19B (PART 2 OF 2)
unconscious choking, Heimlich maneuver/abdominal thrusts, CPR/chest compressions, rescue breathing, one victim (F), multiple rescuers (F/M), incompetent and competent rescuers
*part 1 contains conscious to unconscious choking, one victim (F), one rescuer (F), incompetent rescuer, Heimlich maneuver/abdominal thrusts
âStay with me Maya, please, stay with me. Itâs gonna be okayâ Rylie cried, unsure if she was lying or not. Rylie placed her hands on Mayaâs chest again, hesitant, recalling the first aid posters sheâd seen over the years posted in public spaces. She gingerly pushed down a few times, noticing Mayaâs trembling hand weakly reaching for her hands on her chest. âDoes that hurt? Iâm sorry, Maya, Iâm so sorryâ Rylie whimpered, pushing gingerly against Mayaâs chest once more. Footsteps approached the door. âSomeoneâs coming Maya, hang on, just hang on little longerâŠâ
Rylie was overwhelmed. She didnât know what to do. She felt helpless, and Mayaâs life was in her incompetent hands. She had tried mimicking what sheâd seen on TV- the Heimlich maneuver she reminded herself- but had only clued in when Maya tried doing it on herself. Rylie couldnât think straight, her mind racing. How do you save someone from choking? How do you help them breathe when there is something blocking their airway? What about when they are only half awake and canât stand up and are still choking?
âWhatâs wrong?? HeyâŠhey hey hey, whatâs wrong, what happened?â a voice called out. Rylie looked over her shoulder and watched as her floor mates Abigail and Luke rushed into the room, alarm and confusion on their faces. Rylie froze, her hands still on Mayaâs chest, Mayaâs hands weakly scrabbling at them, her unfocused eyes drifting hazily to the doorway. Abigail dropped to Mayaâs other side, her eyes moving quickly over the scene before her. She placed a hand on Mayaâs shoulder and looked at Rylie. âWhat happened?!â Abigail repeated, worry drawing her face tight. Rylie shook her head as a sob escaped her, and she bowed her head to Mayaâs chest, shoulders shaking. Luke approached and pulled Rylie upright and sat her on her bed, a grounding hand on her back rubbing circles. She heard Abigail calling to Maya, shaking her, trying to rouse her. Maya weakly moved her head towards Abigailâs voice. âRylie, what happened to Maya?â Luke asked, his voice low and calm.
âSheâŠMaya, she-â Rylie choked out, unable to speak.
âRylie, breathe, focusâ Luke said, but the word âbreatheâ tipped Rylie over the edge. She whipped around to look at Luke, another sob escaping her, shoulders shaking; âshe canât! She canât breathe, she was ch-chokingâŠ.I tried to help but I didnât know what to doâ Rylie managed to get out between shuddering gasps. Luke stared at Rylie, his mouth snapping shut. He swallowed and turned to look back at Maya and Rylie on the floor. Rylie followed his gaze, watching Abigail checking Mayaâs pulse, head tilted, hovering by Mayaâs mouth. âSheâs barely responding, sheâs not breathingâŠâ Abigail muttered, frowning. Luke approached Abigail and Maya then, kneeling down and wrenching her mouth open, peering inside. âSheâs choking, we need to clear her airway before she passes out entirelyâ.
Abigail crawled to Mayaâs head and sat on her knees, slipping her hands under Mayaâs armpits and pulling her upright into a seated position. Maya folded forward at her waist, one leg bent at the knee, the other straight in front of her, head lolling. Luke propped her upright against Abigail, one hand pressed against Mayaâs chest, the other to her shoulder. Abigail snaked her arms around Mayaâs waist, her hands searching over her oversized T-shirt before yanking the fabric out of the way. Mayaâs abdomen was exposed above the waistband of her panties, muscles quivering painfully as her semi-conscious body continued its weak attempts to clear her airway.
Abigail moved quickly, her fingers poking around on Mayaâs tummy. They found her belly button and Abigail nestled her fist above it, thumb pressing a divot into the skin. She grasped it with her other hand and pulled Maya back towards her. Abigail leaned back and shifted her weight, spreading her legs wider, bracketing Mayaâs limp body between her thighs. She looked at Luke and he nodded before she yanked her clasped hands in and up, deep into Mayaâs abdomen. Abigail yanked again, Maya throwing her head back, mouth gaping open, barely conscious but still responsive to pain. Her weak, trembling hands reached out, grabbing at Luke. He gripped her hands tightly.
