Andrea's Secret

by John Kelly

He was floating face down when they got to him. Elsie was frantic. "Get him out," she screamed. "Get him out!" Brad was the first of the men to reach the pool. He jumped in fully clothed, and immediately turned Richard over, getting his arms underneath Richard's elbows and edging him to the side of the pool. Susan and Maria grabbed hold of him while Brad climbed out of the pool. Maria was seriously distressed. "How could we have let this happen?" she sobbed. Elsie and Susan tried to contain their emotions, as both Warwick, and Robert still bleeding from the mouth, arrived. "Someone give him mouth to mouth resuscitation," Elsie cried out. Brad and Warwick heaved him out of the pool. His lips and nose were blue, his eyes closed, his body weight twice normal. They laid him down on his side. "Don't let him swallow his tongue," Brad said. "Somebody do something," Elsie screamed. "Shut up mother, we are doing something," Warwick yelled. "Susan, call an ambulance, quickly," he added. As Susan ran inside, Warwick looked at Brad. Brad looked at Warwick. Neither had any training in CPR.

  "I don't know how to do this," Warwick said. Brad just shook his head. "I've never tried it before," he said.

  "Stand back," the voice cried out. Everybody turned around.

  It was Julian. "I can do this," he said. "Give me some room."

  Both Margaret and Annette, came running toward the group as Julian quickly knelt down over Richard and called out to him. "Richard, Richard," he yelled. "Can you hear me?" There was no response.

  Julian knelt behind Richard and rolled him onto his back. He carefully tilted his head back, one hand on top of the head, the other supporting Richard's chin. He lifted the jaw to open the airway. Julian then turned his head, placing his ear directly over Richard's mouth to listen for any air escaping through the mouth or the nose, while checking to see if Richard's abdomen was showing any signs of moving. It wasn't. He then pinched Richard's nostrils, and began blowing air into his mouth. He executed five normal breaths with a short break between each breath. Following that, he turned his head placing his ear over Richard's mouth, to once again listen for air, and look at the abdomen. There was no response.

  "Is he going to be all right?' Elsie asked.

  "I don't know," Julian said as he placed two fingers on Richard's Adam's Apple, and slid them into the curve between the Adam's Apple and the large muscle of the neck. He held his fingers there for ten seconds. "There's no pulse," he said.

  "Is there anything we can do?" Warwick asked.

  "You can see if an ambulance is on its way," he suggested. "I'll have to start compression of the chest," he added. Julian ripped Richard's shirt open. He placed his fingers on the lower part of his ribs, and felt for where the ribs met the breastbone. He then placed his index finger on the lower end of the breastbone, and the heel of his other hand on the lower half of the sternum, against the index finger. Then, locking his other hand around the wrist of the hand over the sternum, Julian began compressing Richard's chest using the heel of his bottom hand. After several compressions, he reverted to blowing air into Richard's mouth.

  "How long will he keep doing this?' Elsie asked Brad who was standing alongside her. "As long as it takes to get him breathing again, I guess," Brad answered. "Oh Holy Mother of God, what a day!" Elsie exclaimed. Warwick and Susan came running out of the house. "The Ambulance is on its way. They said they'd be a few minutes. You can speak to them on the portable phone if you wish. How is he?" Warwick asked, offering the phone to Julian, who made no effort to take it. "Tell them I'm doing CPR but he hasn't responded," Julian said, not taking his eyes off Richard. Warwick repeated Julian's words to the operator. Julian continued with chest compressions alternating with blowing air into the mouth, checking to listen for any sign of life.

  "They said to keep going, the ambulance is almost here," Warwick said.

  Again and again, Julian repeated the compressions with a gentle rhythmic action, helping the heart fill with blood. One minute passed, then two. Robert leaned over and looked down on Richard. "Please move away, "Julian said sharply. "I need space here." Robert backed off and stood alongside Maria. "At least if he pulls through," Robert said, "we won't have to worry about brain damage." Maria stared at Robert utterly disgusted. Robert had no idea how insensitive his remarks were. Maria acted by reflex and thrust her elbow into Robert's ribs. He doubled up in pain, winded, and gasped for air. Seeing her chance, and using both hands, she then gave him a hefty shove sideways, which sent him crashing into the pool.

