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| Subject: Re: Fan Fiction | |
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Author: joan |
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Date Posted: 01:08:19 05/03/03 Sat In reply to: Chris 's message, "Fan Fiction" on 21:19:59 04/27/03 Sun Hello. Part two of the first half. Enjoy. Warning- some language. (PG-13) Natural Selection July 26 It was a day like any other in summer. The heat, smog, windless air and unyielding cement made Chicago into one ungodly sauna in which its inhabitants could find neither relief nor escape. They moved, sluggish as stunned flies, from one point to another. One bade her father good-bye as he wished her good luck and drove away. One fussed with her baby in the backseat. Another counted how many cherry popsicles he had left in his ice cream trolley. A milk tanker edged slowly around the intersection in cautious precision that complemented the languor of the moment. It all changed when a speeding car plowed into its side. A spark soon ignited into a huge pillar of flame and combusting metal. A wave of great heat sent everyone on the street flying. Even the cement shuddered with a shockwave that slapped the air. Litres and litres of milk flowed everywhere. The girl picked herself up. Everywhere she looked there were flames, broken glass and spilt milk. The car that crashed into the milk tanker hadn¡¯t survived at all. The milk tanker, along with parked cars, an SUV and the ice cream trolley were all overturned. She gaped. ¡°Dude...¡± Ceila Kowalski brushed away troublesome black curls from her face and dropped her shoulderbag. She knew emergency crews had a response time of eight to ten minutes. She had to do something in the mean time. Ceila sprinted into the heart of the disaster site. Her hair now had become undone. She hopped around the hot spots. A burst of heat made an attempt to approach the downed milk tanker next to impossible. She turned instead to the tipped-over SUV. A woman hung precariously from her seatbelt. She was conscious and frantically trying to get herself out. Her desperate brown eyes pleaded with Ceila. ¡°Help me! Please!¡± Ceila pulled at the door handle and then recoiled. The door had become too hot. Ceila quickly flicked off her blazer and covered her hands with it before attempting to pull the door open again. She released the woman from her seatbelt and carefully dragged her far from the burning car. ¡°My baby! My baby¡¯s still in the car!¡± she screamed. Ceila ran back to the downed SUV. A crying infant was suspended from her carseat in the back. Her wails got louder and louder. Ceila climbed in, gently extracted the baby from the seat, supported her head and carried her to her mother. ¡°Is she hurt?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Ceila admitted. Ceila examined the child. She had minor inhalation burns about her nostrils. She pressed on the child tenderly. Squeals got louder as she pressed the infant¡¯s stomach. ¡°She has abdominal pain.¡± The woman squinted her eyes. ¡°Oh God..¡± ¡°Don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry,¡± Ceila tried to assure her. ¡°Hey! What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Dana,¡± the woman panted. ¡°Okay. I¡¯m Ceila. Tell me what your daughter¡¯s name is.¡± ¡°Larissa,¡± Dana sputtered. ¡°That¡¯s a pretty name,¡± Ceila smiled as she brushed a lock of hair from a cut on Dana¡¯s forehead. ¡°I need to ask you some questions, okay?¡± Dana struggled. ¡°My daughter...¡± Ceila put up her hand to silence her. ¡°I know, I know. But I can¡¯t do anything for her now. All I know is that her stomach hurts. It may be nothing but where the bar caught her. The emergency crews are on their way.¡± A tear escaped Dana¡¯s eye. ¡°She¡¯s crying.¡± Ceila lay the child flat on her back. She still cried but her squeals lessened. ¡°Dana, I need to ask you- did you lose consciousness?