Jolt.
Come on, come on, come on, don’t die please don’t die. Fucker!
He left the paddles and climbed atop the bed, positioning his hands over his chest. Raw, ruthless, desperate for that last line of life in the SFF.1, 2, 3, 4… Come on asshole! Not the time to go, come on! Please, please, please, please.
“Security! Call security!”
“Take him down!”
“Sir…”
Samar kept glancing up at the ECG.
On his third try, a small curve sparked to life.
“Yes!” He gasped. “He is here!”
“Come down, sir!” His elbow was held. Samar tore it away and pumped again, holding his counts steady as his own breath swelled. He kept counting, kept going, until P and Q curve were flowing on repeat. The faint beat fluttered under his fingers. Adil’s heart was beating again under him. Slow, faint, but there.
“Get down!”
“Come on come on come on!”
The curve went away, leaving a long flat line.
“Adrenaline!” Samar commanded. Now that he had caught it, he wasn’t about to let it go. He saw the doctor inject the adrenaline and heard the machine beep. He glanced up and the curves were back. Stronger than before.
“He’s back,” somebody cried.
Samar finally got off the bed, panting, rubbing at his forehead. He kept his eyes on the ECG, counting down the seconds.Stable, stable, stable.
“Doctor, please step out. Now.”
His arm was pulled, and this time Samar let them lead him out. He walked, trailing his gaze over the machine and then Adil as he was nudged out of the door. He turned and Atharva was there, Iram behind him, grinning. He nodded, feeling his mouth stretch too.
“He made it,” Samar clapped Atharva’s back.
A fist landed across his face and his head spun. Samar froze inside, his ears ringing, as the world went round. He blinked, making sense of what had just happened. He whirled to check if it was Atharva’s fist, and stilled.
“It was you,” Atharva gnarled. Shock arrested him — body, mind, tongue.
“It was so clean, how could I not see it?” Atharva’s eyes cut to Adil. Samar felt all the blood leave his head. He would fall. He would lose whatever senses were left. His knees began to buckle.
“Atharva…”
“Leave.”
“Atharva, listen,” he concentrated on his breathing, feeling his ears pop. "I didn’t intend for this to happen. I wanted to help…” he muttered without making sense of half of his words. “Both you and Adil. But none of you confided in me. I asked you again and again. I called him every alternate day to ask!”
“And if none of us said it then it meant we didn’t need your help!” Atharva thundered.
Samar jolted. His eyes widened.
“You didn’t need or you didn’t want?” He hissed back, finally back in control. The haze cleared, the ringing silenced, and now his rage erupted, out to fight Atharva’s rage.
“You again wanted to protect her and her father,” he pointed to Iram behind him. “You knew Adil would bury it all on your one command. I wouldn’t.”
“If I chose Adil, it was for a reason. And if I didn’t involve you, then that was also for a reason.”