  "You insensitive arsehole," she screamed, as he came up from under the water. "You bitch," he cried out as he splashed around. Above the sound of the splashing and the astonished cries from Jenny and Brad, a faint sound of a siren, could be heard. "Listen," Margaret yelled. Everyone was silent as the unmistakeable, piercing sound of the siren increased. Julian kept up the compressions, fifteen to the minute alternating with two breaths.

  "Warwick, the gates?" Susan yelled.

  Warwick ran inside to activate the front gates. Robert dragged himself out of the pool, drenched to the skin. "How am I going to drive like this?" he yelled at Maria. Susan intervened. "Come inside to the laundry and dry yourself," she said. "I'll get you something from Warwick's wardrobe." The ambulance pulled into Travis Court, as Warwick ran down the front driveway waving his arms. The Ambulance pulled into the driveway and continued up, around the other cars to the garages. Warwick hastily led the two officers through the house, out the back to the pool.

  As they approached, Julian was still kneeling over Richard. He looked up at the officers and said, "I've kept up with the compressions and breathing, but he hasn't responded." The officer looked down at Richard. "It's okay, we'll take over," he said. Julian was reluctant to hand over control, but knew he had to, if Richard was to have any chance. With one defiant, final thrust into Richard's chest he made way for the officer. Suddenly, Richard's head began to move, rolling from one side to another, and his upper chest began to shake. "I think you did it," the officer said. "I think you did it." Suddenly, Richard vomited water out of the mouth. "He's come round," Julian cried out. The officers immediately took control as Richard regained consciousness, coughing and spluttering. Julian stepped back, exhausted but elated. He then threw his arms up into the air before wrapping them around Maria, who was crying openly.

  "Thank Christ," Warwick said.

  "That was fantastic," Brad said to Julian, patting him on the back. Elsie knelt with the officers as they sat Richard up.

  "Is he all right?' she asked.

  "He'll live," one officer said. Looking up at Julian, he added, "excellent work." Elsie rose back up on her feet, and came forward to Julian and hugged him. "Thank you," she said. "I don't know what else to say."

  Julian was embarrassed with what seemed an endless litany of thanks and commendations. "I had to," he said. "If Richard didn't make it, I would have lost a fortune in taxi fares."

  The ambulance officers continued to examine Richard as best they could. "We'll take him to Box Hill, for a more complete check up," the first officer said. I'm pretty sure he's okay, but it would be better to have him looked over thoroughly," he added. "I'll come with you," Elsie said.

  "Where's Myra?' Julian asked looking around the garden. "I think

  she went back to the car," Maria replied. "I think she was a bit tired. All that arguing out the front, took a bit out of her I'm afraid."

  As the ambulance officers placed Richard on a mobile stretcher, Maria spoke quietly to Julian. "Did you sort things out with your wife?" she asked. Julian nodded. The effort in resuscitating Richard, had exhausted him, and temporarily shifted his focus from the earlier startling revelation about Annette's relationship with Margaret.

  "I guess so," he said forlornly. "I'm afraid my marriage is over. She wants to be with Margaret. There's not much I can do about it. Things have been very flat between us for a while. Now I know why. I guess it's for the best. No point in making a fuss. I'd rather see her happy with Margaret than miserable with me," he said. Maria took his hand and squeezed it, as the office
rs began to wheel Richard out through the house to the front. Elsie walked alongside Richard holding his hand. Everyone else followed behind. As they wheeled the stretcher out onto the front driveway, Julian looked up towards his own car, where he recognised the faint outline of Myra sitting in the front seat of his car.

  "I'll just go check on Myra," he said to Maria and broke away from the group. As he walked toward his car, he could see that Myra's eyes were closed, her head tilted slightly to the left. He opened the front door gently, and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Myra," he said, "are you feeling all right?" There was no response. Julian gave her a gentle tap on the cheek. "Myra, would you like me to take you home?" he asked. Myra's eyes opened slowly. She looked up at Julian as if surprised to see him. "Where am I?" she asked. Julian reminded her and she soon recovered. "Did we win the day?" she asked. "Yes," Julian replied nodding his head. "I think we did pretty well. Everything has been taken care of," he answered.

  "Can we go home now? I'm feeling rather tired."

  "Sure," Julian answered.

  41.