Mello opened his mouth to tell the man to quit bitching and start breathing, but fortunately, he came to his senses quickly enough and resumed the task he'd been given. The man's pulse wasn't getting any stronger, but it wasn't getting weaker either. He didn't want to perform chest compressions on someone with fractured ribs and internal bleeding, but as long as his heart didn't stop, Mello was confident about his recovery. His brain was getting oxygen, and that was what mattered.

Because he had nothing at stake, Mello had remained calm through the ordeal, but even if he had nothing to lose he didn't enjoy being confronted with something he couldn't do. If this guy died, he'd be extremely, extremely annoyed.

"He's still got a pulse," he announced. "He'll be okay as long as he keeps getting air." It was possible that brain damage had occurred in the moments before they'd started treating him, but Mello could deal with that possibility later. Hopefully, the blond would start breathing on his own within a minute or two.