by Marion Myles
“Cindy. Calm down. Take a slow breath. Now tell me what’s wrong.”
“It’s Liam and Marisa. I found them just now. I think she’s dead.”
“Do you know what they took? Look around for pills or syringes.”
“There are empty whiskey bottles and a bag of powder. I think it’s cocaine. And, oh…here’s a couple of bottles of pills. OxyContin and Fentanyl.”
“Shit. Okay. Get the Narcan. There should be a couple of vials in Liam’s bathroom. Run quickly.”
A few seconds passed, and then Cindy’s breathless voice returned. “I found it.”
“I want you to check both of them and see if they’re breathing. Go on. Do it right now.”
“Um…I think, yes, Liam is breathing for sure. I can’t feel anything on Marisa. Her chest isn’t moving, and when I put my ear by her face, no air is coming out.”
“She must be ODing. You remember I showed you how to administer the Narcan? A dose in each nostril.”
“Yes, I remember. Okay, I’m going to do it. Please, don’t hang up.”
“I’m right here. Go ahead.” Rebecca clawed her way out of bed and switched on the overhead light. Hurrying across the room to the closet, she started yanking on a pair of yoga pants.
“Oh…it’s working,” Cindy said. “She’s sort of gurgling and, wait…yes, she’s breathing again.”
“Excellent. Hang on.” Rebecca put her phone on speaker and quickly changed her sleep top for a bra and T-shirt. “Now we need to make sure her heart is pumping. You’re going to take your first two fingers and put them under her jaw and against her neck. The carotid artery is right there sort of below the level of her eye.”
“I can feel something,” Cindy said excitedly. “Yes, she definitely has a pulse.”
“Now let’s see what the number is. When I say go start counting. Just give me a sec to bring up my timer.” Rebecca swiped her screen and tapped on the timing app. “Ready and count,” she said staring down at the phone for thirty seconds. “Stop.”
“Twelve. Is that good?”
Way too slow, Rebecca thought. She grabbed her first aid kit and her purse and jogged out of the bedroom. “That’s great. Now you call nine-one-one and while you’re waiting, keep checking her pulse and respiration. Don’t forget to keep an eye on Liam. How many doses of Narcan do you have left?”
“Only one more. Um…Jack doesn’t want the ambulance. He hoped you could come over. He’s already sent a car.”
“Cindy, listen to me. I can come over, but they need an ambulance.”
“But…Marisa’s breathing okay now. We reversed the overdose, didn’t we?”
A black Escalade sat idling on the curb outside her house. The driver got out and opened the back door.
“Maybe we reversed the overdose, but she can still slide back.” She pulled the phone away from her ear and leaned forward toward the driver. “We need to hurry,” she said. “As fast as you can go, okay?”
“Yes, ma’am. All buckled up?” He waited until Rebecca slid the seatbelt on. “Hang on,” he said, and the SUV shot forward.
“Rebecca? What’s going on?”
“I’m heading to you now. Should be there in a few minutes. What I was saying before about Marisa is that the Narcan will work, but it depends on what she took and how much. She definitely needs to be monitored for the next six hours or so. And I’m guessing Liam isn’t conscious?”
“Well, no but…”
“Call the ambulance right now, or I’ll do it.”
“Okay, I’ll call, but please hurry.”
“With Mario Andretti at the wheel, I’ll be there in record time. Keep watching both of them, checking respiration and heartbeat. Call me if anything happens.”
The Escalade screeched around corners and accelerated through yellow traffic lights. When the driver made the turn up Lorna Vista Drive, and the roads became narrow and twisty, he barely slowed. For a moment, Rebecca wondered if she might be the one needing an ambulance.
The driveway to Liam’s house was unbarred, and they sped up the hill and jolted to a stop at the front door. She was already hopping out before the driver had put the SUV in park. Isabella stood waiting, the front door opened wide.
“They’re upstairs in the master suite,” she said. “Please hurry.”
“Can you have the driver take you to the road, so you can flag down the ambulance? That would be a big help.”
“Sí. Yes. Of course.”
Rebecca bolted up the stairs. “I’m here,” she called out.
