The runner again tried to get up. When he again faltered, he spoke quickly—what was he trying to say? The two of them had no language in common, but Pia could tell by the man’s face that his terror was mounting, not lessening.

“It’s okay,” Pia repeated. “It’s okay. An ambulance is coming. Just try to lie still.” She knew it was common for people who’d just suffered a medical crisis to be anxious, but this was different. The man was trying to get up and leave. Who was he afraid would find him?

Pia’s fear was that the man would lapse back into cardiopulmonary arrest, as nothing had been done to alleviate what had caused his heart and breathing to stop in the first place. Yet the man seemed to become more alert as the few minutes passed. When the man heard the wail of the approaching ambulance’s sirens he looked even more scared, and started shaking his head. “No, no,” he said to Pia. They were his first English words. “Please.” He sat up, and this time didn’t fall back.

“It’s okay,” Pia repeated calmly while keeping her hand on the man’s shoulder. “It’s okay. It’s okay. You’ll be safe.”

The ambulance and a Boulder Police car came to a screeching halt, and two EMTs and a police officer hurried to the downed runner’s side. It was clear they were surprised to see the victim sitting up with his eyes darting about.

“I’m a doctor,” Pia announced hastily. “Maybe not a practicing doctor, but a doctor, nonetheless. I was running and I found him collapsed on the road, not breathing, and he had no pulse. I did CPR and got a thready pulse. Then he suddenly woke up. I thought he’d be in shock, but he suddenly seems pretty normal.”

The runner was clearly more agitated with the arrival of the policeman and the EMTs. He was talking loudly, gesticulating madly, and struggling to get to his feet. Pia kept her hand on his shoulder to keep him in a sitting position.

“Hey, sir, take it easy. What’s your problem?” said one of the EMTs.

“He doesn’t seem to speak much English, if any,” said Pia. “He’s very agitated.”

“I can see that,” said the EMT. “We can’t take him to the hospital if he doesn’t want to go. I mean, he looks normal.”

“He has to go. He wasn’t breathing for I don’t know how long. We have to check his brain function and try to figure out why his heart stopped. I’m telling you, when I first got here the man was dead as far as I could tell.”

“Bill’s right,” said the police officer, indicating the EMT. “If he refuses treatment . . .”

“I think he works at the same company as I do, Nano. You’ve heard of Nano, no doubt.”

“Obviously,” the policeman said.

“He’s wearing the same jogging clothes as I am, as you can see. We’re all given this equipment as employees of Nano.”