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Chapter 3 - 911

After making my frantic 911 call, I knelt next to Zach and pulled him up so he could sit. He clutched into his throat and groaned. Zach’s actions told me he was choking, but the rash-like redness and swelling around his face were signs of an allergic reaction. The moment I lifted him, I could see the swelling and redness all over his body. As the node got worse, his clothing got tight, and it would start restricting blood flow. Thankfully Zach was only wearing his shirt and pants. I could see his jacket and tie hanging off the back of his chair. Without hesitation, I ran over to Zach’s table and grabbed a pair of scissors.

“Zach, I’m really sorry, but I have to cut off your shirt. It will give you some comfort,” I told him and waited for his response.

Once Zach nodded the best he could, I grabbed the scissors and cut the left sleeve. I noticed his shirt was already untucked. He must have done that when he started feeling sick. I carefully cut the sleeve up to his arm and across his shoulders, cutting the collar as well. The shirt started to fall apart as I cut down the right sleeve. The first thing I noticed was the massive wolf tattoo on his back. The bumps under the tattoo made it evident that it covered up the healed wounds on his back. I quickly pulled the material off him and leaned down to unbuckle his belt.

I paused as my fingers grabbed the buckle.

“Sorry, Mr. Masters, but modesty needs to be put aside in this situation. I promise I will never speak of what I see to anyone.” I started unbuckling his belt and pulled it off his pants, throwing it aside.

The pants button popped, and the zip ripped when I unbuckled the belt. Zach’s whole body was hot, and his skin was clammy. I knew right then that he was going into an anaphylactic shock.

“Zach, nod once to say yes or twice to say no. Are you allergic to something?” I asked, holding him to give him support. I tried to ignore all the healed wounds he had on his body. The scars looked like claw slashes, although the lacerations were too broad and long for them to be made by a dog or cat.

Zach nodded once and slowly raised one hand to point toward the coffee table. There were white styrofoam trays on the table with food in it.

There must have been something in the food he was allergic to.

“That food had something?” I asked.

Zach nodded his stiff neck once.

Fuck! Whatever it was he was allergic to must have been in the food in a very high dose or lethal for him.

“EpiPen!” I shrieked as soon as the idea dawned on me.

Every person with such severe allergies had to have an epinephrine auto-injector.

“Where is your EpiPen, Zach?!” I demanded, looking around.

“D-...d-...dr-...” Zach tried to form the words in his dry, raspy voice.

“Drawers? Drawers on your desk?”

Zach nodded again once.

I let go of Zach and quickly headed for his desk. I ripped open one drawer at a time and rampaged through the contents looking for Zach’s EpiPen.

I kept looking toward Zach to make sure he was still sitting up and breathing. I moved faster, and finally, in the top left drawer sat a clear white case with two pens that looked like injectors.

I grabbed the case and sprinted back to Zach, pulling apart the case as I ran. Administering an EpiPen was easy. Without any hesitation, I knelt next to Zach again; I needed his outer thighs to inject the pen.

It had been a while since I administered an EpiPen, but nine years of training was unforgettable.

“Zach, I’m going to administer this now, okay. The ambulance is on its way, don’t worry.” I informed him.

Zach nodded as much as he could, and I took that as a yes. His swelling was getting so bad that his facial features had disappeared. I quickly pulled the cap off the pen and pressed it against Zach’s muscular thighs. The liquid inside the pen emptied into his muscle, and once it was empty, I pulled the pin back out.

“Hopefully, this brings you some relief. Please, hang on” I slipped my hand into Zach’s free swollen hand and squeezed it.

He looked so puffy and red; the swelling was intensifying by the second.

What if it was too late and the Epinephrine isn’t working?

I prayed for the ambulance to hurry up. Zach groaned, and his pain was making my heartache. Just as I reached into my pocket to call security to ask about the ambulance, the lift dinged, and the hallway filled with voices. Relief washed over me, and I let go of the breath I was holding.

Everyone rushed into the office, and as soon as the paramedics saw Zach’s condition, they sprung into action.

“Did you call 911?” one of the paramedics asked.

