The Beginning of the End.
Explosion tears through Holby General's A&E. Characters aren't mine.
AUTHOR NOTES: I just got a random idea and decided to write it. It's short and hopefully sweet.
Charlie stumbled over some collapsed roof tiles. His ageing face and grey hair was littered with dust. His blue scrubs had white patches of dust. He frantically looked amongst the rubble, lifting pieces of tile and brick. He caught sight of a smear of brown hair. His heart raced. It wasn't Maggie. Crestfallen, Charlie continued forward. He caught a glimpse of a face. Her short dark hair was also white with dust. She had a smut of dirt on the tip of her nose. A gash snaked down the side of her face. Charlie gasped and leapt over the rubble in his way. Maggie looked up at him with tears sparkling in her eyes. Charlie threw his arms around her and rested his chin on her head, holding her numbingly close as he looked around at the catastrophe.
" Maggie? Are you okay?" He felt her nod underneath him.
" Oh, Charlie. I'm so frightened."
" Shh." He gently stroked her hair. Flames licked at ceiling tiles. This was not Holby General.
Greg tripped over a pile of bricks. His dusty, long dark hair hung around his pale and sweaty face. He looked around. It had caught him off guard. He dragged his leg behind him. Dizziness swam before his eyes. Nausea crippled his stomach. A piece of glass had embedded itself in the side of his neck. Blood ran down his neck and soaked the collar of his green shirt and biker jacket. How had this happened? He noticed Noel sat amongst some tiles, tightly clutching his arm. His bone protruded out of his arm, his dark skin glistening with blood, and a neat cut across his forehead. Greg gasped in pain as some more dust fell from what had been the ceiling and entered the cuts on his face.
" Alright, mate. Support your arm there for me." He fished two rolls of bandages out of his first response kit and pressed them either side of Noel's bone, " Hold them there. I'll come back." He straightened and stared around. Why? Holby General should not have been like that. His eyes blackened for a moment. He steadied himself on whatever was arm height. He looked up at Maggie and Charlie.
" Are you both alright?" They nodded, " Try and make your way outside." He turned to Noel. He stretched out a hand as he eased Noel to his feet, " You too." Dizziness crept up on him again. With his arms waving for something to hold on to, his legs gave out beneath him and he fell into a pile of ceiling tiles.
Toby held on to Ruth's wrist as he helped her step over some of the rubble. Both were terrified out of their wits. Ruth clung onto him for dear life as she stared in horror at the wounded bodies. Patients hurried outside. Toby went to curl an arm around Ruth's waist but hesitated.
" Please, Toby. Just help me over there." Toby cautiously wrapped an arm around her waist and held her wrist with the other hand. Blazing sunlight hit them in the face as they stepped into the car park. Greg's Rapid Response motorcycle was buried beneath some bricks.
Zoë's cigarette hand hung by her side as she stood, staring at the hospital, her mouth gaping in horror. Dust fell from the sky. Her cigarette burned down to her fingers, burning her dark skin. She gasped and dropped it at her feet. Never before would she have believed that she would see deep into the emergency department from the car park. Patients huddled and cried around her. This was not Holby General. She panicked. She didn't know who was inside. Greg, Noel, Ruth, Toby, Adam, Jessica, Shaun, Charlie, Maggie. Ruth and Toby shuffled outside, clinging onto each other. Noel clutched his arm. Charlie and Maggie emerged from the disaster holding onto each other. Their faces were smothered in dirt.
" Charlie! Are you both alright?" They nodded. Her face grew grim. How could anyone have missed an electrical or gas fault, or whatever had caused the explosion?
Adam held on tightly to Jessica as flames dared to creep closer to them. Adam grabbed a nearby blanket and slung it over their heads. Jessica glanced up at him, terrified.
" On my count, we're going to run," said Adam, his voice shaking.
" Through the fire? Adam, are you mad?!"
" We have to. One, two, three!" They hurried through the fire. The flames licked Adam's arm. Adam howled in agony as he fought to put the flames out. His skin was scorched and wept. They dived out into the sunlight. Adam slid down the side of a car, holding onto his arm. Jessica knelt beside him and draped the blanket around his shoulders.
" Are you alright?" she asked, her hands shaking. He looked up at her with agony-glazed eyes and nodded. Zoë glanced at them. Jessica gave a nod of acknowledgement.
Jeff and Dixie jumped out of the ambulance with their helmets on and purple nitrile gloves. Dixie nervously glanced at the ruins and hitched the kit further onto her shoulder. Jeff's mouth fell open in shock. All they could see was something they never thought they'd see in their entire careers in Holby. Or in any hospital. Dixie knelt down beside Adam and handed him a cooling pack to place on his arm. Jeff noticed Noel holding two rolls of bandages either side of his bone. He caught the side of Greg's Rapid Response motorbike lying under rubble.
" Dix?" Dixie stepped up behind her and her eyes fell upon the green and yellow motorbike.
" Oh, my God. He's inside." Dixie ran straight towards the hospital with Jeff in tow.
Greg reached up a hand to show Dixie and Jeff where he was. Blood ran in a thin line down his chin from the corner of his mouth. Jeff moved some rubble so that they could get closer to him. Dixie knelt down beside him.
" Greg, my darling?"
" Dix-" he gasped, blood surging over his lips.
" Where does it hurt?"
" Everywhere. My leg. I can't move it. And my neck." He moved his gloved hand to reveal the piece of embedded glass.
" Alright. Uh. Just stay calm for me."
" See to everyone else. Leave me."
" No, Greg." A scene played around her head. You're a good paramedic, Greg… There's a first… He was fading quickly, " Stay with me, Greg." She curled her fingers around Greg's hand. There came a rumbling from behind. Some ceiling tiles fell. Jeff dived over Dixie to protect her. Greg's grip loosened on Dixie's hand.
" No! Greg! Come on, stay with me." Greg slowly opened his eyes as he fought to stay conscious.
" Please, Dix. Help someone else." Tears filled Dixie's eyes.
" No, Greg." He tightly gripped her hand, " That's it. Stay with me." Jeff looked around. Bodies lay all around him. He couldn't register the scene. Big Mac was buried beneath some bricks, unconscious. Miranda was impaled on some wood, blood down her chin. This was not Holby General. St Thomas' would have a field day. Holby General was no more. It was a sight that none would ever forget.