“Hudson,” Shaney said, but there wasn’t a flinch or a movement. Nothing. Shaney’s tears flowed freely. A police officer tried to pull Shaney back, but Shaney fought him off. “Hudson, it’s Shaney. I’m here. Please, help him,” he begged of the paramedics.
Come on, love. I came back for you.
The woman pushing the air in gave Shaney a bleak, mournful look.
“Time?” the woman who pushed relentlessly on Hudson’s chest asked. Sweat coated her face and arms.
The woman looked at her watch. “Forty-five.” She repeated the information into the phone. She pursed her lips, said, “thank you,” and then closed the phone. She lowered the bag. “Call it.”
The other woman stopped her compressions. Hands tightened on Shaney’s arms.
“Time of death, two eighteen p.m.”
“No, don’t stop!” Shaney screamed. “Keep going!”
“Son, it’s been over forty-five minutes. He’s gone. I’m sorry.” The anguished look on the paramedics’ face did little to stop Shaney.
“Calm down,” the officer said.
Shaney struggled and the hands tightened. A rising pressure grew in his chest as the man he loved with his very soul lay motionless on the stretcher. He couldn’t breathe. His throat closed and his vision faded to black on the edges until a jolt of energy pushed from his core. His head cleared and he let the energy loose. The power coursed through his skin, and the man holding him released him with a yelp.
Shaney dove into the ambulance where the woman casually wrote on her clipboard while Hudson lay dead before her. No, he couldn’t be dead. Shaney had to help him, save him. He pushed her aside and laid his hands on Hudson’s chest. “Please, love, please.” No heartbeat, no rise and fall of his chest. He wasn’t cold, though.
The police officer tried to grab Shaney, but he avoided the hand. The paramedic told the cop to give Shaney a minute.
Shaney laid his palms over Hudson’s heart and closed his eyes. I gave you the ability to heal and create life. Shaney’s hands trembled as he allowed the energy to flow from his core, to course through his arms, flow from his fingertips, and into Hudson through bone and cartilage. Shaney did what came naturally. He envisioned a healthy beating heart, strong and steady. Voices surrounded him, but Shaney blocked them out, focusing on nerves and cells and healing. Shaney wasn’t sure how long he sat hunched over Hudson, seconds or minutes, but he finally felt a surge of energy return from Hudson. A beat. And then another. The monitor blipped with each squeeze of Hudson’s heart. Shaney pushed more energy, and more beats came. The woman beside him said, “Oh, my God. He’s got a pulse.”
“Yes. That’s it, love, come back to me,” Shaney whispered.
The paramedics rushed toward the stretcher. An oxygen mask was placed over Hudson’s mouth, and the plastic immediately fogged up as he exhaled. Shaney removed his hands. The monitor continued to spike with each beat.
The other paramedic pulled on her stethoscope and inflated the blood pressure cuff. “BP 105 over 77. Heart rate 66 and rising. Let’s get him to the hospital.” The paramedic gave Shaney a nervous sideways glance. The doors to the ambulance closed and the engine started. As the ambulance pulled away, Shaney buried his face in his hands, tears of relief flowing from his eyes. He prayed Todd was okay.
The paramedic touched his arm. “Are you Shaney?”
Shaney raised his head and nodded.
“Someone’s asking for you.”
Shaney jumped up and leaned over Hudson. Cloudy, blue eyes blinked with disbelief and filled with tears. Black soot streaked across Hudson’s face and coated his hair and Shaney thought he was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Hudson raised his hand and tried to bat away the oxygen mask. Shaney reached up pulled the mask down.
“You came back,” Hudson whispered.
Shaney let out a shaky laugh and smiled through his tears. “Yes. I came back for you. I love you.”
Hudson’s breath caught and a sob escaped his throat. “Love you too, baby.”
Shaney leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. “It’s been a fuck awful day but it’s over. Rest. I’ll be right here.”
Hudson nodded and Shaney placed the oxygen mask back over his face. Hudson grabbed Shaney’s hand in a tight grip, then closed his eyes. Shaney laid his head on Hudson’s chest reveling in the beat of his heart. A sniffle next to him caught his attention. Tears filled the paramedic’s eyes and she wiped her nose with a tissue.
“That was just beautiful.” She sniffled again.
Beautiful. Yes. Shaney couldn’t have come up with a better word.