Another thrust- âheurkkkâ- and Luke leaned in close, cradling Mayaâs face in his hands. âRelax Maya, try and relax if you can, it will helpâ he called to her in a low voice. Rylie watched, horrified, as Mayaâs swollen lips and splotchy face began to turn grey. Abigail thrust into her again. Rylie winced, taken aback at how violent and uncomfortable it looked. I should have used more force Rylie fretted to herself, wringing her hands.
Luke kept his eyes on Mayaâs face, watching her closely, âRylie, call 911. Choking victim,â he ordered, only to be met with silence. He looked up at Rylie, who was staring with wide eyes at Maya, sitting like a rag doll slouched in Abigailâs arms as she performed the Heimlich maneuver on her barely conscious body, seemingly being held up by Lukeâs grip and Abigailâs thighs pressed tight to her body. âRylieâ Lukeâs voice was sharper now, âcall 911, can you do that? Maya needs you to do that for herâ. Rylie blinked and pulled herself back to the present moment, nodding her head and grabbing her phone from her bed.
Abigail continued thrusting her fists into Mayaâs abdomen, grunting with effort. âCome on Maya, cough it out, Iâve got you,â she encouraged her; another thrust, âcome on!â
But Maya couldnât respond. Luke watched as her eyes began to roll up into her head, collapsing back against Abigail. âMaya? Keep your eyes openâŠMaya? Maya!â he called, shaking her shoulders. He tapped her face.
No response.
âSheâs passed out for real Abigail, get her on her backâ. Abigail heaved a final Heimlich into Mayaâs body before shifting her weight and lowering her to lay flat on the ground. Luke wrenched open Mayaâs mouth, peering in and catching sight of something lodged in her airway. He swept his fingers into her mouth. He felt a tiny, hard disc at the back of her throat but couldnât dislodge it. He withdrew his fingers, wiping the saliva on the carpet beside Mayaâs head, the scent of artificial cherry and menthol assaulting his senses. âI think itâs a cough dropâ he muttered. He repositioned her head and attempted to breathe for her, meeting resistance. Mayaâs cheeks puffed out with a squeaking noise as the air escaped, unable to enter her starving lungs.
Abigail remained at Mayaâs head, pressing two fingers into her neck. She paused, attentive, eyes on Mayaâs unmoving chest. âPulse is quick, heart is still pumping for nowâ she said, looking up at Luke. He nodded and clambered to his feet. âThereâs an AED in the main floor lounge, Iâll be right back,â Luke called over his shoulder as he ran from the room. Abigail crawled to kneel beside Mayaâs chest. She rammed the heel of her hand between Mayaâs breasts and placed her other hand on top. She leaned forward and slammed her weight down, Mayaâs chest bowing from the pressure. â1, 2, 3, 4, 5âŠâ she counted under her breath. Mayaâs head lolled in time with her compressions, her shoulders caving in rhythm as Abigailâs hands pumped her chest. Mayaâs tummy bounced up and down from the force. Abigail cringed, sickened by the amount of force and aggression she was pummeling into Mayaâs helpless body right now.
Rylie appeared in her peripheral, hovering. â911 is on their wayâ she said, voice shaking. Abigail nodded, not breaking focus. âThanks Rylieâ she said, ââŠ27, 28, 29, 30â. Abigail shuffled to Mayaâs head and attempted to ventilate her; just as when Luke tried breathing for her previously, she met resistance. She felt for a pulse at Mayaâs neck as she tried another rescue breath, noticing it was beating rapidly but weakly beneath her fingers. Shit.
âHer airway is still blockedâ Abigail said, looking to Rylie. Rylie stared back, clearly unable to offer any suggestions. Abigail moved to resume chest compressions when an idea struck her. Instead of kneeling by Mayaâs side, she swung her leg over Mayaâs hips and settled herself down atop her pelvis. Abigail placed the heel of her hand into Mayaâs tummy, just above the waistband of her panties, and laced the fingers of her other hand over top of it. She locked her arms straight and pushed up into Mayaâs diaphragm, forcing her lungs to compress and squeeze the stale air up her throat. Maya lurched. Her breasts bounced through the fabric of her T-shirt, her tummy stretched and caved under Abigailâs hands, her head fell to the side with the force of the thrust, a tendril of hair escaped the messy bun piled at the top of her head. Abigail pulled back and thrust again, again, again and again- she lost track, panting from the effort.
