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But instead, all I hear is a faint beeping sound.
“Riley?” I call out, closing the door behind me. Where the fuck is she?
I take two steps forward, then come to a halt when I see a limp figure on the floor. In the living room, next to the white couch. My ears ring with alarm as I rush forward, my heart jumping to my throat at the sight of an unconscious Riley.
I fall to my knees beside her, cradling her head in my hands. “Riley?” There’s a frantic note in my voice. “Hey, wake up. Riley? Riley!” I gently tap her cheeks, but she’s completely out. Not a single muscle twitches.
Her body is completely limp, her face pale, and I watch the slow rise and fall of her chest. Her breathing is slightly uneven. “Riley!” I call out her name louder. Did she hit her head? I run my fingers through her scalp, searching for an injury. But that can’t be it because there’s no blood and no bump either.
A fist squeezes around my lungs in horror and fear.
When I start to feel disoriented and my body teeters sideways, it finally registers what the beeping sound is about: it’s the carbon monoxide detector.
And Riley…
My heart stammers in realization. “Oh fuck,” I swear loudly, picking her up and rushing out of her apartment. She’s passed out because of carbon monoxide poisoning. Goddamn it!
I kick my door open, and stalk inside, lying her on the couch. My fingers brush against the faint pulse in her throat. It’s too slow. “Stay with me, Riley. Stay with me. You’re going to be okay. You’re okay. Stay with me.”
The lump in my throat grows larger, restricting my airflow. I’m panting for breath, struggling to make my lungs keep functioning. My stomach recoils with sickness as I realize just how much danger Riley had been in. She was right next door, and if I hadn’t made it in time, she could have—
I shake my head, refusing to even think of how ugly the outcome could have been.
With trembling fingers, I call for help. “911, what’s your emergency?” An unknown voice comes through the phone.
“There’s a case of carbon monoxide poisoning,” I tell the 911 operator, blood rushing between my ears. My voice shakes with panic and my heart beats frantically against the walls of my rib cage. “My neighbor,” I choke out, “I found her unconscious in her apartment.”
“In the case of a carbon monoxide poisoning, please make sure to remove her from the apartment—”
“I’ve already done so,” I cut her off, my voice cracking. “I brought her to my place and I opened the windows.”
“Okay, I’m going to dispatch an ambulance to you. Tell me your address.”
I rattle off my address, while carefully brushing the messy strands of hair away from her pale face. She looks so calm, as if she’s peacefully asleep. Nausea builds in my throat, because I know that’s not the case.
“Do you perhaps know how long she’s been unconscious?”
“I don’t know.” I grasp her limp hand in mine, lacing our fingers together, needing to touch her, to hold her. Riley is still warm and I try to find comfort in that fact.
The lady asks me more questions…and I have answers to none of them.
“There’s a big pileup to the south of your apartment, blocking the freeway,” the lady continues, her tone becoming tense. “And the roads are under construction on the other side. The ambulance will have to take another route to you. It’s not the most favorable, but that’s the only accessible one for them to get to you right now.”
I squeeze Riley’s hand. “How long?”
“Approximately 13 minutes.”
13 minutes…
Riley doesn’t have 13 minutes. Her pulse is too faint and her breathing pattern has drastically slowed. She’s on my couch, looking like the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever laid eyes on…but she’s barely breathing, barely alive.
No, we don’t have 13 fucking minutes.
My brain starts thinking of another way to get Riley to the hospital. If I take my car and then leave it where the construction is happening…and run the rest of the way. I might just make it there faster than having to wait for help to get to us.
I quickly do the math in my head, calculating the distance, my speed and the time it would take me to reach the hospital. I can do it in 8 minutes.
I need to do it in 8 minutes…
