Page 133 of Before You Can Blink
My fist never got the chance to meet the wood before it was pulled open to reveal a concerned-looking Mac on the other side.
“Jett? What’s going on? I heard a shout.” His eyes did a visual sweep over my body from head to toe.
There was a mounting pressure beneath my sternum that felt like it was crushing my lungs, but I managed to croak out, “Chest hurts,” before I collapsed on the front porch.
“Shit.” Mac reached out to break my fall, and though he was strong, I was dead weight, so we both crashed to the ground.
Each breath became a struggle, similar to how it felt when I was in the midst of a panic attack, and the edges of my vision darkened. But not before I saw the terrified expression on the face of nine-year-old Bentley as he watched on from just inside the house.
“Grampa?” His voice sounded far away as I struggled to remain conscious.
“Bentley, bud,” Mac called out to his son, doing his best to keep his tone calm so as not to scare my grandson further. “I need you to be a brave boy and grab my phone out of my back pocket so I can call for help.”
The little boy shook his head as tears rolled down his cheeks.
“Bentley, now!” Mac’s voice grew firm. “Grampa needs help.”
Reluctantly, the child stepped closer, skirting where I lay to follow his father’s instructions.
My eyes slid closed, but sprang back open when I was jostled violently. “I need you to stay with me, Jett,” Mac commanded.
I opened my mouth to protest that I was too tired, but no words came out.
Vaguely, I caught some of the words my son-in-law spoke over the phone. When he said heart attack, I remember thinking,Oh, that makes sense, considering I’d confused my earliest panic attacks with that life-threatening cardiac event.
Mac kept shaking me, begging me to stay awake while we waited for the ambulance. I just couldn’t resist the heavy pull of darkness.
And right before it finally dragged me under, there was only one person on my mind.
Daisy.
I prayed she knew how much I loved her and would miss her when I was gone.
Soft sniffles sounded nearby.
Why is there crying in Heaven?
“I’m so sorry I wasn’t there.” Daisy’s melodic voice, though laced heavily with grief, brought peace to my soul.
I’m glad you weren’t, baby. I wouldn’t want your last memories of me to be tainted with fear and sadness.
“But I’ll make sure to thank God every day that you were with Mac when you collapsed. Because if you hadn’t been . . . I can’t even bear to think about it.”
Wait, what?
By some miracle, did I manage not to die?
Focusing all my energy on opening my eyes, I groaned when bright light filtered in as I managed to lift the lids the tiniest fraction.
A sharp inhale accompanied a tight squeeze of my hand.
“Jett? Honey, can you hear me?”
The lining of my throat felt raw, and I swallowed against the roughness before croaking out, “Daze?”
“Tripp, go get a doctor. He’s waking up.”
“Lights,” I muttered.
