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Blood Drive

By the tih the rule settlement of Box Hill, there were several versions of how it happened Someone from the construction company called hiscollapsed at a building site in don Meery, was stable, and was expected to survive His hed over 400 pounds and was known to be excitable, an to screahbors, and with each replaying of the tragic news various details were altered and enlarged She neglected to write down the phone number of the person from the company, so there was no one to call to verify our discount the ru by the minute

One of Bailey's coworkers, another boy froave an account that varied somewhat: Bailey had been run over by a bulldozer, which was next to the scaffolding, and he was practically dead The surgeons orking on hirim

Then an administrator from a hospital in Memphis called Bailey's home, asked to speak to his mother, and was told that she was laid up in bed, too upset to talk, and unable to cohbor who answered the phone puetcollapsed at a construction site, , or soery, and hospital needed basic information

Bailey's mother's sun arriving by late afternoon: friends, relatives, and several pastors froathered in the kitchen and den and gossipped nonstop on the phone rang constantly The arettes Casseroles and cakes began to appear

What little to do and with scant information about Bailey's injuries, that visitors seized upon every tiny fact, analyzed it, dissected it, and passed it along to the woled and would probably be amputated There was a severe brain injury Bailey fell 4 floors with the scaffolding or ht His chest was crushed A few of the facts and theories were simply created on the spot There were even a few soements

Bailey was 19 years old and in his short life had never had so many friends and admirers The entire comood boy, raised right, a much better person than his sorry father, a man no one had seen in years

Bailey's ex-girlfriend showed up and was soon the center of attention She was distraught and overwhel about her beloved Bailey However, ord filtered back to the bedroom and his mother heard the little slut was in the house she ordered her out The little slut then hung around with theto drive to Meht then and see her Bailey

A neighbor's cousin lived in Meo to the hospital andery for multiple injuries, but he appeared to be stable He'd lost a lot of blood In the second call, the cousin straightened out a few of the facts He'd talked to the job foreman, and Bailey had been injured when a bulldozer struck the scaffolding, collapsed it and sending the poor boy crashing down 15 feet into a pit of so the brick on a six-story office building in Me as a mason's helper The hospital would not allow visitors for at least 24 hours, but blood donations were needed

A ed that Bailey had been proh the company and was now in assistant job foreman However, in the spirit of the moment, no one questioned her about this discrepancy

After dark, a ator of so to an uncle, Bailey's est brother, and in a private conversation in the backyard he handed over a business card for a lawyer in Clanton "Best lawyer in the country," he said "And we are already working on the case"

The uncle was impressed and promised to shun other lawyers--" just a bunch of ambulance chasers"-- and to curse any insurance adjuster ca onto the same

Eventually, there was talk of a trip to Meh it was only two hours away by car, itcityan hour to Tupelo, population 50 thousand Memphis was in another state, another world will, and, besides, criht up there with Detroit They watched the carnage every night on Channel 5

Bailey'smore incapacitated by the ive blood His sister lived in Clanton, but she could not leave her children Toeneral belief that such a trip to Me, would take et back to Ford County

Another call froing to life, and still in desperate need of blood By the ti out in the driveway, it sounded as though poor Bailey ht die any minute unless his loved ones hustled to the hospital and opened their veins

I hero quickly eed close friend of Bailey's who since birth had been known as Aggie He ran a body shop with his father, and thus had hours flexible enough for a quick trip to Mee, and he claimed to know Memphis like the back of his hand

"I can leave right now," Aggie said proudly to the group, and word spread through the house that a trip was s dohen she explained that several volunteers were needed since the hospital would extract only one pint froallon," she explained Very few had actually given blood, and the thought of needles and tubes frightened many The house and front yard becahbors who had been so close to Bailey justfor distance

"I'll go too," another young ratulated His name was Calvin Marr, and his hours were also flexible but for different reasons--Calvin had been laid off fro uneued by the ro Memphis for the first time He would be honored to be a donor

The idea of a fellow traveler ee "Anybody else?" There was eneral while most of the men studied their boots "We will take ie continued "When are we leavin'?" Calvin asked "Right now," said Aggie "It's an eer," and older gentleer, as the present, had no job to worry about because he couldn't keep one He had dropped out of high school and had a colorful history with alcohol and drugs Needles certainly would not intimidate him

Though the e of transfusions, the very idea of a victier was hard to ier'll do it," his father said with pride The great question was is he sober? Rogers battles with his deenerally knehen he was off the hooch, or on it"He's in good shape these days," his father went on, though with a noticeable lack of conviction But the urgency of the ie finally said, "where is he?" "He's hone" Of course he was hoo?