ETHAN: "Ryan, step away from him."
Ryan looked irritated.
RYAN: "I already stepped away."
ETHAN: "Then keep your distance. I need to help her."
Ryan said nothing.
James looked down at his hands.
His fingers were trembling.
He had never seen his mother collapse like that before.
Claire had always been the person who kept everything organized in their family. She woke up early, worked long hours, and rarely complained about being tired.
Even when she had difficult days, she usually smiled and told James that everything would be fine.
But now she was lying on the gravel.
And he could not understand how everything had happened so quickly.
JAMES: "Mom, can you hear me?"
He took another step toward her.
Ethan remained beside Claire and carefully checked whether she was responding.
ETHAN: "Ma'am, can you hear my voice?"
There was no clear response.
Ethan reached for his radio again.
ETHAN: "Dispatch, please confirm the estimated arrival of medical assistance."
A voice came through the radio.
DISPATCH: "Medical unit is approaching your location."
ETHAN: "Copy."
The older woman who had been watching from the house finally came down the porch steps.
Her name was Margaret Lewis.
She was a neighbor who had known Claire for several years.
Margaret had been standing near the front doorway when the confrontation began.
She had watched Ryan grab Claire's shirt.
She had seen James come outside.
And she had witnessed the fight between the two men.
When Claire collapsed, Margaret had immediately become frightened.
Now she approached the driveway.
MARGARET: "Oh my goodness. Is she breathing?"
Ethan looked up.
ETHAN: "Ma'am, please give us some space."
Margaret stopped.
She looked at Claire.
MARGARET: "I've known that woman for years. She's a good person. She was only working in the garden."
James turned toward her.
JAMES: "You saw what happened?"
Margaret nodded.
MARGARET: "I saw everything from the beginning."
James looked at her with desperation.
JAMES: "Please tell them. She wasn't doing anything wrong."
Margaret looked toward Ryan.
Her expression became serious.
MARGARET: "I saw the officer grab her."
Ryan immediately turned his head.
RYAN: "You don't know the entire situation."
Margaret looked directly at him.
MARGARET: "I know what I saw."
Ethan raised one hand.
ETHAN: "Let's keep things calm. We need to focus on Claire right now."
Margaret nodded.
She moved slightly closer to James.
MARGARET: "She's going to be okay. The ambulance is coming."
James looked down.
JAMES: "I hope so."
The siren was now very close.
A few seconds later, an ambulance turned into the street.
Its lights flashed against the nearby houses as it approached the driveway.
The vehicle stopped near the pickup truck.
Two paramedics quickly stepped out.
One carried a medical bag, while the other brought a stretcher.
PARAMEDIC MICHAEL: "What happened?"
Ethan stood up slightly.
ETHAN: "Female, approximately fifty-eight years old. She collapsed during a confrontation. She has not responded clearly."
Michael immediately knelt beside Claire.
His colleague placed the medical equipment on the ground.
PARAMEDIC MICHAEL: "Ma'am, can you hear me?"
He carefully assessed her condition.
His colleague prepared the necessary equipment.
PARAMEDIC: "Do we know whether she hit her head?"
ETHAN: "She fell backward and sideways onto the gravel. I arrived after the initial confrontation."
James stepped closer.
JAMES: "She was standing behind us. She looked dizzy, then her knees gave way."
The paramedic looked toward him.
PARAMEDIC MICHAEL: "Are you her son?"
JAMES: "Yes. I'm James Morgan."
PARAMEDIC MICHAEL: "Alright, James. We need some room to examine her."
James nodded.
He stepped back, although his eyes never left his mother.
The paramedics continued their assessment.
They checked Claire's responsiveness and vital signs.
One of them spoke calmly to the other while preparing the medical equipment.
PARAMEDIC: "Let's get her stabilized before moving her."
Michael looked toward James.
PARAMEDIC MICHAEL: "Does she have any known medical conditions?"
JAMES: "She doesn't have anything serious that I know of. She's usually healthy."
PARAMEDIC MICHAEL: "Does she take any regular medication?"
JAMES: "I think she takes something for blood pressure, but I don't know the exact name."
PARAMEDIC MICHAEL: "That's alright. We'll get that information at the hospital."
James rubbed his forehead.
JAMES: "Please, just help her."
PARAMEDIC MICHAEL: "We're doing everything we can."
The paramedics continued working.
They carefully prepared Claire for transport.
Her body was supported while they positioned the stretcher.
James watched every movement.
He wanted to help, but he knew the medical team needed space.
Margaret stood beside him.
She placed a hand on his shoulder.
MARGARET: "James, take a breath."
James looked at her.
JAMES: "I don't understand how this happened."
MARGARET: "I know."
JAMES: "She was just working outside. She was trimming the plants."
His voice began to break.
JAMES: "She wasn't hurting anybody."
Margaret looked toward the ambulance.
MARGARET: "I saw her. I saw what happened."
James lowered his head.
A few moments later, the paramedics secured Claire on the stretcher.
PARAMEDIC MICHAEL: "We're taking her to the hospital for further evaluation."
James nodded immediately.
JAMES: "I'm coming with her."