Page 7 of Massive Size Mountain Man
“She’s into Kpop Demon Hunters,” her dad says in a wry tone. “Maybe you could take her to see that.”
“Bingo!” I say with false cheer. “See? There’s always something that kids want, and it’s a matter of figuring out what it is.”
That twitch in Liam’s cheek is back, and I just know he’s trying not to laugh. But then he becomes totally serious.
“And what would you do if there was a medical emergency?” he asks in a deep voice, brows drawn in a frown. “Hypothetically, let’s say that my five-year-old suddenly begins to choke on her lunch. What would you do?”
“The Heimlich, of course!” I say promptly. “First start with a few hardy slaps on the back, and if she doesn’t spit out the food, then I’d come around her for the Heimlich maneuver.”
Liam nods, blue eyes darkening.
“But she’s only five. How do you do the Heimlich on children?”
Oh shit. I’m not sure, but I smile gamely and improvise on the fly.
“The same as on an adult,” I reply with as much confidence as I can manage. “Come around behind the child, and lower yourself to his or her height. You may need to kneel to get down there, but then it’s the same as an adult. Wrap your arms around their torso, and make a fist before thrusting forcefully inward and upward. Hopefully, that dislodges the uneaten morsel.”
Liam nods.
“And intersperse that with back blows,” he says. “Rotate between the two maneuvers. Heimlich for five thrusts, and then five solid thumps to the back.”
“Exactly,” I say, relieved. Oh my god, I actually got something right during this unexpected babysitting interview. Maybe we can get on with it now! But Liam still has questions, and he pins me with a look.
“But let’s take this scenario one step further. Say Ellie’s choking and you’re doing the Heimlich and back blows, but it doesn’t work and she loses consciousness. What do you do then?”
“Call 9-1-1,” I say promptly. “It’s a dangerous situation, and professionals are needed.”
“Right, but it’s going to take a while for 9-1-1 to get to the house. So how do you help Ellie before they arrive?”
I think for a moment.
“CPR,” I say in a firm tone. “That’s what I’d do.”
“Right,” Liam agrees. “But how does child CPR differ from adult CPR? You can’t do everything the same on a five-year-old.”
Oh shit. He’s right, and the fact is that I have no idea how to perform CPR on a kid. At this point, I give in and shoot him a wan smile.
“To be honest, I need to brush up on this a bit. I remember adult CPR is thirty chest compressions and then two breaths, and then back to the chest compressions. But I can’t remember what it is for children.”
Liam nods.
“Why don’t we do a quick review then?” he asks in a smooth tone. “I’d feel much better if Ellie was in knowledgeable hands, even though the chance of my daughter choking is very small.”
Is this a trick question? I decide to proceed with caution.
“Okay,” I agree in a slow tone. “What’s the procedure for a kid then?”
Liam smiles, and is it my imagination, or is his expression a bit wolfish? His teeth gleam white, those chiseled features sharp, and my heart-rate accelerates. OMG, something is brewing. I can feel it in my bones.
Sure enough, Liam nods and asks in a casual tone, “Why don’t we do a demonstration? I always feel that hands-on demonstrations are far more effective than talking it through. Especially when it comes to something like CPR because it’s really the practice that counts.”
I stare at him.
“Sure, but do you have a CPR dummy? Or a doll? That’s what we used when I took first aid in high school.”
The handsome man shakes his head, his expression smooth.
“No, because I thought I might be able to be the dummy in this case. Come on, Avalon. It’ll just take a sec.”
