09-02-2020, 01:04 PM
Dr. Meechum looked up from behind the triage counter when Mary walked through the door. "Don't tell me you are coming down to help! I need to go out and buy a lotto ticket somewhere! My luck has definitely been looking up!"
Mary blushed and just nodded, while one of the other nurses on duty gave her a knowing smile. She glanced over at Tom and then back at Mary and knew at once why Dr. Meechum was in such a wonderful mood today.
Everything moved along steadily, with the two of them crossing paths infrequently, but with a quick smile at each other at every passing, until just a little after nine o'clock. The radio in triage suddenly sounded as an ambulance driver called in saying he was on the way with a badly injured little girl. He warned there would be multiple children coming in, some with very severe injuries, following a school bus/truck collision. The bus was carrying a Kindergarten class on a field trip. The number of injuries was unknown, but there was a large number.
Tom heard the radio and stepped into the hall. "Mary, let someone else take over what you are doing. I need you with me for this."
Mary was puzzled that he would ask her. "Why do you want me, Doctor? ER isn't my specialty."
"I know that, but the nurse I normally count on for this type of thing is one that is out today, and unless you don't think you can handle it I really need you today. I like your calming influence with children."
"Yes, Doctor." Professionalism is always reverted to in times of crisis. Swiftly those who were able to be moved from the department were relocated and the area prepared for the coming influx of patients.
First in the door, although sirens from other ambulances could be heard approaching, was a little blond girl who had been right at the point of impact where the truck had slammed into the side of the bus, spinning it around before the bus fell over on its side. The bus driver had missed a stop sign and drove through the intersection. The truck driver did all he could, but he clipped the bus right behind the rear wheels, impacting the last three rows of seats and spun the bus around before it turned onto its side.
An urgent call for pediatricians was sent out, but Tom and Mary both knew they would have to handle most of it themselves for the first little while before others could arrive. Mary was not a religious person, but she still breathed a short prayer for strength to handle the load.
Tom saw her white face, and saw her close her eyes in prayer. Quickly he stepped over to her and took her shoulders in his hands, focusing her attention on him as he said, "Stay with me. You can do this. Don't think, just do it. This is as close as you will ever come to what I did in Iraq, and some of it will not be pretty, nor will we have the time to follow all of the normal niceties of medicine as it is practiced here in the States. What we are going to do, though, is to save lives. Remember that. We are saving lives that can be saved."
Mary took a deep breath and nodded her head, and then moved beside the gurney that carried the unconscious little girl into a curtained off cubicle. Gently she started to remove the compress covering the side of the little girl's face when Tom stepped over. He took over, and quickly and not gently stripped off the bandage to see what lay beneath.
"We don't have time to be gentle. I hate it, but we are going to be covered up in moments here. What we have to do is stabilize them as quickly as we can, so they will still be with us later for further treatment. Understand? She can't feel it now anyway." Quickly he noted what the EMT's had done and with quick clipped words gave instructions for her care, and with a quick wave of his hand for Mary to follow moved out of the area to the next one where a screaming little boy with a compound fracture of the femur was waiting for him.
The rest of the morning was a blur as the two of them, working as a team, tended to some very badly hurt children. The morning coffee break was ignored, as was lunch. It was not until two o'clock things were settled down enough for them to catch their breath and even think about eating. Mary sagged wearily into a chair and picked up a cup of Coke that she felt almost too tired to drink. Looking at her scrubs she knew she could not go to the cafeteria and she settled for a pack of crackers from a vending machine that one of the CNA's got for her.
Tom plopped into a chair next to her and said, "Thanks. You did a great job today. I think you should consider a career in nursing." He gave her a wan smile. "Not funny, I know, but it was the best I could come up with. Now we get to go do what most people think the ER is for and cure a couple of colds and remove some splinters and stuff." He grimaced. "I can hear someone already who is here because they don't have insurance, so they don't have a regular doctor. They are going to be complaining because they have had to wait so long. You'd better change into a spare set of scrubs before going back out on the floor."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mary blushed and just nodded, while one of the other nurses on duty gave her a knowing smile. She glanced over at Tom and then back at Mary and knew at once why Dr. Meechum was in such a wonderful mood today.
