*Warning* This episode is a bit angsty, and also will have some un-canon supernatural aspects with one of the characters. If anyone feels they might be offended about that and any profanity that might be featured, then please don't be so daft as to read this then moan about it afterwards.
The characters and concept of Death in Paradise belongs to Robert Thorogood and Red Planet Productions. Just borrowing 'em for a little bit until after supper. Other original characters are all mine!
Update 9.11.2013: Added scene to Chapter 4. Thanks to Million_Moments for the suggestion XXXX
Chapter One.
Camille sat close to the bedside holding his hand, trying her best to ignore the quiet rhythmic hiss of the life support machine on the opposite side of the bed she was sitting by. She had been holding his hand for a while but loosened her grip as she felt her palm cramp up.
Her mind drifted back to the previous few hours and her skin began to crawl at how close they had been to losing him, how that could still happen, but Camille had faith he would be too stubborn to die.
Earlier in the afternoon she had been interviewing a witness when Richard Poole had all but staggered into the small station instead of resting up. He had discharged himself from the local hospital the day before after being beaten up and then locked in a remote cold storage place. The team had got there just in time to break him out, but Richard had been left with a concussion and also had a chest infection. When he had walked into the station he looked really ill, pale, shaking and rasping, insisting that he needed to work, however a few minutes later he had collapsed and stopped breathing. Camille remembered what happened next with almost high definition clarity.
"Merde! Dwayne! Fidel get here quick! Richard's collapsed!" Camille shouted
Dwayne and Fidel rushed back in from the veranda while Camille started cardiopulmonary resuscitation by applying the first thirty compressions on Richard's breastbone, with Fidel giving two mouth to mouth rescue breaths in between.
Dwayne phoned for an ambulance and rushed out to grab the public AED* mounted near the entrance of the station. Their witness, Marie Lautier had joined in with the resuscitation attempt as Camille and Fidel swapped places every so often.
They carried on, not even noticing the paramedics who were rushing in through the doors. Dwayne had placed the pads from the AED on Richard's chest after ripping his shirt open, turned on the machine and was about to press the button when Richard had lurched and started coughing, but was still not fully conscious.
The two paramedics stepped in, checking Richard's airway and putting an oxygen mask in place before turning Richard on to his side. Richard was breathing and his three colleagues quietly sighed with relief
"Inspector Poole, can you hear me, nod your head if you can.." One of the paramedics said, while giving Richard a gentle shake.
Richard's eyes flickered open as he nodded his head. He then began to groan, rolling on to his back and then started to sit up. He was grimacing in pain and began to literally start wheezing.
"Richard, stay still!" warned Camille, she was kneeling behind him, trying to support him but nearly fell back when Richard attempted to stand despite Dwayne, Fidel and two paramedics trying to persuade him otherwise. He managed to get on to his knees while starting to push those around him away, but had suddenly stiffened and toppled backwards with a groan, clutching his left side.
Eventually, after some persuasion Richard was secured on to the stretcher and wheeled out of the building. Quite a crowd had gathered as those on the street by the square had seen the ambulance arrive with blue lights flashing and sirens wailing, but there was only a quiet murmur as the crew loaded their patient in to the vehicle. Camille had joined them after quickly thanking Marie for her help, with Dwayne and Fidel bringing up the rear in the Defender.
The drama had not ended there. Once at the hospital, Richard was taken in to the small triage area and Camille could only watch as the crash team crowded round the stretcher before disappearing through large doors. She had overheard the quiet but urgent conversations with words such as 'possible tension pneumo-thorax', possible 'pi' from a 'dvt', pneumonia, respiratory arrest, arrhythmias, some of those she knew but the others sounded frightening.
She, Dwayne and Fidel were ushered in to a small waiting room as a call via Fidel's mobile confirmed Molly was manning the station and would be soon joined by a couple of the other part time staff until such time one of the team got back. Commissioner Patterson had been informed and was on his way. But all conversation had stopped when they heard a loud alarm and the feet of more medical staff rushing into the triage area.
Sometime later the team were in a small room waiting for news, and as the evening drew on were joined by Commissioner Paterson. Eventually, Dr Adrian Rutherford entered the room, his face unreadable.
"How is Inspector Poole fairing? " Patterson asked quietly.
Adrian folded his arms, looking at the team one by one.
"It's not good I'm afraid, Inspector Poole is critically ill with something called Sudden Respiratory Distress Syndrome. It's where the whole body starts to collapse when the lungs become compromised in this case as a result of a severe chest infection. He has pneumonia and a tear in the lining of his left lung. He's already had to be resuscitated twice, once by yourselves and also again while we were trying to stabilise his condition enough with the plan of getting him over the Basse-Terre. Sadly that cannot happen as he's just too ill to be moved."
Camille had only managed to digest half of what Adrian had told them, but what sunk in was the fact Richard had stopped breathing twice, that he was too ill to be moved to a larger hospital in Guadeloupe.
"When can we expect to see Inspector Poole recovered enough to be discharged?" Commissioner Patterson asked, clearly he hadn't taken in a lot of what Adrian had told them either.
"Recover? Selwyn, I don't even know if Inspector Poole will last the night. We're doing our best but I have no idea what will happen."
"Are we gonna be able to sit with him?" Dwayne had asked, breaking the silence which had fallen over the room.
Adrian slowly nodded.
"I'll let Mary know. But no more than one or two at the bedside ok?"
The others nodded. After some discussion, it was decided that Dwayne and Fidel would return to the station, take over from Marcus and finish up, with Fidel insisting he would take on call for that night. Commissioner Patterson looked at his team, nodded his head and turned to leave.
"Keep me informed." He said and departed.
As was customary on Saint-Marie, those close to someone who was critically ill would remain at the patient's side for twenty four hours a day and often were allowed to join in with giving personal care at the hospital, depending on the circumstances. Although Richard Poole was not a Saint-Marie native, did not have any family on the island and would often be heard loudly complaining about living in the tropics, he had become a much respected figure, his peculiarities regarded with patient amusement. There was no way Camille, Dwayne, Fidel and even Commissioner Patterson would leave Richard alone in a hospital bed so far away from his own home.
Now Camille stretched back in her chair, noting the gentle hiss and pump of the ventilator thing that was keeping Richard alive. He was covered in monitor pads, IV lines in both arms and one set in to a vein just above his left collar bone. He was naked apart from a sheet covering the lower half of his body from under which more tubes appeared connected to bags. In fact, Camille thought, she could see more tubes and pads than she could of her friend.
Gently, she took his hand again and felt the cold clammy skin, despite the main problem being in getting Richard's temperature down as much as anything else. The rest of what she could see of him was pale and he looked so small, so reduced in stature, so vulnerable. Camille felt the tears prickling then suddenly flowing down her cheeks and jumped at the quiet voice behind her.
"You ok Camille?"
She turned her head around to see Casper crouching down by the chair she was sat in and nodded, and accepted the tissue he was handing her.
"I'm ok, just..just hate the fact the he's so…." Camille could not continue and so just sat squeezing the hand of the irritating, pedantic, uptight, suit wearing, funny, brilliant and underneath the gruff exterior, a compassionate lonely man with a big heart...
The man she loved.
*Automatic External Defibrillator