A Heavy Heart 12/20
Chapter Twelve:
Don watches the pulses go by on the screen. How many now? Several thousand? Don knows it's enough that Charlie would write it using a base ten exponent.
He knows there's a number on the screen as well but he pays little attention to it until it switches from two digits to three. It's over a hundred now and Don realizes that means Charlie's pulse is speeding up.
Don stands up and stares at the number, unable to fathom its connection to Charlie any longer. The number is spiking, one hundred twenty, one hundred thirty-five, one hundred fifty...
Don finally notices that the room is filling with medical personnel only when someone starts pushing him out of the room.
"Please sir, you have to leave now!"
He stands just outside the doorway and watches the commotion inside.
"Is he on Heparin or Warfarin already?"
"Yes, doctor, here's his chart."
"Where's the defibrillator?"
"Pulse rate is one-seventy and rising."
"Come on people, we're going to lose him if we can't get that pulse down fast!"
"Crash cart! Coming through!"
Don knows it's time, just as he knew it would be before he even walked in the room.
"Goodbye, buddy," he whispers.
"Clear!"