Someone Get Me a Doctor, Someone Call the Nurse

Everyone was screaming and pushing one another, trying to get as close to the stage as possible. I could feel the air struggling to fill my lungs, making me heady. Beside me, my friend Amanda jumped up and down, screaming her head off and flinging her blonde and pink hair all over the place. I marveled at the fact we were here. I had fully expected the tickets to have been sold out by the time we heard about the concert, but somehow, we managed to get them. The lights flared on the stage, revealing the band, and I let out a whoop of excitement. After all, I had been waiting to see Thirty Seconds to Mars for months. Jared Leto stepped onto the stage, mic already in hand. As his bandmates followed, he began his greeting.

“Hello Charlotte! So glad to be here tonight! It’s been a great tour, and we hope you guys are ready to rock!” The crowd screamed, making it feel like my voice didn’t exist. I was close enough to see the individual laces on his sneakers—they were white. Amanda had dragged me here an hour earlier than we would have to get here, and I found myself grateful for it as I leaned against the barricade. My chest swelled in excitement as the opening to A Beautiful Lie started, and I screamed as loud as I could, feeling my vocal chords strain but not giving a flying shit. Life was made for moments like this—when everything seems like it can’t possibly be any better.

I screamed the lyrics, joining the countless others in the mosh pit. We jumped in time to the song, swinging arms and whipping heads around. My purple and brown hair flew around me in a small halo, barely brushing my shoulders in the few short moments that it laid flat and still. It was easy to lose your mind in the crowd, the music taking over your body. Apparently Mr. Leto agreed with my thoughts as he ripped off his white tee shirt and threw it somewhere into the crowd, the action being followed by a scream from all the ladies and a few men in the crowd. My voice was among theirs—he was absolutely gorgeous.

“I want everyone in the fucking crowd to go nuts!” His voice was drowned out by the collective scream that followed the opening notes to Attack, bringing a smile to his face. “Now that’s the spirit, Charlotte!!!! Let’s go!” The concert was already in full swing, people jumping everywhere and many crowd surfers being tossed around. I watched as the guy beside me nearly fell, luckily caught last minute by a security guard. He tossed me and the other people up front a thumbs up before walking back around to the mosh pit. This was living.

My mouth felt like it was permanently stuck in grin mode, my cheeks aching from smiling so hard for so long. My lungs burned with the pressure of trying to breathe and sing while being squished against a metal rail, and my throat felt like it was tearing apart from all my screaming. There was no doubt in my mind that I would be voiceless by tomorrow, but it was all worth it. Closer to the Edge came on, and I went ape-shit crazy. That was one of my favorites. My screaming and jumping must have drawn Jared Leto’s attention because the next thing I know, he calls me out.

“Yeah, that’s right. Go nuts like the chick with purple hair!” The people around me smiled wider at my shocked expression, but we all were having a good time and kept jumping around. He moved on, pointing out other wild people in the crowd from a girl with a mohawk to a guy with Day-glo orange hair. The song finally got going, and every single person began jumping around and flailing their arms. My calves burned from all the bouncing, but I kept on going. Heart thrumming in ecstasy, I sang with all my heart.

It was near the end of the concert, and I was on an incredible music high. Amanda looked just as happy as I felt, her teeth flashing in the blue and green lights. The band had slowed down a bit, obviously tiring. I took the moment to catch a breather and try to cool off. I wasn’t dizzy yet, which meant I wasn’t in danger of heat stroke. I checked Amanda, making sure she was ok too. Thank heavens for being in med school. I still had a year, but it felt good to already be practicing my knowledge on keeping myself and friends safe and healthy. As I cooled down, there was a horrible crash of cymbals and drums, and I jerked my gaze to the stage. Jared rushed to where his brother had fallen against the drum set, the crowd going deathly silent.

“Someone call a doctor!” Jared’s voice cracked, and I could practically feel his anxiety. Amanda elbowed me sharply in the ribs, giving me a “why aren’t you moving” look and I took off. I leaped over the barricade, snaking between the two security guards as they were distracted, and hopped onto the stage at a dead run.

“Move! I’m a med student.” It wasn’t hard to scoot the singer to the side as I crouched next to Shannon Leto’s side. My blood thrummed in my ears as I recalled every bit of knowledge my seven years had taught me. “Ok, he’s conscious, that’s good. Alright Mr. Leto, can you tell me if anything hurts?” The man was now laying on his back on the floor. His skin was flushed read, assumingly from the heat. His hair was wet with sweat, as well as his shirt, but his face looked surprisingly dry. His breathing was rapid, as if he had run a marathon.

“My face hurts…what happened?” I hushed him slightly, gently pressing my fingers to his neck. His pulse raced under my hand.

“Hey!” I nearly jumped out of my skin as a mountain of a man tried to yank me to my feet. Jared stood as quick as lightning, placing his hand on the security guard’s shoulder.

“Let her go. She says she’s a med student, and my brother needs help. Go do crowd control!” The withering look the guard gave him didn’t faze him at all, and I found myself grateful for the interference. I wouldn’t have been able to stand against that muscle-head. Jared followed me back to the floor, leaning over his brother. “You just passed out. Is he going to be alright?” The latter question was directed towards me, but I ignored it in lieu of asking Mr. Shannon an important question in my diagnosis.

“Do you have a headache, Mr. Leto.” The man laying down shook his head.

“Only where my face hit the damned set hurts. I’m dizzy though…” I nodded, turning to the man’s brother. Icy blue eyes stared intently at me, making me want to hide in a hole. I swallowed the urge and handed him my opinion on what was wrong with his brother.

“He’s got heat stroke. We need to cool him off now or he could be in serious trouble. Considering it already made him black out, I think it’s rather urgent. We need to get him where there’s cool air and get some ice to bring down the temperature internally.” No questions were asked as he stood up and started hollering orders over the mic. I sighed softly and patted the other Leto on the cheek to keep him awake. “Come on, rockstar. Stay with me!” He blinked up at me and smiled.

“I like your hair. You’re probably the coolest doctor around.” I rolled my eyes. Men were horrible patients whether they were trying to be all macho or trying to flirt with you. I heard Jared run up behind me.

“Help is on the way, bro.” Turning to me, Jared passed me a couple of ice packs. His motions were fidgety, displaying how nervous he was. I didn’t blame him. I’d be worried too if it were my brother. Reaching over the prone man, I shoved the ice packs under each arm, earning a yelp from him.

“Jeeze that’s cold!”

“I know. We have to cool you down. Now lie still, please?” The whole affair lasted maybe ten minutes, but I could already hear the siren outside growing closer. The door to the side of the stage burst open with EMTs hauling the stretcher. As they reached us, I stepped back, letting them take over. One of them asked what happened, and I quickly shot off a reply. He nodded and began to follow procedure. Shannon Leto was slid onto the stretcher and hauled off the stage, followed by the pack of EMT’s and security. I was shocked when Jared remained behind, looking at me with his piercing eyes.

“Will you come with me? I’d like to find a way to repay you somehow, but at the moment, I’m more worried about my brother.” I nodded, tongue-tied by the offer. This was all so surreal.