¡± ¡°No,¡± she answered. Ceila looked into Dana¡¯s eyes. ¡°Can you move your toes and hands?¡± Dana wriggled her fingers and toes. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Ceila nodded as she cupped her hands around Dana¡¯s head. ¡°I want you to keep your head as still as you can.¡± Just then, the SUV exploded into flame. Ceila shielded Dana and Larissa from the blast. In the distance, sirens sounded. ¡°Don¡¯t move. Help is on its way.¡± An onlooker emerged from a nearby building. Ceila waved him down. ¡°Hey! Hey you! I need you stay here with them, please.¡± The man nodded and knelt by Dana and Larissa. ¡°Don¡¯t go!¡± Dana cried. Ceila knelt back down. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back, Dana. I promise. The emergency crews are nearly here. You won¡¯t even need me. Just stay perfectly still. You and Larissa are away from the fire so you¡¯re okay. Just be brave, Dana!¡± Ceila ran from Dana and tried to get to the burning milk tanker. ¡°Hey! You can¡¯t get in there! It¡¯s on fire!¡± Ceila¡¯s head swivelled to the voice warning her. The ice cream trolley man staggered to her. ¡°Kid, stay away from there!¡± ¡°The driver is dying!¡± Ceila returned. ¡°We have to get to him!¡± Ceila ran for her blazer and wrapped it around her front. She darted to the driver¡¯s side of the tanker. She perched herself on the blistering hot undercarriage and grabbed the driver¡¯s arm. ¡°Help me! He¡¯s heavy!¡± The ice cream trolley man edged near the tanker. He raised his arms to protect himself from the heat. ¡°It¡¯s too hot!¡± ¡°Hurry!¡± Ceila pleaded. The man took Ceila¡¯s place and hoisted the driver half way out. Ceila grabbed the driver¡¯s other arm and together they pulled him to safety. Ceila coughed from the heat and exertion. ¡°Is he breathing?¡± The other man coughed. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Ceila immediately fell to her knees. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Gary,¡± he panted. ¡°Okay, Gary,¡± Ceila panted, ¡°we need to see if this guy is breathing and see how badly he¡¯s hurt, okay?¡± Gary raised his hand. ¡°I¡¯m hurt.¡± Gary¡¯s cut was superficial. Ceila¡¯s immediate concern was the driver. She ripped a section of her blouse and wrapped it around Gary¡¯s hand. ¡°You¡¯re good to go.¡± Ceila turned her attention to the driver. She leaned over him and checked his airway. ¡°His breath sounds aren¡¯t so good. No doubt there is some internal injury and there¡¯s partial thickness burns on his side,¡± Ceila observed. She touched the driver¡¯s left side. Underneath his shirt there was a hole with something protruding out of it. ¡°Jesus!¡± Ceila exhaled. ¡°Do have, like, tongs or anything, Gary? Like, clean ones?¡± ¡°I have ones I use to scoop nuts on ice cream.¡± ¡°Get ¡®em.¡± Gary went to his overturned trolley, picked up his tongs and gave them to Ceila. She applied the tongs to the tip of the protruding item and yanked. Gary looked like he was going to vomit. Ceila¡¯s brow furrowed as she regarded the offending item. ¡°This looks like a stick shift. Dude, that is nasty!¡± Ceila composed herself. ¡°We¡¯ve got to staunch the blood.¡± Gary thought quickly. ¡°My trolley! I might have something in there!¡± Ceila nodded. ¡°Do you have any water?¡± ¡°Yeah, in my trolley,¡± Gary answered. Ceila nodded. ¡°Great. Bring anything else like the first-aid kit, scissors. Hurry!¡± Gary bolted from Ceila. Ceila ripped the driver¡¯s shirt off. He had second degree burns over his upper body where flames and heat had licked him and the huge gash underneath his left underarm from blood was pouring. She remembered a girl in Norman Wells who had her liver gushing from her torso. This didn¡¯t seem worse yet it was. Luckily, the man was unconscious. Or maybe it wasn¡¯t lucky. She checked again for cardiac sounds. They were faint, like his breathing. Gary mercifully arrived with bottles of ice-cold water, the first-aid kit and a white dishcloth. ¡°Thanks. Help me lift him,¡± Ceila ordered. ¡°Carefully.