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He was still, eyes closed

Pump, pump, pump

I read about this Never did it Learned in case I needed to Thirty pumps at the rate of 100 to 120 per minute Tilt head, lift chin, pinch nose, breathe Two breaths Each lasting a second

Pump, pump, pump Breathe

I kicked up into the slipstrea the heart inside his body, that lovely, unfairly penalizedit back to life as I worked

Pump, pump, pump Breathe

I vibrated as intensely as I could because Mac told ive off a subtle electrical charge when I do I hit full intensity, pu at the same time

No breath Not a twitch or even a flicker of eyes behind his lids

Pump, pump pump, breathe

Pu before I stopped trying to bludgeon and breathe and vibrate his body back to life

Burning, hurting, scarring sodeep

My head whipped back and I snarled at the ceiling with grief and fury and white-hot rage "Why?" I shook ood reason! Tell me WHY you son of a bitch! Why not me? Do you take everyone away and leaveI wept and raged up at the ceiling, or when I changed tactics and began begging Offering anything

Everything All my superpowers Whatever made me special Just let me have Dancer back One et to say goodbye

Hands dropping uselessly atnumb: reject reject reject

His body teh

He’d slipped away shortly after I’d fallen asleep

Hours ago

While I’d slunorantly on

Dancer had died, alone, and I’d been lying beside hi, his need

This had been my fear: I wouldn’t be there when he died Worse yet, I’d been right there, yet not I’d wanted to be holding his hand I’d wanted hih it

Had it hurt?