Lights, Cameras, Outsiders!

Chapter 30

LCO 30

"Jesus Christ, come on, Essie!" I nearly fell to the floor, but Matt laid me down and started breathing down my throat.

"Essie, can you hear me?!" He said. I weakly nodded. He took his palms and pushed on my chest.

"Jesus fucking Christ, come on, baby," he said until I finally regained my breath. I took in deep breaths and shook.

"Oh my God, oh my god, Essie," he said.

"Matt, I can barely breathe," I said weakly. It felt hard to breathe, as if someone was pulling my heart back to hit my chest.

"Do you want me to call 911?" He said.

"No, get...Susie," I said. He got up and ran to the door.

"Cruise, Cruise! Get Susie, Essie's in trouble!" Matt yelled.

"What's going on?" I heard Cruise yell.

"JUST GO GET HER!" He screame and came back.

"What's going on? Are you breathing?" I nodded.

"Does it hurt?"

"Yes," I whispered. He scooped me up and placed me on the bed.

"Look, if it hurts, just squeeze my hand," he said, frantically grabbing my hand. I squeezed each time I breathed.

"What's going on?" Susie ran in with Cruise.

"She stopped breathing and it hurts her to breathe apparently," Matt said.

"Okay, Essie, on a scale of one to ten, how badly does it hurt?"

"Nine," I wheezed.

"Okay," she placed her fingers on my wrist.

"Call 911, Matt."

********

"Just wait down here with Cruise and Howell. I'll go in with her," I heard Susie say as I was rolled out of the ambulance and Into the hospital.

"I want Matt," I said, my breath fogging up the oxygen mask.

"Okay, come on," Susie signaled Matt to come here. Matt grabbed my hand.

"Okay, have you had chest pain before?" A doctor asked me. I felt that if I talked, my chest would explode.

"Squeeze Matt's hand for yes, two for no," Susie said. They wheeled me into a room and unstrapped me.

"Have you got chest pain before?" The doctor asked me again. I squeezed Matt's hand.

"Yes, she has," he said.

"Have you fainted before?" I squeezed again.

"Yes."

"Ok, hold on." They lifted me up and onto a hospital bed.

"Did you have shortness of breath?" I didn't even have to squeeze.

"Yeah, she did, nearly collapsed," Matt said.

"Okay, she's probably having cardiac arrest," the doctor said.

"What?"

"Oh my god," Susie drew back.

"We're gonna shock your heart back in rhythm. CLEAR!" He took some paddles and rubbed them together and another high pitched screech filled te room.

"CLEAR!" The doctor said again. Another nurse opened my shirt as they pressed the paddles on my chest and Matt let go of my hand. Electricity ran through my veins and reached the of my toes and the hairs of my head. I screamed once he pulled away the paddles.

"We're gonna take her in for tests."