¡± Gary carefully cradled the man while Ceila poured the water over his chest, careful not to get any in the wound. She cracked open the first-aid kit, ripped gauze from their packages and placed thin pieces on the driver¡¯s burns and put the dishcloth on his wound. ¡°This should hold while help comes.¡± ** The first emergency crew arrived. A tallish man with ginger hair looked all around him. ¡°My, my,¡± he clucked his tongue. ¡°What a mess.¡± The emergency crew was flagged down by a stranger. They ran to him and the woman lying at his feet. ¡°This girl told me to stay with this lady and her baby,¡± he explained. The ginger-haired man knelt by the woman. ¡°Ma¡¯am, I¡¯m Dr. Karamazov. I¡¯m going to look after you and your baby, alright.¡± She sniffed. ¡°That¡¯s like the book.¡± He grimaced. ¡°I get that a lot.¡± The woman touched his arm. ¡°My name is Dana. This girl pulled me and my baby out of our SUV. She told me to move my toes and keep my head still. She said my daughter has a pain in her stomach.¡± The paramedic nodded her head. ¡°Jeff, she¡¯s right. This child presents with blunt force abdominal trauma and slight inhalation burns.¡± Jeff creased his brow curiously. ¡°Were you seen by a doctor, ma¡¯am?¡± ¡°I guess so,¡± Dana supposed. ¡°But then she went away.¡± Jeff nodded. ¡°Well, she saved you and your baby¡¯s lives.¡± He nodded to the paramedic. ¡°I want a saline IV, O©÷ and a collar. Get on the radio to County General and them we might have a pediatric surgical case.¡± Dana flustered. ¡°She needs surgery?¡± ¡°She might,¡± Jeff stated as he dressed Dana¡¯s head laceration. ¡°But she¡¯s gonna be okay. I promise you that.¡± They started to load Dana and Larissa onto the ambulance while a fire rig put out the milk tanker fire. ** Ceila looked at the dishcloth. It was soaked in blood. ¡°Shit!¡± she cussed. ¡°This guy is losing blood fast.¡± She waved down a rig. A paramedic ran to her and started to treat the driver. ¡°Hey! My hand is hurt!¡± Gary pointed out. ¡°Not now!¡± Ceila huffed at the impatient man and then rattled the driver¡¯s condition to the paramedic. ¡°We pulled this man from his burning tanker. I haven¡¯t ascertained cervical or spinal trauma but have assessed his other wounds. He was unconscious when we pulled him out. Partial-thickness burns over the trunk and part of the neck, penetrating trauma just under the left axillary artery with subsequent blood loss and possible fractures of the ribs. So far, no depression of the lungs but his blood pressure is very low- about 20/40- and he¡¯s losing a lot of blood.¡± The paramedic was astounded. ¡°Doctor, you didn¡¯t appreciate any C/S injuries?!¡± Ceila shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not a doctor!¡± The paramedic tried to push Ceila out of the way. ¡°Stay back and let us do our job!¡± Ceila would have none of it. ¡°Hey! This guy would be dead if we didn¡¯t pull him out! Now you check! His blood pressure is low. He¡¯s losing blood faster than you can give him in this rig! You can argue with me or you can get him the hell out of here!¡± The paramedic couldn¡¯t argue. ¡°He¡¯s got a damaged axillary artery so we¡¯ve got to staunch the blood before we can move him. We also have to put a collar around his neck, if it will do any good.¡± Ceila nodded and got to work on putting pressure on the wound. The paramedic was ready to load the driver on the rig. ¡°Where are you taking him?¡± Ceila asked. ¡°County General,¡± the paramedic answered. ¡°Then I¡¯m going with you,¡± Ceila asserted. ¡°I need to be there. Besides, you can use an extra set of hands.¡± ¡°What about my hand?!¡± Gary cried. Ceila cast a quick look at him. ¡°There are paramedics treating minor wounds over there.¡± Ceila was ready to shut the door. ¡°Thanks a lot, Gary!¡± Ceila continued putting pressure on the driver¡¯s wound while the paramedic started giving the driver saline. ¡°How long before get to the hospital?