Everything moved along steadily, with the two of them crossing paths infrequently, but with a quick smile at each other at every passing, until just a little after nine o'clock. The radio in triage suddenly sounded as an ambulance driver called in saying he was on the way with a badly injured little girl. He warned there would be multiple children coming in, some with very severe injuries, following a school bus/truck collision. The bus was carrying a Kindergarten class on a field trip. The number of injuries was unknown, but there was a large number.
Tom heard the radio and stepped into the hall. "Mary, let someone else take over what you are doing. I need you with me for this."
Mary was puzzled that he would ask her. "Why do you want me, Doctor? ER isn't my specialty."
"I know that, but the nurse I normally count on for this type of thing is one that is out today, and unless you don't think you can handle it I really need you today. I like your calming influence with children."
"Yes, Doctor." Professionalism is always reverted to in times of crisis. Swiftly those who were able to be moved from the department were relocated and the area prepared for the coming influx of patients.
First in the door, although sirens from other ambulances could be heard approaching, was a little blond girl who had been right at the point of impact where the truck had slammed into the side of the bus, spinning it around before the bus fell over on its side. The bus driver had missed a stop sign and drove through the intersection. The truck driver did all he could, but he clipped the bus right behind the rear wheels, impacting the last three rows of seats and spun the bus around before it turned onto its side.
An urgent call for pediatricians was sent out, but Tom and Mary both knew they would have to handle most of it themselves for the first little while before others could arrive. Mary was not a religious person, but she still breathed a short prayer for strength to handle the load.
Tom saw her white face, and saw her close her eyes in prayer. Quickly he stepped over to her and took her shoulders in his hands, focusing her attention on him as he said, "Stay with me. You can do this. Don't think, just do it. This is as close as you will ever come to what I did in Iraq, and some of it will not be pretty, nor will we have the time to follow all of the normal niceties of medicine as it is practiced here in the States. What we are going to do, though, is to save lives. Remember that. We are saving lives that can be saved."
Mary took a deep breath and nodded her head, and then moved beside the gurney that carried the unconscious little girl into a curtained off cubicle. Gently she started to remove the compress covering the side of the little girl's face when Tom stepped over. He took over, and quickly and not gently stripped off the bandage to see what lay beneath.
"We don't have time to be gentle. I hate it, but we are going to be covered up in moments here. What we have to do is stabilize them as quickly as we can, so they will still be with us later for further treatment. Understand? She can't feel it now anyway." Quickly he noted what the EMT's had done and with quick clipped words gave instructions for her care, and with a quick wave of his hand for Mary to follow moved out of the area to the next one where a screaming little boy with a compound fracture of the femur was waiting for him.
The rest of the morning was a blur as the two of them, working as a team, tended to some very badly hurt children. The morning coffee break was ignored, as was lunch. It was not until two o'clock things were settled down enough for them to catch their breath and even think about eating. Mary sagged wearily into a chair and picked up a cup of Coke that she felt almost too tired to drink. Looking at her scrubs she knew she could not go to the cafeteria and she settled for a pack of crackers from a vending machine that one of the CNA's got for her.
Tom plopped into a chair next to her and said, "Thanks. You did a great job today. I think you should consider a career in nursing." He gave her a wan smile. "Not funny, I know, but it was the best I could come up with. Now we get to go do what most people think the ER is for and cure a couple of colds and remove some splinters and stuff." He grimaced. "I can hear someone already who is here because they don't have insurance, so they don't have a regular doctor. They are going to be complaining because they have had to wait so long. You'd better change into a spare set of scrubs before going back out on the floor."
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