Page 64 of Viper
No.
I quickly do as it states, following its instructions, my tears falling hard and fast before it says, “Stand clear,” and I move my hands, lifting them up.
“Shocking.”
Jaylen’s body jolts, and I look at the machine as Dad rasps, “Come on, Viper, don’t do this,” just as the machine states, “Continue compressions.”
I do as it states, counting with each compression.
I won’t let him leave me, I refuse.
I look up at the crowd to see the police guiding people away, before I recognize someone, though her hair is now light blue instead of pink.
The ring girl, Kitty.
She’s grinning widely at the scene, and my heart races.
She did this…
I flare my nostrils as she wiggles her fingers at me, and I choke, “Fury,” and he quickly kneels next to me, but I don’t take my eyes off Kitty as she slowly walks away, and I nod, “It’s Kitty, she was grinning, she’s the driver. Her hair is now light blue, and she’s wearing blue jeans and one of Jaylen’s tees.”
“Fuck,” he mutters before he stands, then runs towards the crowd quickly, and I say, “Daddy, call Blade back or Psycho, they need a van.”
“Stand clear,” the voice says on the machine, and I lean back before it states, “Shocking,” and Jaylen’s body jolts before beeping echoes, and I sob, “Callum, gurney now.”
He quickly puts it down next to Jaylen as Dad says, “Psycho, bring a van with a prospect, Fury’s got the driver,” and I look up to see he has his arm wrapped around Kitty’s stomach, his hand covering her mouth as she tries and fights him in the distance.
Later, I’ll focus on that later.
Gently, pulling Jaylen’s body towards me, Callum quickly but carefully puts the board underneath him, and we gently roll him back on it before Dad helps Callum lift him onto the wheels.
I grab the defibrillator, placing it on the gurney before we run to the rig. We get him loaded in the back, and I climb in with him while Dad sits in the front with Callum.
“Don’t leave me, Jaylen, you hear me, do not leave me,” I demand through my tears as I hook him up to monitors, and Callum turns on the sirens before speeding off down the road to the hospital.
Ten minutes later, Callum skids near the entrance to the emergency room. The doors open before I lock eyes with Ted, the man who has taken me under his wing in med school.
“What do we have, Lake?” he questions, and my heart pounds as the doctors help me get him out of the rig.
“Jaylen Lee, twenty-seven years old, was hit by a car while on his motorcycle. He has a major head injury and was receiving CPR when we arrived at the scene, and we continued. He-he lost his pulse on route, CPR given then defib,” I stutter as I climb out of the back of the rig, my dad helping me out. I quickly follow them inside, something I wouldn’t normally do.
Usually, Callum fills out the paperwork while I clean the rig for the next patient, but this isn’t just any patient, he’s mine.
“Okay, trauma room two and quickly,” Ted demands, and I go to follow Jaylen, but Carey, a sweet nurse with light blue eyes, frowns at me and asks, “You okay, Lake?” gaining Ted’s attention and he looks our way while I look at the double brown doors, my breathing heavy.
“Lake, you can go back on shift, you did good,” Ted says as he grabs forms from Casey for Callum and I choke, “He’s-he’s…” Ted looks at me, and I know I can’t tell him he’s my husbandbecause he knows me, though it was very lucky he was on vacation when I was brought in and Jaylen said I was his wife.
“He’s the father of my unborn child,” I admit with a sob as I cup my bump and his dark gray eyes widen in shock as he looks to where they’ve wheeled Jaylen then back to me and he mutters, “Fuck,” realizing I’ve just worked on the man he has heard all about and I plead, “Save him Ted, please save him, I can’t lose him, my daughter can’t lose her daddy, please,” and he nods, his eyes tearing then demands, “Carey, take Lake to the family room immediately.”
Carey puts her arm around my shoulders, then gently guides me to the family waiting room without even questioning me, my dad following.
The need to cut builds again for the first time in weeks, and my breathing becomes quicker, life without Jaylen hitting me hard in the face.
“I’ll come get you when I know more,” Carey says before she kisses my head and walks out just as I hear, “We’ve got her…”
“Good,” my dad replies to Blade.
Bile builds, my throat burning, my wrists itching.
