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wanted to grab him and ask him what he was smiling about. But I couldn’t leave Nick.
    â€œHe just jumped out in front of me,” the driver said again. “I tried to stop, but he jumped out in front of me.” She swayed on her feet.
    â€œSomeone help me!” I said, grabbing her around the waist. “I think she’s going to faint.”
    The man who had called 9-1-1 took the woman by the arm and asked her if she was all right. Then he steered her back to her car. Over his shoulder he said to me, “An ambulance is on its way. So are the police.”
    In the distance I heard a siren.
    I knelt down beside Nick.
    Behind me, someone was ordering the crowd to “Step aside, people. Step aside.” I turned and saw a police officer making his way to where Nick was lying. A police car pulled up, blocking oncoming cars, and another cop got out and started to unsnarl the traffic clogging the intersection.
    The first police officer looked around. “Can someone tell me what happened here?” he said.
    While the man who had called 9-1-1 was filling him in, an ambulance nosed through the congestion.Two paramedics got out and knelt beside Nick. One of them felt for a pulse. The other one asked me what had happened.
    I thought I could stay calm while I told him. I knew it was important for the paramedics to have as much information as possible. But when I opened my mouth to speak, I started to sob.
    â€œI know you’re upset,” the paramedic said. He had a soft but firm voice. “But it would be a big help if you could give us as much information as possible.”
    I sucked in a deep breath and told him everything while his partner checked Nick’s blood pressure.
    â€œIs he a friend of yours?” the paramedic said.
    I nodded.
    â€œDo you know if he has any special medical conditions or any allergies?”
    I said I didn’t think so, but that I didn’t know for sure. He asked me a lot more questions about Nick, most of which I couldn’t answer.
    The paramedics talked among themselves for a moment. Then one of them went to the ambulance and came back with a rolling stretcher and a long board.
    â€œWe’re going to immobilize him,” said the paramedic who had asked me all the questions. He and his partner slid the board under Nick and strapped him to it. Then they lifted Nick onto the stretcher and wheeled him toward the ambulance. One of the paramedics told the police which hospital they were taking him to. After the ambulance left, an officer said to me, “I understand you know the victim.”
    I nodded.
    He asked me Nick’s full name, age, address, and phone number. “We’ll need to contact his parents,” he said.
    â€œHe doesn’t have any parents.”
    â€œWell, then, whoever is responsible for him.”
    â€œHe lives alone,” I said. “But he has an aunt in the city.” He wrote down her name and the address I gave him. I said I didn’t know her phone number.
    â€œDid you see what happened?” he said.
    I fumbled in my pocket for some tissues. Tears were trickling down my cheeks again and I needed to blow my nose. But—it figured—I couldn’t find what I was looking for. I sniffed loudly. The man who called 9-1-1 reached out and pressed a couple of tissues into my hand.
    â€œI have to go to the hospital,” I told the police officer. “I have to see him.”
    For a moment, I thought he was going to argue with me. Then he closed his notebook and said, “We’ll take you there. We’ll see how he is. Then we’re going to want to ask you some questions, okay?”
    I said okay. I would have agreed to anything so long as I got to the hospital.
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    The hospital wasn’t far from the scene of the accident. When we got there, the two police officers went inside with me. One of them asked about Nick at the emergency department’s information desk. But it