It has been a tough shift today. I spent most of my 12 hour shift in RESUS attending to the aftermath of an RTC. I can't wait to get home and relax. As I enter my flat I notice it's quiet. I realise my brother isn't home. But, that does not bother me. I know he stills has another 2 hours left of his shift. Grabbing a beer from the fridge I realise my brother will be completely knackered when he comes home so wanting to do something nice for him I decide to cook dinner. Well, when I say 'cook' I mean put a pizza in the oven.
2 hours pass. I expect my brother to come home any minute now, but after 5 minutes no one enters. Maybe he's stuck in traffic so I continue to wait. I don't realise I have fallen asleep until I jolt up to a ringing sound. At first I'm a bit disorientated. I have no idea what the ringing is but, then I realise it's my phone. I pick it up and look at the caller ID. It's reads Ethan.
"Ethan?" I ask sensing something isn't right.
"Cal, please help me!" Ethan whispers.
"Mate, where are you?"
"Bench...hospital."
That's all I hear and then silence.
"ETHAN!" I shout down the phone. I receive no answer. I practically grab my keys and drive like a maniac to the hospital. I am driving so fast it's a miracle I don't end up in a traffic accident on the way. The car skids to a halt as I reach the hospital's entrance. Although the light is dim I can just make out my brother's figure lying on the bench with one hand dangling out. I jump out the car and rush over to him. I kneel down in front of him and shake his shoulders to see if I can get a response.
"Ethan, wake up. It's me." I say in his face hoping to hear him responded. I get nothing.
"Please, mate. Say something?" I practically beg him. Again I receive nothing.
Glancing over my shoulder towards the ambulance bay I spot Dixie and Iain on a break.
"Dix, Iain! Can I get a stretcher over here!" I shout towards them. Within minutes Dixie and Iain rush over with a stretcher.
"Cal?" Dixie asks, "What's happened?"
"I don't know. Ethan called me about 10 minutes ago. He didn't sound too good. He was struggling to speak and then suddenly he fell unconscious. I found him like this when I arrived and I still can't get him to answer me." I say really fast.
The three of us manage to get Ethan onto the stretcher and we immediately roll him into the ED where we are met by Zoe, Lofty and Robyn.
"Okay, what do we have, Dix?" Zoe asks as we roll into RESUS.
"Ethan was found unconscious and has been for the last 30 minutes. Pulse is slow at 45."
"Let's get him into Bay 3." Zoe instructs.
We manage to move Ethan onto the hospital bed. I am about to hook Ethan up on to a machine so we can check his vital signs, but Zoe stops me.
"Cal, you know the rules. No family members allowed."
"No, I want to help!"
"I know you do, but we need to make sure Ethan has the best chance of survival."
Reluctantly, I step aside and let my friends take care of my brother. I try to hold back my tears, but a few escape as I watch Ethan being checked over. Suddenly, I hear the rattling the bed.
"Right, he's having a seizure. Let's get him on his side. And I need 5 mg of Diazepam." Zoe tells Lofty and Robyn. I want to help, I want to make sure my brother is alright. But, I can't move. All I can do is watch my little brother shake in front of me.
After a minutes, the seizure finally passes and Ethan os stable for the moment. Zoe is double checking his vital signs and so I walk over to her.
"Zoe, how is he?"
"To be honest, Cal, I really don't know. Do you have any idea what may have caused this to happen?"
I shake my head.
"Okay, well we'll take a few blood samples and a CT scan to see if they might tell us what is wrong with him."
"But, he will survive, right?" I ask in a whisper.
"Like I've said before, I really don't know. Until we can diagnose the cause of his illness all we can do is keep hourly obs on him."
Zoe leaves me alone with Ethan. Lofty and Robyn follow her out of RESUS. I sit down beside Ethan and take his hand in mine. I know it's going to be a long night tonight.