He began the compressions. Keeping the pace at one hundred beats per minute, he began counting in his head.
“Come on, Ro!” he shouted at her too-still form. “Don’t do this to me. You have to make it. Youhaveto!”
He couldn’t imagine a world where she didn’t exist.
Over and over, he pushed with bruising strength. Once he got to thirty, he stopped to give two additional breaths before returning to the steady, life-saving beats.
“You’ve got this, brother.” Christian laid a hand on his shoulder. “It’s Ro. If anyone can fight their way through this…”
“Come on!” Brody growled at her again.
His forearms and biceps burned from the strain, the pounding in his head growing exponentially with each and every compression. But he didn’t stop. Stopping wasn’t even a blip on his to-do radar.
This was Ro. His Ro. And he would never stop trying to save her.
Another thirty-count passed before he filled her lungs again. “Please, baby. Please stay with me.” Tears fell from his eyes, but he ignored them and kept on.
“Why don’t you let me take over?” Christian squeezed his shoulder.
But Brody jerked away and continued doing what he was doing. He’d put her in this position. His past had done this to her. So if anyone was going to save her…
“Goddamn it, Aurora! You have to breathe!” He shouted at his sleeping princess. “Fuckingbreathe!”
After yet another round of thirty compressions, he lifted a trembling hand to her neck. He held his breath and waited, silently pleading with God to save her. And then…
There!
“She has a pulse!” he shouted to no one in particular. Tears of relief formed and he couldn’t bring himself to care. “It’s weak, but it’s there.”
The entire team cheered, but Brody was too busy watching her face to notice. Less than a handful of seconds later, Ro’s lips parted and her chest rose with a loud, macabre sounding gasp.
It was the most beautiful sound he’d ever heard.
“That’s it!” he encouraged. “Just keep breathing, baby. That’s it!”
Ro coughed and sputtered as her body regained its life. Brody was so overwhelmed by the relief he felt knowing they’d made it in time, he almost missed the slight squeaking noise coming from somewhere up above.
Tearing his eyes from Ro, he looked up just in time to see a shadow move past one of the opened room’s second-story windows. What the…
Ainsworth.
“He’s still here.” Brody shot a look in Christian’s direction. “I just saw someone right up there.” He pointed. “I’d bet my ass it’s Ainsworth.”
“Guy like that…he’d want to stick close to enjoy the show.” Jagger nodded.
He felt so torn. He wanted to stay with Ro…to make sure she kept on breathing. But he also knew this was his fight, and one only he could end.
“Go.” Rocky knelt next to him. “I’ll stay with her until the paramedics get here.” When Brody didn’t move, the other man shoved him to the side and said, “I’ve got her, nowgo!”
Taking precious seconds he may not have, he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. “I’ll be right back, Princess.” Moving his mouth up to her ear, he whispered, “I love you.”
It wasn’t exactly how he’d planned to tell her the first time. Hell he didn’t even have a plan for something like that. But Brody did know he wasn’t going to let another second go by without her knowing.
Not after this. Not after being minutes—probably less—from losing her forever.
“You stick with her until I get back.” An unwavering order meant for Rocky.
“You know I will.”