Chapter
59
Elyssa heard Howie’s footsteps running up the stairs, and
she followed, her heart racing as she climbed the stairs. What was wrong?
Suddenly, Serena burst out of Andrea’s room, nearly
colliding with Howie in the hallway.
“Howie, something’s wrong with Andrea!” she shrieked, her
eyes wide and bright with frightened tears.
“What?!” Howie cried, racing into the nursery at his
fiancee’s heels.
Scared to death, Elyssa hovered in the hallway, her entire
body shaking. What had happened to the
baby?
“Andrea?
Andrea!” She heard Howie’s
anguished cries. Then, “Howie, call
911!”
Elyssa’s eyes widened, as Howie came running out of the
room. She wasn’t sure he was even aware
of her standing there, against the wall of hallway, as he fled past, running
into he and Serena’s bedroom, where there was a phone.
Afraid to go into the nursery, but unable to stay in that
hall any longer, Elyssa hurried into the baby’s room, where she found Serena
sitting in a rocking chair, clutching Andrea in her arms, and rocking back and
forth rapidly. Her eyes were wide,
tearfilled, and stared straight ahead, unseeing. When Elyssa walked in, however, they turned
to her and focused.
“Elyssa!” she cried.
“Wh-what did you do to my baby?!”
“Wh-what?” Elyssa asked in a choked whisper. “I-“
“She’s not breathing!” Serena screamed. “Oh, my God.
Oh, my God! Andi, wake up, wake
up!” Serena sobbed hysterically,
squeezing the motionless bundle in her arms.
Tears streamed down Elyssa’s face, and her whole body
trembled. She stood still, as if her
feet were frozen to the floor, unable to move.
Howie came running back into the room, again passing Elyssa
as if he didn’t even see her. “They’re
on their way,” he said hurriedly to Serena, who didn’t even look up.
Howie started pacing the room. This lasted for only a few minutes, and then
he tore out of the room again. Elyssa
heard him clomp down the stairs. The
pounding pulled her from her trance-like state, and she fled from the room,
sure that Serena did not even notice her departure.
In the hallway, she sunk to the ground, burying her face in
her hands, and began to sob.
***
It seemed like hours later, but it was probably only a
matter of minutes, when Howie was back, hurriedly leading three paramedics up
the stairs. They clomped past Elyssa,
not even glancing at her, as she sat weeping on the floor.
From inside the baby’s room, she could hear their voices
shout things out.
“Respiratory arrest… no pulse!”
“Starting CPR.”
Elyssa clamped her hands over her ears to stifle out the
horrible dialogue and began to rock slowly back and forth, trying to block it
all out of her mind, yet unable to stop thinking about it. What had happened to baby Andrea? Had she caused it? How could she have? Andrea was fine the last time she had checked
on her. What had gone wrong?
Elyssa looked up to see the paramedics carrying a stretcher
out of the room, Andrea lying motionless in the middle of it. Her skin was a pale blue shade, her eyes
closed. She was no longer breathing deeply,
no longer breathing at all. She looked
so tiny on the long stretcher. Already,
there was an IV attached to her little foot.
One paramedic was kneeling on the stretcher as the other two carried it,
blowing slightly into Andrea’s mouth, then pushing down on her chest with two
fingers.
Elyssa watched in wide-eyed horror, her gaze frozen on the
paramedics, as they carried the stretcher with Andrea on it down the stairs and
headed quickly out the front door.
Serena ran out behind them.
Howie started quickly down the hall to catch up, pausing when he finally
noticed Elyssa there.
“Lyssa,” he choked out, his voice heavy with tears.
“Howie, I- I’m sorry, I didn’t-“ Elyssa blurted out, but
Howie grabbed both of her shoulders and squeezed them gently, leaning close to
her.
He said, “It’s not your fault, Lyss. I need to drive to the hospital now. Will you come with me? I- I know Rena will want you there.”
Elyssa wasn’t sure Serena would, but at that moment, she
didn’t care. She had to be at that
hospital, whether she wanted to or not.
Looking up into Howie’s tearful brown eyes, she nodded, shakily climbing
to her feet.
“Come on,” Howie said softly, putting an arm around her
trembling frame. “Let’s go.”
***
