The Heart Attack

　　《365个英语小故事》:实用简洁的小故事，都是日常生活小故事，在学习英语的同时了解美国文化，循序渐进，轻松掌握。

　　His computer was on. Maybe he should email someone. What would the email sayI think Im dying of a heart attack? Wait a minute, he thought. He was about to die, and he was going to email someone who might not open his email for days?! He turned off the computer. Should he leave the dining table lamp on, or turn it off? He didnt know whether to sit in the chair at the dining table, or go lie down in bed. Should he be sitting down or lying down when he died? Did it matter? He decided to sit in the chair and wait for his death.

　　He used to teach CPR, and he knew he had the symptoms of a heart attack. Victims usually describe a feeling of fullness. Students always used to ask what the fullness felt like, but he couldnt tell them. Now he knew exactly what it felt like.

　　So, this is how its going to happen, he thought, as he sat in the chair looking at the TV, waiting to die. He didnt particularly like the thought of dying at this time, but he accepted it. He was 60 years old. You live, you die. Would he just quietly become unconscious? Or would his heart explode, causing him to yell out in pain?

　　And then the fullness in his chest simply disappeared. The numbness in his hand went away, too. He waited, just to be sure. He was okay! From start to finish, perhaps three minutes had passed. Thank You, he said quietly.

　　Tomorrow he should see a doctor and a lawyer, he thought. And next time, he shouldnt worry about the cost of an ambulance ride or a hospital stay. He couldnt believe that when he thought his very life was on the line, he had cheaped out.