马德里历险记（上）- 我上了救护车

两年前，我和我丈夫泰迪去西班牙马德里游玩，留下了难忘、美好的记忆。其中最为惊奇的是两次历险：我平生第一次上了救护车，还与西班牙秘密警察有一次危险的接触。

那是六月初的时候，夏天刚刚开始，马德里以她独特的魅力欢迎我们。我提议先去坐坐红色的双层旅游巴士，了解一下这个城市。一早起来，酒店外广场上有一个西班牙军队的官方仪式，是庆祝什么节日的彩排，我们去看热闹。游行仪式结束后，泰迪发现路口上停了一辆双层巴士，我们赶紧跑过去。

旅游巴士由司机和导游运行，上面坐满了游客，正要离开。导游示意泰迪先坐下，一会儿再买票。我爬上双层巴士狭窄的金属阶梯，上了二层。那儿还有几个露天座位，景色真的很棒，我转过身去招呼泰迪。突然，巴士开始驱动，我感到一阵强烈的颠簸，试图抓住楼梯的扶手，但是没抓住，倒了下去。我好像感觉到一些震动，听到撞击的声音，然后降落在巴士的底层。

几秒钟过去了，我没有动弹。等我睁开眼睛的时候，看到了泰迪和导游。泰迪扶我起来，问我怎么样。除了头部右上角好像刀割了一样疼痛，右臂和臀部也有些痛。我活动了一下四肢，感觉还行，就回答说：“没事儿。”泰迪把手放在我的头上，皱着眉头说：“不对，你可不是没事！”我把手放在头上，在右后上方发现了一个高尔夫球大小的鼓包，像个犄角。哇，现在我明白为什么头疼了。还好，没流血。

泰迪扶着我坐了下来，导游叫了救护车，我对巴士上的游友们感到很抱歉。还好，导游给旅游公司打了电话，游友们很快就都上了另一辆巴士。我们等了好久，终于，远处响起了一个悦耳的哨声，救护车到了。

救护车上有两名护理人员，年轻友善。他们询问、检查了我的伤势，让我躺在救护车内的担架上。然后，救护车又吹起悦耳的哨子，推开中午时分的交通，把我送往医院。泰迪坐在驾驶室乘客座位上跟着来了。

救护人员继续监测我的血压和脉搏。那个微笑的护理员会说一点儿英语。我告诉他，这是我第二次来马德里，很喜欢这个城市，他很开心。我又告诉他，我在中国出生长大。他说：“你应该学西班牙语，因为西班牙语是世界上最流行的语言。”这是我第一次听说，最流行的语言既不是英文，也不是中文，而是西班牙语。的确，眼下我最需要学习的就是西班牙语了。

救护车好像走了20多分钟，最后抵达了Gregorio Maranon 医院。救护员把我用轮椅推到医院值班室，跟我说医护人员会好好地照顾我的，就离开了。接下来，我和泰迪走到一个大厅，医生在里面工作，病人坐在周围的塑料椅子上等待。30分钟过去了，没人点我的名字，也没人跟我们打招呼。泰迪起身去找护士，她告诉我们耐心等待，也热心地为我的高尔夫球准备了一个冰袋。看来，我的VIP待遇结束了。

又过了30分钟左右，一个年轻、高挑的女医生接待了我。她穿着医院的绿色衣裤，脚上蹬着紫色的塑料拖鞋。医生用英文问我怎么样，我称赞她英语真流利。医生说她妈妈来自美国，然后问我哪里感到疼痛，我告诉她，高尔夫球、手臂和臀部。好像记得臀部右侧撞上了巴士阶梯。那时候我还不知道最严重的疼痛即将来临，而且都不是这几个地方。医生检查了我的头部，幸运的是没有看到任何血迹。她还检查了我的眼睛，让我按时针方向旋转眼球，又检查了我的四肢，做了几个动作。最后，女医生给了我诊断结果 - 没有任何严重创伤，医嘱是接下来的三天内，每隔一小时头部敷冰一次。应我的请求，她用西语和英语给我写了一份医疗记录。泰迪跟旅游公司和医院议员办理了保险手续。终于出院了，短短的马德里医院之遊也至此结束。

回到酒店后，我跟餐厅要了几个朔料袋，自治了一个冰袋敷在头上，没敢再出去。睡觉前，我的头不疼了，高尔夫球也差不多消失了。谢天谢地，我想明天可以继续旅游计划了。第二天早上，我感到腰下尾骨附近有剧烈的疼痛，比高尔夫球造成的疼痛严重多了，简直难以把自己装进裤子里。回来后看医生才知道，那是剪切挫伤，臀部受击造成韧带拉伤，也是后话。

无论如何，马德里旅游当时仍然是我们的首要任务。所以，泰迪借给我一只手，算是手杖。我拄着手杖和泰迪开始了下一个冒险。

以下是我从巴士历险得到的教训：

（1）出门在外，安全第一

（2）学习当地语言

（3）有伤治伤，回来后务必检查

Adventures in Madrid (Part I) – My First Ambulance Ride

Two years ago, I had an amazing trip in Madrid, Spain with my husband, Ted. Two adventures, my first ambulance ride and an encounter with Spanish secret police, made this trip fascinating and unforgettable.

