Chapter 44
Paul
Panicked, Paul crouched down and listened to Jessica’s heartbeat as he felt her wrist for her pulse, then put his ear against her chest. His hands slickened as he listened to her heart. It was beating rapidly, but every few seconds there would be a long, frightful pause. Then the fast beats would then return again, thudding like a hammer gone wild. From his CPR training, he knew this was tachycardia and arrhythmia combined. It was serious. These kinds of wild heart beats could possibly lead to a stroke.
His own chest heaved. She wasn’t even conscious now. Call 911? Yes.
Ten fretful minutes later, the ambulance arrived. Two paramedics lifted Jessica onto a stretcher after checking her vitals. Paul explained to them what had happened.
“Want to ride with us?” the thin blonde-haired one asked.
“Definitely,” Paul said.
He crouched down beside her as they rode to the hospital, the siren screaming, the ambulance shaking as it raced down the streets. Worry set in deeper with every violent turn the vehicle made. What if she didn’t wake up? But before his anxiety got the better of him, Jessica came to as the paramedics were setting up an IV.
“What happened?” she groaned.
“You passed out and fell.” Paul squeezed her hand. “We should be at the hospital shortly.”
Jessica closed her eyes again. Paul felt awful and afraid, his body quivering with tension and anxiety as his mind jumped to all kinds of fearful thoughts. His eyes darted to the monitor as he felt Jessica’s hand loosen around his palm. It was as if someone pressed the panic button inside his head flooding him with questions. Would she even make it?