Red...

The day started off like any other. I was making my way to class, listening to some music, glancing at strangers as they passed, and then something truly horrific happened. As I was walking down the platform, about to board the on-coming train, a woman fell into the moving train. Her hand snapped backward and sent her watch flying. Her head smashed into and bounced off of the moving exterior of the train. Then, in an instant, she disappeared. Her leg had been caught in between the platform edge and train, and it dropped her down to the ground behind the strangers next to her.

My heart stopped. WHAT WAS HAPPENING!?!?!!? All I could do was exclaim, "OH MY GOODNESS!" Some of the fellow commuters didn't notice the woman go down and only then realized what had happened as I frantically pulled out my cell phone. No signal. I ran to the pay phone and jabbed the numbers, "9-1-1" in. The phone was dead. Another woman and I ran up the stairs and over to the attendant. Others had joined us.

"A woman is bleeding from the head!" "A woman fell!" "GET HELP NOW!" "Call an ambulance!" It was a blur. I distinctly remember the woman sluggishly call for help. She didn't seem in a hurry at all. Would she have hesitated were it one of her own family members?

We ran back downstairs. The woman seemed to regain consciousness and started stirring on the edge of the platform. Would she try to stand, she'd surely fall into the track. The woman who ran up with me was trying to comfort her along with another young woman. One of them had taken off their white jacket and tucked it under her head. A large pool of bright red blood had formed around her head while we were getting help.

Trains kept coming, and the two women kept the fallen woman from extending her leg into the path of the train. People kept coming up to me and asking me what had happened. My stomach felt uneasy. It was the same feeling I had when I found a piece of broken glass in Baby One's mouth.

People kept crowding around the woman and she seemed to try and struggle to get away from them. I had to make a hard decision... should I wait and possibly make this woman even more anxious? Or should I go? There was nothing more that I could do for her. When I heard sirens, I decided to go. All that would happen if I stayed would be me getting in the way of trained professionals. I felt sick to my stomach and my mind was reeling. All I could think about was the color of the blood. The bright red. The red of life, pouring out onto the ground.

I've been trying to get in touch with the MTA to see if she's okay. Tomorrow I'll scan the local papers to see if there is anything about it in there. Hopefully I can find a way to send well-wishes.

Tonight I'll light a candle for her.