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She ru that resembled antacid She did find some ibuprofen, so she shook out a few of the pills and poured a glass ofroolass of milk

"No antacid, but isn’t ot you some pain stuff Maybe that’ll work"

Frank smiled and took the medicine from her outstretched palm "Thank you, Rusty I’ed and headed back to the couch to sit next to Marlene

Fa dysfunctional people trying to be funny while appearing all happy happy orse than watching paint dry She knew all about dysfunction, and it didn’t go hand in hand with happy or funny

She sighed and tuned out the laughs of the studio audience and wondered how long it took to save the world A few days? Weeks? She’d ask Marlene how long, but it would only earn her another one of those e

She turned when she heard Frankhis arm He looked pale and strained and he huffed for breath

Alar at Frank as well

"Frank," Marlene said sharply "What’s wrong?"

"It’s nothing, Marlene I just need to get up andon led to his feet and for a roan, he pitched forward and hit the floor with a thud

Panic hit Rusty like a ton of bricks She surged to her feet and screas

Marlene threw herself onto the floor beside Frank at the same time Rusty scrambled over the coffee table to kneel beside hi?" Rusty asked fearfully "Oh my God, is he dead?"

Before Marlene could respond, Rusty leaned her ear down to his chest, feeling for any movement She reached a hand up to his neck You were supposed to feel for a pulse, right?

He wasn’tShe didn’t think his chest wasat all She couldn’t feel a pulse, but her hands were shaking so bad that she doubted she could have felt one anyway

Rio and Donovan burst into the roouns up, but when they saw Frank on the floor and the touns aside and rushed over

Donovan shoved Rusty out of the way and i and a pulse Rio bent next to him and tore open Frank’s shirt at the chest

"He’s n-not breathing," Rusty said

Rio’s gaze found hers for just a moment, and she saw steady reassurance there Then he doubled his hands and positioned them over Frank’s heart Face drawn and pale, Donovan tilted Frank’s neck back, then leaned down and began mouth-to-mouth

Marlene was on her knees, her face so white that it scared Rusty She looked like she was in shock, and worse, there was such fear in her eyes that it hit Rusty in the gut like a punch

"Marlene Marlene!" Rio added the last more forcefully

Marlene snapped to awareness and looked at Rio

"Call 911 We have to get him to a hospital"

Rusty started to shake There wasn’t a part of her body that wasn’t tre violently Oh God, not Frank No, no, no Tears welled in her eyes and she wrapped both arain control

Rio’s expression was grim as he and Donovan continued CPR Donovan wouldn’t look in her or Marlene’s direction His steadfast focus was on forcing air in and out of his father’s lungs Marlene raced to the phone, and Rusty could di the situation to the dispatcher

Only seconds later, Marlene returned and stood anxiously over the men "They said an ambulance would be here in ten e her He kept on with the breaths

The as the worst Rusty had ever endured in her life It was like a bad video that was stuck in a replay loop It didn’t see She couldn’t lose Frank He believed in her No one else believed in her

When the paramedics finally arrived, they had to force Donovan away It was a blur There was a tube and needles Lines and a machine When they paused in CPR to check for a rhythm and the thin, red, flat line streamed across the monitor, Rusty lost it

"No!"

She threw herself forward and shoved the para, her heart breaking

"No," she cried hysterically "You can’t leave me Please don’t leave me You can’t die"

Rio plucked her off, and she kicked and fought him until he wrapped both arms around her and held her immobile Theambulance, and when Marlene would have followed Donovan, Rio’s ently reined her in

"Listen to me, Rusty," Rio said in a low voice next to her ear "He’s not gone Not yet They can save hiive up on him He’ll know"

Tears ran down her cheeks She’d never felt so lost in her life Not when her stupid mother ran out on her Not when her asshole stepfather made her life miserable Not when she’d tried to turn tricks just to find a way out of her life

"Rio, why can’t I go with hi him? I need to be with hiently set Rusty down on the couch and took the seat beside her He cupped her cheek even as tears splashed over the back of his hand He glanced over at Marlene

"My job is to keep you safe All of you I’ll take you to the hospital But we’ll do this right You go with o anywhere without lazed with fear and grief Then she crossed the roo her into her ared her fiercely and buried her face against her breast AllRusty’s only experience with arette smoke

"Shhh," Marlene said as she rocked Rusty back and forth "He’s a fighter, Rusty All the Kellys are It’ll take more than a heart attack to put Frank down He’s survived worse"

Rusty choked back another sob and clung desperately to those words She knew Marlene was putting up a brave front for her, and she appreciated it--loved Marlene for doing it--but she felt Marlene’s betraying tremble and the fear that was laced into those words of comfort

Rio put a hand on Rusty’s back and then slid it up to squeeze her shoulder "If you till coet you to the hospital"