administered air to baby Nadia the night before, and found another blond sitting on the sofa, eyeballing him. On her lap, baby Nadia lounged, clutching a bear and a blanket. Her face was flushed and she didn’t smile.
“Ms. Larsen.” He jerked his chin at the woman he’d met at the hospital, Kara’s sister.
“Mrs. Adair,” Kara corrected him, crossing the room to press her palm to her daughter’s forehead.
“You can just call me Elena.”
“I’m Reid. Reid Bennett.”
“Nice to meet you. Thank you. For last night, I mean.”
Reid nodded, turned to Trevor’s case, unlatched it. “Is right here good?”
“Good enough.” Kara disappeared down a hallway so Reid took the time to study the baby on Kara’s sister’s lap.
“The baby’s breathing well today? No more barking?”
“She has a fever.”
Ah. That explained why the baby was so lethargic.
He stepped closer, knelt on the floor and smiled. “Hi, Nadia.” He brushed the honey curls off her face, ignoring the way his fingers seemed to scream for more. Her face was hot. But the baby didn’t smile. She just blinked at him. He didn’t have any gear with him, but he wanted to hear her lungs. Without asking, he put his ear to the baby’s chest, ignoring the sudden tension in Elena Adair.
“What are you doing?”
He turned, straightened and found Kara standing in the living room wearing jeans and a T-shirt now. The high heels and the power suit were gone.
“I wanted to hear her chest. She’s much clearer.”
Kara nodded and stared at him. He stared back until she cleared her throat. “So, um, how do you want to do this?”
Right. The dummies. He quickly unlatched the cases, put each on the carpeted floor. “Okay, you remember the class? You come across baby Trevor, lifeless. What do you do?”
“Um, airway, breathing, and compressions.”
He lifted his eyebrows. “Don’t tell me. Show me.” He waved a hand over Trevor.
“Oh. Um, right.” Kara inched closer and lowered herself to her knees. “Um. Trevor! Trevor!” She shouted, patting the dummy’s feet and shaking his shoulder. “No response.” She put her hand on the dummy’s forehead and gently lifted his head up, putting an ear to his face. “I don’t see his chest moving or feel air on my face. Starting CPR.” She pressed her mouth over the dummy’s nose and lips and blew two fast breaths into the body. With two fingers, she pressed down on the dummy’s chest.
Reid noted her finger position. She began compressions. At thirty, she bent and administered two more breaths.
“I’d stop right now to call 911, then resume.”
“Good.” Reid checked off the boxes on the form. “Nice work.” He moved to Travis. “Okay. Same scenario. You walk in, find Travis unresponsive. What do you do?”
Kara stared at the figure and tucked her hair behind her ears. “Travis! Travis!” She tried to rouse the ‘child’.
She repeated her earlier actions but Reid noted her hand placement was incorrect. He leaned over, moved her hands up about an inch on the figure’s sternum. He drew his hands up her arms, stopped at her elbows, locked them. “Begin compressions.”
She performed the compressions properly so he checked that off his form.
“Ma! Ma! Ma!” Nadia whined.
“I’ll take her to the other room, Kara. Finish your test.” Elena scrambled to her feet, disappeared down the same hallway.
“Okay, you passed.” Reid handed her the form, showed her where to sign. “Sorry about the mix-up.”
She merely shook her head. He got a whiff of something sweet, like apples. Green apples. He liked it so he didn’t move away. He just stood there, looking at her. He liked looking at Kara Larsen. She was beautiful, even with the circles under her eyes and the anxiety puckering her forehead. He opened his mouth, about to tell her so.
And then that damn cell phone of hers pinged. She scrambled to check the display. “Nadia’s medicine. It’s time for her next dose,” she
“Ms. Larsen.” He jerked his chin at the woman he’d met at the hospital, Kara’s sister.
“Mrs. Adair,” Kara corrected him, crossing the room to press her palm to her daughter’s forehead.
“You can just call me Elena.”
“I’m Reid. Reid Bennett.”
“Nice to meet you. Thank you. For last night, I mean.”
Reid nodded, turned to Trevor’s case, unlatched it. “Is right here good?”
“Good enough.” Kara disappeared down a hallway so Reid took the time to study the baby on Kara’s sister’s lap.
“The baby’s breathing well today? No more barking?”
“She has a fever.”
Ah. That explained why the baby was so lethargic.
He stepped closer, knelt on the floor and smiled. “Hi, Nadia.” He brushed the honey curls off her face, ignoring the way his fingers seemed to scream for more. Her face was hot. But the baby didn’t smile. She just blinked at him. He didn’t have any gear with him, but he wanted to hear her lungs. Without asking, he put his ear to the baby’s chest, ignoring the sudden tension in Elena Adair.
“What are you doing?”
He turned, straightened and found Kara standing in the living room wearing jeans and a T-shirt now. The high heels and the power suit were gone.
“I wanted to hear her chest. She’s much clearer.”
Kara nodded and stared at him. He stared back until she cleared her throat. “So, um, how do you want to do this?”
Right. The dummies. He quickly unlatched the cases, put each on the carpeted floor. “Okay, you remember the class? You come across baby Trevor, lifeless. What do you do?”
“Um, airway, breathing, and compressions.”
He lifted his eyebrows. “Don’t tell me. Show me.” He waved a hand over Trevor.
“Oh. Um, right.” Kara inched closer and lowered herself to her knees. “Um. Trevor! Trevor!” She shouted, patting the dummy’s feet and shaking his shoulder. “No response.” She put her hand on the dummy’s forehead and gently lifted his head up, putting an ear to his face. “I don’t see his chest moving or feel air on my face. Starting CPR.” She pressed her mouth over the dummy’s nose and lips and blew two fast breaths into the body. With two fingers, she pressed down on the dummy’s chest.
Reid noted her finger position. She began compressions. At thirty, she bent and administered two more breaths.
“I’d stop right now to call 911, then resume.”
“Good.” Reid checked off the boxes on the form. “Nice work.” He moved to Travis. “Okay. Same scenario. You walk in, find Travis unresponsive. What do you do?”
Kara stared at the figure and tucked her hair behind her ears. “Travis! Travis!” She tried to rouse the ‘child’.
She repeated her earlier actions but Reid noted her hand placement was incorrect. He leaned over, moved her hands up about an inch on the figure’s sternum. He drew his hands up her arms, stopped at her elbows, locked them. “Begin compressions.”
She performed the compressions properly so he checked that off his form.
“Ma! Ma! Ma!” Nadia whined.
“I’ll take her to the other room, Kara. Finish your test.” Elena scrambled to her feet, disappeared down the same hallway.
“Okay, you passed.” Reid handed her the form, showed her where to sign. “Sorry about the mix-up.”
She merely shook her head. He got a whiff of something sweet, like apples. Green apples. He liked it so he didn’t move away. He just stood there, looking at her. He liked looking at Kara Larsen. She was beautiful, even with the circles under her eyes and the anxiety puckering her forehead. He opened his mouth, about to tell her so.
And then that damn cell phone of hers pinged. She scrambled to check the display. “Nadia’s medicine. It’s time for her next dose,” she
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