Page 152 of Unspoken Words
Jackson’s grip loosened. “She’s breathing, mate. She’s breathing.”
“Ellie? Ellie, can you hear me?” a paramedic asked, hovering above her.
She didn’t answer.
“Where’s the gurney?” he asked, craning his neck, looking for it.
“Here. We’re here.” Another two paramedics arrived, pushing one of those beds on wheels.
“She’s not responding,” the paramedic said. “How long was she without oxygen?”
The first aid officer who’d been performing CPR moved back to help the other four men load her onto the gurney. “Three, maybe four minutes? We were by the stage and saw her go down. My colleague bagged her and I started chest compressions straight away.”
“Good. Let’s get her into the ambulance asap.”
“I’m going with you,” I said, breaking Jackson’s hold and moving closer.
“Who are you?”
“Her boyfriend. I was performing when she collapsed on stage.”
“Okay. Does she have any history of a heart condition?”
I shook my head, rushing beside them as we made our way through the stadium. “N … no. Not that I know of. She has asthma though.”
He nodded.
“Is she going to be okay?”
“Your girlfriend has suffered cardiac arrest. At this stage, she’s breathing but still unresponsive.”
“A heart attack? But that can’t—Ellie’s fit, and … and she’s healthy. She doesn’t smoke.”
We exited the building to where an ambulance was waiting.
“What’s your name, son?” the paramedic asked me.
“C—Connor.”
“Okay, Connor. Ellie is stable but we need to get her to hospital right away.”
They loaded her into the ambulance, and on the way to the hospital, she opened her eyes.
“Ellie, can you hear me?” the paramedic asked.
She nodded and made a strangled cry.
I shot to her side and held her hand. “Baby, I’m here.”
“Ellie, my name is Keith. I’m a paramedic. You collapsed. You’re in an ambulance and we’re taking you to hospital, okay?”
She made another noise, and her eyes closed.
“Ellie! Baby! What’s happening?” I asked.
“She’s crashing again. Stand back.”
Keith started CPR, and the walls around me crumbled.