Cindy stepped into the hallway. “Thank God. I think Marisa’s stopped breathing again. I wasn’t sure if I should give her another dose.”
They jogged into the bedroom. Marisa and Liam lay on the bed, with Marisa closest to the door. Rebecca rushed straight to her, tripping over an empty bottle of Jack Daniels. She kicked it to the side and knelt down by the bed.
“Open my kit,” she commanded Cindy,” and find the stethoscope.”
She lifted Marisa’s eyelid and saw the pupil was barely bigger than a pinprick. Her skin was cool to the touch, and she most definitely was not breathing. Snatching the stethoscope from Cindy’s hand, she pulled the sheet down and laid it against Marisa’s naked chest. Her heartbeat was slow and thready.
“Did you call the ambulance?”
“Yes. As soon as we hung up.”
“Good. Okay, we’ll give her the second dose of Narcan. I don’t have any more, so let’s hope to God Liam doesn’t need it before the paramedics get here.”
Cindy ran to the bathroom and returned with the cylinder, ripping off the plastic sleeve as she went. She passed it to Rebecca who pulled the cap from the end and inserted it in Marisa’s left nostril. Then she repeated the procedure in the right. She waited, stethoscope pressed to the woman’s chest, and leaned forward until her ear was near Marisa’s mouth.
“Okay, she’s gurgling a little but definitely breathing.”
Rebecca tilted Marisa’s head back and cleared her airway. She jogged into the bathroom and opened the linen cupboard, pulling out the AED machine. Back in the bedroom, she turned to Cindy.
“I’ll need help moving her to the floor.”
Between them, they managed to slide her off the bed and position her on the carpet.
Rebecca flicked the latch on the case and powered on the defibrillator. She ripped open the pouch containing the electrodes, pulled off the sticky backing, and quickly placed one near Marisa’s right collar bone and another below her left breast. After attaching the lead wire to the machine, she pressed the button to start analyzing her heartbeat.
An electronic female voice emanated from the machine. “Please do not touch the patient. Assessing heart rhythm.” There was a pause for several seconds then the voice sounded again. “Preparing to shock the patient. Charging. Stand clear of the patient and press the red button to deliver a shock.”
Rebecca pressed the button, and Marisa arched up off the floor.
“Please perform CPR on the patient for two minutes,” the machine said.
Rebecca straddled Marisa. Stacking her hands one on top of the other and interlacing her fingers, she pressed the heel of her hand against the middle of the woman’s chest and started pumping.
“Check Liam. Make sure he’s still breathing. The ambulance should be here any second.”
“I think he’s okay,” Cindy said. “I can definitely feel him breathing.”
“Good,” Rebecca said continuing to help Marisa’s heart to beat. Her shoulders were aching by the time the AED machine told her to stop.
She stood and made her way to Liam. His heartbeat was slow but steady. Moving her stethoscope over his chest, she listened to his lungs, heard the telltale gurgling that signaled his breathing was shutting down.
“Please stand clear of the patient. Powering up. Press the red button to shock the patient.”
“Cindy, you do it.”
While Marisa received her second shock, Rebecca tilted Liam�
�s head back and making sure his airway was clear, pinched his nose, and began rescue breathing.
“Assessing,” the AED machine said. “Please continue CPR for two minutes.”
Rebecca turned her head away from Liam’s face. “Shit. Okay, which do you think you can do?”
Cindy’s eyes went wide. “Um…I don’t…”
“Come on. Pick one,” Rebecca snapped. “Forget it. I’ll pick. You’re going to do the CPR on Marisa because her breathing should hold until the ambulance gets here.”
She jogged around the bed and grabbed Cindy’s arms, showing her the basic way to place her hands.
“Here?” Cindy asked, putting them on Marisa’s chest between her breasts.
“Perfect. Keep your elbows straight and push down hard. You know the song ‘Staying Alive’ by the Bee Gees? Pump to that beat.”
Cindy nodded then looking down at Marisa, began performing CPR. Rebecca stood another few seconds before racing back to Liam. In the distance, sirens sounded. Rebecca continued assisted breathing along with keeping a close watch on Cindy. Flashing lights strobed across the wall behind the bed. Soon enough footsteps marched along the corridor.
