First of all I would just like to say thank you to everyone for all the lovely reviews, it's nice to see people are enjoying so far! If anyone has any ideas/tips/improvements please let me know it will be much appreciated. This is chapter two of "Ethan's safety net", (it's quite a long chapter) I'd love to know what you think! I will try my best to update chapters daily for people who are wondering. Anyway here it is, enjoy! Kayxxx :)
Chapter two
This was no "normal" crash. A wedding double decker bus - full with wedding guests - had toppled over trying to avoid hitting a car that swiftly cut in front. Big Mac made his way over to Ethan, shocked to see it was him but saying nothing on the topic knowing from talk in the ED how he'd recently been feeling over these last couple of weeks,"right, Dr. Hardy, although this looks like a nasty crash most are walking wounded and have been seen to already. There is just one casualty, she's stuck in the bus and will need cutting out, she has been unconscious for about ten minutes and her pulse is weak. She's the reason we called for a doctor." Mac spoke as he lead Ethan to the scene "right okay..where is she?" Ethan nodded taking in all Mac had just said "Right here" Mac and Ethan kneeled down on the floor at the front of the smashed up bus "by the looks of things she was the only one without a seat belt on when the bus toppled." Mac informed.
"Mac can I get some help over here?" Dixie called from the distance as she struggled with a casualty fighting treatment "are you okay here?" Mac asked "yes go, I'll be fine" Ethan spoke looking at the bloody girl laying before him.
His mind went completely blank. He kneeled before her anxiously trying to think, all that was in his mind was the memories of him being flung around the car in the accident, before everything went black. He thought about the words his brother had spoken to him as he lay in the hospital bed "you are my safety net, you're all I've got" Cal's words echoed in his mind, he closed his eyes tightly trying to rid the voice of his brother. He was shook out of his haunting thoughts when the girl before him began to move, his doctor mode kicked in automatically.
"Oh, erm..Hello, my name is Dr. Hardy, you've been involved in a car accident just try and remain as still as you can for me whilst I assess you okay?" These were the exact words Jeff had spoken to him when he awoke from the accident. Ethan placed his hand in the girls hand "Don't try to speak, if you can hear my voice squeeze my hand" the girl squeezed Ethan's hand lightly "okay that's great, don't try to move I can see you're having some trouble breathing so I'm going to place an oxygen mask onto your face, this will help you with your breathing" he placed the mask on girls face, her breathing steadily began to ease. "I'm still here, I'm going to stay here with you the whole time".
The girl began to open her eyes, blinking slowly as she done so. "Hi" Ethan brought his face closer to hers, "wow you have beautiful eyes I must say!" The girl smiled under her mask "how is your vision? Can you see me fine? I'm really awkward and geeky looking, really big glasses?" He joked, the girl laughed as she pulled the oxygen mask away from her face "yes I can see you" she spoke breathlessly "ah I'm sorry about that" he joked again as he placed the mask back over her mouth.
"Just keep taking deep breaths on that for me" he motioned towards the mask. He placed two fingers on her neck, beneath her jawline "your pulse is becoming more steady which is a good sign" Ethan informed her pleased. The girl pulled the mask back off her face again "I'm fine" she protested pushing Ethan's hand away as he went to place it back onto her face. "Okay, but if your breathing gets at all harder you have to let me know okay?" "Okay." She agreed.
"It looks like we could be here for a while so we may as well get to know each other a bit better, what's your name?" He looked down at her "Amber" she smiled "Amber, ahh a pretty name to match a pretty face!" Amber winced "are you in pain?" Ethan asked concerned "it's just..my leg" she closed her eyes tightly in pain "yeah that would be the piece of metal sticking into it, my colleague is supposedly on his way with something for the pain but he must've gotten sidetracked" he looked around for sights of Big Mac "I'll go and get some from the ambulance, just keep still for me okay?" Ethan began to stand "no please don't leave me, you said you'd stay here the whole time" she tugged onto his shirt "but the pain..?" "It's bearable." She smiled as Ethan sat back down again next to her. "What was your name again?" She asked breathlessly, "Ethan" he smiled as he placed the oxygen mask back on her face. "Ethan" she repeated smiling under her mask.
