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Chapter Twenty-One
Stephanie pounded on the door, and Charlie began to bark.
"Step back," Heu told her from behind.He jiggled the lock a few times, then, not wasting a moment more, he put his foot through the door by the knob.Sticking his hand in, he was able to turn the lock from inside.
Heulyn charged in first, and Charlie bounded out, nearly knocking Stephanie off her feet."Down boy," she told him, patting his head.Rhys stood wide-eyed, his cheeks pale."Hey, hon," she spoke gently."Would you please go behind the counter and grab the doggie treats?The bag is on the floor."
Rhys took off without a word.
Heart in her throat, Steph stepped through the door and saw Henry on the floor, face distorted, lying in an awkward position."Call for an ambulance," Heu told her."Not sure if it's a heart attack.Know where I can get an aspirin?"
"In his drawer.I've seen him take them out a few times."She ran for the pills and dialed 911 at the same time.The photos were still lined up on the desk, a few had fallen to the floor.
Heu loosened Henry's collar and made sure he was breathing before putting the small pill on his tongue.Henry opened his eyes for a moment, but could not speak.Heu kept a finger on his pulse.
Stephanie felt panic rise in her throat as she watched Heulyn holding Henry's head, listening for the sound of sirens.She felt awful.“I’ll call Jason.”
He answered with a nod. "He might be able to meet us at the hospital."
Jason didn't answer so she left an urgent message on his voicemail.
"He's breathing, thank God."Heu glanced out the damaged door."Can you check on Rhys for me?"
Steph nodded.“He’s fine.He’s sitting on the floor right outside the door, feeding doggie treats to Charlie.Looks like you might want to get a dog for Christmas."
"As if I need more on my plate."Heulyn sat back on his heels.
The boy glanced their way, hearing the conversation."Can we, Daddy?Please?"
"We'll discuss it later."He nodded at her."Want to wait outside for the ambulance, Steph?Might save a minute or two."
"Good idea."She headed through the bookstore, opened the door, and saw the ambulance approach.It was a narrow two lane street, but emergency vehicles could park where needed.
She waved and the vehicle skidded to a stop in front of the store.The ambulance had their lights flashing and the pedestrians had stepped away from the street.Folks gathered to see what was going on.
"Straight through the back," she told the two medics."My boss.Might be a heart attack or a stroke."There was a lump in her throat, and it hurt to swallow.
"Yes, ma'am."They rushed back and stepped over Rhys and the dog to the office."We've got this," the older burly guy said to Heulyn.
"Found him this way.He's breathing, so I managed to get him to swallow a baby aspirin.He hasn't spoken a word."
The EMT nodded and bent beside Henry."Can you hear me, sir?"
Henry nodded, his eyes round and dark with fear.
"I’m Jeremy, and my partner is Diego.We're going to take good care of you."
With practiced ease, Jeremy assessed Henry's condition while Diego started oxygen."We'll get him to the hospital."Moments later, the two medics immobilized their patient and carried him to the ambulance on a stretcher.
"Which hospital?"Heu asked.
"Nearest one is Albany Memorial," Jeremy said.
"We'll follow behind."Heu picked up his son, giving him a long, hard hug.He nodded at Stephanie."We've got this."
"I'll be there as soon as I can."She would lock up and hope Jason called.
"Take your time,” Heu said.“From my experience, they'll be running tests for hours."
