To Let You Go

Two

Asher Boscovich was running late. Despite this, and against his better judgement, he made a last-minute decision to stop at his regular place for an extra large black coffee before heading to the hospital for clinic duty. The sleep-deprived and caffeine-addicted part of his brain won against the logical part. Instantly, however, he was regretting his decision as he found himself in the middle of a very long line. Normally, he got to The Blue Bean right as it opened at 7:00 and could get in and out without waiting too long but now it was closer to 7:30 and the crowd was thick. He felt a pit of irritation growing in his stomach.

After a few minutes of internal debate about whether to wait it out (you're already late, might as well get your coffee) or leave with nothing (Davis will rip you to shreds if you show up late with a coffee in your hand), Asher stepped out of line and took a step towards the exit. Just then, he heard the people in line gasping and mugs breaking. Someone must have dropped their cup and created a scene. He kept walking, thankful he decided to leave before he was further delayed by the incident. He took a few more steps and stopped dead in his tracks when he heard someone shout.

"Call 911! Is anyone hear a doctor?!"

Asher turned around and saw a circle of people standing around the to-go counter. He pushed forward quickly, shouldering people aside, but the crowd was thick and everyone was rubbernecking the scene.

"Move!" he ordered. "I'm a doctor. Move!"

Finally he made it to the counter and saw that an employee had collapsed on the ground. She was young, maybe 20, and her blonde hair had been stained by a puddle of coffee. Her name tag said "Lina." An older woman, also an employee, was crouching over her, hands over her own mouth. The older woman (Anita, her name tag said) was panicked. Asher quickly dropped to his knees and put his head Lina's chest. He heard nothing.

"Her heart's not beating," he said as he began CPR. "Did anyone call 911 yet? We need an ambulance!"

A man in a red polo shirt came forward from the crowd with a cell phone on his ear. "I'm on the phone with them now! A doctor is working on her. He said her heart isn't beating. Please hurry! I don't know the doctor's name! Is that important?"

"My name is Dr. Boscovich, Greene City hospital," Asher said as he continued chest compressions. This was his specialty, he reminded himself. He was calm under pressure. He was hyper focused. He could do this. He could save her.

"Oh, Lina," Anita sobbed. She moved her hands away from her mouth to Lina's arm.

The man in the polo shirt chimed in again. "The 911 operator says an ambulance is close! Is she going to be ok?"

Almost on cue, Lina gulped in a gasping breath and threw her blue eyes open like she was waking from a nightmare. Frantically grasping at anything around her, she gripped Asher's black shirt and her eyes darted to his. They locked eyes for maybe half a second before he ducked his head back to her chest. Lina still wasn't fully aware of her surroundings and was trying to push his head away from her. He ignored her protests, held steadfast and listened to the sound of her heart in her chest. The rhythm was wrong. It was fast then slow, hard then soft. He wished he hadn't left his stethoscope in his locker at the hospital. He pulled his head away and looked into her eyes again.

"Lina, can you hear me?" He asked. He heard the sirens outside the bookstore. She stared back at him; her eyes were wide, pupils dilated. Her mouth was slightly open as she gulped in air. Then she was gone again, limp and unconscious in his lap.

"Damnit!" Asher exclaimed. He started to compress her chest again. And he continued, over and over, even when the paramedics stormed in. He continued even when Lina was loaded onto a stretcher. He continued in the back of the ambulance, barking orders at the paramedics about what drugs to inject. By the time they arrived at Greene City General Hospital twenty minutes later, his arms were aching and he was drenched in sweat. But Lina was still alive when they rolled her into the emergency room.