He barely breathed it out, but it was enough to keep me holding on.
“I’m here, Xan,” I whispered, my voice shaking as tears streamed down my cheeks. “Stay with me. Please.”
He tried to speak again, but it came out weak, a rasp barely audible. Then he slipped back into unconsciousness.
My fear and anxiety started to overwhelm me.
What if the ambulance was stuck somewhere? What if they never came?
It had been almost ten minutes, and they hadn’t arrived yet.
My breath hitched, and panic tightened its grip around my chest.
I had to do something.
I stood and reached down for his hands.
Then I dragged him, pulled him across the floor, pouring every ounce of energy I had into it, adrenaline flooding through me.
I dragged him through the living room and out the front door.
I left him there, then ran to the garage.
Mother’s car was parked inside.
I didn’t have my driver’s license yet, but Xander had taught me to drive a few times.
I believed I could do this.
It wasn’t until much later that it struck me: why hadn’t I called my parents for help?
It was like my mind refused to believe they would even care.
I punched in the PIN code to unlock the garage door, pushed it up, and grabbed the car keys from one of the drawers.
I climbed into the car and quickly started the engine. The gas tank was half full, enough to get to the hospital.
Without hesitation, I put the car in reverse and backed out.
Once clear, I jumped out and dragged Xander into the back seat.
I didn’t even check on him because I was too frantic to remember.
Later, I wondered where the strength had come from, how I managed to drag Xander, who was a head taller and heavier than I was.
But somehow, I managed to get him into the car and started driving.
I drove. I drove fast.
Adrenaline surged through me, my focus locked on one thing: getting him to the hospital.
Xander was silent in the back seat. I didn’t dare look back. I couldn’t.
I kept driving. And driving. And crying.
Then I saw it. The hospital building rose at the end of the street like a promise.
Relief hit me hard, flooding through my chest and spilling out in sobs.
