Stanton- The Trilogy by Alex MacLean

Author:Alex MacLean [MacLean, Alex]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780987726339
Publisher: Alex MacLean
Published: 2016-10-14T04:00:00+00:00

26

Halifax, June 12

10:17 a.m.

Audra continued CPR until the paramedics arrived. There were two of them. One, a stout brunette, dropped to her knees beside Daphne and began checking her vital signs. The second paramedic was a smooth-faced black man who looked like he had just gotten out of high school. He laid a long-spine board on the floor.

Audra stepped back a few feet, shaking, trying to hold it together. Fear, uncertainty, and loss of control ate away at her mind and body. She felt like an outsider, powerless to do anything.

The female looked up at her. “What’s her name, ma’am?”

“Daphne.”

“Daphne,” she called loudly, “Daphne, can you open your eyes for me?”

No response.

The female rubbed her knuckles down Daphne’s sternum, squeezed the nail bed of her middle finger. Watching, Audra suddenly felt cold.

“Do you know how long she was suspended?” the female asked her.

“I don’t know. A few minutes. Maybe longer. She was convulsing when I found her.”

The female held her gaze for a moment, and Audra saw it in her dark eyes—Daphne was in trouble. She could feel pressure building in her chest.

The male reached into a trauma bag, brought out a portable oxygen tank, a mask, and a J-shaped device used to open a person’s airway. Audra swallowed as he deftly inserted it into Daphne’s mouth, sliding it down into her throat. He placed the mask over her face, hooked a line to the tank, and cranked the valve.

Helpless, Audra stared at the ligature mark, deepening in color, becoming more prominent around Daphne’s neck, and Audra tipped her head back and sucked in a deep breath.

“Ma’am,” the female said, “are you okay? Ma’am?”

Audra raised her eyebrows and looked at her. What kind of stupid question was that? How could she be okay? How could anyone? But deep down, she knew the paramedic was only worried about a grieving parent losing it right in front of them. Then they would have another problem to deal with.

Audra had witnessed it herself—parents, mothers especially, going off the deep end, arms batting, throwing themselves on top of a loved one, unable to calm down or be consoled. Nothing she’d ever heard in her entire life compared to the anguished scream of a mother, one so primal and heart wrenching it could scare birds from the trees.

“I’m holding it together,” she said. “Don’t worry.”

The female gave her a rueful smile. “You did great, ma’am. How old is your daughter?”

“Fourteen.”

“Does she have a history of suicidal behavior?”

“What?” Audra frowned. “No.”

“Was she being treated for depression? Anxiety?”

“No.”

“Does she take any medication at all?”

“No.”

“Allergies?”

Audra clenched her jaw. She wanted to crawl into a hole. Slam the door on the whole goddamned world and make it go away.

“Ma’am?”

“No,” she said. “My daughter has no allergies.”

“What’s her medical history?”

“Tonsillitis when she was seven. That’s all. She doesn’t have any serious conditions.”

“Okay.”

They were placing a foam collar around Daphne’s neck when a sudden rush of footsteps erupted on the stairs, and Audra turned to see Daniel in the hallway. He came to the doorway, out of breath, his face confused and terrified.

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