Page 71 of The One Timer

“I feel dizzy.” Her voice sounds faint and breathy.

My mind spins and all kinds of red flags send a zip of adrenaline-fueled tension through my body.

“Mrs. W, do you feel short of breath?” My tone no-nonsense, but gentle.

She looks at me, slight confusion on her face as I watch and listen to her breathing,

Then she clutches her chest, wheezing.

Fuck no—Mrs. W is having a heart attack. My heart skips a beat and I swallow hard. That’s the only blip of panic I can allow myself.

I don’t waste another minute before shoving all my spiking emotions back down my throat, I whip my phone from my pocket and hit 911 with sure determination and no shake in my fingers.

“I need an ambulance for a likely heart attack. Female, eighty-four years old.” I give the address and return my full attention to Mrs. W, making her sit upright and massaging her chest, breathing in and out with her, watching her and staying calm above all else in spite of the staccato beat of my heart.

Uvi comes into the room, takes one look at us and her hand flies to her mouth. “What’s wrong? Is she alright?” Panic makes the woman’s voice shrill.

“Everything’s under control, Uvi. Do me a favor and call Walter and Kathleen. Have them meet us at Mass General. I’ve already called an ambulance”

She whimpers and nods, but then she gathers herself and rushes from the room assuring me she’ll do as I’ve asked.

In spite of the rapid beating of my heart, I manage to keep cool. I control my breathing and take charge, the way I’ve seen nurses do it countless times during my rotation in the ER.

There’s no choice. I need to takes care of Mrs. W while we wait for the ambulance. I give her aspirin and she takes them, remaining conscious the entire time—which seems like forever though it’s less than ten minutes.

When the ambulance arrives, the EMTs wheel her out on a gurney and I get in back with her.

“Are you family?” One of them asks. The question jolts me and I wish I could say yes with all my heart. Instead, I evade.

“I’m a nurse.” It’s a little white lie, right? I’m almost a nurse. I tell myself I’m using the if it walks like a duck rule.

The young man nods and we take off. On the ride, I force myself to make the one phone call I dread the most. I call Chase.

He doesn’t answer. Fuck. Do I leave a message? A text? Or do I have Uvi call until she gets hold of him? Damn it. Tears well suddenly and threaten, but I take a deep breath and blink them away. If I leave a message or text, who knows when he’ll find out the news.

I call Uvi and tell her to keep trying Chase. She agrees. He needs to hear the news live and as soon as possible.

“If you don’t get him in the next ten minutes,” I say as the ambulance pulls into the emergency bay, “Call the Whalers corporate office and tell them it’s an emergency and you need to reach him.”

He’s out of town, but their game was only in New York, close enough for him to get back in a couple of hours.

The EMTs quickly move Mrs. W through the crowded emergency room. At the desk, they process her immediately when I explain who she is. I should feel ashamed at pulling the wealthy Whittier family card, but I don’t. I’m grateful that she has privilege right now and I don’t care about anything else.

Does that make me a bad person? I don’t even care about that. This woman, who I adore, is having a heart attack and I do not want her to die. God, please not that. Nothing else matters right now.

After I brief the medical staff on what happened, they take her to the cardiac unit in intensive care and install her in a room while I watch.

A nurse comes up to me, “Are you Emery?” I nod. “There’s someone in the waiting room asking for you. Just down the hall through those doors.”

When I walk in the room, I see Walt, Uvi and Kathleen there, in their overcoats, pacing the floor. Kathleen rushes me as soon as she sees me. “What happened?” She holds my two arms and her face is pale with fear and I feel for her. She looks so vulnerable and young, like she’s gone back to that girl who lost her parents long ago, no longer the confident ambitious devil-may-care woman she was the other night.

Steeling myself, I tell her what happened. “I’m not a doctor, but I don’t think it was a major heart attack.”

“Oh my god. I can’t believe this. How? You knew what to do. Thank you for being there, for saving her. Uvi told us you took control like a pro.” She wraps her arms around me in a hug, squeezing me for all she’s worth and I hug back, not caring if she breaks my ribs, glad to be here for her.

She breaks away and Walter comes over. “I’m surprised you’re still so calm.” He reaches a hand out to shake mine. “Thank you for your expert help in this situation.”

Uvi appears at my shoulder. “I swear Emery saved Molly’s life the way she handled it.” She gives my hand a squeeze.