Linstead - Broken hearts

Chapter 24

Seeing paramedics perform cardiac massage and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on your 1-year-old is enough to give you a nightmare of a lifetime.

As soon as they arrived at the hospital Jesse was taken to a room, with many thermal blankets, the boy was pale, he looked like he was dead. Your dead little boy. Jay couldn't understand medical jargon.

- We placed a 20 catheter. - informs one of the paramedics while there are about five people in the room. Jay is just watching his son, waiting for him to do like Maya and spit out the water.

- Let's put in a venous access. - begins a doctor.

- We apply 3mg of adrenaline through the tube... - Jay stops listening, he tunes out, he doesn't know what's happening and what they mean by all this. He just wants his son alive and well.

- What is happening? Why doesn't he wake up? He should be awake right? Wake him up, wake him up now!! - Jay starts yelling at everyone in the room. He doesn't want to know what's happening, he wants his son awake. He wants his son well!

- Sir, you can't stay here. - a nurse approaches.

- He's my son and that's where I'm going to stay. - he takes her hands off him.

- You can't stay here, we are working to bring your son back. - she informs him again.

- I'm not going to leave, I'm going to stay here until he wakes up. - his agitation, his screams and his tears make two security guards approach and push him out. He fought, he held on, but he ended up having to leave.

- Listen... hey... hey Jay... your daughter is asking for you. - calls a police officer.

- Hey man, they're going to take care of him, they're doing everything they can to make sure he survives, go take care of his daughter. - says a security guard.

And that's what he does. Your little girl is lying on a stretcher that makes her look smaller than she already is. They changed her clothes now she is lying on one or two hospital blankets, she is breathing on her own but is under observation.

- How is she? - She asks the doctor.

-She's great, she's a strong little girl. - Says the man smiling at Jay. -We did some tests, we want to see if this cut is something more serious and we want to see how much water entered her lungs. - the doctor responds. - I want to ask her some questions, and see how she is and what she remembers, okay? - the pediatrician looks at Jay.

- Of course. - he clears his throat and smiles at Maya. - Hey Maya-bear, the doctor... - he looks at the man's badge. - Doctor Hill is going to ask some questions, okay? - he questions and she nods. - Ok... - he looks at the man informing him that he can start.

- Can you tell me your name? - Dr. Hill begins.

-Maya. - she after looking at her father to confirm if she can answer.

- Hello Maya. Is a pleasure. -He starts a conversation, even if he already knew it. - How old are you?

- Four. - She points four fingers.

- Wow!! That's almost a handful. - He lightly shakes her fingers.

- Who is he? - he points to Jay.

- Daddy. - she whispers looking at him.

- Do you remember daddy's name? - he asks and she shakes her head, Jay is worried, as she knows his name. - It's okay... sometimes it's common to forget like that. - the man reassures Jay. - Do you know where we are?