This woman had not simply wandered into the middle of nowhere. She had recently received medical care. Someone knew she needed help. Someone had been involved before she ended up alone beside the road.
I looked at the paper. Then I looked at her. Then I looked back at the snake between us.
The danger in front of me was obvious.
But another question was starting to appear.
How did a woman who had just left a medical facility end up abandoned on an empty highway?
I stepped closer.
The snake was still there. The road was still silent. The dispatcher was still waiting for the situation to change.
Then I noticed the young woman trying to move her lips.
She was fighting to tell me something.
I leaned in carefully, knowing the answer might explain everything.
