Lynda Sandoval – Lexy's Little Matchmaker (страница 5)
“I d-don’t know. I’m a-scared, Lexy!” he wailed. The wobble in his voice had returned full force. “When are they comin'?”
“Honey, you’re being very brave. I know it seems like a long time, but they’re coming as fast as possible. Take a breath.”
He hiccupped in some air and blew it out.
“Good. Now, listen to me. This is your most important job. I want you to run as fast as you’ve ever run before and look for that medicine shot, okay? I’ll stay on the phone, but if we get disconnected, don’t panic. I’ll call you right back as soon as we have a signal.”
“’K-’kay—”
“Ian, wait. Are you listening?”
“Y-yeah?”
“When you have that shot, you run right back to your daddy fast, fast, fast. Okay?”
“’Kay.”
“I’m not going to talk while you run because I don’t want to slow you down, but I’ll be here if you need me.”
“’Kay.”
She listened to Ian, footsteps pounding, sucking wind, as he ran back to retrieve the EpiPen she prayed was in the vehicle. Every once in a while, Ian would gasp, “Lexy?”
“I’m here.”
“Don’t leave me.”
“I won’t.”
Astonishingly, they never lost the signal. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, he said, “I’m here!”
Lexy exhaled, squeezing the bridge of her nose with her fingers. “Check the car, Ian. Take a breath and look carefully.”
She heard the unlocking, the scrambling, Ian muttering to himself. A moment passed. “I have it! It fell out on the floor by the um … um … gas pedal.”
Lexy crossed her fingers. “Run, Ian. Run back to your daddy and I’ll help you give him that shot.”
“I…I know how,” he gasped out. More pounding. Voice jostling with his steps. “Daddy taught me ‘cuz he and I are a team now.”
Adrenaline pumping, she tapped a pen rapidly on the console, her gaze ping-ponging from the call timer to the GPS map on a separate computer that showed the paramedics’ progress toward the scene, and back again. She focused on her young caller’s panting breaths, counting them.
“L-Lexy?”
“I’m here, honey.”
“Don’t leave me.”
“I won’t leave you.”
Finally a shaky-voiced Ian said, “I’m b-back. He’s still not awake. He slid off the rock, Lexy. He’s on the ground.” The panic reared up, making his words higher pitched, thready.
“That’s okay. Ian, you can still help him.” She had to tamp down his hysteria in order for him to be effective. She flicked a glance at the call timer: seven minutes. Lexy gulped and said a quick prayer in her mind. “Listen to me carefully. Open the package and get the shot ready. Did your daddy teach you that part?”
“Yes. I c-can do it.”
“Perfect. Set the phone down and do it. Then pick it back up and tell me when you’re done.”
“’Kay.”
The phone clattered to the ground. She listened to the package being torn, to Ian’s heavy breathing, to her own blood surging a staccato rhythm in her ears.
More shuffling. “I’m ready. Lexy?” Ian asked.
“I’m here. I need you to be brave, Ian, because, when I tell you to, you’re going to press that needle down into your daddy’s leg and hold it there for ten full seconds so he gets all the medicine. That’s very important. We’ll count the time together, okay?”
“’Kay,” he said, in a whimper.
“Now, do as I say. Put the tip of the shot against his upper leg and I’ll count to three. Then you’ll press down as hard as you can. And we’ll count out the seconds.”
“W-will it hurt ‘im?”
“No, sweetie, not at all. It just may save his life. Be strong for your daddy now, okay?”
“’Kay.”
“Ready?”
“Yeah.”
“One, two, three—go, Ian.”
“I did it!”
“Hold it down hard, no matter what, and let’s count,” she said in a rush. “One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten,” they said together.
Nothing.
Lexy held her breath. Dane stood frozen.
Even Ian remained silent.
A muffled, unintelligible groan carried over the line, and Lexy had to blink back tears of relief and clamp her knuckles over her lips to maintain her cool.
“He’s wakin’ up, Lexy! He’s wakin’ up!”
She swallowed several times, leveled her tone. “Good, Ian.You did an excellent, excellent job.”
“Daddy? Daddy! Wake up!”
“The paramedics are almost there, okay, Ian? And they’ll take over. They’ll take good care of your daddy.”
“Ian?” she heard a deep male voice slur.
As expected, at the sound of his daddy’s voice, Ian lapsed into full-blown “refreak,” bursting into gut-wrenching, breath-stealing, choking and gagging sobs.
“Ian, hand the phone to your daddy,” she said in a loud, firm tone, before she lost him completely. “Ian!”
Some fumbling, then, “Hello?”
“Drew Kimball?”
“Ah.yeah?”
“My name’s Lexy. This is Troublesome Gulch 9-1-1.”
“Allergic,” he slurred. “Bees.”
“I know. Ian told me. Don’t try to talk.” She could still hear Ian’s gulping wails in the background and they tore at her heart. “Just relax right where you are. The epinephrine your son administered will hold you over. Paramedics are almost there to help you, so hang tight.”
He blew out a breath. “Yeah. ‘S okay, pal. C’mere.” A pause. “My son okay?” he asked Lexy.
She smiled for the first time since that line had rung. “Mr. Kimball, Ian is much more than okay. He just saved your life.”