Page 14 of Engulfing Emma

I hear movement and then she says, “I’m lying down next to Carter.”

I can hear the quickness in her breath. She needs to calm down. “Listen to me, Emma. You have to breathe. Take in a deep breath for five seconds, hold it briefly, then breathe out for five seconds. I’ll count for you. Ready? Breathe in. One, two, three …” I count in a soothing voice until she’s completed the cycle three times. “Talk to me. What do you do when things get bad? Do you pray? Meditate?”

“I listen to music.”

“Do you have a favorite band?”

“Not really, but I have a favorite song. Have you heard of ‘Bennie and the Jets?’”

“You like Elton John?”

“Just the one song.”

“Why just that one?”

“The doctor had music on in the operating room when Evelyn was born. The first time I saw her, when they placed her by my head and let me kiss her, that song was being played. When I hear it, I remember that moment.”

I can hear in her voice that she’s getting calmer just talking about it.

“I’d sing it to you myself,” I say. “But I don’t know the words. Plus, I’m not sure you’d want me to sing. I can’t hold a tune to save my life. Can you sing it in your head?”

She goes quiet. Time seems to stand still, yet we’re in a rush to save a man’s life.

“Did that help? Are you feeling better now?”

“Yes, thank you.”

“How’s Carter doing?”

“Not well.”

“He needs you, Emma. You are the only person who can help him right now. Can you knock on the door and do what we talked about?” I hear her counting as she exhales.Good girl.

“Okay. I’ll do it.”

“Don’t hang up the phone,” I tell her.

“I won’t. But what do I tell him to do? I can’t call your number from the administrative phone. He’ll know we were talking.”

“Tell him to put the office phone back on the hook and answer it when it rings. We’ll take care of the rest.”

“But he’ll wonder how you know someone in here is dying. How will you explain that?”

“We’ll tell him we saw blood on the front steps and anyone who’s lost that much blood won’t be able to live long without intervention.”

I can hear her take a few deep breaths. “I guess that could work. But what if it doesn’t?”

“It will. You’ve got this, Emma.”

“All right, here I go.”

I hear the phone being put down and then the knock on the door. She has to knock several times before she gets a response.

While I’m waiting to see what happens, I tell the guys to get some O-negative blood and a transfusion kit in case the gunman won’t let Carter go and I have to go inside.

“What the fuck is it now, teacher?” an angry voice in the background shouts.

“Mr. … uh, listen, Carter is going to die,” Emma tells him. “Look at him. He’s pale. He’s lost too much blood. His pulse is racing, and he’s going into shock.”

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