Blood Rubies by Jane K. Cleland

under his head gingerly, seeking out the wound. His skull was dented.
    â€œHe must have fallen and hit his head,” she said, dazed. “The floor was just waxed.”
    I rolled him onto his side to see if he was still bleeding, to see if I could do something to stop the flow. As I turned him over, his right arm flung sideways, landing lifelessly on the wood floor. The indentation in his head was deep. No blood was oozing. I rolled him back and began chest compressions. Maybe I wasn’t too late.
    â€œAna. Go. Call nine-one-one.”
    She ran to the kitchen.
    Compress, release. Compress, release. As I worked, dread took hold of me. Compress, release. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ana standing by the kitchen island clutching a portable phone to her chest. Compress, release. His eyes were glassy, unseeing. He was dead. I knew it, but I didn’t stop. I didn’t want it to be true. I winked away an unexpected tear and glanced at Ana. Her eyes were also moist.
    â€œThe ambulance is on the way,” she said. “I know CPR. I can spot you.”
    I heard a faint siren, a double whirr, a distant noise. “Okay.”
    â€œOne of Heather’s aunts is hosting a cocktail party tonight. I can’t believe this. I just can’t believe this is happening.”
    Compress, release. Compress, release. We stayed like that, me trying to bring a dead man back to life, Ana watching, for what seemed like hours. The sirens grew louder.
    â€œDo you want me to take over?”
    â€œI’m okay. How long has it been?”
    She looked at her watch. “Four minutes.”
    Compress, release. The sirens exploded into a nearby blare, then help was here, two men moving swiftly, with confidence. I fell aside, stiff from squatting, my wrists throbbing. I crawled to a wall and stayed there, huddled in a ball, tears burning in my eyes for a man I’d tried and failed to save. After a minute, I stood up and rested against a window frame. I watched the paramedics work for a moment longer, then walked outside onto the porch. Leaning heavily on the railing, I stared out toward the horizon. The air was thick and smelled like rain. Waves thundered into shore, raging against the boulders a hundred feet below the precipice that marked the edge of Ana’s property. Branches from the stand of birch that lined the property to the south swayed and rubbed, making a whooshing sound. Ana joined me.
    â€œThey’ve called the police. Routine, he said.”
    â€œIt’s so shocking.”
    â€œI texted my dad. If he’s in town already, he can drive me to see Heather. I don’t want to go alone.”
    â€œI can take you.”
    â€œThanks.” She gulped back tears. “I put the tulips in water. It’s awful to worry about flowers at a time like this, but I couldn’t just leave them there. I couldn’t let them die.”
    â€œOf course not.”
    We faced the ocean, waiting, watching, worrying. A gust of wind chilled me and I shivered.
    â€œIt’s cold,” I said.
    â€œIt’s going to rain.”
    The sky to the east was nearly black. “Yes, and soon.”
    We stood silently for a few seconds; then Ana asked, “Did you see the debris? It’s the Spring Egg, isn’t it?”
    â€œOh, God, Ana, I hope not.”
    â€œI can’t think about it right now. Not with Jason just—”
    I looked down at my bloody hands. “Life. It’s so hard.” I took in a breath and rolled my shoulders, willing the tension to ease. “Why was he here?”
    â€œTo drop off a check. For the wedding desserts.”
    â€œHow did he get in?”
    â€œI keep a key in a make-believe rock in the garden. I told him to use it if I wasn’t home.”
    â€œDo you know what time he was supposed to arrive?” I asked, keeping my eyes on the mist-shrouded ocean.
    â€œNo. We left it loose. Why?”
    â€œBecause I don’t think he