Abigail leaned forward, pressing her body against Mayaâs for support as she reached for her mouth and check for the cough drop. It was still lodged in her throat. âFuck sakes Maya,â she sighed, exasperated and scared. She sat back on Mayaâs hips and began chest compressions once more, not wasting time with dismounting Maya and kneeling at her side. Abigail pumped Mayaâs chest desperately, watching it cave and bow under her force. Abigail closed her eyes and prayed; she didnât believe in a god, not really, but she was grasping at straws here. She counted to 30 compressions and slid her hands down to Mayaâs abdomen again. She delivered more forceful abdominal thrusts, heaving her body back and forth, pushing in an up- again and again and again- when suddenly-
âKufffffâ.
Abigail faltered, frozen with her hands shoved up into Mayaâs ribcage, her head snapping up and eyes narrowing, staring at Mayaâs face. She slowly leaned back and pressed in and up once more into Maya- âhufffâ a tiny gasp escaped her.
âMaya?!â Rylie dropped to her knees at Mayaâs head, hands hovering, unsure what to do. âIs she breathing? Rylie, is Maya breathing?â Abigail asked, leaning forward, peering at Mayaâs face. Rylie opened Mayaâs mouth and relief spread over her face. She swept her fingers into Mayaâs mouth and withdrew a sticky, shiny disc. She laughed. âOh my god, itâs out! The cough drop, itâs- Abigail, you did it! It came out! Holy shit, Abi-â
âIs she breathing?â Abigail repeated, voice sharp and urgent. She watched Mayaâs chest, hitching in an irregular pattern. She raised herself on her knees, still straddling Maya, and shook her shoulders. âMaya, Maya open your eyes, take a deep breath, come on Mayaâ. Maya didnât respond, her mouth open, face slack. Abigail rammed her fingers against the side of Mayaâs throat.
Thump..thuâŠâŠ...thumpTHUMP-THumâŠthumpâŠ
âHer pulse is really weakâ Abigail said under her breath. She leaned forward once more, pinching Mayaâs nostrils closed. She tilted her head and sealed her mouth over Mayaâs swollen, blue tinged lips. She exhaled, contracting her core muscles, breathing as much air as she could into Mayaâs lungs. Relief flooded her body, slightly dizzy from the intensity of the emotions, feeling Mayaâs chest rise and brush softly against her own. Maya released the seal and listened intently. Wooshhhh her breath exhaled from Mayaâs lungs. Abigail inhaled and delivered another breath back into Mayaâs open mouth, again feeling her chest rise and fall against her body.
Abigail breathed three more times into Maya. She tapped her cheek, calling to her âMaya, breathe, open your eyes Mayaâ. She shook her face gently before sitting up and resuming chest compressions. Rocking her body up and down, once again hammering Mayaâs poor chest, trying to help her heart back into proper rhythm, she looked to Rylie. âRylie, help me do CPR. Hold Mayaâs head and keep her airway open. When I say, breathe for her, okay?â Rylie looked hysterical, her face screwed up, trying to stop her tears. âI know itâs scary, you can do it, weâre doing CPR together, okay? Maya needs us to do this for herâ she encouraged her, âthatâs it, one hand under her chin, one on her forehead, yepâŠ26, 27, 28, 29, 30- okay, now. Pinch her nose tight and breathe into her mouthâ.
Abigail watched as Rylie delivered a rescue breath into Maya, watching her chest rise again. âGood, just like that Rylie, againâŠgood! Her chest is rising, thatâs a good thingâ she panted, resuming chest compressions again. They continued like this for another round, the only sounds in the room were Rylieâs muffled cries, Abigailâs panting, and tiny little huff, huhhh, hunghhh, huphf gasps coming from Maya in time with Abigailâs chest compressions.
