Page 61 of Spades

“Clear!” he calls out.

Lou’s body jolts. Carol gasps.

I look at the heart monitor. “No heartbeat, doctor.”

“Okay, one more time,” Dr. O’Rourke says, charging the defibrillator again. “Janice, is the epinephrine getting into him?”

“Yes, doctor,” Janice replies. “The saline as well.”

“Good. Alissa, continue CPR.”

I do as I’m instructed, continuing to plead internally with each press into Lou’s chest,Don’t die, Lou. Carol needs you. We all need you.

Dr. O’Rourke once more places the electrodes over Lou’s chest.

“Clear!”

Lou’s body jolts again from the shock, and then, thankfully, his heart monitor starts to beep steadily again.

Dr. O’Rouke removes the defibrillator from Lou’s chest and places it back on its wall mount. He faces me and Janice, wiping the sweat from his brow. “I’ve got sinus. Good work, ladies.”

I look over at Carol. “He’s going to be okay, Carol. You both are going to be.”

She nods, but her eyes are still wide.

Damn. Their pact. One more month of waiting for an organ donor, and then they’re going to go off life support and enter hospice.

If Lou goes into heart failure after that, he’ll have a DNR, and we won’t be allowed to revive him.

He and Carol both signed the forms that Dr. O’Rourke prepared for them, stating when they would be officially rejecting further treatment. Of course, they can always recant.

They’re both in their late seventies. I’ve seen this in the hospital before. People at that age have a different way of thinking about the end of the lives. They’re more comfortable with the prospect. No one wants to die, of course, but we’re not given any other options, so it’s easier to accept it gracefully rather than with resistance.

But Lou and Carol both have more life to live. I can feel it. I’ve gotten to know them both over the few weeks they’ve been in the hospital together. They both have young grandkids that they deserve to see grow up. They have the same blood type, so one donor could potentially provide a heart for Lou and lungs for Carol. But we haven’t found a match for them yet.

“Let’s wheel Lou to the ICU until we’re absolutely sure he’s stable.”

“But doctor…” I glance toward Carol.

Carol raises a hand, waving me away. She wants what’s best for Lou. She’ll miss him while he’s in the ICU, but she wants to make sure that he’s in good shape before returning to the room.

I pat her hand. “I’ll make sure Lou is back in here once we’re sure he’s stable. We won’t bring anyone else in here in the meantime.”

“Thank you, dear.”

Janice carts Lou away to the ICU, and, with a final glance to Carol, I leave her alone in her room.

“Alissa!”

I look up and see Dinah running down the hall. She runs up to me and gives me a hug.

“I heard about Lou. Is he going to be okay?”

I nod. “Yeah. He flatlined, but we brought him back. Janice is taking him to the ICU for observation.”

Dinah looks over to the closed door of Room 1832. “But won’t Carol be lonely?”

I shake my head. “She’s a big girl. I already promised her we’d bring Lou back as soon as he’s ready.” I look back over at my nurse’s station, where my purse is still sitting on the counter.

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