"Okay," Elle said as she straightened up. She wasn't going to go down without a fight. "I'll tell you what to do and you do it! Exactly! Do you understand that?!"
"Humans and their egos," X said with a chuckle.
"Stop laughing! Who has the medical degree here, you or me?" Elle cried as she glared at him. "Now listen to me and do what I tell you! If you don't and I die, I swear I will haunt you for the rest of your miserable life!"
"Fine. What do you want me to do?"
"Okay," Elle said as she stretched out a hand to try to examine her body but her fingers passed right through. It looked like she would have to depend on X to tell her everything. What a frightening thought. "The first thing I need you to do is open the airway. Put one hand on my forehead and tilt my head back and use the other hand to raise my chin."
"I'm going to get human germs," X grumbled as he followed his partner's instructions. "So, what did you do? Try to inhale all of the sand on the beach? Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought humans breathed oxygen."
Elle glared at X. She wasn't even going to try responding to that. "You're going to need to get some of that sand out of my mouth and throat before you do anything else. Take a couple of fingers and see if you can scoop some of it out," she said as he reluctantly put his fingers into her mouth and started to try to remove the sand. "Just be careful. You don't want to force it any further down!"
"Human germs for sure," X grumbled as he finished clearing the sand. "There. Does that make you happy?"
"I hope so," Elle murmered. She had no idea how much of the sand might be in her lungs and there was nothing she could do to remove that. She frowned as she looked at her body. Definately not breathing. "Now I need you to give me two breaths. Lean down, pinch my nose closed and make a tight seal over my lips. Then blow, not too hard but enough to make my chest rise. Got that?"
"Got it. You know this is very unpleasant," X said as he followed her instructions. She had told him not to blow too hard but it was hard to judge what force to use with these humans. They were so fragile. If she objected, she could just find someone else to help her. "Did you know you are truely hideous?"
"Like you're a prince among whatever you are?" Elle muttered as she watched what her partner was doing. At least he seemed to be getting it halfway right. "Okay. You need to feel for a pulse now." She moved her hand to the side of her neck to show him where to feel. "Put two fingers right there and tell me if you feel something. It should feel like a weak throbbing."
X followed her instructions with a grimace. "Do you know what a throbbing in the neck means among my people?"
"No and I don't want to know! Do you feel anything?" Elle demanded.
"No," X noticed Elle seemed to turn a paler shade of transparent at that news. "I gather that isn't good?"
"Of course it isn't good!" Elle cried in frustration. Where in the world were Jay and Kay? They would know exactly what to do! She shook her head and started to try to explain what to do. "You're going to have to do chest compressions now." She put her hand on the proper position. "I need you to put your hands here, one on top of the other. That's right," she said as she watched X follow her instructions. "Be careful not to let your fingers touch my chest. I really DON'T want a broken rib! Now push straight down about two inches fifteen times in ten seconds. I'll do the counting for you. Got that?"
"You are really very annoying," X said as he started the compressions. "Did you know that on my world touching a female like this would signify engagement?"
"Well, in case you haven't figured it out after all this time, you aren't on your world anymore! Here, engagement is signified by a ring and flowers!" Elle cried as X finished the compressions. "Now I need you to give me two more breaths just like you did before and then start the compressions again."
"And exactly how long do you expect me to do this?" X asked as he continued follow her instructions.
"As long as it takes! I do not want to die!" Elle muttered. At least X was doing CPR right, probably the only thing he had done right since arriving on the planet, so maybe there was a little hope. "Just keep repeating that cycle. Two breaths and fifteen compressions. "I'm going to go and try to find Jay and Kay. They can help."
"Wait!" X called as Elle started to get up. "You're a doctor, right? I seem to recall something about doctors not being allowed to leave their patients."
"That hardly applies considering the fact I am the patient," Elle muttered. She dropped back down beside her body again though. It probably wasn't a very good idea for her to leave and count on X to handle things while she was gone.
A couple of minutes later, Elle frowned when X abruptly stopped the CPR. "What do you think you're doing?" she cried. "I told you to keep doing that!"
"I felt something," X muttered as suddenly Elle's body twitched and she begin to choke up sand.
"Side! Turn me on my side quick!" Elle called as her partner rolled her over. "Now check and see if there's a pulse."
"Weak throbbing? Got it," X said as he put his fingers against her neck and quickly found a beat.
