ie

ntensive care unit. Banks of monitors, infusion pumps, a

erly woman, her skin ashen, he

ntly clasping her frail, trembling hand in both o

tered weakly. A faint, raspy

me, his eyes pleadin

took her other hand. Her skin was clammy

used when stabilizing trauma patients. "I'm here. Julien and I are toget

twitched against mine. On the monitor, her heart r

h of relief, looking at me wi

side telemetry unit like a hawk, noting the widening QRS complex on the ECG

unit shrieked a high-p

d. A solid, horizontal gree

EEEEE

past us. "Charge the paddles to two hundre

, lunging forward, but t

open the matriarch's gown and placed t

dy jolted off

remained a s

Three

UM

unrelenting dron

lary response with a penlight, and slowly set the paddle

... I'm so sorry. Her heart gave

went de

ehind a terrifying, hollow blankness. He didn't cry. He didn't

his head tur

oid of light-pitch black wit

heavy and deliberate. I stood m

y throat like steel bands. He lifted me effortlessl

tness of his voice was far more terr

d. My vision b

he cartilage in my neck groaned. "If she died... you a