Chapter 14 - The Breath of Life
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Graham immediately threw both of his hands high into the air, surrendering before an officer even touched him.
“This is not what it looks like!” Graham cried out, his voice cracking. “She had an allergic reaction! We were trying to help her!”
Damon holstered his weapon and stared at Graham with utter disgust.
“Really?” Damon asked, his tone dripping with lethal sarcasm. “Because I have been watching the live, high-definition video and audio feed in my car for the past nine minutes, Graham. I heard every single word.”
The paramedics shoved past the officers and dropped to their knees beside me.
One of them immediately ripped open my sleeve and plunged an epinephrine auto-injector deep into my thigh. Another paramedic swiftly fitted a high-flow oxygen mask tightly over my nose and mouth. Someone else carefully cut open the ruined silk of my blouse to quickly assess the severity of the burns on my chest.
Voices moved around me in a rapid, professional, urgent blur.
“Pulse is incredibly weak.”
“Her airway is severely compromised. Prep for intubation if she doesn't respond in thirty seconds.”
“Keep her head elevated. Push a second dose of epi.”
“Prepare the stretcher for immediate transport to St. Bart’s.”
The medication hit my bloodstream like a bolt of lightning. Air came back to me slowly. Not gently, but violently. It tore through my constricted throat and burned my lungs like shattered glass.
I gasped harshly against the plastic oxygen mask, choking, shaking violently, and crying without producing any tears. It was the most excruciatingly painful breath I had ever taken in my entire life.
It was also the most beautiful breath in the world.
Because it was mine. I was alive.
As the paramedics carefully lifted my limp body onto the portable stretcher, I turned my head just enough to see Damon step aggressively into Graham’s personal space.
“Graham Wycliffe,” Damon stated loudly, pulling a pair of heavy steel handcuffs from his belt, “you are under arrest for attempted murder in the first degree, conspiracy to commit murder, massive insurance fraud, forgery, and criminal failure to render aid during a medical emergency.”
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Graham immediately started sobbing.
They were not the tears of a man who suddenly understood the horrific gravity of his sins. They were the pathetic tears of an arrogant man who had finally realized he was going to lose his wealth, his freedom, and his reputation.
