Just as the youth group evening was drawing to a close, they all heard the outside door crash open and a young male voice calling for help. He came bounding along the hall and immediately saw them all through the glass panels of the door. He was yelling for help again and something about an accident. Jenni, one of the youth leaders, jumped up to meet the distressed youngster.
“Calm down, we’ll help. Tell me what’s happened,” she told the wild-eyed young man.
“It’s Darren”, he said fighting for breath, “he’s fallen and yelling in pain. We think he’s broken something ..” He trailed off, unable to offer anything further in the confusion of his mind. Instinct had told him Darren needed proper help and he knew the nearest adults would be in the church with the youth group.
“Ok” Jenni told him, “I’m a qualified in First Aider, lead me to him and I’ll take a look.”
Carl, Jenni’s assistant youth leader for the evening, reached the pair in time to hear of the problem.
Jenni turned the teenager towards the door and he complied with a look of relief. She nodded to Carl and he understood his part.
Then over her shoulder Jenni called out,
“Amber can you come with us, I may need your help, too.”
After a moment of surprised hesitation Amber quickly followed. She was an older member of the group and Jenni had suggested she might like to do a first aid course. Amber was curious as to what had happened and wondered what help she could be to Jenni but she was pleased to be tag along and do whatever she could.
“Ok, everyone”, Carl called, “let’s finish the packing up while Jenni sees to the injured.”
Carl was one of Jenni’s assistant leaders, standing in for someone else that evening. Everyone turned to their tasks in a slightly stunned silence, their minds partly on their clearing up and partly on the skate park just across the supermarket car park next door.
“Parents will be here soon so I’d like you all to be ready.” Carl continued, trying to bring things back to normal. “Caleb can you help Megan with that box?”
Jenni, Amber and the teenage boy left the building at a jog and Jenni began to ask short questions about the injured boy.
“Whereabouts is he hurt?”
“I think it’s his shoulder the young man replied or maybe the top of his arm, I’m not sure.”
“Did he fall very far?”
“No. He’d been on one of the low bars most of the evening trying to perfect a move – annoying lots of guys because he was hogging it – anyway he just fell. I think he missed the board and came down on the ground on one shoulder. He came down really hard. I’d been watching from the half pipe.”
Jenni was making guesses at possible injuries and hoped it was something simple.
They could see a crowd around someone on the ground as they jogged into the skate park and they parted as they saw Jenni arrive.
“Hi, I’m Jenni”, she said in a clear and confident tone, kneeling down next to the young man, “I’m a first aider – it’s Darren, isn’t it?”
The young man was grimacing with the pain but managed to nod.
“What hurts most, Darren – your arm, your shoulder or somewhere else?”
Darren swallowed hard and indicated that the pain was all across his shoulder but worst at one particular point.
“Can I just check the top of your arm, gently and around your shoulder?”
Darren nodded and submitted to Jenni’s gently probing fingers along the top of his arm and around his shoulder. Jenni could see he was struggling to fight the pain.
“Did you hit your head at all, when you fell?” Jenni questioned as she examined the teenager.
Darren shook his head. Jenni moved to the point he’d indicated as being the most painful and gently touched it … Darren almost leapt into the air and let out a yell of pain.
“Ok, I think you’ve broken your collar bone, Darren”, she told him, “there’s not much I can do for you here, but you will need to go to hospital, ok?”
Darren nodded. He was obviously relieved to have someone around who knew what was wrong and what to do about it.
“I know this is painful, Darren”, Jenni went on, “but as it isn’t life-threatening, I don’t want to call 999 for an ambulance. Can you nod if you understand me?”
Darren nodded, but looked slightly unsure.
“If you live close by, Darren, and there is someone at home I’d like to contact them so they understand your injury and can make a decision about how to get you to hospital quickly. Do you live close by?”
Darren nodded.
“I know where he lives, miss”, someone in the crowd of youngsters piped up.
“Thank you”, Jenni said patiently half turning in the direction of the voice, “you may be able to help in a moment, but can I get some answers from Darren first, please?
