One Small Problem

One Small Problem A Seven Brothers Series Novel Shelly Monarch One Small Problem Copyright © 2023 Shelly Monarch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. For more information: ShellyMonarch.com Cover Design: Iliyana Omareva Editing: Edits by Knight Author Photography: Kuwitzky Photography Print ISBN-13: 9798527859942 Digital ASIN: B0BRPRGT1N First Edition 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Contents PROLOGUE CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT CHAPTER NINE CHAPTER TEN CHAPTER ELEVEN CHAPTER TWELVE CHAPTER THIRTEEN CHAPTER FOURTEEN CHAPTER FIFTEEN CHAPTER SIXTEEN CHAPTER SEVENTEEN CHAPTER EIGHTEEN CHAPTER NINETEEN CHAPTER TWENTY CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE CHAPTER THIRTY CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE EPILOGUE Thanks for Reading Acknowledgment About the Author Let's Connect Also By Shelly For Grandma, one of the most tenacious women I have ever known, and Grandpa who showed what 70 years of strength and support looks like. PLAYLIST Bring It on Home to Me – Double Bass Double Voice Summertime Blues – Double Bass Jazz Perfect Duet - Ed Sheeran & Beyonce Girls Just Want to Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper Oops!...I Did It Again – Brittany Spears Livin’ On A Prayer – Bon Jovi Stayin’ Alive – Bee Gees Love Yourself – Justin Bieber Smoke on the Water – Deep Purple Somewhere Over the Rainbow – Israel Kamakawiwo’ole Bam Bam – Camila Cabello & Ed Sheeran Wake Me Up – Avicii Fight Song – Rachel Platten Say You Won’t Let Go – Kurt Hugo Schneider, Joshua David Evans, & Madilyn Bailey Scars to Your Beautiful – Alessia Cara Slow Hands – Niall Horan Best Friend – Saweetie & Doja Cat Isn’t She Lovely (Acoustic) – Callum J Wright Roar (Piano Version) – Daniele Leoni If Found, Please Return – Bitflip From This Moment On – Shania Twain & Bryan White One Small Problem on Spotify Author’s Note: One Small Problem is the first book in the Seven Brothers Series. Each book can be read as a standalone, but reappearing characters may cause spoilers. Please note: Domestic abuse by a secondary character and gun violence may be triggering for some readers. PROLOGUE T he alarms sound their never-ending high-pitched tone. Shoes squeak and thump as nurses rush to my aide. Is it a heart attack? A seizure? A stroke? I haven’t been in this room long enough to know what’s going on. I wasn’t prepared for a crash. None of the nurses indicated it was a possibility. It’s protocol for one to stay in the room if there are stability concerns. The bleating tears at my ears. It’s not something you get used to, no matter how many times you go through it. But my body reacts without thought. How can death deliver such a jolt of life? “Code blue, room four. Code blue, room four,” the monotonous tone announces over the speakers. “Is this guy a DNR?” “Where’s the EKG?” The room is instant pandemonium. Even in the chaos there is a rhythm. “Chest X-ray, stat!” “Is he on blood thinners? What’s his history?” One minute ticks by. “Let’s hook up the pads. Draw up one milligram of epinephrine.” The pushed medications race through veins like water trying to extinguish fire. It’s the race against destruction. “Who has the hemoglobin?” “Page anesthesia!” Another minute runs off the clock. A swarm of nurses, aids, and respiratory therapists fill the space. It’s an organized frenzy all around me. “Two minutes, Doctor.” “Pulse check.” Compressions stop. Hands reach for the carotid and femoral arteries, trying to find that life-giving thump. “It’s V-fib. Continue compressions. Charge the defibrillator. We’re going to shock.” “Clear!” My chest rises and falls with the jolt of electricity meant to shock the heart back into a steady rhythm. Anesthesiology inserts tubing to administer meds, and hands squeeze the amboo bag to force oxygen into the lungs. There’s not another shockable rhythm. Without a heartbeat, the body loses oxygen. Without oxygen, organs shut down. “Compressions! One milligram of epinephrine.” Tension coils up my neck. I can feel it with each passing second. Death is drawing near. This time, I’m not sure I’ll win. Death is greedy that way. More medications are pushed. More tests are run. Blood is drawn. “Cardio is here.” New machines are brought to the bedside. “Echocardiogram shows no movement.” Ten minutes. Nurses switch places frequently so that the compressions never waver. The slight crackling sound with each press emphasizes the broken ribs. It’s physically taxing. Twenty minutes. Hands dig through carts for more medications. Another nurse is typing furiously, charting every move that’s made—time stamps, medications, procedures, staff names, responses. “Thirty minutes, Doctor.” “Are there any objections to stopping the code?” Heads shake and sag, chins to chests. “Time of death, six-oh-three p.m.” That’s all it takes for the mayhem to end. The monitors are silenced. The compressions stop. Tubes and lines are removed. The army of staff slowly begin to trickle out of the room. The remaining nurses start the final arrangements before the family arrives. Voices are hushed and movements are done with precision and care. Even in death each patient deserves the highest level of treatment. The still room feels otherworldly compared to the one I walked into less than an hour ago. This man, who endured so much, now lies in serene stillness. The peaceful scene contradicts the tide of emotions and adrenaline still coursing through my system. It will take some time for my