Ian stays at Anthony's side, trying to clam him down, waiting for the ambulance to arrive. He doesn't know exactly what to do, so he just strokes Anthony's hair gently while he is resting his head in Ian's lap. They breathe together, slowly, steadily. Anthony's hand is still placed over his heart, clutching his shirt tightly. He hasn't fainted yet, but Ian believes he is going to soon.
Finally, he hears sirens and a car coming to a halt outside his door. He gets up and opens the door, letting the paramedics inside. They immediately take care of Anthony. He is too weak to stand up, so that they lift him on a stretcher. They put an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose, and roll him into the vehicle, Ian following them and climbing inside of the car. When he feels the ambulance moving, he sighs out relieved. Anthony is safe for now and will get help soon. Although he knows that it will be only temporarily.
Suddenly, Anthony grabs his oxygen mask and pulls it down.
"Ian...", he begins, but is interrupter by Ian.
"Sh. Don't talk. I'm here."
"It hurts.", Anthony says weakly, tears forming in the corners of his eye.
"I know." Ian looks at one of the paramedics quizzically. "What does that mean?"
"He's having a heart attack.", the paramedic answers seriously.
Ian's eyes widen in shock.
"Hold on, Anthony. We'll be at the hospital soon. Dr. Burke will know what to do next."
At least, that's what he is hoping.
"Mr. Hecox, may I have a word?", Dr. Burke says, peaking his head inside of the small patient's room.
Anthony's asleep for now, his body attached to various machines. Each one has a specific function to keep him alive. Ian squeezes Anthony's hand one more time and exits the room to talk to Dr. Burke.
"It's good you were there when it happened. You told the paramedic that you breathed with him?"
"Yes. I didn't know what else to do. He was hurting. He couldn't catch his breath. So, I set a slow breathing rhythm. He didn't faint. He kept on breathing."
"You might have just saved his life back there.", Dr. Burke answers, smiling mildly.
"One of the paramedics said something about a heart attack?", Ian asks, worry vibrating in his voice. "Is that true?"
Dr. Burke pauses a moment and sighs before answering.
"Yes. He needs a new heart. Fast."
"How fast?"
"Hard to say. But the way his state is deteriorating, I would say... a week to three days."
Ian's face falls.
"But the pager... It hasn't beeped yet. And it's been almost a month."
"I know." It seems like Dr. Burke doesn't know what to say himself.
Ian rubs a hand over his face, stopping himself from crying.
"There has to be something we can do. Something to prolong... his life. For at least a few more days or weeks even. You can't just stand here and tell me that he is going to... to..." His voice breaks. He can't even speak it out loud. Die. Anthony is going to die. "Please, Dr. Burke. There has to be something you could do. Some kind of operation or procedure... Please..."
Ian is begging now. He has never done that. This is a side of him he hasn't even known he has. Normally, he just tells people what to do and they do it. Without further asking or questioning him. This is different. Anthony is too weak to fight right now. So he is fighting for him, instead.
