Title: Asphyxia
Characters: Harry Dresden, Lt. Murphy
Rating: PG
Prompt: Air
Spoilers: None
Word count: 940
Summary: How to save a life
Author's notes: I don't own the characters or series or books (which is a shame), Jim Butcher does tho (lucky guy). I make no money with this.
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A normal, grown human adult drew 12 breaths per minute. 12 breaths, filling your lungs, streaming into your blood and traveling from there to were it was needed.
Lt. Murphy was down to not breathing at all as she tried to live of the rest she had drawn in before tumbling into the pool with whatever it was that was now trying to drown her.
Drowning is death as caused by suffocation when a liquid causes interruption of the body's absorption of oxygen from the air leading to asphyxia. The primary cause of death is hypoxia and acidosis leading to cardiac arrest.
Her eyes had closed and she tried to hold still, which she wouldn't if she didn't know that Dresden was there too and he'd hopefully get that thing off her. Until then she needed the air still left for surviving much more then for fighting this thing.
Time underwater was different, stretched endless as Murphy felt her brain go fuzzy. She struggled with herself to keep her mouth shut, her lungs starting to burn, her body arching as it fought the mental restraint and she knew she'd be lost in a matter of seconds. Tears stung at her eyes, tears from strain, defeat and anger at herself for not being able to hold the air much longer and with a gasp she let go of the inner restraint, mouth opening wide and water filling her mouth and throat in a matter of nanoseconds.
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They had been following this Demon for quite a while as Dresden suddenly made a dash to the left and into a Garden, Murphy hot on his heels, gun drawn. She had bumped into the Wizard as he had stopped abruptly, cussing and staring at the thing. Something that resembled Hammerhead shark mixed with a Bull.
'Damnit Dresden what is that?'
Before he could answer he had shoved her aside brusquely and jumped to the other side, something blue flying towards where they had just stood before, making the air crackle and something behind them set on fire.
He was panting hard and looked at the demon with wild eyes before getting back on his feet, Staff in his hand. Harry was mumbling to himself trying to gather enough energy for whatever he wanted to do and Murphy tried to distract the demon. Firing two shots at him had worked until he had charged towards the Lt. , ramming into her at full speed and making them fall into the pool.
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Dresden had yelled as he saw what happened, his concentration faltering as fear gripped him and he rushed to the edge of the pool. He knew that the demons energy should ground but it was taking too much time already.
With crackling and sizzling kind of sounds the demon started losing his body, steam rising off him and screams ripping from his throat but he never loosened his hold on Murphy.
Heart pounding loudly in his ears Harry jumped into the pool, the demon not gone completely yet, and grabbed Murphy's torso, pulling with the last strength in him and wrestled her free from the dying demons grip.
She was lifeless in his arms, like a sack of potatoes. With effort Harry lifted her out of the pool, blue lips forming a small 'o'. He slapped her cheeks then leaned his ear over her mouth hoping for a faint ruffling of his hair.
Panic rose in Harry as he felt nothing and he started CPR, pressing his hands onto her chest, pumping hard and desperate.
'C'mon Murph...stars and stones don't you let that snuff you out. There's...been far worse.'
Harry counted each until he reached 30. With an outraged groan he leaned down towards her face, closing Murphy's nostrils and pulling her mouth open and her head back, his lips pressing down on hers before he forced his breath into her.
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The moment she had opened her mouth a thousand thoughts had run through her head as the water flowed down in her lungs, her body too weakened by lack of oxygen to hold it back. Before she could notice that the Demon started vanishing everything had faded to black.
Asked later she would tell them she saw nothing. She really hadn't seen the light everyone described. She'd seen things like memories, but they weren't. She saw her daughter smiling down at her, her head shielding the blinding sun. Then Harry's head replaced Anna's and she felt a soothing feeling bubbling up in her as she saw him smirk.
It would be ok.
Just as her mind seemed to find solace in that and his smile and Anna's laughter she felt something change. Pain slammed into her, her lungs burning with each labored breath, Anna's laughter faded as did Harry's smile and all of a sudden cold darkness was back, seeping into her and chilling her to the core.
Faint noises registered to Murphy. A voice, begging tone. Harry Dresden.
'C'mon Murph, get it all out.'
Then she clenched and her stomach emptied. And while water gushed out of her, air rushed into Murphy.
'That's better don't you think?'
She opened her eyes and found herself clutched in Dresden's arms, held close as he swayed her. She would've smiled but the cold made her shiver hard and she felt drained.
'How...?'
'Just don't talk yet ok? ... Water made it melt.'
A series of coughs broke out of her and she pressed her face against Harry's soaked shirt.
'Very...Dorothy of you.'
Looking up at Dresden, Murphy broke into a lopsided, shaky grin and watched him bow his head chuckling.