¡± Ceila asked. ¡°Eight minutes,¡± the paramedic answered. ¡°Do you know how to take blood pressure?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Ceila nodded. ¡°Then take his,¡± the paramedic demanded and handed her a BP cuff. Ceila wrapped the cuff around the unconscious driver¡¯s arm and calculated his blood pressure. ¡°Still 20/40,¡± Ceila reported. Ceila touched the driver¡¯s neck and looked at her watch. ¡°Heartbeat less than twenty.¡± ¡°We¡¯re nearly there,¡± the paramedic assured her. A few minutes later, the rig pulled to a sudden stop. The paramedic started to unload the driver. Ceila checked his pulse. ¡°Hey! His heart stopped!¡± The paramedic rushed him into the hospital. Ceila climbed on top of the gurney and started compressions. She tried to drown out strange voices and pump life back into the driver. ¡°Is this from the crash?¡± ¡°Yeah. Adult male in his forties. Partial thickness burns over twenty percent of his body for which he received dressings in the field, possible rib fractures, penetrating wound near axillary artery, loss of consciousness, BP down to 20/40 and heart rate less than minimal. Just started compressions.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s this?¡± ¡°A Good Samaritan.¡± A man tapped Ceila on the shoulder. ¡°Hey, we can take it from here.¡± Ceila shot a look to the person who tapped her on the shoulder. A tall, thin young man with blank Alpine ski-chiseled features and a cuff of dark brown hair common among tall, thin WASP-ish types glared at her as if to say: sit down, little girl, we¡¯ve got it covered. ¡°I¡¯ve got to stabilize him. I¡¯ve nearly got him back!¡± The young man was annoyed. ¡°We can do that! You¡¯re just thumping his chest!¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting his heartbeat back, asshole!¡± Ceila cried indignantly. The attending looked up at the strange young woman who performed CPR on the patient. Her tangled black hair kept getting into her eyes but she still pumped life into him. He looked back at the patient and ordered a gram of epinephrine. He touched Ceila¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Miss.¡± Ceila looked at him quickly. ¡°Let us take care of him,¡± the attending said firmly. ¡°You¡¯ve done enough. Go.¡± Ceila bit the inside of her cheek and relented. She hopped off the gurney and bade watching the doctors and nurses pull the driver from the brink of death. The attending ordered a series of tests. ¡°You have to check for blood in the chest cavity,¡± she offered. The attending turned to her. ¡°I know,¡± he said simply and returned to treating the man. ¡°Leave.¡± Ceila backed her way out of the trauma room, her irrelevance becoming more obvious with each passing second. Everywhere she looked, someone from the accident was being treated. Blast injuries, glass shards, minor burns. She saw a familiar face lying behind a curtain. ¡°Dana!¡± Dana sat up. ¡°Ceila!¡± Ceila sat next to her. ¡°You¡¯re alright.¡± ¡°Whiplash and a cut head,¡± Dana grimaced. ¡°And Larissa?¡± Dana gulped. ¡°They took her up to operate on her. They said they found blood in her belly.¡± Ceila wrung her hands. ¡°Oh my God!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t. You saved us both,¡± Dana gushed. ¡°We would have burned to death if you didn¡¯t pull us out in time.¡± Ceila clapped her hand on Dana¡¯s. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything, Dana. You were the brave one, remember?¡± A nurse approached Ceila. ¡°You can¡¯t be here.¡± Dana tried to reach out to her. ¡°But she saved me and my daughter!¡± The nurse was insensible. She ushered Ceila away and closed the curtain. Ceila back away from Dana and the rest of the injured and found solitude in an empty treatment room. She lay down on a gurney and shut her eyes. It wasn¡¯t even two o¡¯clock and she already bumbled her way through her first trauma in the city. ** [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] |