"I heard that," the 911 operator said in his ear, tapping away on the keyboard again. "The ambulance is about five minutes away. You should start to hear the sirens. What's the patient's name?"

"You can put your arms back down," Archie told Gold as the sound of an emergency siren started to cut through the noise of the city. To the operator, he answered, "Malcolm Gold."

"And your name, sir?"

"Archie Hopper. I'm a friend of his."

The ambulance pulled up, honking at a cab driver who cut it off.

"The paramedics are here," Archie said.

"Okay, I'm going to hang up now. Your friend is in good hands."

"Thank you."

Archie ended the call as two paramedics exited the ambulance and headed in their direction.