There was no applause when Nessa finished. No one said a word. She bent forward, gave the man another puff of air through the trache tube, hating the feel of so many eyes on her in silence.
“Is he breathing on his own?” asked Chantal, disrupting the uncomfortable silence.
“Weakly,” said Nessa.
“Without the med scanner on the first aid case, you won’t know the extent of the damage, but you need to get him to a medical facility.”
“I’ve been calling for the past ten minutes,” said one of the customers, sounding angry. “I can’t get through to anyone.”
“It must be the quake,” said Nessa, not caring how obvious the statement was. Of course the emergency lines were all flooded. She glanced to the door and windows and saw people staggering through the streets. “It’s best if you all stay in he
