Symphony

I. Death and Harmony

Brisk-paced violin bows galloped forward before fading into grand silence, with the absence of noise soon accompanied by the flowing serenade of a harp. To the side, a stage door floated open to an urgent murmur as the stage director dragged Mr. Welch’s limp body away to the side of the open curtains. Mr. Welch, a prominent ambassador, was witnessing his daughter’s debut at the London Symphony Orchestra venue after a political assembly.

The word “Paramedic” reflected on Noah’s back as he sheared through Mr. Welch’s tuxedo. Defibrillator pads and oxygen on standby as Noah swiftly forged ahead with chest compressions to restore an absent pulse. The music dimmed as Noah and his partner rushed a stretcher from the side stage to an ambulance waiting outside. Before the doors closed, a lady dressed in black with long flowing blonde hair rushed forward, her image outside the performance hall building on the LSO banner displayed above the ambulance. Miriam. She reached out to touch her father’s arm and Mr. Welch looked toward her as tears welled in their eyes. He was alive. Flashing lights streaked through crowded streets announcing their arrival at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

II. Fortuitous

Lacing up his boots, Noah returned to work, maneuvering the cobbled walkways to face another day of uncertainty helping people on potentially the worst day of their lives. As Noah began inventorying the medical equipment in his ambulance to make certain all was prepped and readied, he heard a knock on the side of the ambulance. His superior peered through the door to announce, in a teasingly jealous tone, that Noah had received a thank you message from the Welch family although perhaps he had misplaced the letter and contact information. A jealous man is uninspired; while an inspired man is not jealous.

The gear was organized but the day would be in disarray, another fast-paced dawn-to-dark of rushing in to get people out of life-threatening situations. Random circumstances though they were at times. A man lay outside a narrow alleyway, a kitchen knife pierced into his calf. Noah contemplated daily over how one ends up tangled in these improbable conundrums?

III. Acceptance

The rippling tail of a kite above reflected a cartoon dragon through his sunglasses. From where Noah stood, a soft breeze flowing slightly from the west swept his hair and kite upward. Sans chest compressions, bag valves, and IO drills, Noah savored the single day of respite from his role as a paramedic. Noah’s career took its toll which was softly whisked away by the gentle wind, blue skies, and flowers blooming beneath a 250-year-old pear tree where he stood in Warwickshire, UK. A gust from the right caused Noah to readjust his stance, espying a striking woman now standing between him and the tree. In a flash, Miriam realized Noah as the paramedic having left the stage side with her father. She had steadfastly returned to finish the final minutes of her concert performance feeling reassured. Her father, albeit disoriented, had opened his eyes backstage and later at the hospital before he was whisked through the doors of the E.R. Noah, the dedicated silent hero. A month had passed without hearing from Noah. In the days following her harp debut with the London Symphony Orchestra, Miriam’s letter had offered Noah her address with hopes that she might hear back from him. She felt truly thankful that her father was able to say goodbye to his family before passing peacefully in his sleep with all present at his side.

IV. Finale

A brilliant harvest moon shining in the night sky livened by the stars around it. A concerto of crickets caroling in the night. Miriam and Noah rested atop a blanket conversing, laughing, living. Noah poured a glass of red wine to share with Miriam as they gazed up at the stars together.

“So, what do you think we are here to live for?” Miriam contemplated.

“To give our best. Maybe then we discover the reason for life,” Noah spoke, his eyes mirroring the orange moon’s glow.