Page 114 of Johnathan

“Epinephrine in.”

The relentless chest compressions continued as Abby tightened her grip on John’s arms. He pulled her in closer, dread spreading through him as the minutes continued with no sign of Sam coming back.

“Charging again,” the medic at the defibrillator called out. “Clear.”

Sam’s body once again convulsed and the air in the building stilled as everyone watched the monitor.

“Normal rhythm restored!”

Abby turned her face into his chest and sobbed. John’s hand rubbed soothing circles across her back. The medics continued working on stabilizing Sam, and after a few minutes, they had him bundled up on the stretcher, ready to take him to the helicopter.

“He’s in good hands,” the medic who placed the IV said as he put one of their bags over his shoulder.

“Is he going to be okay?” John asked, standing while still supporting Abby.

“The doctor’s will be able to tell you more.”

“Where are you taking him?” He knew Abby would want to head there right away.

“Dallas Gen. They have the only cardiac care unit in this part of the state. He’ll be in good hands there.”

John nodded and turned to Abby. It felt like his body had been through a marathon, but he’d stay alert and get her to Dallas as fast as he could.

“My m-mom.” Her eyes looked at him, but they were unfocused. Shit. Was she going into shock? “We need to get her before we go. How do I tell her that her son died the same way her husband did?”

“He didn’t die, Abby. He’s got a heartbeat.”

“Now. He’s got a heartbeat now. He didn’t for… a long time. I don’t think…”

“Sam is going to be fine. You need to trust in that. One foot in front of the other, baby, okay?”

She doubled over, pressing her arms into her stomach.

“I think I’m going to be sick.”

“That’s the adrenaline, Abby. Just take some deep breaths and it’ll pass.” John placed his hand on her back and rubbed across the fabric of her shirt. It couldn’t have been more than two minutes when she took a final deep breath and straightened back up.

“I won’t let myself fall apart right now. I can’t. Let’s go.”

“You can fall apart whenever you need to,” John said as he cupped her cheeks. “I’ll be here to catch you.”

“I know you will. But we need to get to the hospital.”

Abby slipped her hand into his as he walked her back to his truck. He helped her step up into the cab and then jumped upto buckle her in. She turned her head and gave him the most beautiful smile.

“I love you, John.”

“I love you too, Abby.” He pressed a kiss to her lips and in that moment, he let his heart fill with hope that everything would be alright.

Thirty-Three

“Mom. Can I get you anything?”

Abby’s stomach rolled as the smell of industrial cleaner assaulted her. She wished the janitor who’d walked into their small waiting room would just pack up his mop and go. Whatever cleaner they used at this hospital had the same smell that had overwhelmed her as she woke up in the hospital after her attack. She swallowed roughly, begging her mind to focus on her mother and getting the next update about Sam.

When they first arrived, they were told that the Cardiac Care Team had stabilized Sam. That about a million different tests were being run to try to understand what happened and the extent of the damage from his sudden cardiac arrest. He’d been extremely lucky. The doctor who had come out to give them the first update mentioned a sobering statistic: only around ten percent of people who have a sudden cardiac arrest outside of the hospital survive. Abby’s stomach had nearly emptied right onto the floor when she’d heard that. No matter what, Sam had a long road ahead of him.

“I’m fine, little dove. I can feel his energy here. He’s okay. You just wait and see. The doc is going to come out and tell us this wasn’t like your father. This was just a freak thing.”

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