“This way. In here,” she heard Isabella say seconds before two paramedics burst into the room.
“What’s the situation?” one of the paramedics asked, her eyes flicking between the two bodies.
“Two suspected overdoses. We’ve administered two doses of Narcan to the female. Last one approaching five minutes ago. AED delivered two sets of shocks, and we’ve been performing CPR throughout. Male is in respiratory failure. I didn’t have any more Narcan. Assisted breathing for the last few minutes.”
The female paramedic nodded to the male. “You can go ahead and dose him. I’ll work on the woman.”
She pushed Cindy aside and put her stethoscope to Marisa’s chest. The man came around the bed and set his kit on the floor while Rebecca continued helping Liam breathe.
“Okay, let me give him the Narcan,” he said. Rebecca stepped to the side.
A few seconds after the drug had been administered, Liam coughed and gulped in air. He coughed again, and his eyes fluttered open briefly.
The man listened to Liam’s heart and nodded. “Okay, he’s somewhat stable. I’m Eric by the way, and that’s Mindy. I’m going to call a second wagon. Both of them need to get to the hospital ASAP. How’s she doing?”
Mindy shook her head, and the electronic voice from the AED rang out.
“Assessing the heart rhythm. Please stand clear of the patient. Preparing to shock. Powering up. Do not touch the patient. Press the red button to administer shock.”
Eric took out a cell phone and arranged for a second ambulance while Mindy pressed the button and sat back on her heels.
“Continue CPR for two minutes,” the machine voice said.
“I’m going to give her epinephrine,” Mindy said.
Rebecca kept a close watch on Liam’s respiration, noting it continued to be depressed.
“Okay, I have a sinus rhythm,” Mindy said crouching over Marisa. “Eric, we need to bag her and move her out.”
Eric reached into his kit and pulled out a bag valve mask. He quickly assembled it and fit the mask over Marisa’s face. Ensuring a solid seal, he pumped the bag and Marisa’s chest rose. Meanwhile, Mindy brought in a stretcher from the hall.
Within two minutes, Marisa was wheeled away. Cindy stood by the bed wringing her hands.
“Go with her,” Rebecca said. “I’ll stick with Liam. We’ll only be a few minutes behind. Make sure to grab your cell and your purse. Go on now.”
Cindy glanced down at Liam then met Rebecca’s eyes and nodded. “Okay.”
Eric had left an additional dose of Narcan just in case, but Liam continued to hold his own under Rebecca’s watchful eye. The second ambulance arrived within five minutes of Marisa’s departure.
She briefed the paramedics, two men. They quickly assessed Liam and loaded him into the ambulance. Rebecca hopped in before the back doors closed.
The man working on Liam tipped his head at Rebecca. “You a doc?”
“Nurse Practitioner. Where are we headed today?”
“Cedars-Sinai. I’m Gabriel and John’s driving.”
“Rebecca.”
Gabriel stuck electrodes to Liam’s chest and attached the leads. He turned to the EKG. “Where do you work?” he asked Rebecca.
“Until recently, St. Vincent’s. I’m looking for a new place, so if you guys know anyone who’s hiring…”
“Hey, John, was it Huntington that was short?”
“Yeah. Trinity too.”
“Good to know. Thanks.”
“So, Liam Connors, huh?” Gabriel said.
“Yep. In the flesh.”
“I love his music. Saw him play Staples Center a couple of years back. Great concert.”
She glanced down at Liam. “And yet, here he is in the back of an ambulance.”
“ETA three minutes,” John called out.
Gabriel looked at the readout from the EKG machine and wrapped a pressure cuff around Liam’s upper arm.
He shook his head. “BP’s seventy-five over fifty. At least the EKG isn’t showing any arrhythmia. Ox Sat is seventy-eight. I’d better bag him.”
By the time John steered the ambulance into the hospital bay and shut off the siren, Gabriel had the bag valve mask in play. He frowned at the monitor by his shoulder.
“Heart rate is dropping. We’re at twenty-two bpm. Can you take over the bag while I start CPR?”
“Sure.”