I nodded and held out the EpiPen for the paramedic, “I’ve administered the Epinephrine. He nodded and pointed to say he was allergic to something in that food over there.”

“Thank you for that information, ma’am. Now please step aside and let us help your friend.”

Friend?...

He wasn’t my friend. I barely knew the guy. But then again, I didn’t know a lot of the lives I had helped in my past. My job wasn’t to ask questions about their lives; it was to save them so that they could see a new day. And that’s precisely what I had done for Zach today. I helped him so he could see a new day.

The paramedics stabilized Zach and wheeled him out of the building. We all followed them down to the ground floor and stood by, watching them load Zach into the back of the ambulance.

Unknown to me, the security had called Moira and Kieran Collier once the paramedics arrived. For an emergency, the security knew to call Moira as the General Manager. Fortunately, I had told the dispatcher that answered my 911 call about the situation and where to go once they arrived at the building.

I understood Moira being here, but I had no idea who the other guy was who turned up with her. I had never seen him around.

“Mr. Masters’s condition is better than before, but the doctors might want to keep him overnight just for observation. Once he could talk, he mentioned a nut allergy, and we think whatever he ate had the allergen in very high quantity for his reaction to be so intense. He was fortunate to receive help so quickly. If this young lady hadn’t administered the Epinephrine on time, I don’t think Mr. Masters wouldn’t have made it. Normally you see people freak out and panic, but you stayed so calm. Good job,” the paramedic who had the name tag “Cowan Smith” flashed me two thumbs.

If only he knew…

“Can I go in the ambulance with him?” the building security guy referred to as Kieran Collier asked.

“Sorry, sir, but only close relatives can ride with him. You are?” Cowan asked.

“I’m his brother,” Kieran replied a little too fast.

Brother? The security called him Collier, not Masters. Did the brothers not share the same last name?

“Well then, yes, you can ride with him. Right this way” Cowan escorted Kieran to the ambulance, and he climbed in.

“Stacey, good job today. I’m so glad you were here to help Zach. Lord knows what could have happened if you hadn’t turned up on time” Moira smiled at me.

“Honestly, I was just at the right place at the right time. I’m just pleased that Mr. Masters is going to make it” I looked over at the ambulance.

The paramedics closed the doors, and the vehicle purred to life. Moira and I watched the ambulance drive away before we moved.

“Do you need a lift home?” Moira asked.

“No, thank you. Sam is on her way. Thanks for the offer, though.” I smiled.

Moira said her farewells and left. I went back up to the 3rd floor to grab my things. Sam turned up 10 minutes later, and I gave her a rundown of what happened before we left the building.

The events from tonight had curbed my appetite, and exhaustion was making my body beg for sleep. It had been a while since something so exciting had happened to me. I knew a near-death experience wasn’t really classed as exciting, but I was used to those moments where I had helped someone taking their final breaths come back to life. The adrenaline was still pumping through my veins, making me miss my old job. I would do anything just for one taste of that life again.

Sam drove me home in silence. After my big move, I didn’t have enough money to buy a car. I usually took the bus, which was the best way to unwind. Watching the city pass by as I listened to my playlist was therapeutic. But I lived in a dodgy part of town, and it wasn’t very safe for me to take the bus this late.

Once I got home, Sam asked if she could stay for a little bit to keep me company. I knew she was just worried that Zach’s incident had taken a toll on me. I wish she knew the emotional hurdles my old job had put me through. Zach’s anaphylactic shock was a slight dent in the front of all the baggage I had dealt with.

After I sent Sam packing, I lingered around cleaning up my tiny 4x4 apartment. My mind was swimming with thoughts of Zach. I really hoped he was okay.

Was it going to be too much if I visited him at the hospital in the morning?

I barely knew the guy, but my empathy for all people had me curious. After using several methods to remove those thoughts from my head, I finally headed to bed.

Sleep came a lot faster than it usually did, and I was not complaining. Although, like most nights, my dreams were filled with visions of that dreadful day I was trying too hard to forget. The only thing different tonight was the familiar dazzling grey eyes lingering in the background. Unconsciousness consumed me before I could even question why those eyes from in my dreams.

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