Dare to Dream

107

(107)

Gina woke suddenly.

She felt something touch her hand. When she looked at her hand, she saw Dylan’s finger move.

She looked up to his face.

“Oh my God,” she said through tears.

Dylan’s eyes were open.

Gina stood and leaned over Dylan, kissing his cheek.

“You’re awake.”

She fixed the blanket on his chest.

“I knew you would be okay. You had to be okay.”

A tear rolled down Dylan’s cheek.

“I love you,” he said; his voice no more than a whisper.

“I love you too,” Gina replied, smiling through the tears.

Dylan’s eyes closed again.

“No.”

Gina shook him gently.

“Dylan?”

There was no response, so she shook him a little more.

“Sweetie?”

Suddenly the machinery began to beep. 

Red lights began to flash and she saw no heartbeat on the monitor.

“No. No. No.”

She shook Dylan.

“Wake up. Dylan. Wake up.”

The door to the room opened and a nurse hurried in, followed by another nurse and a doctor.

The doctor looked at the heart monitor.

“His heart’s stopped.”

“No,” Gina yelled.

The doctor looked at one of the nurses.

“Get her out of here and get Dr. Whyse.”

The nurse put an arm around Gina.

“You have to leave ma’am.”

“No,” Gina yelled as she broke away from the nurse.

She stood at the foot of Dylan’s bed.

The doctor was opening Dylan’s gown.

A nurse lubricated the paddles of the defibrillator and handed them to the doctor.

“Get her out of here,” he yelled at the nurse.

“Clear,” he yelled as he put the paddles on Dylan’s chest.

Dylan’s body arched from the shock.

Gina screamed.

The nurse shook her head.

“Nothing.”

Another doctor came into the room.

He took the paddles from the first doctor.

“Increase the voltage.”

The nurse did as the doctor said.

“Clear,” he yelled.

Again Dylan’s body stiffened and arched.

Gina was crying freely, holding on to the nurse for support.

“Again, increase the voltage,” the doctor ordered the nurse.

Again the nurse did as the doctor said.

“Clear.”

Again Dylan’s body arched, but it was all slow motion to Gina.

She could feel her legs buckling under her. Her heart was pounding in her ears.

Her eyes rolled back in her head as she slumped to the floor.

Then there was darkness.

Gina flashed in and out of consciousness. She could make no sense of the images that were around her.

There were flashing lights and unfamiliar faces.

Hands were grabbing her and she could feel her body being lifted.

She saw the bed.

She saw Dylan.

He wasn’t moving.

The doctor was listening through a stethoscope to Dylan’s chest.

He shook his head.

A nurse began to pull the sheet over Dylan.

“Nooooooooo,” Gina screamed.

Once again there was darkness.