Free Love Slave for Two: Family Matters by Tymber Dalton

CPR.
    Nevvie heard the sirens as she opened the front door and left it standing open. She then ran to the bedroom to do as Peggy ordered, returning to the kitchen as the first EMT rushed into the house.
    Peggy was sweating and red in the face, trying to update the EMT as she maintained a rhythm. In a carefully choreographed swap, she rolled away from Tyler while the EMT took her place without missing a beat.
    Nevvie felt numb, frozen. This couldn’t be happening. This had to be a bad dream.
    Peggy caught her breath on the kitchen floor and then looked at Nevvie. “I’ll take care of the baby. You ride in the ambulance with him.”
    Nevvie nodded, still not comprehending. More paramedics rushed into the house, two with a gurney. Nevvie tried to stay out of the way, but as the severity of the situation sank in it was hard to remain calm as she watched the events unfold before her. Tyler was lying unconscious on the floor, the EMT still giving him CPR as the others worked on him. They put a tube down his throat, applied chest leads and prepared a defibrillator. Peggy answered questions and gave them information about Tyler.
    When they had what they needed from Peggy, she stood, walked over to Nevvie and put her arm around her.
    “Do y’all have your paperwork here?”
    “Huh?”
    Peggy gently shook her. “Paperwork. Insurance, medical power of attorney, that stuff?”
    “Tommy’s office. Top file drawer. Red folder in the front.”
    “That’s real good, sugar. Give me your keys.”
    Nevvie numbly handed them over.
    “I’ll bring Adam to the hospital after I get the paperwork and get him ready, okay?”
    “Okay.” Nevvie couldn’t pull her attention from Tyler. She willed him to open his sweet blue eyes and look at her.
    The paramedics were ready. One of them looked at the defibrillator unit. “Clear,” he ordered.
    The EMT giving chest compressions sat back and held his hands up, waiting. Tyler’s body jumped. That’s when Nevvie’s composure shattered and she sobbed.
    The men working on Tyler watched the screen for a moment. One said, “Okay, let’s get ready to transport.” Another prepared an IV and inserted it in Tyler’s arm.
    Peggy kept an arm around Nevvie’s waist. “Go with them. We’ll call Tommy once I’m there.”
    Oh God, Thomas!
    Nevvie stared. Peggy’s voice grew stern, breaking through her foggy haze. “Nevvie, sugar, I know you’re upset but you have to hold it together for him. They’ve got him back—”
    Back?
    “—and they’ll take good care of him.”
    She glanced at the clock. Only ten minutes had passed from when he collapsed. Only?
    “Mom, is he going to die?”
    “Don’t you dare think like that, missy,” Peggy scolded. “He’s young and he’s got a family he loves more than life, every reason to fight. Do you think he’s going to up and leave you three like that?”
    Nevvie shook her head. The EMTs had Tyler loaded on the gurney and were rushing him out the door.
    “Go,” Peggy shoved Nevvie toward the door. “I’ll be there soon.”
    With leaden feet, Nevvie followed the gurney. She climbed into the back of the ambulance when she was told, tried to hold back her tears. When the paramedics asked her questions she nodded or shook her head, unable to speak. Her eyes never left Tyler and she prayed, silently begging him to open his eyes.
     
    * * * *
     
     
     
    Peggy grabbed one of the firemen, who’d responded in a truck with the ambulance. “Where y’all taking him?”
    “Tampa Community. Do you know where that is?” She shook her head and he gave her quick instructions.
    “Thanks, I’ll find it.” After the ambulance pulled away, Peggy raced inside. Adam lay crying in his crib, his face red and fists balled up.
    “I’m sorry, sweetie,” she said, her composure finally shattering as she picked up her grandson and cradled him. Her momma hadn’t raised no fool. If Tyler wasn’t Adam’s father, she was George W. Bush.
    “Daddy’ll be okay,