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“Shhh, you have nothing to be sorry for. Don’t talk, just rest.” I feel the blood begin to coat my hand through my t-shirt, and Jess’ breathing becomes shallower, rasping in and out. “Come on, come on, hurry up,” I mutter, looking around for a sign that someone is coming.
“Rick.” I look back to Jess to see her eyes are open and focused on me, and she seems almost lucid.
“I’m here. Just hold on. Do you hear me, JJ. Hold the fuck on.”
She smiles. “I…love y…” her words trail off as her head lolls to the side and she stops breathing.
“No, no, no! Don’t you dare fucking die on me, Jess.” I quickly check her airway and tilt her head back, then begin chest compressions. “One, two, three… Come on, breathe, Jess. Six, seven, eight.” Noise ahead of me has me looking up quickly, and I see Ryder come crashing through the grass, dropping down the other side of Jess.
I stop compressions and give her two rescue breaths, then continue pumping her fucking chest as Ryder changes out my blood-soaked t-shirt for the other half and applies pressure.
“Paramedics are coming, Rick.”
“Come on, Jess.” I stop, another two breathes, then compressions again. I look up to the sky as I count.
I continue for what feels like forever, my heart growing heavier with every minute that passes, but I refuse to give up. And I let the fucking world know too.
“You’re not fucking taking her!” I holler. “Not this time. Jess, come on, baby, breathe. I fucking love you, and I’m not losing you.”
As if my words were the key, Jess suddenly sucks in a breath just has the paramedics arrive.
Ryder pulls me away as they take over, and I drop to my arse on the ground. I sit and stare at my blood-stained hands as they hook her up, and the beeping of her heart sounds like the best fucking sound ever.
There’s a flurry of activity around me as they load her on to a stretcher, and I climb to my feet, sending a thank you to the heavens.
“Daddy, Daddy.” Max runs straight at me, and I drop to my knees as he reaches me, wrapping my arms around him. I let the tears fall as I hug my son.
Ryder touches my shoulder, and I look up to see them wheeling Jess away. Picking Max up in my arms, I follow behind them and listen intently to Jess’ heartbeat as we walk.
When we reach the ambulance, Max looks up from where he was resting his head on my shoulder. He places both hands either side of my face.
“Mum said that Jess will be okay, Dad,” he tells me.
My eyes widen, and I swallow the lump in my throat. “What do you mean, Max?”
“While I was waiting in the trees, I heard her. She said that Jess is special, just for you and me. She said I was to tell you that it’s okay, and she’s happy for you.”
I’m speechless and choked with emotion. Max wriggles in my arms, and I reluctantly let him down. He walks to Ryder, taking his hand. “We’ll see you at the hospital, Dad.”
I look at Ryder, who shrugs. The paramedic in the back of the ambulance pokes her head out asking if I’m coming with them. I look to Max, and he nods his head, a wide smile on his dirt covered face.
“I don’t—”
“There are some things best not questioned. Just go with it. I’ll see you in a bit,” Ryder says, with a shrug.
I climb into the back of the ambulance in a daze of shock and confusion. Our journey to the hospital passes in blur as the paramedic works, and I listen to every beep of the machine like it’s my own heart beating.
As the paramedic, Claire, prepares to unload Jess, she asks me my name.
“It’s Rick,” I tell her, undoing my seatbelt and stepping out.
“Well, Rick, you did real good.”
It’s beenseveral hours since Jess arrived at the hospital, and in that time, I’ve drunk four cups of the most disgusting coffee known to man.
I’ve also had the biggest bollocking of my life from my mum, who is apparently feeling much better.
My head feels like it’s full of cement, and I can barely string a sentence together. But Jess is alive. Max is safe and unhurt, physically at least. God knows what the emotional fallout will be from being kidnapped and running for your life. I also don’t know how much of what happened to Jess he saw.
