"So... Whats going on?" Sam walking into the ED to find patients everywhere. There wasn't enough room for beds.
"Sorry to call you in on your day off!" Zoe shouted, wearing blue overalls. "But we really aren't coping this afternoon. Coach crash. These all need checking over but there are more seriously injured."
"Okay no worries Zoe." Sam said, running into the staff room and throwing her stuff into her locker. She really wanted to be at home. She really didn't feel strong enough to come into work.
She threw on some scrubs and walked into resus to see Zoe being splattered by blood, probably from an arterial bleed. She bet Zoe was glad she was wearing the overalls. She would probably cry if she got any blood on her outfit.
"So what do you need me to do?" Sam asked.
"Anything! Just anything." Zoe said and Sam was taken back by Zoe snapping at her. Sam stood there for a second, shocked, before helping them stop the bleed. The bleed stopped but the patient deteriorated.
"Okay, beginning CPR." Zoe said, and Sam watched. Sam was still putting pressure on the wound, not lifting up the tissue in case the bleed began again.
After what seemed like forever, the patient's heart began to beat again. Sam saw how relieved Zoe was. She watched her stand back, un twine her fingers and smile. Sam couldn't help but smile at her. Zoe was pleased with her sucess.
Sam wondered why Zoe had snapped earlier. She hadn't said anything wrong, so why snap? She came to the conclusion that because Nick wasn't here, the ED was chaos. She wondered who would be their clinical lead now... Zoe bought her out of her daze.
"Sam?" Zoe said, waving her hand infront of her face. "Sam."
"Huh? Sorry." Sam said. "What?"
"We are done here. We need to get as much help as we can in cubicles so canyou go there please?"
"What about this patient?" Sam said, pointing to the one next to them.
"We can manage." Zoe said.
"But I can help..."
"Out, now please." Zoe said, running her hand through her hair. Yes, Zoe was in deed very stressed. Sam put her hands up as if to surrender and walked out of resus, getting ready for cubicles.
"So, i'm here to stitch up your head and then you can go." Sam said, getting set up.
"I know, just do it already." The girl said. Sam raised her eyebrows at her, not liking her attitude.
"I will do it, when I am ready." Sam said, feeling lightheaded as she stood up. She shook her head to get rid of it, but the patient thought Sam was shaking her head at her.
"Don't shake your head at me! I didn't ask to be here."
"I wasn't shaking my head at you. I was just a little dizzy." Sam told her, getting frustrated.
"Okay look." The girl said. "I don't want someone doing stitches on me that can't see straight."
"I can see perfectly fine!" Sam said, heart beating in her chest.
"Well I want another doctor."
"Well, you're stuck with me." Sam said.
"Well, i'm refusing treatment." The girl folded her arms. Tess walked in on them.
"What is going on here?" Tess asked after hearing the commotion.
"I wanta different doctor." The girl said.
"Whats wrong with Sam?" Tess asked.
"She can't even see straight." The girl told Tess, and Sam sighed.
"I can see perfectly fine!" Sam got frustrated again and her heart began to pound. She through the stitching set onto the bed. "Look, just find another doctor." She said, and walked out, stumbling over her own feet. She grabbed the counter top and looked behind her before standing up straight.
"Sam?" Tess began.
"Im fine. I tripped." She said, and stormed off into the staff room.
She sat there for a little while and realised that she didn't need to be here, but they were busy. She wasn't any use sat there, to she went back to cubicles, picked up another patient file and smiled when this one was a young girl. She knew that the girl wouldn't fight her back.
"Hi." Sam said, opening the curtains. "Im Doctor Nichols but you can call me Sam."
"Hi." The girls mother said.
"So what happened?" Sam asked.
"Well, we were on the coach, and when it crashed, she smacked her head on the window." The girls mother explained. "She hit it pretty hard."
"Was she knocked out?" Sam asked.
"No, but she passed out when we got here." The mother said.
"Did you tell someone?" Sam asked, getting a torch out of her pocket.
"No, because she woke up almost straight away." Her mother said, and Sam nodded. She turned to the girl, who couldn't be any older than 7.
"Hi, whats your name?" She asked softly.
"Kelsie." The girl replied quietly.
"Okay Kelsie, I want you to follow this light with your eyes." Sam said, shining the torch into her eyes. Her pupils were slightly dilated. Before Sam could finish, the girls eyes rolled back and she began to fit. "Can I get some help in here please?!" Sam shouted and Zoe ran in. She just happened to be in reception.
"What happened?" Zoe asked, as Tom and Linda joined them.
"She hit her head on the coach window, passed out earlier, and as I was checking for signs of a concussion she started to fit." Sam took hold of Kelsies arms.
"Whats going on?" The mother asked, who looked very frightened. "Will she be okay?"
"We need to get her to resus. Now." Zoe said, and they wheeled her into resus. "Zoe checked her pupils. "We need a CT."
"Ill phone." Tom said, and walked over.
"Whats going on?!" Kelsies mother asked.
"I think its best if you wait outside." Linda said, guiding her to the exit of the room.
"Whens the CT booked for?" Zoe asked Tom.
"Ten minutes." Tom said.
"Sam?" Zoe asked, but Sam wasn't listening. Sam was worried about the girl, and it was making her anxious. "Sam!"
"Sorry. What?" Sam replied.
"Help?!" Zoe had a reason to snap this time. Sam didn't know why she was feeling like she was.
"Yes! Sorry!" Sam said, and held the girls head until the fitting stopped. They layed her flat on her back.
"Lets get her down for this CT." Zoe said, checking her pupils again. "One pupil has blown."
"What does that mean?!" The mother asked, watching as her daughter was wheeled away.
"It means she could have swelling on the brain..." Zoe stopped and explained while Sam went down to the CT, heart pounding faster than it ever had before.