Chapter 39: Chapter 39

"Do something!" I scream at Uncle Tobias, my voice breaking to mirror the way my heart is feeling. He looks back at me with pure terror in his eyes. He opens his mouth to respond but shuts it again as he's left speechless. I snap my head towards Woody who's standing in the doorway, talking to the emergency helpline.

"Woody! Do something!" I beg him, my vision blurred due to my tears. He takes one look at me and nods, throwing the phone in my direction. I catch it one handed, my hands trembling as I lift it to my ear.

"H-hello?" I say into it, watching as Woody drops down to Mum's side. He leans down, placing his ear next to her mouth. I slap my hand against my mouth in complete shock, unable to believe the sight in front of me.

"The ambulance is on the way, please stay on the line." The person says on the other end of the call. I begin hyper-ventilating, my breathing coming out erratic. In front of me, Woody begins CPR on Mum, his hands working rhythmically on her chest.

"One, two, three..." He mutters under his breath, appearing unusually calm. I drop the phone to the floor and crawl towards Dad, my chest heaving with heavy sobs. He's lying flat on the floor, his handsome eyes fluttered closed. I lie over his chest, embracing him tightly.

"Daddy, please. Please be okay." I cry over him, my heart breaking as I realise I'll never hear him call me his Cupcake ever again. I'll never wake up to him cooking me pancakes and Nutella and I'll never be able to introduce Woody to him.

"You'd love him Dad!" I whimper, squeezing my eyes shut tightly. I feel the smallest movement underneath me and completely freeze, holding my breath.

"Dad?" I whisper, waiting for his body to move again. After several tense seconds, I feel his chest rise ever so slightly. I gasp and spring backwards, my eyes widening in realisation.

"He's breathing!" I yell out. Uncle Tobias snaps his head upwards, his face draining of colour.

"He is?" Uncle Tobias asks, rushing to Dad's side. I nod my head, bending down to watch the movements of his chest again. It takes a few seconds but I see it rise and fall before he stills again.

"See! Did you see it? Please tell me you saw it!" I yell in utter relief, my hands tugging at my hair. I glance around the room, my eyes landing on the phone.

"Where the hell is the ambulance?!" I ask in desperation, my words echoing in the empty room. Uncle Tobias remains silent, his eyes fixed on Dad's body as he waits for movement. He appears to be in a state of shock, his body frozen in place.

"Give him oxygen Ruby, now." Woody responds to me, his voice firm. I nod my head, dropping to my knees again before leaning over Dad.

"He needs more oxygen to regulate his breathing." Woody says calmly from beside me, continuing to perform CPR on Mum. A bead of sweat covers his forehead, his eyes frantic and wild despite his calm demeanour.

"What do I do?" I ask him quickly, panic taking over my body.

"Tilt his head back slightly. Pinch his nose. Take a breath and cover his mouth with yours then breathe." Woody yells over at me. I nod my head furiously, trying to remember all of his instructions. I position Dad's head back, pinching his nose with my right hand. I lean down, hovering over his mouth before taking a breath and covering his mouth with mine.

"Only breathe for one second, he isn't an inflatable balloon." Woody instructs me. I do as he says, blowing into Dad's mouth for a second. I tilt my head and watch as his chest rises and falls, an indication that it's working.

"Wait for him to breathe on his own. If he doesn't, do it again." Woody tells me, bending down to perform two mouth to mouth blows on Mum. She doesn't respond and he curses under his breath before going back to chest compressions.

My heart breaks from seeing her lying completely still but I know I have to keep my attention fixed on Dad.

"Tobias! Now would be a really good time for you to snap out of it and wait outside for the ambulance!" Woody yells, his voice strained. I glance up to find Uncle Tobias sat in the same position, a haunted glazed over look in his eyes.

I remember him explaining how he'd found Trish's dead body and I know this must be terrifying for him to re-live it all over again.

"Uncle Tobias, you have a chance to save them. Please go wait for the ambulance and show them where we are." I tell him desperately. Recognition flashes in his eyes and he nods, stumbling to his feet.

"Yes. . . We can save them. There's still hope." He mumbles under his breath, disappearing out of the door. I inhale sharply, turning my attention back to Dad.

"Do it again Ruby, you're doing a great job." Woody tells me, his voice cracking vulnerably. I feel tears slide down my cheeks and I nod, bending down to repeat the process. As predicted, his chest rise and falls again as I breathe for him.

I anxiously wait for him to breathe on his own, knowing I'm his sole oxygen provider right now.

"Come on Dad, I need you! Please don't leave me." I tell him, my eyes fixed on his chest. Several tense seconds pass and I see it rise, shudder and fall, all on his own.

"It's working! It's working Woody!" I yell over excitedly to him. When Woody doesn't respond, I frown and turn to look at him. He's crying silently, tears streaming down his cheeks and falling to the floor. He continues to mumble chest compression numbers under his breath, his arms working tirelessly.

"Twenty one, twenty two, twenty three. . . "

My eyes flicker to Mum's lifeless body and I feel the life drain from me. My stomach suddenly flips on itself and I stumble to the corner, throwing up. My eyes sting with raw tears and it feels like a hand has reached in, brutally ripping my heart out of my chest.

"No, please... " I whimper, turning to look back at Woody and Mum. He's breathing in her mouth again, his arms and hands trembling. I watch, holding my breath as I wait for her to breathe and open her eyes. . . She doesn't.

"Come on Mrs Melvin, come on!" Woody says desperately, tugging at his hair as he watches her chest. After several moments of no movement, he yells out in frustration. He turns to look at me and our eyes connect.

I've never seen him look so heart broken and defeated.

His eyes are filled with unshed tears and he shakes his head at me in defeat, swallowing hard.

"Ruby, I — "

"Do it again!" I interrupt him, tears sliding down my cheeks. He hesitates for a moment, his eyes following the tears on my face as they fall to the floor. He inhales sharply before nodding, going back to work on Mum.

"One, two, three, four, five...." Woody continues, his voice cracking with every word. He sounds like he's on the verge of breaking down completely and I'm right behind him. Time stands completely still as my eyes remain fixed on her.

The most beautiful and selfless woman I've ever known.

"I'm so lucky to call you my parents, please don't leave me now." I whisper, wrapping my arms around my shaking body. I rock forward and back, unable to tear my eyes off my lifeless mother. In the distance, the faint sound of sirens can be heard. They grow closer and closer by the second.

"Nineteen, twenty, twenty one, twenty two..." Woody continues. The sound of his counting and the sound of the sirens merge together, re-playing in my mind on a traumatising loop.