Someone on the far side of the room tapped a spoon against a wine glass. The shrill clink of it silenced the amiable hum of the room.
Zoe twisted in her seat to see Jenny standing, glass in hand. She smiled at the faces looking back at her.
"Sorry to interrupt!"
She spoke just loudly enough for everyone to hear, a few elderly relatives leaning closer or looking quizzically to younger family members.
"We just wanted to thank you all for coming and celebrating with us!"
She looked down to where Max's step-father sat next to her, looking up with a fat grin cut across his fat face. She placed a hand on his shoulder and his own engulfed it immediately, patting it repetitively while she continued addressing the room.
"Thank you for all of the lovely gifts...we'll open them later..."
She continued. Somewhere at the back of Zoe's mind she realised that they hadn't thought to bring a gift. She looked wide eyed to Max who screwed up his face, shaking his head slightly to let her know not to worry, before smiling, a soft slip of a smile that gradually began to build as he looked at her. She felt herself begin to blush and looked away, catching the tale end of the speech his mother was making.
"So again, thank you to all of you for coming, it's meant so much to us to have you all here today, and hopefully we will see you all here again next year!"
As she spoke there seemed to be a kerfuffle at her table. From where they sat neither Zoe nor Max could see properly, but someone stood up quickly and lurched forwards as if either vomiting or catching something that was falling.
It turned out to be the latter. There was the jarring grate of metal chair legs on wooden floor, catching in the grain and marking the wood. The crack of plastic and the dull fat thud of flesh. More people were rising now, only the top of Jenny's head was visible, she seemed to be standing unnaturally still.
Max stood slowly, glancing to Robyn who sat next to him, she looked to him, confused, everything seemed to be moving in slow motion, everything seemed oddly silent until the world seemed to catch up with itself all at once, the sucking hiss of the world popped back into reality and there they were again, someone shouted for an ambulance.
Zoe stood, pushing her own chair away from the table, glancing to Max whose face seemed so full of confusion. Again someone shouted, louder this time and a flurry went through the tables, people looking for phones in bags.
After what seemed like an age long pause, Zoe finally moved, pushing through the tables, the squeak of chairs, pushed out, people standing, looking towards the top table. She felt Robyn behind her, her hand at her elbow.
They broke through the throng of people, Jenny still stood, her face a sickening grey, her face turned away from Henry who lay seemingly life-less on the floor, the legs of his chair clean snapped off and lying next to his body.
"Dad..."
She heard Robyn whisper, the chatter from the crowd was growing, people were talking, moving in to get a better look, someone was crying, someone else was screaming...
Zoe knelt down next to him, her knees bare against the wood floor, she bend her body over him, placing an ear to his face. Was that the faint trace of a breath? She pushed him over onto his back, his body was heavy and it took all of her strength to push him until he rolled over, a belch of air hissing from his lips as he rolled back.
She placed her hands against his chest, pumping the beat of his heart that failed to beat beneath his chest wall, all the while watching his face.
"Has anyone called an ambulance?"
She called, still watching him, the blue tinge of his lips catching her attention.
"Has someone called an ambulance?"
She shouted louder this time and several people responded. She glanced up to Jenny who remained where she was.
"Jenny?"
She lowered her voice, calling to her, neck twisted. She called her twice more before finally Jenny turned to face her, her eyes moving slowly to where Henry lay.
"Jenny, does Henry have any pre-existing medical conditions?"
She asked, beginning to tire from the exhausting task of pushing on the huge chest of the man beneath her.
Jenny shook her head ever so slightly. Her lips pale and twitching.
"No."
She whispered.
As she spoke the doors to the main hall opened and Jeff and Dixie appeared, wheeling a stretcher that clattered and bashed against the two way doors. She maintained compressions to his chest but shifted her body slightly as they neared.
"Hello you! What are you doing here?!"
Jeff dropped a bag down next to her while Dixie moved to the other side, glancing at Zoe before taking over from her.
"Family gathering..."
She answered, breathless and her arms aching.
Jeff shot her a grin, glancing up to Robyn, Max behind her. He began rooting in the bag.
"So what happened?"
He asked as he began passing things from the bag to Dixie.
"Uh, we couldn't see but as far as I know he just collapsed..."
She glanced up to where Jenny looked down upon them, not wanting to speculate or say too much without knowing for fear of alarming her further.
"Right, let's get him on the stretcher and into the ambo."
Dixie's voice was low and commanding. Zoe moved back, stepping back into the crowd, watching the paramedics work. Still she felt slightly dazed.
Max placed a hand on her shoulder, she turned, his arm was around Robyn's shoulders. The three of them stood together, Max between them. Mute, watching as Henry was hauled onto the trolley.
"Who's coming with...?"
Jeff looked from Jenny to Zoe.
"I am..."
Robyn's voice cracked as she spoke, and she stepped forward, reaching out for Jenny who took her hand, finally moving from her frozen pose.
"And me..."
Max spoke as Jeff and Dixie began to wheel Henry toward the door, oxygen mask firmly fitted over his face leaving little pink indents in his flesh.
Zoe took his hand, quickening her pace to keep up with them, just catching the doors, holding them open so that the trolley could pass through and finally out of the main doors. The chill in the air caught them by surprise, catching at the back of Zoe's throat making her shiver.
They paused as the back of the ambulance was lowered and they all followed the trolley, Dixie making her way back into the drivers seat whilst Jenny and Robyn clamoured in behind.
"We'll follow in the car..."
Zoe called to Jeff who nodded briefly before slamming the doors closed from the inside.
As soon as the doors were clicked shut the ambulance moved, the lights began to whirl and the pulsing sound of the siren began, whirling and whooping as the tyres crunched the gravel, picking up speed as they exited the car park.
Max exhaled, pulling his hands from his pockets and reaching out for her.
"Do you think he'll make it?"
He asked, searching her face as she looked at him.
She pursed her lips and slipped her hands into his own.
"It doesn't look good...I'm pretty sure it's his heart..."
She tilted her head as she answered, watching the slow breathy sigh that he exhaled into the wind as he looked to where the ambulance had left.
"Well."
He looked to her, the faint attempt at a smile.
"Maybe we should hold off telling him he's going to be a Granddad."
He mused, squeezing her cold fingertips, exhaling a billow of white into the air around them.
"Might just have finished him off."
He whispered.
Hope you enjoyed it! More tomorrow :) xxx