I considered his words for a long moment. My lips slowly turned upward. “God blessed the broken road, right? Just like the song. It sure as hell was broken, but it got us together in the end.”
He nodded in agreement while tracing a finger along my jaw. I sighed at the goose bumps left behind by his touch. “Okay, I may have to tell off a few more groupies, but I won’t let them get between us.”
He grinned wickedly. “Oh, good, because it turned me on like crazy when you did that.”
Dr. Gray came the next morning, and Jackson sailed through his exam with excellence. The normally reserved doctor even gave me a pat on the back for a job well done, which astounded me to no end. He discharged Jack with orders to come back for an x-ray at the year mark. He would decide if any hardware required removal at that time, as well.
Jackson’s dad came over for lunch and went to the XM studio show with us in the late afternoon. The band met us there for a five-song live show in a small auditorium, seating forty people. It would be broadcast live with questions from the host, Spencer Wilson, as well as the fans and media in the audience. Carl and I sat in the back of the room on folding chairs, trying to stay out of the fray, while the fans were literally beside themselves at their opportunity. The performance was recorded for potential use in media and clips on the satellite radio’s YouTube channel and webpage.
After the sound check and autograph signing, it was five o’clock and time to start the live show. Spencer introduced Jack and the band and then asked a few questions about the tour before they began their first song of the night.
Of course, he asked Jackson to confirm the fact that he was off the market, which he did by saying, “Yes, indeed, I am. If she weren’t so shy, I’d bring her up on stage.” He waved in my direction with a big grin, while forty sets of eyes swung my way. I sunk into my seat, three shades of red. Carl chuckled and put a comforting arm around me as all the attention finally turned back to the stage for the first song, “This Love.” Again, he hadn’t named me, but he was dancing on a fine line of declaring our relationship. I didn’t know whether to feel ecstatic or nervous.
Jack took three audience questions before each song. They were the typical, boring questions he’d answered a million times until a question before the third song. It was from a college-aged boy who said, “Do you think you’re selling out now, after all your big talk about not settling down with a girl?”
Jack looked angry, and I mentally willed him to calm down.
“No.” His teeth gritted. “I’m not selling out—I’m growing up, like all men should eventually do. The ultimate in life is to be in love, and people who run from it are usually scared of it. Until they find someone worth the risk.” There was a burst of applause in the room, and the guy sat quickly, head down. The rest of the questions went smoother, and they began “Strong Woman” for the fifth song of the night.
When the band started, the music wasn’t right, and Carl and I exchanged a glance. On the stage, we saw Charlie shaking his head and apologizing, asking to cue it up again. It was a live show, so Jackson laughed it off and counted down again. Charlie started in time, but I had a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach as I watched him.
Something was off, but the bright stage lights were obstructing my view, so I walked down the center aisle toward the stage, keeping in a crouch. I got about five rows back and could see that Charlie’s face was ashen, he was sweating profusely, and is forehead wrinkled in pain.
I frantically waved my arms at Jackson. He had to stop, and I didn’t care if it was a live show, or that I was now standing and obstructing the view of all the people behind me. I screamed Jack’s name, but he couldn’t hear me. I called to Charlie, who had stopped playing by this time and wavered unsteadily where he stood.
There was no time to think. I charged past the last five aisles, finally catching Jackson’s attention as I approached the low stage and jumped up on it. I barely noticed him, though, as I made a beeline for Charlie, who was now clutching at his shoulder and grimacing. I was five steps away from him, under the bright lights of the stage now, when he collapsed.
“NO!” I heard myself scream, and I lunged forward, somehow sliding down onto my knees to barely catch Charlie’s head on my thighs as he hit the ground with a thud.
I was no longer in control of my thoughts. I began automatic responses and was uber-calm. I rolled Charlie gently to the floor and began my CPR assessment, finding no breathing or pulse.
I pointed directly to Spencer and commanded, “Call 911 and see if there is an AED in the building.” He looked stunned and frozen, so I yelled, “Now!” and he ran to the control room.
I immediately started compressions on his chest as I counted aloud to thirty and administered two breaths, watching his chest rise. In the back of my mind, I was faintly aware of a huge crowd around me, screaming and shouting. Several people called my name and Charlie’s, but I was in a zone. After five cycles, I felt tired and hollered out to see if anyone else was certified and could help, but I heard no response. I asked for an update on 911 or an AED, to which someone asked what AED meant. I calmly explained it was a portable defibrillator that many public places now had for emergencies. A woman volunteered to go check on the status, and after two more cycles, she appeared again to tell me the ambulance was on the way, and the building did not have an AED.
Sweat beaded on my face now and I asked someone to turn off the hot lights blazing on the stage, and within seconds, normal fluorescent lighting bathed us. I finally glanced around to see the crowd of shocked bystanders still huddled in the room and yelled for Joe and Johnny to clear the room immediately, so EMS could get in without obstruction. They sprang to action from their frozen place next to Jack on the stage.
Spencer brought a cordless phone toward me and said to the receiver, “Yes, here she is, the one who’s in charge.”
He pressed the phone to my ear as I continued to count quietly. “And six and seven and eight …”
“Ma’am? EMS in en route. What information can you tell me?”
