Title: Twenty-eight, Twenty-nine, Thirty
Author: BBC
Universe: Elementary
Rating: G
Warnings: I wasn't able to find anything from the British Red Cross about 2-person CPR so I defaulted to the guidelines from the American Red Cross. Also, this story is not overly burdened with plot.
Word count: 456
Summary: During a crisis, it's all hands on deck.
Prompt: July 11 - threesome
John sat upright from listening to the agonal gasps of the collapsed suspect. Immediately he started feeling for the xyphoid process, lacing his fingers and positioning his hands over the sternum. As he began compressions, he locked eyes with the Yard's Chief Superintendent. "Call 999, fetch a defibrillator, and go wait by the doors for the ambulance."
For a man John had once punched in the face, the bureaucrat was quick to obey. The man might be an unbearable pillock but at least he could recognize a medical emergency when it was literally under his nose. Unfortunately, barking out the orders had already made John lose count of his compressions.
"Seven, and eight, and nine, and ten – " DI Dimmock suddenly began counting from a position by the unconscious suspect's head. John turned his head slightly to look but didn't stop compressions. Dimmock only smiled slightly and kept counting.
"Twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty." John relaxed his stance and let Dimmock give two rescue breaths (without a mask?! Brave man. Or foolish) before starting compressions again.
The superintendent came tearing back with the defibrillator and a ventilation mask. While John compressed and Dimmock counted, the third man opened the defib, pulled out the electrodes, and got the wires attached. Then, as John grabbed the electrodes to position them on the suspect's chest, Dimmock assembled the mask and the superintendent went to wait by the doors.
"Analyzing. Stand clear," intoned the machine and both John and Dimmock put up their hands in a "don't shoot" sort of way.
"No shock advised. Continue CPR."
"Dammit." If no shock was advised but CPR was, that meant that the suspect wasn't even in a-fib – he was in full cardiac arrest. John repositioned his hands and began another cycle of compressions. Dimmock gave the two rescue breaths, and noticing John starting to lag slightly, said, "CHANGE, and two, and three, and – "
John tightened his lips but didn't argue. His shoulder was already starting to twinge. After Dimmock gave two breaths, John took his place at the suspect's head while Dimmock slid down to kneel by the ribcage and positioned his own hands for compressions. And John took up the count instead.
"Analyzing. Stand clear. Shock advised. Press the red button. Stand clear."
John scooted back towards the defibrillator, checked to make sure Dimmock wasn't touching the suspect, and hit the red button. The unconscious body jerked once.
"Analyzing. Continue CPR." Well. A-fib was better than complete cardiac arrest, at any rate.
As Dimmock resumed compressions, John heard, over his own voice keeping count, the sounds of the superintendent's shouting "here, over here!" and the wail of an approaching ambulance. It was just possible that their unlikely trio may have saved this man's life.