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Carmine felt for a pulse, his mind desperately trying to block out the bloody, battered condition he saw his son in. The only thing Sofia could do was stand there, frozen in place, her hands clamped over her mouth. She only saw the other men as obstacles to seeing her son. When her eyes came to rest on Alessandro, Sofia felt the life drain from her body. She felt weak in her knees and needed to reach out and allow the wall to help keep her up. Just then, Gabriel joined her at the entrance. He didn’t need to ask why his father bellowed for him. Gabriel could immediately see.
He stepped over and past the guards who impeded his way and stood over Alessandro. Gabriel looked to his father, who had been assessing his brother’s condition.
“He’s got a pulse, but it’s weak,” Carmine huffed, winded from the rush of adrenaline that harshly coursed through him.
Sofia heard what her husband said, that her son was still alive, but looking at him, seeing what condition he was in, didn’t allow Sofia to feel any sense of relief.
“Gabriel, call 911!” Carmine insisted.
Gabriel looked at his father again to make sure that was really what they wanted him to do.
“We can’t handle this on our own,” Carmine hurriedly explained. “Call them!”
Gabriel pulled out his cell phone and placed the call. Carmine stayed with Alessandro, checking and rechecking to make sure their son was still breathing.
“911. What is your emergency?” Gabriel heard on the other end of the line. He explained that his brother had been critically injured.
“The ambulance has been dispatched. Stay on the line with me,” the operator encouraged.
Sofia’s body vibrated at such a high frequency that she appeared to be shaking. Her knees could no longer hold her, and the wall she used to keep her balance was of no further use. Slowly, she dropped down onto the ground, landing on the knees that were too strained to hold her upright. Relief that her son had a pulse was what she clung to. Knowing that the ambulance was on the way gave her some hope. But they had to hurry. Alessandro had to be okay. He just had to.
Gabriel was willing to do that, but he needed to find out something from his father first.
“What are we going to do with these other bodies?”
Chapter Fourteen
The ambulance arrived. There was instantly a flurry of activity. EMTs spilled out of the back and front seats, armed with the tools to assess their potential patient.
“Sir, please give us some space,” one of the EMTs said to Carmine, who was still hovering over his son. Carmine was reticent to leave his son even though the EMTs were there to save him. Gabriel saw his father’s hesitancy and stepped in, placing his hand on his father’s shoulder and then gaining his eyes. In that silent communication, Carmine acquiesced.
The EMTs immediately got to work, assessing Alessandro’s injuries, assessing his blood pressure, and determining if his life was still viable. Sofia’s eyes still remained wide, and she had to remind herself to breathe. If her son stopped, Sofia was sure she would stop breathing as well. She wanted to pray, to beseech Mary and all the saints on behalf of her son, but the words to the familiar prayer escaped her.
Gabriel was glad the paramedics were so focused on his brother. He, too, was concerned about his brother’s welfare. Yet, his eyes darted around because of what he had to do between the phone call and the EMT’s arrival.
Things began to escalate quickly. The gurney was pulled from the back of the truck. One of the paramedics was giving dispatch Alessandro’s vitals as the others attended to getting him secure on the gurney.
“He’s bottoming out!” One of the EMTs blurted. Sofia’s heart momentarily stopped hearing that. Her hand fell to her heart as her eyes stayed focused on her son. Carmine and Gabriel were also startled by the EMT’s comment. They froze in place, each grappling with high levels of concern. The paramedic conducting the dispatch shifted his attention to the patient.
“Get the crash cart.” He yelled.
One of the paramedics counted out compressions as he pressed on Alessandro’s chest and then blew in his mouth, trying to resuscitate him. The others scampered to secure the machine that could potentially jolt life back into his veins.
“Come on, Sandro,” Gabriel uttered.
“Clear!” The paramedic yelled.
All hands went up, and the Esposito’s saw his body lift from the gurney from the power of the electric charge that surged through Alessandro’s body. The second EMT started compressions again and counting. The paramedic checked his vitals again. There was no improvement.
“Charge three hundred.”
They heard the whir of the machine rev up again.
“Clear!”
The EMT pressed the conductors against Alessandro’s chest and sent another electric charge to his heart. His body lifted from the gurney again, and Sofia’s heart lurched in response. Carmine stood still, although he felt like his heart was being wrenched from his chest. Come on, son.
The paramedic checked the patient’s vitals again.
