore over and over again.. "Okay.. Calm down girl.. You just need to charge your phone.." She scorned herself aloud. She glanced down at her unconscious neighbor.. 'But i can't leave him here.. oh i know! I'll bring him inside! he'll be safe there!' "Okay sir, I'm going to bring you into my apartment okay? You just hang on. " She informed him just in case he randomly decided to come back into conciseness. She worked quickly opening her door, fetching her things and then fetched him. then careful not to harm him she slowly laid him down on the ground, hooked her arms under his armpits and dragged him inside. "Goodness your heavy!" She grunted "But I got ya... I got a first aid kit inside.. No worries.. I'll patch you up in a jiffy and call for help okay? you just hang in there.. HEeeeave.." She panted heavily.

She stopped a moment to catch her breath. "Okay.. One twoo.. Threee.." She dragged him inside her home after a good ten minutes of struggling. She quickly flitted about like a panicked little bird. First locking the door behind her, quickly and messily throwing her groceries in the fridge. plugging her phone into a nearby outlet and fetching the first aid kit out of the cabinet. Thankfully her baby still had not stirred from her nap, so she knelled down next to her unexpected visitor. "Okay.. Now to see just where exactly you've been injured.."