VIVA LAS VEGAS - 1 ENGLISH EDITION

VIVA LAS VEGAS-1/25

„The doctor should arrive any minute. Oh my god! What happened? What the hell are you doing, Idy?", Charly looked down at me. He seemed to be quite horrified.

During Charly had been calling a doctor, I already had put Elvis carefully on the floor and began with CPR. I repeatly pressed his chest and ventilated him through his nose. But he just would not start to breathe.

„Come on, Elvis!", I begged while tears ran down my cheeks and dropped on his face, „Breathe! Damn it! Breathe! You cannot die!"

„My god! This is a disaster!", Charly was devastated, „I should have been looking after him sooner. This is all my fault!"

„It's not your fault!", I answered as I continued to press on Elvis' chest. This heart could not stop beating. Not now! Not tonight! „Charly, please go and secure the door. Nobody should take any notice of what is going on right here and bring me that doctor as quickly as possible, okay?"

Charly nodded and left without saying another word.

I whined desperately. I had no idea how long Elvis already had been laying there and not breathing. I feared that any attempt to save his life would be too late now. Suddenly I heard a loud cracking noise.

"Oh my god!", I was terrified. I just had broken on of his rips. I noticed that my body was shaking with fear. I had trouble holding my hands still and providing CPR properly.

„I cannot do this!", I sobbed. In that moment I gave up. After a lot of pressing and ventilating attempts there was nothing more I could do for Elvis.

I was totally exhausted. I leaned over his face. I wanted to feel him one last time and I pressed my cheek against his. But suddenly I felt something. I had the impression that I felt a short, warm breath on my cheek.

I held my hand over Elvis' nose and felt an almost unnoticeable breath. As I looked down on his body I saw that his chest slowly moved up and down.

I froze, my heart was racing. Elvis was breathing again!

Quickly I turned his body, just in case he would have to vomit. Although he was breathing Elvis was still unconscious. I laid next to him, my face close to his face. I didn't move my eyes from him in order to notice any change of his condition, especially in case he would stop breathing again. I prayed that the doctor would arrive any moment.

Meanwhile Elvis was able to breathe rather smoothly what I thought was a little miracle. I stroke his cheek.

„Please Elvis, you cannot die. It's not the time. You must live, do you hear me?", I whispered in his ear.

Suddenly I noticed a tiny twitch of his eyelid. It began to get more intense. Then, completely out of the blue, Elvis eyes opened. His body began to cramp uncontrolled and I could tell from his face that he was in severe pain. He breathed faster and faster, too fast.

„Please try to calm down. Breathe slowly, Elvis!", I continued to stroke his face tenderly, "Help is on its way. It seems that you were damn lucky. Everything will be alright.", I told him. And it helped. Elvis was breathing slower. It seemed that he wanted to talk to me but I only heard him whimper.

I kissed his cheek. That's when he closed his eyes. I checked his breathing and was relieved as I realized that he courageously kept on breathing. Then suddenly I felt his hand upon mine. He held on to it quite strongly. I was really confused. On the one hand I was overwhelmed that I had made him breathe again, on the other hand I knew that he wasn't okay at all. I didn't know if he would be able to make it. I refused to think about it. What if I would loose him now? What if the world would loose him right now?

Suddenly I heard somebody at the door. Steps were approaching me.

„Thank god! Finally!", I thought, „That must be the doctor."

I raised my hand to draw the attention to Elvis and me behind the bed. Elvis still held on to my other hand.

„We are here!", I shouted, „Please hurry!"

Somebody walked around the bed. First I saw a pair of shoes that stopped in front of us. Before I was able to look up in order to explain everything to the doctor, I heard a voice which rough sound was very familiar:

"Oh my god! My boy! What had happened? What are you doing here?"

I was confused and terrified when I looked into the Colonel's enormous face. Charly must had let him in.

"Get lost!", he yelled and grabbed my shoulders. He tried to drag me away from Elvis.

„No! Please! Listen. He had stopped breathing.", I tried to explain, „I..."

But I was very exhausted and could not fight the Colonel's strength. He kept on dragging me away. Elvis was still holding my hand although he didn't seem to notice what was going on.

„Take your hands off of me!", I cried when the Colonel tried to take Elvis' hand off mine. I sobbed.

„Where is the doctor?", I asked.

„Right! A doctor has to take care of Elvis and not you!", Parker said. Then he paused for a second and gazed at the drawer next to Elvis' bed.

„Hell no! Tell me he didn't take them all at once!"

Only now I noticed the empty box of pills and next to it a bottle of gin. I remembered that little box. Elvis always used to take one pill before he went to bed. He once gave me one of them. It was a very strong sleeping drug.

„I told the boy again and again that he should not take too much of them especially when using them with alcohol.", the Colonel kneeled next to Elvis and began to pat his cheek: „Come on boy! Wake up! You are not dying. Is that clear?"

I still was looking at the box of pills and the empty bottle. In my mind I recalled Charly's words: „He asked who this other man was. He must had seen you together, Idy!"

Suddenly I had a very bad feeling. Elvis must had followed me after our fight in the director's office. He probably had seen me with Michael. He surely must had been very mad and probably got drunk and then decided to take his life by swallowing these pills. Was this the reaction to what had happened? Because of Michael and I? Because of me? Would he really do such a thing? I was desperate. Was I the reason for his condition? My legs felt weak and I slumped down.

„Were you with him?", the Colonel asked.

I cried and tried to touch Elvis' hand. But the Colonel still was dragging me away from him.

„I just asked you something, girl! Were you with him when it happened?"

„No!", I screamed, „ I wasn't with him. I found him here. He wasn't breathing anymore. I did CPR. Damn! Please just let me hold him. Please!", I felt dizzy when I reached out for Elvis' hand.

Suddenly Tom Parker let me go. I looked him in the eyes. He nodded. I instantly crawled back to Elvis and took him into my arms. I held him until finally the doctor entered the room.

-to be continued-