"Oh no" she grumbled rolling her eyes. "What's up?" Ethan questioned concerned "next week, I have job interview" she sighed "nice! What job?" "Doctor, ironically" she laughed, Ethan laughed a long "ahh right so everything I'm saying to you, you probably already know, right?" She nodded with a smile. "What hospital?" Ethan continued. "Holby City ED, have you heard of it?" "Heard of it? I work there!" He laughed. "Oh my gosh really?" She asked embarrassed "yes, how weird!" Ethan replied. "Well don't you be worrying Amber, I'll get you to that interview next week no matter what" he held her hand tight "and that's a promise" he said with a wink.
"Ethan how're you doing?" Dixie called from behind "Fine Dixie, just waiting on Mac to bring some pain relief" he shouted back. Ethan turned to meet Amber's gaze, her eyes seemed distant, her pulse had slowed dramatically. "Stay with me okay Amber, just keep looking at me, don't loose consciousness" Ethan urged "It's, really, cold" Amber spoke slowly fighting for breath. Ethan took off his over coat and placed it over her in attempt to keep her warm. He sympathised for her as just over a month ago, he was in exactly the same position. "Keep your eyes open Amber, keep looking at me" Ethan tried to stem the blood pouring from her leg "I know you're probably sick of looking at me now because it's been about-" he pulled up his sleeve and looked at his watch "nearly an hour now, wow! Time flies when you're-" Ethan didn't finish that sentence realising what he was about to say didn't fit properly.
"when you're trapped under a bus" Amber joked finishing Ethan's sentence "well I've never heard that one before, who knew!" Ethan laughed. Amber closed her eyes "no no, Amber you need to stay awake for me okay, you're nearly out now it won't be long" Amber nodded effortlessly.
"How long?" Ethan called over to the firemen who were cutting Amber free from the bus she was trapped in "2 minutes tops" the fireman replied.
"Amber listen, I'm starting to get concerned, your pulse has slowed way down and I'm worried you'll loose consciousness again which is what we don't want, I'm going to have to go to the ambulance to get my bag, this will have the instruments I need to treat you" Ethan explained Amber shook her head aggressively "don't...leave" she spoke struggling for breath even with the oxygen mask on "Amber you're a doctor right?" She slowly nodded "okay so you know the seriousness of this situation and I'm going to be perfectly honest with you and say, if I don't get this bag there is a great chance that I could loose you and I'm not going to let that happen because I promised you I'd get you to that job interview next week and I don't break my promises" Ethan kneeled down and tilted his head level to hers "ah now see, you'll be able to see me get to the ambulance from here" he said pointing ahead of them "I'm about what? 20 steps away, don't move stay exactly as you are but follow my feet as I walk okay?..and don't close your eyes!" He smiled "I'll be right back" He got to his feet and ran to the back of the ambulance as fast as he could. He grabbed the bag that sat just by the open door and knelt down under the ambulance giving Amber a wave before he ran back to her "see, how fast was that?! Like I never left" He said as he reached her and started rummaging through the bag. "24" Amber whispered, "what?" Ethan replied confused. "it was 24 steps away" she replied breathlessly "you counted" Ethan smiled to himself as he looked down into the bag he had placed onto his knees.
"She's free" the fireman informed Ethan "Dixie, Mac! I'm going to need some help over here!" Both ran over instantly, Dixie ordered Mac to get a board to place Amber on "what have we got?" Dixie asked looking down at Amber "this is Amber, she has a weak pulse, she was KO'd when I got to the scene but came through not long after my arrival, we we're have a good old chat when she began to deteriorate again quickly, she also has metal sticking into the back of her leg but she's now cut free, I was worried it might have cut into the artery however I'm pretty sure she may have missed it by centimetre or so, luckily! I thought I had the stemming of blood under control but going by how fast she deteriorated and how her temperature has dropped I would say it's due to blood loss" Ethan informed her gesturing to Amber's leg. "Right okay" Dixie examined her. "She also knows everything we're saying because she's a doctor and funnily enough she has a job interview at holby next week!" Amber smiled under her mask "Ah you're going to become part of our team ay kid?" Dixie smiled. Mac came with the board. "Right Amber we're going to move you now, you know the drill, just try and keep as still as possible for us".