Chapter Two

Jon was instantly alert.

“Richie man, calm down and tell me what’s happened.” He sat up and turned the bedside lamp on, thankful he was alone.

“I’m at home. Oh god man she slipped, she fell down the stairs. Oh shit, I think I’m gonna be sick. She’s not moving.”

“Who Richie?” Jon asked, trying to figure out whether this was real or whether it was one of Richie’s alcohol induced nightmares.

“Denise. She came over. I was going to bed man and she fucking…She wanted to get back together and I told her no fucking way. I maybe daft but I am not stupid. Man she was all over the place, her hair’s a mess, no make up, sweatpants on. She was real wild ya know. She started to follow me up the stairs then all of a sudden she stiffened and fell down them. Oh god the sound of her head hitting the marble.”

“Richie, take a deep breath and calm down. Have you called 911?”
“No, I called you.”
“Ok. Listen I’m going to come over but you need to call 911 now. The longer you leave it the worse it could be, for both her and you. Ok?” Jon ran his hands through his hair, wondering whether Richie was ever going to stop fucking up.
“Ok, Ill call them now.”

The line went dead and Jon got out of bed. Not bothering to change from the light sweat pants he’d fallen asleep in he pulled on an old tee shirt and grabbing his Nikes and car keys he ran out of beach side house to his car.

Richie looked at the phone and dialled 911 before he could even think about it. Lately, since the divorce, his mind hadn’t been working as well as it had before. His shrink said it was delayed shock and would work its way out when least expected.

“Hello 911 Emergency services, my name is Dee how can I help you?”
“I think she’s dead.” he blurted out, feeling what little control he had slipping away.
“Ok sir, where is she?”
“She’s on the floor at the bottom of the stairs. Oh god oh god.”
“Sir? Can you tell me what happened to her?”

The operator’s voice was calm, friendly and professional and seemed to be having the desired effect on him.

“Erm, she came over, she’s my ex ya see, and we argued. She followed me up the stairs and then stiffened and fell back. She hit the floor real hard. It was horrible.” he all but sobbed.

“Ok sir, can you see her from where you’re standing?”

“Yes.”

“Ok, good. Here’s what I need you to do. The paramedics and police are on their way but I need you to check her pulse and see if she’s breathing. Can you do that for me?”

“Uhuh. Er how?”

“Ok. I need you to kneel down next her. Can you tell me when you’re doing that?”

“Ok.”

“Thank you. You’re doing ok sir.”

“I’m kneeling by her now. She’s really grey lookin’.”

“Ok sir, can you feel for her pulse?”

“Er yeah, where is it”

“If you place your first two finger just under her jawbone but off to the side from her mouth you should be able to feel her carotid artery. Does she have a pulse?”

“Erm, oh god I can’t find anything, my thumbs all sweaty.”

“Please don’t use your thumb sir, just your first two fingers. Ok place your fingers directly under her mouth where her head meets her neck. You done that?”

Richie nodded, then spoke realising the operator couldn’t see him.

“Yeah.”

“Now move your fingers along slowly until your fingers are at the side of her neck but still at the base of her jaw. Can you do that?” the operator asked.

Her voice was calming him down and helping to see through the fog of fear that was muddling his mind.

“Yes…YES! I’ve found it!” he shouted, “It’s not very strong but it’s there, Oh my god, you are amazing!”

“Thank you sir. Now I need to know whether she’s breathing. Can you move your face up to her mouth and see if you can feel her breath on your cheek. Ok?"

He did as he was bid and could feel a slight puff of air on his face.

"She's breathing but not very deep."

"Ok sir what I need you to do is continue to check her pulse and breathing for me every 30 seconds. "

"Ok I can do that." he brightened slightly, feeling some of his earlier fear trickle away as he let the operators voice soothe him. She had the right timbre to her voice to remind him of his mother soothing him when he'd been a child and had hurt himself.

"Can you tell me what happened exactly to her sir?" she asked

"Oh man she barged into my home and she was weaving all over the place, her eyes couldn't focus for more than a couple a seconds and she was real twitchy like. Then as i said she followed me up the stairs and as i told her to go she just stiffened and then fell down the stairs."

"Did she crumple up and fall, or was it more like she was as stiff as a board?"

Er, she just folded up, like in a faint."

"Can you check her pulse again for me sir?"

"Ok."

"What's her pulse like?"

"Very weak and her breathing's sounding real bad, like a smokers."

"Ok sir, can you do something for me? Can you put your phone onto speakerphone so we can continue to talk?"

"Yeah, why?"

The operator hesitated, not wanting to tell the shell shocked man on the end of the phone that his ex girlfriend was about to go into cardiac arrest.