4 days on the Other side.

May18th 1969, the day before my 16th birthday, I was shot in the chest with a 22c bullet. I was walking along a dirt road with a creek on the left and a cherry orchard on my right. The curve of the road made one tree kind of stand out at the end of the row, I could see three people further down the creek, since I was on the high bank I was much higher than they were, I could see them but could only see shapes. I heard a zing-thuk sound as a bullet hit the tree in front of me. I stopped, thinking #@#$#$ they are shooting high. A second bullet hit me in the chest, but I did not know exactly where, only that is knocked the wind out of me. My arms were drawn in so that my hands were sort of curled near my face. I said ‘aoh I’ve been shot’, the family I was lodging with were walking a bit of a way behind me, because I did not have enough breath I was not sure they heard me. I turned to walk toward them, but I felt so weak I thought I better lay down so I would not fall. ‘Shep’ called “Ah get up off you ass and quit fooling around” I thought ‘crap they think I am kidding’. I was lying on my side with my back to them: ‘Shep’, his wife Evelyn, and son Johnny and his wife Linda, I had to get them to believe me. I rolled my shoulders so I was more on my back, then Linda saw the blood and cried out “she’s not kidding she’s bleeding”. Johnny and ‘Shep’ started running toward me with Johnny closest, a bullet went between them and another between Shep and the women. Four shots were fired. I got really worried because Linda ran out screaming “Stop shooting, you’ve shot her” over and over. We must have been at least 400 yards from the car, so Johnny lifted my shoulders and Shep lifted my legs, and they carried me. It would have been nice to say “he carried me cradled in his arms” but I was a hefty gal even then! They struggled valiantly to lug 170 lbs of simi-conscious me to the car is more accurate.
We were about 20 miles from a hospital, but Shep made good use of the ‘woaaah’ a ‘60’chev can ‘whomp’ up when pressed. He was so upset he turned the wrong way when we had to turn onto the highway toward town. I was the only one who noticed. I still did not have breath, I did not know it was because there was blood going into my lungs. Anyhow I told them your going the wrong way, Johnny said “Dad she right” Shep did a 360 that would make Starsky and Hutch green with envy. When we went though a small town Shep hit the breaks and we slid sideways into a fire station parking lot. I kept loosing consciousness, because next thing I remember is the ambulance drivers at both car doors discussing how to get me out. I was laying across the front seat, my legs on the drivers side of the gear shift, they were contemplating lifting me up, I knew darn well they could not do that, I was not a fat girl, so they could not tell that lifting me straight up would take more than those two scrawny little guys.( I WAS 16, you know, when you know EVERY thing) So I told them to help me lift my legs over the gear shift and I could push with my legs, but they would have to lift my shoulders because I felt awfully tired. That is what they had to do too.
For 4 days they did not know if I would live. I was in the hospital for two weeks (I think now OMG only 2 WEEKS!). Sounds unbelievable now, but it is true, I have the scars and a 22bullet in my chest to prove it.