No answer.
My stomach dropped.
I ran closer and shook his shoulder.
Nothing.
Then I noticed he wasn’t breathing.
My entire body went cold.
“Mom!” I screamed instinctively, even though she wasn’t home.
Panic crashed through me so hard I thought I’d faint.
For illustrative purposes only
Then suddenly, I remembered health class from three weeks earlier.
CPR training.
Check responsiveness.
Call 911.
Chest compressions.
My hands shook so badly I almost dropped my phone while calling emergency services.
“He’s not breathing!” I sobbed. “Please hurry!”
The dispatcher kept talking calmly while I knelt beside the man who said he only tolerated me.
“Place your hands in the center of his chest.”
I started compressions.
One. Two. Three.
I counted through tears.
I pushed until my arms burned.
I begged him to breathe.