It was early June and summer just started. Madrid welcomed us with unique charm, exotic food, and excellent tourist spots. I suggested we take a Red Bus tour to learn the city. It was Saturday morning and there was a rehearsal for a military ceremony outside the hotel. We joined the spectators to watch this unique parade. Finally, the ceremony was over. We spotted a Red Bus and rushed to get on.

The bus was operated by a driver and a tour guide. It was full of tourists and about to leave. While the guide instructed Ted to get a seat and pay later, I climbed the narrow stairs of the double-decker to find an open-air seat. The view was great on the second floor, of course. I then turned around to get Ted. Suddenly the bus began to move and I felt a strong jolt. I tried to grab the handles of the stairs, but failed. I fell. I heard a loud noise and felt a few bumps before landing on the first floor. My memory went blank for a moment, too.

A few seconds passed while I remained stationary. When I opened my eyes, I saw Ted and the guide. Ted helped me get up and asked if I was okay. I moved my arms around and felt alright except a pain in my head and some dull pain on my right arm and bottom. I replied, “I am okay.” Ted put his hand on my head, frowned, and said: “No, you are not okay!” I then placed my hand over my head and found a golf-ball size pump. Wow, now I understood why I had a sharp pain in my head!

While I was helped to sit down, the guide called an ambulance. I felt sorry for my fellow tourists. Fortunately, the guide called another bus and transferred them before the ambulance arrived. We waited, waited quite a while, and I heard a pleasant sound of a whistle from far away. Finally an ambulance arrived.

There were two paramedics on the ambulance, both young and friendly. They checked my motion, stability, and put me on the stretcher. Then the ambulance rushed me to a hospital while Ted sat in the passenger seat next to the driver.

 

While driving to the hospital, they continued to monitor my blood pressure and pulse. It seemed to be a long ride. The smiling paramedic struck a talk with me as he could speak some English. I told him that this was second time in Madrid and I really like it. He was quite happy. After I told him that I was originally from China. He replied, “You should learn Spanish, because Spanish is the most popular language in the world.” This is the first time ever I heard about it. The most popular language is not English, not Chinese, or Arabic. It is Spanish, great. Indeed, I needed to learn Spanish, especially now!

 

Finally we arrived in Hospital Gregorio Maranon. The paramedic promised that the hospital staff would take good care of me and left. I was then transferred to the hospital clerk. Ted and I walked to a large hall with doctors working in a covered area in the middle and patients sitting on plastic chairs around it. Ted and I sat down and waited. 30 minutes passed, my name was not called, and nobody talked to us. Ted stood up and talked to a nurse. She told us to wait but prepared an ice bag for my golf ball. My VIP treatment seemed to be over.

 

It was another 30-minute wait before a young, tall doctor received me. She was dressed in a green shirt and pants and stepped in a pair of purple plastic slippers. She and her assistant asked me what happened. I praised her excellent English. She said that her mom came from America. She checked my golf ball and did not find any trace of bleeding. She asked me where else I felt pain. I told her my right arm and bottom. I remembered that my right bottom bumped on the stairs. That time I did not know the worst pain was about to come but not at these places. She checked my eyes and asked me to roll my eyes around. She then checked my arms and legs to make a few movements. Finally the doctor gave me her diagnostics – nothing serious and prescribed ice pad every the other hour for the next three days. She also gave me a hand-written note in both Spanish and English, in case to check it out later back home. Ted took care of my insurance claim with the bus company and hospital. I was discharged.  So did my short tour of the Madrid hospital.

 

After we went back to the hotel, I got a few plastic bags from a hotel restaurant to make a home-made ice pad. I remained inside the room with the ice pad on my head from time to time. I hoped it would be over by the end of the day and go on our tour. The next morning I felt my lower back had such a sharp pain and so severe that it was difficult for me to put myself into my pants. Later I learned that was a shear injury on my lower back due to the bumps on the bus stairs.

 

Nevertheless, tour Madrid was still our highest priority. So, Ted lent me a hand as if it was a walking stick. I went on to my next adventure. 

 

Lessons learned:

(1) Safety first, always
(2) Learn the local language
(3) Check injury before continuing on tour and follow up back home

 

[唐西]

不收你一分钱，这就是西班牙的好。