“The victim is a white male in his fifties with a history of heart problems who smokes regularly. He’s felt unwell lately and was going to see his doctor tomorrow. He is not breathing and does not have a pulse. I’ve been administering CPR for several minutes now. There is no AED here, and we need help fast.”
“Thank you, ma’am. I will relay this information, and they should be there shortly. Stay on the line.”
I pushed the phone back to Spencer as I moved to perform the breaths. Before I completed them, EMS arrived, rushing into the room with a folded gurney, oxygen, and a defibrillator. I stayed in my position, continuing back to compressions while they set up and finally I heard, “Okay, we’ve got it from here, you can step back.”
I let myself collapse away from Charlie’s side and catch my breath. The paramedics shocked him with paddles and continued CPR while loading him and leaving the room quickly. I looked around the studio, still in my zone, noting only Jackson, Spencer, Joe, and I remained. “Let’s get to the hospital, Jackson.”
He was staring blankly, pale white, and shaking. “That all happened so fast. What on earth is going on and how did you …” He trailed off, letting me take his hand and pull him toward the Jeep.
I let Joe drive us to Vanderbilt and drop us off at the ER. A nurse announced that Charlie arrived to triage, and we would have to wait for further news. And wait we did.
Chapter 37
Three hours later, family and friends in the waiting room surrounded us, when a doctor came out to tell us news. They were able to return Charlie’s heart to rhythm with defibrillation and stabilize him with medications. An echocardiogram indicated he needed immediate bypass surgery. Charlie’s wife, Marsha, signed consent forms as her tears dripped on the papers. Theo squeezed her shoulders and tried to hold back his own emotion.
Just before he walked away, the doctor said, “Who did CPR and managed the scene?”
I sat qui
etly, still absorbing the news of surgery, when I heard my name echoing the room and looked up to see all eyes on me.
“Good job, young lady. You saved his life by keeping oxygen to the brain for all those minutes. Now, the surgeon will do his part.” He nodded and exited through double doors that swung shut behind him.
I barely heard the acknowledgements around me, as I shook off the praise, still too worried about Charlie to care. I leaned into Jackson’s shoulder, and he rested his head on mine. That’s how we fell asleep on and off for the next several hours as exhaustion took over.
It was nearing 4:00 a.m. when the surgeon came out to let us know Charlie had survived the surgery and was in the recovery room now. He would be examined in a few more hours, and if all was going well, he could have visitors around lunchtime in the CCU. He encouraged us all to go home to shower and eat in the meantime, so Jackson and I slowly made our way to the Jeep and then the apartment. We marveled at the mixture of feelings that we had, from shock and anxiety, to the recent joy and hope from the news after surgery. The emotional roller coaster helped us to pass out for a few more hours before we rose at ten o’clock, showered, and headed back to the hospital.
As we pulled up to valet parking in front, a whirlwind of activity hit us. Paparazzi and news broadcasters were waiting at the front door, startling us. The news had travelled fast. Of course, Jackson was a celebrity name in town, but Charlie was well-known in his own right after all of his years in the business. Jackson wrapped his arms protectively around me, and we hurried through the throng of flashes and ignored the bombarding questions. Inside the hospital, decorum returned, and we waited in the CCU area.
I met Grandma for the first time, under such terrible circumstances, but she still hugged me warmly and held my hand in side-by-side chairs, as if we’d known each other for years. She was smaller than I had imagined, but had the perfectly short, curly, white hair and deep brown eyes I had seen in photos. Amos arrived just after us and told Jack not to worry, that he would cancel as many events as needed. He had already told the studio Jack would miss his session today as well as a meeting. The next night was a benefit concert at his high school in Murfreesboro that he did annually to raise money for scholarships.
Jackson shrugged his shoulders, indicating he had no idea yet what to expect. The cardiologist on duty was a slim woman, who came out and smiled broadly. She said, “Charlie has sailed through recovery, and he is now awake and able to communicate. He must remain as still as possible, but he can see two visitors at a time now.”
Theo and Marsha rose and followed the doctor behind the automatic doors, gripping hands with hope. I finally felt myself relax for the first time and hugged Jackson, who held my face and kissed me hard in return. It was funny how insignificant other problems become in daily life when you’re facing the death of someone you love.
We took turns hugging Carl and the other family members in the room, relief spread all over our faces. Amos sat back down in front of us as we waited our turn to see Charlie. “So, did you guys see all the media outside? You won’t believe the frenzy this story has become. Someone at the studio released the video tape of the whole incident, and it’s playing on every major news show and on every news and entertainment web page out there. It’s become a viral hit. Lexie is being hailed a hero and the consummate face of calm in a disaster.”
He turned to look into my shocked eyes. “It really is amazing to watch, the way you took charge. It has sparked a whole new debate on having AEDs readily available. Plus, it made getting CPR-certified the coolest thing to do.”
I shook my head in disbelief as Jackson kissed my cheek and marveled. “You just keep on saving me over and over, baby. What would I do without you?”