Luke stumbled back into the room, AED in hand, and kneeled down at Mayaâs head. Abigail continued counting compressions aloud. â6, 7, 8, 9âŠ.the blockage is outâ she panted, âsheâs not breathing and her heartbeat is irregular, weak pulseâŠ18, 19, 20âŠRylie is breathing for her, Iâll continue compressions while you get the AED set up- okay, now Rylie, two breathsâ she ordered. She watched as Rylie, still terrified, squeezed her eyes shut and leaned down, breathing for Maya.
Abigail resumed chest compressions, only pausing to lift her hands up, still in position, when Luke cut open Mayaâs shirt, then her bra. Mayaâs breasts fell out of her bra, pulling down towards her sides. Abigail heard Rylie whimper and followed her gaze, taking in the red and purple splotches blooming across Mayaâs chest and tummy, where Abigail was still straddling her. Abigail bit her lip, an odd combination of guilt and determination settling in her stomach. She continued slamming her weight down onto Mayaâs beaten chest, pausing to allow Rylie time to breathe for Maya.
Suddenly, she felt Mays stir weakly beneath her. âStop, stop, stop! Rylie, is she breathing? Is Maya breathing?â She dismounted Mayaâs hips and settled beside Rylie, pressing her palm flat to Mayaâs chest. She felt a weak rise and fall- shallow, but consistent. She looked up, meeting Lukeâs eyes. Luke paused setting up the AED and reached towards Mayaâs neck, then her wrist âI think she might be have a steady pulse againâŠâ he said, frowning. Abigail watched as Mayaâs chest rose and fell unevenly, lips parted, and she noticed some colour had returned to Mayaâs face.
Abigail watched Luke leaned close, checking Mayaâs airway. âSheâs still having a hard time passing airâ he murmured. He abandoned the AED and sealed his lips over Mayaâs mouth and exhaled, forcing her chest to rise in a steady rhythm. Abigail kept a firm grip on Mayaâs wrist, feeling the pulse beat under her shaky finger tips. Rylie cried quietly beside her, and Abigail wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders.
âHer heart is beating, and Luke is supporting her breathing until EMS arriveâ Abigail said, âhere, press your fingers along her neck and you can feel her heart beating- yeah like that, itâs gonna be okay Rylieâ. A quiet moan, followed by a wheezy cough, escaped Mayaâs lips. Her brows contracted with pain. Luke paused, pressing a hand to Mayaâs chest and rubbing firmly. âYes, yes! Thatâs it Maya, take a deep breathâŠcome on Maya, again!â Luke encouraged her. Abigail took Mayaâs hand in hers and squeezed tightly, her heart fluttering at the weak grip she got back. âStay with us Maya, youâre okayâ Abigail called to her. Rylie placed a hand to Mayaâs cheek. âMaya?â She whispered, âMaya, breathe for me, come on, listen to Luke, breatheâŠâ. Mayaâs chest rose and fell- again, shallow, but even. âOpen your eyes Mayaâ Luke called to her.
Maya slowly blinked her eyes half open, squinting, her eyes drifting from one concerned face to the other. She groaned, grimacing, confusion and pain crossing her face. Her head rolled to the side, then back to face the ceiling, eyes glassy and tired. âBreathe Maya, relaxâŠâ Abigail said, squeezing her hand again. Abigail appraised Maya, flat on the floor, wearing nothing but her panties, her cut shirt and bra exposing her bare chest to the room. âLetâs get her on her side and cover her upâ she said. They rolled Maya into the recovery position and draped Rylieâs blanket over her, tucking it around her tired and weak body. Rylie remained kneeling at Mayaâs head, stroking her hair and murmuring quietly to her, Maya providing a weak nod here and there. Luke was crouched on Mayaâs other side, fingers pressed to her neck, his other hand against her side. Abigail knew he was feeling her pulse and her breathing, monitoring her status.
Abigail sighed, hearing raised voices and footsteps coming down the hall. She heard to static of a walkie talkie. Rylie jumped to her feet and ran the doorway, flagging down the paramedics. âIn here! Weâre in hereâŠI called about a choking victim. Sheâs awake and breathing now, but very weak. We did the Heimlich maneuver, but she passed out, so my friends started CPR, andâŠâ Abigail zoned out, watching the paramedics assess Maya, feeling relief that they had worked together to save her.
Omg I canât get over how good this was, I love every bit of it.

