Darren, will there be someone at home?”
Darren nodded and struggled through his pain to say the word, “parents”.
Jenni pulled out her mobile, but Darren groaned and moved carefully to extricate his own from his jeans pocket. He began pressing keys.
“If you’ll allow me to explain to your parents first, then I’ll put you on to verify, it will be easier for you.”
Darren handed her the phone, someone was already saying hello.
Jenni said clearly who she was, then explained quickly and clearly what had happened to Darren’s mother, then gave the phone back to Darren. He gave monosyllabic answers and then pressed a key to disconnect.
“Dad’s coming out”, he explained in a voice strained by pain.
“Good”, said Jenni, “well done. Rest as well as you can until he gets here.”
Jennie turned to Amber and spoke with her briefly. Amber knelt down next to Darren and Jenni said
“Amber is learning First Aid, too, Darren and I’ve asked her to help you put your arm in a more comfortable position.”
Jenni stood up and addressed the crowd of youngsters around Darren.
“Now, who was it called out they know where Darren lives?”
Amber directed Darren to move his right arm slowly into a position lying across his lap. She stayed with him, speaking encouragingly as he followed her directions, advising him to stop often, rather than give himself too much pain all at once.
As he stopped at one point to rest from the pain and exertion, she asked
“Are you right-handed?”
Darren caught her meaning immediately and shook his head.
“Oops!” Amber observed wryly. Darren smiled weakly.
Jenni meanwhile organised some of the crowd of boys into a line to direct Darren’s father to a parking space close to the skate park, and asked them to call out when he arrived.
Carl had all the youth group outside the church, partly to wait for parents to collect them but also so they could see some of what was happening across at the skate park. He asked the group to pray in twos and threes, asking them to think about what it might be like to have an accident, or witness one. Carl saw Jenni organising the line of boys and guessed she had things in hand but called her mobile to check.
“Might need some help”, she told him, “if Darren’s father comes alone it would be good to have a confident male with him in the car for support.”
“Ok, I’ll stand by – let me know if I need to swop with you. How’s Amber doing?”
“Really well, she knows enough to help Darren get comfortable and she’s relaxed about talking with him. Anyway, I’d better go – give Darren the bad news that I want him to walk to the car!”
“See you soon”, said Carl and disconnected.
He told the youth group what was going on, partly to keep down the curiosity but also to inform those he knew would be most committed to praying.
As Jenni walked back to Darren, she could see Amber had already done what she was about to do. Darren was slowly moving to stand up with Amber encouraging him as he did so. Jenni was pleased that Amber had taken the initiative and had certainly proved she would be a good choice to do the first aid course. She slowed her walk to arrive as Darren stood.
“Well done!” Jenni congratulated, “I was coming back to ask you to walk over but you and Amber have been ahead of me.”
“I’ve got his jumper and skate board as well”, Amber said as they began to walk.
“Great”, said Jenni, “Darren, you’ll need to sit in the back of the car and on the left-hand side so that the seat belt goes across you without touching your injured side.”
Darren nodded to show he understood.
As they reached the line of boys, Jenni hung back, letting Amber walk beside him while she walked behind.
The line of boys were quiet to begin with – Jenni knew some of them would know what it was like to be injured while skate boarding – but then they began to call encouragements as Darren made his painful way along.
“Hope you’re ok, soon, mate”
“Yeah, hope they stop the pain soon”
“You did some great skating”
“See you back here soon!”
Then a call came from the end of the line that Darren’s father had arrived. Jenni jogged round Darren and Amber and went to meet him. After a few brief words between them Darren had made it to the car; he gave his father a sheepish look.
“Accidents happen, son”, his father observed and he opened the front passenger door.
Amber quickly began to explain why sitting in the back would be a better idea and they helped Darren into the back seat.
Jenni saw that Darren’s father was alone and discovered that his mother had to stay at home with a younger child. Jenni offered Carl’s assistance and it was gratefully taken. She called Carl’s mobile to let him know.
