Waiting on the Sidelines (Waiting on the Sidelines #1)(72)

There was no way I was going to be able to drive anytime soon. I felt like Dorothy flying through the tornado to Oz. Everything was spinning, and I couldn’t get a full breath. I sat down on his bed and just stared at him, his breathing heavier now. He was fully asleep moments after dropping that bomb on me.

It was the earliest hours of the morning, and my friends were sprinkled around town, none of them able to talk me through this. I had to do this on my own. Reed said he loves me, I thought, over and over. Arguing with myself, I would one minute have myself set on chalking it up to his drunken state. But my heart was fighting against all other reasoning. The scariest part was I so badly wanted it to be true. And I wanted him to say it to me again in the morning.

I must have spent an hour sitting bedside with Reed, listening to the light rhythm of his breathing and watching his chest rise and fall. I found myself checking his forehead a few more times until I felt like his fever was reduced. It was 2 a.m. by the time I was able to get my feet working enough to tackle his stairs. I stopped in his kitchen for a glass of water and was washing it at the sink when I heard the sound of his front door opening. The lights went on and I didn’t know what to do. I was sure it was Buck, but I didn’t want to scare him.

“Hello?” I said, loud enough for him to hear but not loud enough to frighten him.

“Hey, who’s that here?” I heard him say back.

“It’s me, Buck. Just Nolan. I gave Reed a ride home. I was just leaving,” I said as I rounded the corner, but then stopped suddenly as Buck was bent over, his bags dropped haphazardly on the ground and his tie pulled out from his neck. He was breathing hard and reaching to clutch at the side table where he set his keys and without warning he fell to his knees and then rolled to his back.

“Oh my god, Buck,” I screamed, rushing over to him. I pulled his tie out completely and started to unbutton the top of his shirt, his body was covered in sweat and his face was red. He started to grip at his chest and I knew.

“I’m calling 911, now!” I shouted rushing to the phone in the kitchen to make sure they had an address to go by.

The operator answered right away. “Hi, I’m at 77104 E. Outlaw and someone is having a heart attack,” I rushed back to Buck’s side. He was still clutching at his chest. I continued to pull at his buttons with my free hand.

“Ma’am, stay on the phone with me. Help is on the way,” the other end of the phone was calming me. I was operating on adrenaline now.

“He’s having trouble breathing. He keeps clutching his chest, please hurry,” I trembled.

“OK, ma’am. I need you to check his breathing. Put your ear near his mouth,” she said.

“OK, hold on,” I set the phone on the floor and put my ear to Buck’s lips. I could hear air, but he was gasping from pain. “He’s breathing. He’s breathing. But he is in a lot of pain.”

“Do you have Aspirin at home?” she asked. I didn’t know. And the only other person who would was dead to the world upstairs.

“I don’t know. I’m checking,” I said, taking the phone with me and rummaging through the cabinets in the kitchen. I finally found one with medicine and I crawled up on the counter to get a good look. I tossed a few bottles out of my way and found a yellow bottle with Aspirin. I ripped the top off and got back to Buck.

“I have it, I have it,” I said.

“OK, you need to try to get him to chew one. Do you think he can do that?” she asked.

“I don’t know. I’m trying, hold on,” I put the phone down. I leaned down to rest my hand under Buck’s head. I lifted him a little and forced his eyes to meet mine. “Buck, help is coming. I need you to try to be calm. I know it’s hard. You need to eat this.”

I put the pill at his lips and felt him try to open his mouth, so I pushed it in. He was chewing sporadically. I picked the phone back up and continued to sit on the ground with his head in my lap. “He’s chewing. Are they almost here?” I was desperate.

“Someone should be close now. Can you see anyone out the door?” she asked.

I set Buck’s head on his coat and went to the door. “Yes, I see them. Thank you so much, oh God, thank you!” I rushed out to meet the fire truck and ambulance at the top of the driveway.

Watching them work on Buck was like a blur. I saw them place him on a board and get him to a stretcher and into the ambulance, hooking him up to monitors and putting an IV in his arm. In a rush, they were gone. I remembered that the ambulance driver yelled “Southeast Mercy.”

Hospital. Hospital. I had to get to the hospital. I was flailing to find my keys when it dawned on me that Reed was upstairs. I knew he couldn’t get to his feet. I doubted I could fully wake him up, but I had to try.

I rushed up the stairs and flung his door open. He was snoring, completely asleep. I pet his head a little and spoke softly but firmly. “Reed, Reed. It’s Nolan. I need you to wake up. Just for a minute,” I said.

He grumbled and tried to roll over, but I grabbed his arm and kept him near me. I lifted his arm to mine and forced myself to sit up with all my strength. I was definitely full of adrenaline, I thought. “Come on, buddy. Work with me, get to your feet. Just for a minute.”

He scrunched his brow, keeping his eyes shut tight. He let me get him to a sitting position before he started making whining sounds again. “Just one more minute, Reed. I promise.”