The Twilight Series belongs to S. Meyer, no copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing with the characters.
AN: Here's the promised update. Just so you know there will be a scene switch in the middle that is re-playing some the events from this and the last chapter.
Her hands rested on her dad's chest; her uncanny senses giving her clues to what was wrong without asking a single question. She could hear the fluttering of his heart. The rapid beating of it was too fast to allow the chambers to effectively fill before pushing oxygen-rich blood to his tissues.
She locked her elbows and closed her eyes for a moment. Just long enough to bring back the words her CPR instructor had imparted only months ago. Two inches or five centimeters in depth—a rate of 100 compressions a minute. Compressions are more important than rescue breathing. The brain and heart—the organs need blood more than the lungs need oxygen.
She began to push down, counting as she did. She opted to do straight compressions, knowing his lungs would have a little oxygen left in them for some time. Her eyes and senses somehow measured the correct distance but it still didn't prevent her from breaking a few of his ribs.
The sickening crack and crunch of them underneath her hands upset her but she couldn't stop. Better to have a bruised chest and broken ribs then be dead. She made sure to let his chest recoil between each compression—it gave his heart time to fill with blood before she pushed down and thrust it out and to his organs. Giving his lungs time to exhale carbon dioxide.
His color wasn't nearly as ashen as it had been when he first collapsed so she determined she was doing something right. Her mind was so focused on him that she couldn't understand what her mom was saying to the operator but at least the call had been made.
Two minutes. Somehow she knew when it had been two minutes. She paused, doing as she had learned in class and tilted his head back. She waited for the rise of his chest but saw none. So, she pinched his nose before sealing her mouth over his; her eyes focused on his chest as she breathed for him once—then a second time; watching it rise with each breath she gave him.
Within seconds her hands were back on his chest and she began to push again. The few moments she had paused she had heard his heart try to beat on its own but falter. She continued to pump his heart for him—not stopping.
Loud footsteps and panting breaths diverted her attention as Quil rushed through the door. "Jared…Seth…your dad…heart attack…" he huffed; his hands resting on his knees as he was bent in half trying to catch his breath.
"Yes."
"My grandpa…his heart's been…bad for years…he's got pills…" he finished, shoving a bottle toward her face.
Vaguely, she recognized the small brown bottle. Nitroglycerin. Not pausing in her compressions, she called out to her mom, "Mom, Nitro? What do you think?"
Sue paused and covered the phone receiver, weighing the benefit and risk. "Yes, just one. Without knowing his blood pressure more might be too much but one could open up the vessels," her voice calm and steady; her composure regained.
"Quil, I need you to pinch his nose and give him two breaths. Slowly. Then I want you to put one pill under his tongue and I'll start compressions again. Whenever I tell you to—you need to breath for him, can you do that?"
"Yes."
They worked as a team. Sue stayed on the phone with the operator while Leah continued to help her dad's heart to fill and empty. Quil's lungs provided fresh oxygen to lungs that were barely breathing on their own. Her arms ached from the strain but she refused to stop—she couldn't.
The relief she felt when the paramedics arrived made tears slip from the corner of her eyes and down her cheeks. Their instructions slow and easy to understand as they took her place. Her dad's shirt was cut off, his chest hastily shaved as defibrillator patches were placed on it.
The AED read his heart's rhythm and advised a shock. The first shock had his body rise off the floor from its strength. Once the shock was delivered one of the paramedics' hands rested over Harry's chest and began the cycle of compressions while the other remained at his head and used a bag mask hooked to oxygen to deliver air to his lungs.
When an officer from Forks arrived he took the place of the paramedic at Harry's head; taking over the function of breathing. The other paramedic questioned them about what happened, his medical history, how long he was down before they started CPR while he started an IV; question after question which they answered.
It seemed like hours had passed but it was only minutes when the AED began to read Harry's heart rhythm again. A second shock was advised and Leah watched as her mom sank to the floor as it was delivered. Compressions beginning once again; medications were pushed through the IV and life sustaining breaths delivered.
When the AED alerted them a third time that it was analyzing his rhythm—they held their breaths. Releasing them only once the AED confirmed a rhythm—a stable one which meant they could transport him to the hospital. Within minutes they had Harry on a stretcher, Sue following behind as they loaded him into the ambulance and sped off with lights and sirens towards Forks' Hospital.
Jared had realized what was happening with Harry a millisecond before Leah did. He had heard the skipped beats, the steady lub-dup changing; speeding up as the sounds became muffled. The scent of sweat laced with anxiety filled the air. The light which filled Harry—his soul—fading then flickering before it faltered completely.
He didn't argue with her words. Just followed them without another thought—she was right they needed to get Seth out of the room and phased. He was too close already and there was no point in delaying. Last of all, heaven forbid that Harry didn't make it—they didn't need Seth phasing into a giant wolf at his dad's funeral.
He roughly grabbed Seth by the collar, pulling and pushing him towards the door. Seth fought him the entire way. There was no doubt about it—Seth was going to be strong. In the doorway he paused as thinking about Seth's strength reminded him of Leah's newfound strength. Strength she hadn't had time to become accustomed to.
