Skip A Beat (Completed)

Chapter 7

As if everything was moving in both fast and slow motion, Mei watched in sheer horror as her girlfriend collapsed in front of her. For the briefest moment, time stood still and Mei was frozen along with it. But a flash of silver hair immediately moving to the blonde's side snapped the student council president out of her daze.

Sara moved quickly and expertly, checking the girl's airway, breathing and pulse. "Nina, call an ambulance! She's not breathing...", the older Tachibana twin ordered. Mei watched on hopelessly as the scene played out before her. "Mei, snap out of it! Can you perform CPR?"

She could only nod as her voice failed her. The cool demeanor she'd learned to maintain over the years had crumbled. She'd never been more scared in all her life and she'd never looked more vulnerable.

"Stay calm. I'm just getting the AED, alright?". 'She might be going into cardiac arrest', she decided not to voice her thoughts.

Mei did not ask any questions, instead focusing on performing CPR and placing one hand over the other against Yuzu's chest. She'd learned first aid in school. It was a requirement in the academy because 'it could save a life'. Of course, like with everything else, Mei easily passed the first aid exam. But this was different. This wasn't some lifeless dummy, this was Yuzu. Her Yuzu. And she could die. "15..16..17..", her voice trembled as the thought hit her but she fought to concentrate on the chest compressions.

"I'm back. How is she?", Sara kneeled next to Yuzu's unconscious body, switching on the AED.

"Sh-she's still not breathing", Mei's eyes widened at the medical device. An AED was only used on a person with some sort of arrhythmia condition, right? 'So why…?', she looked down at Yuzu. Her usual glowing skin had started to take on an ugly tinge of blue.

Sara started to follow the AED's instructions. She placed one electrode pad under Yuzu's right collarbone and the other one on the left side below her underarm as instructed. "Stand back."

Mei flinched as a shock was delivered to the blonde, causing her body to jolt slightly. To their relief, the ambulance arrived shortly after. The paramedics asked the high schoolers about the situation. While Sara was talking to them, Nina glanced over at Mei who was visibly shaking as they took the unresponsive girl away.

"...has an arrhythmia disorder…"

'Huh?'. Mei overheard Sara talking to one of the paramedics. 'Arrhythmia?'

"Mei, they're calling for someone to come with them to the hospital. It should be you", the silence that followed told her that she was either being ignored or that she didn't hear her. She approached the other girl with caution and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Hey, I know you're confused but right now Yuzu needs you!". Her words seemed to have reached the taller girl since she wordlessly got into the ambulance with them, though the tension never left her body.

*****

Beep… beep...

Yuzu woke up to the mechanical sound of her own heart beats' rhythm. She opened her eyes slowly, her vision clearing with each blink. Her eyes focused on the multiple wires that were attached to her and she noticed the familiar machine that monitored her heart.

Her stomach dropped when she remembered what happened. She collapsed in front of Mei. Yuzu wanted to be optimistic and argued that maybe, maybe, she could explain it all away. With each second that passed she sobered up more and more and realized that she was in a hospital, in her own room.