Endless Love (Santa’s Secret Helpers #5) - Leeanna Morgan Page 0,39

called her sister. Called 9-1-1. Called anyone who could help her mom.

She needed to get Elena off the stairs and lying flat so she could do rescue breathing. But what if her mom had hurt her neck or back when she’d fallen onto the stairs? Moving her could cause even more problems.

Her last instructor’s voice rang through her head. Her mom needed to breathe. If she died, it wouldn’t matter if she’d hurt herself.

Taking a deep breath, Shelley yelled for her sister, then shoved her arms under her mom’s armpits, yanking with all her might.

Her mom was so heavy. She pulled harder, slowly dragging her down the last stair and onto the ground.

Bailey rushed around the edge of the building. “What’s—”

“Call Steven and tell him to find Zac. Then call 9-1-1. Mom’s not breathing, but she’s got a pulse.” Shelley glanced at her sister. “Now!” she yelled.

Bailey’s eyes filled with tears, but she grabbed her phone and did what Shelley asked.

While she was on the phone to 9-1-1, Shelley checked her mom’s pulse again, then rechecked to see if she was breathing. When she couldn’t see any movement of her lungs or feel her warm breath on her cheek, she started rescue breathing.

For a moment she panicked, worried she’d do more harm than good. She couldn’t remember what the instructor had said about the number of breaths or when to check her mom’s pulse again.

Bailey’s phone appeared in front of her. “You’re on speakerphone,” her sister said in a loud voice.

A man on the other end of the phone started talking to Shelley—asking her questions, telling her what to do.

She tilted her mom’s chin higher, pinched her nostrils, and blew another breath into her mouth—and prayed that an ambulance wasn’t far away.

John looked around The Fairy Forest, searching for his bride. The last time he’d seen Shelley, she was dancing with Mila and trying to convince another little girl to join them.

She must have gone to the bathroom or across to the kitchen to see how the caterers were doing.

Shelley’s Uncle Walter came up to him and shook his hand. “I haven’t congratulated you. It only seems like yesterday that we met.”

John smiled. “It wasn’t that many weeks ago. It’s good to see you again.” He’d first met Walter Jones at Elena and Ted’s wedding anniversary party. While everyone else was enjoying the karaoke, they’d had a great discussion about softball. “Are you staying in Sapphire Bay for a few days or flying home tonight?”

“We’ll be here until Wednesday. My wife wants to catch up with everyone in case we don’t see them for a while.”

That made sense to John. Most of his family and friends were doing the same thing. “Have you seen Shelley?”

Walter shook his head. “I’ve been talking to Elena’s sisters. She can’t be far away. If you see Elena, tell her Ted’s looking for her.”

“I will. Are you coming to the barbecue at Sam and Caleb’s house tomorrow?”

“We wouldn’t miss it. I’ll see you there.”

John shook Walter’s hand, then left to look for Shelley. When he saw Caleb and Sam on the far side of the room, he headed straight toward them. If anyone knew where Shelley was, it would be her sister.

Before he could say anything, Sam walked quickly toward him. “Have you seen Mom? Dad’s worried about her.”

“I haven’t seen her anywhere. Have you seen Shelley?”

“She went with Bailey to look for Mom. Mila just told Steven that they went outside. He’s—”

“Are you serious?” John tried to calm his pounding heart. “It’s too cold for anyone to be outside.”

“That’s why Steven’s looking for them.”

He took his cell phone out of his pocket. “I’ll call Shelley.”

“We’ve already tried that. Her number goes straight to voice mail.”

Caleb wrapped his arm around Sam’s waist. “You stay here. John and I will find everyone. If you see Ted, tell him to wait with you.”

“Okay.”

Caleb kissed the side of his wife’s face, then looked at John. “We’d better hurry. The weather is supposed to get worse.”

John wasted no time crossing the dance floor. As soon as he walked into the foyer, he saw Steven. He was pulling on a jacket and heading outside. “Wait for us. We’ll help.”

Steven’s worried gaze shot across the room. “It’s too cold for Bailey and Shelley to be wandering around outside. If we split up, we’ll find them quicker.”

Caleb jogged toward Steven. “I’ll go left and check the back of the building.”

“I’ll take the right-hand side,” John said quickly.

Steven stood at the top of