“I just did what I’d been trained to do. Surely, people give CPR every day in far more newsworthy stories. Plus, I never would have been able to revive him without EMS arriving.” I was bewildered that the story became news at all, much less my title of hero.
Amos smiled. “Well, I have a slew calls for interviews with you, so you let me know if and when you’re game. I know you don’t really like attention, but it seems to follow you around. We can release a blanket statement to the media if you would rather do that.”
I grimaced at the thought of dealing with the media and muttered, “I’ll think about it.”
We waited for our turn to see Charlie and were able to spend a few minutes before he couldn’t hold his eyes open. He looked pale and small in the hospital bed, but the machines were buzzing with a healthy heartbeat and that was all that mattered. He held my hand briefly and whispered “thank you” before he drifted off.
When we left the hospital, Jackson called Andy told him to set up daily catering delivery to Charlie’s house for the next three weeks and to have a cleaning service every week for the next three months. He turned to me as we drove home. “We can see what the doctors say tomorrow, but I’m guessing we’ll need to take Theo on the rest of the tour, unless he objects.”
“Fat chance of that. He’ll be thrilled as long, as his dad is stable and recovering. What about the fundraiser tomorrow? Was it supposed to be just you and Charlie again, like at the Bluebird?”
“Yeah. I should try to honor that. We planned it a year ago, and it means a lot to the school and community. Fitch can play with me and we’ll be fine. Theo doesn’t need to be away from his dad that soon. Let’s just make sure he gets out of CCU tomorrow and then decide for sure. What about you, are you going to give anyone an interview, Superwoman?”
I asked his opinion on my options, as we talked over a late lunch of deli takeout at his apartment. I decided to let Amos release a statement for all the media outlets to use. It was a good chance to actually give credit where it was due and encourage something positive out of the situation.
I am grateful for the outcome of the events on June 27. The most important thing is that Charlie is making a remarkable recovery and will be able to enjoy many more years with his family. I absolutely do not consider myself a hero, just a person with the right training, in the right place, at the right time. As a healthcare professional, my hope is for the attention on this story to help encourage more people to get CPR certified, more businesses to purchase AEDs and more people to get regular health check-ups. The real heroes to be recognized are the first responders and hospital staff who work hard to save lives every day without the praise they so deserve. Thank you for the thoughts and prayers sent to Charlie, Jack, and his family.
After we revised our draft to the final form, Amos sent it on to the PR firm who would release it to the various media outlets. I told him I wasn’t interested in being on camera, and even though I know he was disappointed, he relented.
Jackson grinned at me and joked, “You just can’t stay out of the spotlight, can you?”
I rolled my eyes at him and started his long overdue therapy. He had only mild swelling but significant stiffness in his calf muscles. My thoughts drifted away from Charlie.
“I got a text from Miranda today, and she wants me to choreograph a video for the Pistol Annies and said to expect a call from Dierks, because she passed my number on to him.”
“See, baby? I told you it would work that way. Word of mouth in Nashville is crazy. You can stay as busy as you want with choreography, but don’t feel like you have to say ‘yes’ to everyone. Remember, you don’t have to take care of everyone else all the time,” he said protectively. I loved the pride I saw in his expression.
I gave him a grateful smile. “I’ll just play it by ear and see how things settle down after the tour. Let’s get some sleep so we can get to the hospital for our shift in the morning.”
When we arrived at eight o’clock, Charlie was sitting up in bed. We sent Ric and Lee home from their overnight shift, where they sat crumpled into chairs. Fitch volunteered to play with Jackson at the fundraiser, so he was taking the afternoon shift before the show, along with Andy and Kate. I fussed around Charlie’s new room on the cardiac fl
oor, out of CCU. I refilled his water pitcher, plumped his pillows, and made him use his breather and cough into his chest pillow. I rearranged all his flowers and cards, which were steadily taking over the room. He was in good spirits, truly thankful to be alive.
I teased him, “You’d do anything to get out of that doctor appointment you had set up, wouldn’t you?”
He chuckled hoarsely. “Hell yeah, trip to the ER and open heart surgery was a much better option for sure. By the way, thank you again for saving my life. How can I repay you? How about my firstborn son?”
We chuckled at poor Theo’s expense and Jackson retorted, “Looks like we will be taking him off your hands for the next month. You sure you’re okay with him hitting the road?”
Charlie grimaced but nodded. “The diploma was the deal, and he got it. Just watch out for him, Jack. I think he’ll do a great job, but he’s impulsive and a little bit wild.”
“Don’t worry, if Lex has anything to do with it, she’ll pull out her matchmaking skills and settle him down with a girlfriend to keep him in line.”
I scoffed. “Please, someone has to take on all the groupies that can no longer have you.”
“Hey, you two,” Charlie said with a serious tone in his voice that made us sit up at attention. “I need to share some wisdom on y’all, and I can say this with certainty now that I’ve seen the white light and come back. The most important thing in life is to tell people how you feel about them. You may not always have another chance. Don’t waste time following social rules, or being scared, or stubborn. When you find something good, you grab onto it, cherish it, and always say it out loud. Okay, dammit? Just tell me you hear what I’m saying.”
Muse: ( Groupie Volume 2 of 2) Page 23