Three-year-old Jason Pendleton hesitated only briefly when his mother awoke him and asked for help that may have saved her life.
Liz Pendleton, 29, said Thursday she began feeling sick Tuesday afternoon and woke up early Wednesday morning in severe pain and paralyzed, hemorrhaging from a ruptured fallopian tube.She called to Jason, who was sleeping on the couch, and in a barely audible whisper urged him to telephone for help. At first Jason stood in disbelief, and assured her she could go to the doctor the next day.
After convincing her son that she couldn't wait, Mrs. Pendleton made a zero out of her thumb and index finger and the youngster followed her instructions to dial the number, she said.
"I told the operator, I told her that my mommy was sick and that she wanted daddy to come home," Jason recalled.
When the operator asked where Randy Pendleton worked, the pre-schooler said he replied: "Arkla Gas. In the 'puter room."
The operator, who the Pendletons still are hoping to identify, telephoned Arkla and notified Pendleton, who summoned an ambulance to their home.
Mrs. Pendleton said Jason handled the telephone conversation like a pro. "He never got nervous," she said. "He was just as calm as though I asked him to do it all the time."
There was every reason to panic. Doctors said Mrs. Pendleton had lost three Pints of blood and was close to death.