Rendezvous with destiny -- The man -- Without fail -- "I'm not dangerous" -- The rope line -- 2:27 P.M. -- "I can't breathe" -- The trauma bay -- STAT to the ER -- "My God. The president was hit?" -- Operating Room 2 -- A question of authority -- "I am in control here" -- The waiting room -- "What does the future hold?"

A minute-by-minute account of the 1981 assassination attempt on the fortieth president reveals how close he came to dying, in a report that pays tribute to the individuals who saved his life and oversaw national security throughout the crisis