"Leah, not too hard. Your strength is more than what you're used to."
He caught her word of "Thanks" as he shoved Seth the rest of the way out the door. He knew he had to get Seth closer to the tree line. There was no telling how close the paramedics or police would be. The paramedics didn't worry him—not nearly as much as an armed police officer and their potential reaction to a pair of giant wolves.
"Get your fucking hands off of me!" Seth snarled.
Heat furled off the young boy's skin. Its intensity was blistering; nearly enough to burn Jared's palms. Seth twisted and turned, fighting against him. His grip faltered for a moment and he growled, his eyes flashing in frustration and anger.
"Dammit, Seth. Stop struggling—I'm not letting you do this here."
"You're not letting me! Who do you think you are?"
He decided they were close enough. His hands released Seth's trembling frame and he pushed Seth away from him. They stood parallel to the tree line and he hoped when Seth phased, he followed in Leah's footsteps and ran for the safety of the forest versus toward the house or—even worse the road.
Drawing himself up to his full height, he towered over Seth by mere inches. But Seth's reaction was eerie—there wasn't any terror or submission as their eyes met. There was definitely some truth to the tale Old Quil had shared. The Clearwaters were cut from a different mold than the rest of them.
"Who am I?" he roared. His own body trembled, his eyes glowing with lupine rage. "I'm the beta of this pack and you're nothing but an omega." He paused for good measure as he debated his next words. Nope, he thought ironically, they were needed. The two siblings had some fucked up control that meant their buttons needed a bit of extra pushing and even more since Seth wasn't at his boiling point—close but it wasn't enough.
"It didn't take long for your sister to figure who her master was so I doubt it'll take you long either."
He was prepared for Seth's fist which connected with his jaw. Fuck, broken again, he mused. The Clearwater siblings were going to be the death of him.
"Don't even think about touching my sister!"
He laughed, a cocky smile tugging his cheeks, "Too late. And I don't think she minded at all." He drawled the final words, "And I can't wait to do it again."
Like he had with Leah only a day ago, he backed away from the lunging and snarling youth who quickly transformed into a sandy brown wolf. He wasted no time in phasing himself. His outfit tearing and littering the ground with cloth scraps.
Seth bared his teeth, snapping his jaws before lunging at him but Jared was bigger, faster, and more comfortable in his wolf form, so he was able to avoid the attack. Immediately, he put the younger boy on the defensive and pushed him towards the forest. Throwing his head back as he howled for backup; answering howls resounding back to them.
Seth, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it but we need to get out of your backyard. He pushed everything he could think of about the legends and stories through the link. He even included his view of what Seth looked like.
See, that's you. The stories—they're true. Sam, me—the others, even your sister all have this ability to change into wolf form. We're protectors.
What's going on, Jared? Jake asked. His voice followed by the questions of the others; the pack mind quickly turning into chaos.
Hey, one at a time. I don't know if he's gonna react the same as Leah.
What?! You pushed his phase?! Sam accused.
I had too. Harry's had a heart attack. Seth is—was too close. It had to happen now.
The sound of sirens grew closer but were still miles away. They needed to move now. Quil muttered something about running to his grandfather's house at the same time Jake came crashing through the trees. Seth had always looked up to Jake and they knew they could use this fact to their advantage.
Hey, Seth, Jake greeted the half-feral new wolf. It's okay. It's me—Jake. Come on. Why don't you follow me and I'll show you everything you need to know?
Reluctantly, the sandy wolf followed his idol and moved into the forest. Jared followed behind the two boys knowing Leah would want him to keep an eye on her brother. Slowly, Seth pushed forward as his wolf faded into the background. His chatter filled the silence in the pack mind as they fought against thinking about the tragic events of the morning—what was happening to Harry.
AN: Firstly, I know that there may be disagreements about how to do CPR and/or how it works when EMS arrives. The American Heart Association recommends compressions only for someone who isn't certified/trained to do CPR and it's also recommended for signal responder CPR.
In two person CPR compressions:breaths is 30:2. Always, always, always call 911 first. Especially with an adult as most likely they're collapse will be do to a cardiac issue and they'll need defibrillation.
In infants and children the most common cause of collapse is choking, therefore you can do CPR for 2 minutes and then make the call if you are alone. And before beginning CPR (infants/children or adults) always check for consciousness and rule out an airway obstruction (Leah didn't do these things cause of her wolfy senses).
Finally, I've never been in a situation like this outside of my workplace, therefore I made an assumption that they would attempt using the AED several times, along with assessing history, and starting an IV/medications before transporting a patient. I can't imagine it's very easy to do CPR while speeding down a road.
Anyway, the purpose of this long note wasn't to come off as defensive but the last thing I want is a bunch of reviews saying it's all wrong. If there is something that is drastically wrong or completely incorrect, feel free to PM me about it. Thanks.
FF_8756144_20 12/18/12 10:22AM