Jenni said goodbye to Darren and his father, who thanked her for all she had done.
“You guys have been a big help”, she told the now disintegrating line of skate park youngsters and waved before jogging across to the church. She crossed with Carl partway over and she called
“Be praying for you, bro!”
He grinned a thank you and arrived to introduce himself to Darren and his father.
Amber said goodbye to Darren and smiled as his father thanked her for her help, then she too, made her way back to the church.
Parents had begun to arrive to collect members of the youth group and there were excited exchanges as news spread.
“Can we do anything?” Some parents asked Jenni and she responded simply with one request, Pray.
Assent was nodded and as the youngsters left the area went quiet.
When the last one was out of earshot, Jenni breathed a sigh of relief.
“Phew! What an end to an evening. Amber you were brilliant!” She enthused to the one person left with her.
“Thanks” Amber replied. “It wasn’t anywhere near as difficult as I thought it might be. When you first asked, I was pleased but then on our way over I was thinking, Oh help what have I said yes to?”
“But you did a great job”, Jenni told her
“I shot up a quick prayer that I would do and say the right things”, Amber admitted
“Best thing to do in the circumstances, but not everyone thinks of it”, Jenni said,” so to have prayer come to mind in the situation makes me even more sure you are really well suited to doing the first aid course.”
“Now I feel much more confident”, Amber admitted, “I think I was pleased to be asked when you first mentioned it and I thought it would be good to be able to deal with stuff like that, but I know I wasn’t confident.”
“So, Darren’s misfortune has been good for you”, Jenni observed. “Is anyone coming for you?”
“My brother is supposed to”, Amber told her, “I’ll give him a call.”
Amber took out her mobile and Jenni took the opportunity to check that the church door was secure.
Amber’s brother was obviously not too far away as he arrived almost immediately after her call, full of apologies because he’d had to stop for petrol on his way over. They both waved to Jenni and she heard Amber begin to tell her story of the evening as she got in the car.
Jenni was about to get in her car to drive over to the hospital and pick up Carl when she heard someone behind her. She turned quickly.
“Hi” said the teenager who’d originally run over to find help.
Jenni saw he wasn’t alone, there were a few others from the skate part hanging back and looking a little sheepish.
“Hi” Jenni responded, “you guys ok?”
At Jenni’s friendly question they were all reassured and stepped forward.
“I just wanted to thank you for your help”, the teenager said, “I couldn’t think of anywhere else to go.”
“You’re welcome”, Jenni responded with a warm smile, “you can always call on us if you need help again – First Aid or otherwise. Are you a friend of Darren’s?”
“I just know him from skating … see him sometimes going to school, but he’s with his mates then.”
Jenni nodded, “What about the rest of you?” She asked the small group of boys.
“Couple of us know ‘im from school. Not in ‘is year but we know ‘im”, one of them answered while his friend nodded agreement.
“He lives in my street”, said the youngster who’d been eager to let Jenni know he knew Darren’s address.
“You all did him a good turn, tonight”, Jenni encouraged them, “it’s rough having an accident so your help will have been appreciated by Darren and his family.”
“Can we have a look inside the church, miss?” one of them asked.
“Yes, of course you can!” Jenni responded, “but not right now I’m afraid. My friend that went with Darren and his father to the hospital will need picking up, so I’m off to do that now. Why don’t you come back here for about 11 o’clock on Saturday morning? The church will be open, there’s a community café and there might be other bits and pieces going on – you can look round the whole place then.”
“Ok”, said one enthusiastic voice, while others mumbled in hesitantly.
“No pressure”, said Jenni, quite prepared for this reaction, “just come if you want to see what the place looks like and find out what we do. There’s no real mystery – and most of us are quite friendly.”
“Only most of you?” queried one teenager, the others wide-eyed at her statement.
In a confidential tone, Jenni said, “Some of the older people aren’t too sure about teenagers – even the teenagers in our youth group!”
This revelation made them all grin, so Jenni called a cheery good night and left in her car to collect Carl.
