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Danni received her coffee as another man rounded the corner. This man did not look well. Sweat shone on his face, though it wasn’t warm in the building. His gait was uneven. Danni paused, watching him carefully. He looked her way but didn’t appear to have seen her. The elevator door opened.
“Come on, Russ, hurry up. I want to get out of this place,” the woman said as she stepped inside.
Russ seemed not to have heard. He staggered and lurched forward. With jerky movements, off-balance, he clutched his left arm with his right hand and fell forward, landing facedown a couple of feet before the elevator.
Danni tossed her coffee into the trash and leaped toward him as the lawyer stopped the elevator doors from closing.
“Russ! What on earth.”
Danni knelt by his shoulder, first aid training kicking in.
Estella seemed to think he’d just stumbled. “What did you do? Help him up. Help him up.”
As Danni rolled the man over, she could see he wasn’t breathing.
Both the lawyer and the wife knelt next to Danni.
“What happened?” the woman demanded.
Danni kept her attention on the fallen man. “He collapsed, and I don’t think he’s breathing.”
“This is crazy! Russ, Russ.” There was panic in her raised voice.
Danni made a move to position his head and make certain his airway was open.
“What are you doing?” the lawyer asked, putting a hand on Danni’s arm.
“Starting CPR, unless you want to.”
The man paled and let go of her arm. “You’re sure you should?”
“He’s not breathing. Move back and give us both some air,” Danni said as she returned her attention to Russ. “Russ, can you hear me?” She shook his shoulder and got no response.
“Danni, what on earth?”
It was Marsha.
“Call 911 and then get me an AED.”
Marsha nodded and hurried back to the office.
Estella was now in hysterics. “No,” she wailed. “No.”
“Please help her,” Danni admonished the lawyer as she started compressions. Danni was a CPR instructor, and her training kicked in immediately. This wasn’t the first time she’d performed compressions on a real person. Sadly, the first time she had, her efforts were for naught, and the individual died. She prayed this time would be different. Lord, please save this man’s life.
Then Detective Marrs was there with the defibrillator. “Here you go. What happened?”
“He collapsed,” Danni said without looking at him. She’d just finished giving the prescribed compressions and was rechecking for a pulse. No luck. She ripped open Russ’s shirt in order to place the AED leads. Marrs helped her with that task.
Danni went about the business of lifesaving confidently, following all the steps she’d routinely taught, vaguely aware of a bit of a crowd gathering.
“Paramedics are enroute,” Marsha called out.
Danni appreciated the news. The fire station was next door, so response time would be quick.
With the leads connected, the machine analyzed Russ’s condition and instructed them to administer a shock.
“Everyone stand clear,” Danni ordered. She pressed the button and let the machine do its job. Russ jerked; the machine continued its analysis and showed an irregular heart rhythm.
