Alan moment.
He knew he shouldn't be out of school. Been at boarding school your supposed to always be on campus for their "safety" especially being the son of a very rich man. But Alan doesn't give a damn, he's had enough and so had Kai a boy that lived next door and who ran with him in the track team. They had decided for their little rebellion that going for a run outside the school boarders would be fun. So here we are, Kai had only started 2 weeks previously so was an alright runner but still not as fast as Alan, who had been doing it for nearly 4 years now.
"Alan do you sometimes wonder what your dad would think of you doing this?" Kai asked.
"I think he'd murder me, he's always on at me about been more like my brother Scott, responsible, good grades, disciplined you know? He'd blow his top if he knew I was breaking the rules again" I answered knowing that what I was doing right now would surly have repercussions if my father ever found out, it would be quite annoying to get in trouble now 3 days before the holidays.
We stayed silent for the next few miles, Kai always behind me. I was really relaxed by the run, it freed me from studying for the grades that my fathers assumes I don't have, he's under the idea that I haven't changed in 4 years since I started going to boarding school at 12 years old. It also allowed me to experience a bit of calm being a bit of a hothead. I offered to Kai because we'd been friends for 2 years and he'd recently become interested in running like me.
"We're gonna stop at the next mile post" I called to Kai behind me. We'd been running for maybe an hour down some dirt paths. Kai was beginning to struggle, I was still pretty fresh because of the amount of running I did on the islands.
We halted to a stop and began to discuss what we were going to do.
"Maybe we should go back to Wharton's?" Kai suggested having started to worry someone would have noticed their absence.
"I don't think we should yet, 6 o'clock call is in 3 hours, we can maybe do an hours more and then return with plenty of time to spare." I said looking at my phone that I had bought without my father's knowledge, he'd prefer if I used the connected watch he provided but I knew better that there was a tracker in it. Looking at Kai I decided we should take a moment of rest he was quite out of breath, more so than I'd though he'd be. We had been going quite slowly the whole run, like we had the last time we had done this.
"Alan…. Something's not right..." Kai puffed hard, he swayed and fell to the ground with a soft thud. He became pale even grey in seconds, he look dead.
"Kai! KAI! Can you hear me or give my a simple gesture?" My thunderbirds training came alive instantly to start first aid. But to no avail, Kai didn't respond, he now had his eyes rolled, his hands limp and his mouth gasping. I confirmed that he was no longer conscious. Listening to his breathing , I realised that his gasping wasn't for air. It was Agonal breathing, a breath by reflex from the diaphragm that occurs when the heart stopped. I was suddenly even more panicked than before, Kai was suffering from sudden cardiac arrest in the middle of nowhere on a dirt path, nobody about, to far for rescue crews, covered by trees and more importantly, no defibrillator around.
I turn him on his back, place my hands over one another, fingers intertwined and began compressions.
"Kai! 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8…." till 30 then giving 2 breaths hoping he regain life. I knew that I couldn't reach my phone without stopping compressions, even with a 4% chance of survival I was try my best cause damn Kai was gonna live.
I was staring to wish we had taken frequented paths, maybe someone could have come by but here he doubted it , their were really remote. Also an issue was that being so remote I was doubting that my phone would have reception, fuck I wish I'd taken my watch with me it was satellite at least.
After just a few rounds of compressions I was tiring, at this point I was sure all Kai ribs were broken. I feel guilty that I'd dragged Kai along for my misadventure and it had ended like this.
At maybe the 4 minutes mark I started to worry badly at 6 minutes the brain without oxygen begins to die, if Kai doesn't regain rhythm soon there's not everything's going to be saved. I stopped for a moment and listened hoping, praying to hear the signs of a beating heart even breath. As I was about to restart my compressions, Kai breathed hard. He sucked in air and began cough. My ear on his chest, I listened. He was no longer in cardiac arrest but his beating sounded fast and soft and not as strong as it should be. It wasn't beating perfectly by any means but it was the most I could do without actual medical equipment.
I breathed hard calling "Kai! Can you hear me, if you can please give me a noise or sound" No response again.
I now needed a plan, Kai now had heart function and I needed to get him to a hospital. Looking at my phone, no signal, and declining battery. I had some idea of where the hospital should be and where to go on the trails.
The only solution I could think of was to carry Kai though the trails to a hospital or to a place that I could call for help, I think the former will arrive first.
Picking up Kai like a sack of potatoes, he was limp as a rage doll. It scared me even if I knew his heart was beating and he had breath, he felt like a corpse even looks like one.
I started to run, time was of the essence something must be very wrong to cause sudden cardiac arrest in a teenager.
And I ran and ran for miles, no signs of life or rest for me. Adrenaline helped but I was starting to strain, carrying Kai, no matter how light he was, made running agonising and I had to run fast.
After maybe an hour I saw a semblance of civilization know as the top of the hospital, though the trees, I had made it thank god.
Aching by now I had a last slope before I could reach the back of the hospital and run around to the ER doors. With Kai on my back I attempted the slope, half way down I slip.
"Fuck!" that's my ankle bruised for sure, but I don't give a damn.
Down on the cement behind the hospital, I sprint like a mad man toward the ER ignoring everything.
At the door:
"I need help please!" the nurses whip there heads round surprised that a two kids are here on the busiest hours of the days.
"My friend, Kai Lavon went into sudden cardiac arrest about maybe an hour ago in the forest trails, I applied CPR and he regained rhythm but it still not right." I told them as I laid Kai onto a stretcher.
"We'll take care of you're friend alright just wait here I'll send someone to ask you some questions, okay?" A nurse said.
So I sat there till a nurse handed me a document asking me to fill in a much as I could for Kai.
It asked his medical history, allergy, his parents, my relation to him and phone numbers. In ten minutes I was done leaving it at the desk, I was then asked to leave because I wasn't family and it was a bit crowded. I left, heavy hearted and knackered back to Wharton's, at least I'll be back for call.