The wheeze came again. Jackie felt in her handbag. How could she have forgotten it. She always carried it with her. The Ventolin puffer wasn’t there.
“Mum we have to go. I need my puffer.” It was a fantastic excuse to leave her parents home. She’d known it would be difficult. Introducing a new boyfriend and telling them that she was going to move in with him in one breath was never going to be easy. Now she had an out. There were advantages to having asthma sometimes. She wheezed a few more times for good measure as she backed out the door pulling her boyfriend along with her. She knew the next drama would be when they saw her getting on the back of a motorbike.
Her mother was already protesting but she had her helmet on and they were off. Speeding they made their way over the Sydney Harbour Bridge on their journey to their home in Balmain. She snuggled into his back, the wheeze no longer audible. Suddenly behind them they heard a siren and turning she saw the blue flashing lights indicating they were to pull over.
“Don’t worry,” she whispered “I’ll fix it.” She started wheezing.
“He was only” she wheezed “speeding because I need my ventolin urgently.” She stared pleadingly at the police officer. “I have to get home.”
“Get in the car. You follow but don’t speed. We’ll take her to Sydney hospital.” She got in the car. The wheezes now were genuine and she started to struggle for breath. The sirens were on again and they travelled at great speed arriving quickly at their destination. The medical team was waiting. Doctors listened to her chest, noting the lack of air movement, intravenous drips were inserted, medication began. The nurse started giving an injection of aminophylline. Jackie, a nurse herself, knew the nurse was giving it far too quickly but her lack of breath prevented her from protesting. She tried to call out but the words wouldn’t come. She sank back in the bed as though she was part of it. Unable to move she saw her body as she floated above it watching the panic as realisation came to the medics that no longer was she breathing.
“Adrenaline!” one doctor yelled. Despite the lack of harmony in the workers their efforts successfully resuscitated her. Now with a tube down her throat to aid her breathing the staff allowed her boyfriend in to see her.
He squeezed her hand. “They let me off. Great job. If I’d got fined this time I would have lost my license.”
In response to the Daily Post Weekly Writing Challenge Oh the Irony
<a href=”http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_writing_challenge/oh-the-irony/”>Oh, The Irony</a>
Reflections and Nightmares- Irene A Waters (writer and memoirist) 
LOVE it ! – selfishness all ’round …
Really good one, Irene ! 😀
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Glad you Love it M-R. XD
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Eeegad,,,sounds like someone I would marry!
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LOL but not any more.
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Be careful what you wish for. Love the twist even if I cringe at the needles. Thanks for a perked-upper first thing in the morning
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Ha ha. glad you liked it.
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Oh the irony indeed…great story and loved the twist Irene. Glad it all worked out in the end…with lots of drama thrown in the mix. My kind of story 😉
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Thanks Sherri. I wasn’t 100% certain that I used irony. It’s not something I’ve ever set out to do on purpose before and it left me wondering if I had actually got it right. ❓
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I thought you pitched it perfectly Irene…either that or my idea of irony is totally skewed : ! :
😉
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Oh good. That means you and me both. 🙂
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😀
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Great twist! Lies leading to lies leading to…
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Oh the tangled web we weave……… 🙂
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Serves them right. I wonder if someone real inspired it?!
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You’ve got it in one Lisa.
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I got all caught up in the drama (you wrote the emergency tensions well) and then realized what a cad the boyfriend is! Great irony!
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Thanks Charli. I wasn’t certain that I had written irony although I thought it was ironic that all she wanted to do was avoid a speeding ticket and ended up near death but then I started to doubt myself. My own worst enemy as we all are.
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Thanks Sarah. Hope it didn’t bring back too many bad memories of asthma attacks. Yes, if you can get the reader having strong emotions it has to be good. 🙂
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Yikes – I actually found myself holding my breath and starting to get a bit breathless towards the end!! Great story 🙂
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Thanks Jo-anne. Glad it had that kind of suspense for you. 🙂
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Terrific story, Irene, loved the ending.
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Thanks Christine. Ironic. 🙂
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