“She’s here. Nick, she had another heart attack and she doesn’t have much time.”
“Oh, God! Where is she?” He took off down the hall toward the elevator.
“Wait!” Dr. Thantos took off after him and grabbed him by the arm.
“What is it?” he snapped.
“There’s something else… something you need to know.”
KING
As soon as Rebecca opened her eyes, she regretted it. The bright light felt like an ice pick piercing her brain. She tried to sit up, but she couldn’t move. She tried to speak, but couldn’t. She had a horrible sore throat and felt as if she were choking.
A face appeared above. It was Dr. Bettis, her cardiologist.
“Rebecca, dear, you had another heart attack. We lost you for a minute, but you’re a fighter.”
She smiled and Rebecca could feel a hand on hers.
“You can’t speak because we had to intubate. The respirator is helping you breathe. I’m sorry, Rebecca. At this point, without a heart, I’m afraid…”
Her doctor’s voice was fading just like the time she had left. But she didn’t need to hear what the doctor was saying. Rebecca knew her time in this world was coming to an end.
Nick!
17
KING
“Rebecca, can you hear me?”
She couldn’t make out the voice, but whoever it was, she heard them. She felt a cold hand slip underneath hers.
“Rebecca, it’s Dr. Bettis. If you can hear me, squeeze my hand.”
Per the doctor’s instruction, she squeezed.
“Good… good! Can you open your eyes?”
Rebecca worked to part her lids, blinking until she could see her cardiologist’s brown eyes and wide smile.
“Very good. You’re doing good. Since you’ve been breathing on your own for a while now, I’m going to remove the respirator. When I say so, I want you to take a deep breath and when you feel the pull, exhale out of your mouth. Do you understand?”
Rebecca confirmed with a weak nod.
She twisted a few caps, unsnapped a few tabs, and asked, “Are you ready?”
After another nod, the doctor wrapped her fingers around the tube. Rebecca inhaled in her nose and then exhaled as the doctor gently pulled the hose from her throat. She fought the urge to vomit the entire time it took to remove the hose. Once it was out, the choking sensation caused her to cough. Rebecca had never experienced pain so devastating in her entire existence. She went to grab her chest, but a nurse grabbed her hand.
“No, no, Miss King. You’ll tear a stitch,” she warned.
Rebecca’s face twisted with confusion. Why did she have stitches? She wanted to ask, but the pain in her chest was unbearable. She could feel a warm tear run down the side of her face.
“I know you’re in pain, Rebecca. But I want to monitor your heart rate and blood pressure for a bit before introducing pain meds.”
Dr. Bettis must have read the confusion in her expression.
“I know you want answers, and you’ll have them soon. Right now, I need you to rest.”
