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Tenley screamed and ran forward, collapsing beside her mother who was crying.
“Weston!” Tenley shouted, and I kicked into gear.
Shooting around the foot of the bed, Rosemary’s eyes lifted to mine, pleading and filled with tears. Charlie was lying on the ground, unmoving. Checking quickly for a pulse, I rubbed his chest hard and he gasped. He coughed, at least responding to some stimuli and he continued to wheeze, choking for air.
I worked in a focused frenzy, snatching the oxygen tubes from the ground and rapidly placing the line back beneath his nose.
Snapping my attention to Tenley, I quickly threw my arms through the sleeves of my button up. “Get him a blanket or something warm,” I stated, and she nodded frantically. Not bothering to snap up my shirt, I scooped Charlie off of the floor.
Rosemary continued to shake beside me, frozen in fear. “He just collapsed. I don’t know… Is he…,” she mumbled over and over.
“Get some shoes on, Rosemary. Let’s go,” I politely directed, and stood from the purple carpet. Carefully, I carried him swiftly out of the bedroom. We were by the front door as Tenley came racing back upstairs, holding a thick blanket with her grandparents in tow. They were both a little bleary-eyed, but hustling to join us.
I shoved my feet into my boots as Tenley draped the wool warmth over her dad. She slid her feet into crocs, helping her mom tug on two different loafers without a second thought before we dashed outside.
The cold air snapped against my face, and Charlie wheezed, inhaling painfully shallowly. He choked, gasping for a full breath of air, and then passed out in my arms again.
Rosemary screamed as Irene wrapped her against her small frame.
Tenley tore open the back door of my truck so I could gently place him inside.
Everything felt robotic. What I felt or thought at this moment didn’t matter. All that did was getting Tenley’s dad to the hospital, to make sure he would live another day. But I knew this was bad, worse than what Tenley was willing to accept right now.
Frank climbed in after we slipped Charlie into the backseat, carefully rubbing his chest like I instructed to wake him up again.
Irene helped Rosemary into my truck on the opposite side as I jumped into the driver's seat. Tenley slid to the middle as Irene crashed in beside her.
And I took off at lightning speed.
Rosemary continued to sob, half the rollers in her hair had fallen out. Irene was wrapping her coat tightly around her nightgown, Tenley shivering beside me.
Everyone swallowed up in the same sheer fright I was feeling. I had to get him to the hospital, I had to. I needed to protect Tenley, wrap her heart up in warmth and happiness.
I grabbed Tenley’s hand and squeezed tightly, trying to give her any reassurance as she stared blankly out the front windshield. Or maybe, it was also a little reassurance for me as well.
Whipping into the hospital parking lot, I drove directly up to the emergency entrance and shoved the truck into park. Frank threw open his door as we all scrambled out, rushing to his side. Reaching into the cab, he scooped out his son and placed Charlie into my outstretched arms.
And I sprinted inside.
I left everyone behind me, crashing through the sliding glass doors. Voices floated around me as I frantically searched for anyone that could help.
My eyes latched onto a pair of pink scrubs with a nurse's tag dangling from her pocket. Her gaze snapped to mine and widened, recognizing my silent urgency. She rushed toward me as I met her halfway and shouted for reinforcements.
A gurney was wheeled out within another minute, followed by three doctors, and the moment I placed Charlie on the bed, they turned around and rolled him through the staff only doors.
I stopped, breathing hard with my heart pounding heavily, knocking against the walls I’d snapped up to keep from feeling. And stared after the swinging barrier.
Blankly.
He couldn’t die, not now. It was almost Christmas ,and if Tenley lost her dad during a time of year that she found magical, I wasn’t sure how I could protect her then.
A hand latched onto my arm and I flinched, but didn’t shake her off. Tenley clutched tightly, digging into my skin as she watched her dad get wheeled away. Rosemary choked, stifling her sobs as Irene and Frank stopped on the other side of me.
We stood there, in the middle of the waiting room. A couple of the chairs were occupied to our right, but otherwise, it at least seemed rather unbusy at the moment.
Meaning more care for Tenley’s father.
I prayed it would provide more help for Charlie.