Rebecca repositioned near Liam’s head and took the job of holding the mask securely over his mouth while squeezing the oxygen bag every five or six seconds. John hopped out and walked around to the back of the ambulance. He wasted no time opening the doors. They pushed Liam toward the edge, and Gabriel stepped down and helped John with the stretcher while Rebecca continued working the bag.
“Okay. We’ve got it from here, Rebecca,” John said. “Let’s get him in.”
* * * * *
They swung into an empty exam room, and one of the nurses pulled Rebecca aside.
“It would help to have some basic information,” she said. “Age. Medical conditions. Do you know what he overdosed on?”
“He’s, I’m not sure, thirty-three or thirty-four. Somewhere in there. I don’t think he has any conditions other than being an alcoholic and an addict. He hasn’t regained consciousness, so I’m not sure, but we found OxyContin and Fentanyl in the bedroom. Plus, a lot of whiskey.” She paused and blew out a breath. “I should tell you your patient is Liam Connors. The paparazzi have probably caught wind of this by now, or they soon will, so it would help if we admit him under an alias.”
The nurse’s eyes shifted, glancing over Rebecca’s shoulder to where they worked on Liam. “Such a shame,” she said. “I’ll alert security. We’re used to dealing with that sort of thing around here.”
“A woman came in just before Liam. Marisa Flare. Can you tell me anything about her condition?”
Rebecca saw it before the nurse had a chance to speak. That shift…the way her face went tight for a second…the angles of her cheekbones becoming more prominent. She’d seen the look too many times to count. Day after day, doctors and nurses delivered death news to loved ones. And even though it was part of the job, and no matter how used to it they became, there was always that split second, that unguarded pause of breath, when the face echoed the soul and the sadness shone through.
“I’m sorry to tell you, she passed away,” the nurse said, touching Rebecca’s arm.
Rebecca’s stomach clenched, and she nodded and sighed. “I didn’t think she was going to make it. Crap. I don’t even know who needs to be notified. There was a woman with her, Cindy. Blonde. About five-four. I need to find her.”
The nurse shrugged. “I remember seeing her, but I couldn’t tell you where she is.”
Over the next few minutes, Liam began breathing on his own a
gain, and his heart rhythm stabilized and approached normal numbers. Knowing he was in capable hands, Rebecca stepped out and quickly toured through the ER but saw no sign of Cindy. She made her way outside into the ambulance bay and pulled out her phone to text her. Once through the sliding doors, she spotted Cindy pacing back and forth, head bowed, and arms wrapped around her chest.
“Cindy,” she called out.
Cindy whirled around and upon seeing Rebecca, her face crumpled. “Marisa died,” she sobbed. “I should have called the ambulance sooner. Jack told me not to, but I should’ve done it anyway. I can’t believe she’s dead. What do I do?”
Rebecca pulled Cindy to her, hugging the woman tightly. “It’s okay. It’s not your fault. You did everything you could. I think she was too far gone. Do you know anything about her family or who we should contact?”
She could feel Cindy shaking her head and her chest heaving.
“I have no idea really.” Cindy’s voice was muffled against her shoulder.” I think she has a sister though I don’t know where. I’ll call Jack.” She pushed back from Rebecca. “Oh my God, is Liam okay? Is he still alive?”
“Yeah. He’s hanging in there. They’ve just stabilized him, and I think he’s going to be fine.”
Cindy’s eyes fixed on Rebecca’s face as though she didn’t quite believe her. “Good,” she said at last. “Okay, I’d better let Jack know.”
Chapter Fourteen
Rebecca wanted to leave.
She stayed anyway. Cindy needed her.
Everywhere she looked were reminders of her mother and all the chemo treatments and trips to ER. The last frantic, middle-of-the-night dash to the emergency room had been exactly six weeks ago. This very hospital. Not the exam room Liam was in…but the bed in the curtained area directly across. And she saw the man who had worked on her, Dr. Shirtman. His eyes passed over Rebecca’s face without a spark of recognition—which was fine with her—since there was no good news to share between them.
Now that Liam was no longer on the brink of death, a fury, so strong and pure, raged through her. He was never going to change even after everything she’d gone through with him. Rebecca remembered the last conversation in the trailer. How he’d stood there, clear-eyed, and committed to working on his sobriety.
