Chapter 8
He had left her sleeping on the couch. He didn't think waking her to say goodbye was a good idea. He had a 36 hour shift, starting at 8pm. He hated leaving her like that, but he had promised that he'd cover another doctors' shift. He swore he was turing into a "nice guy" and that maybe he should do something to change it. It was only a couple hours into the 12 hour ER shift when it started, a motor vehicle accident. From the looks of it, you wouldn't think it was all that bad. The problem was, who it involved. A young mother, maybe 24 or 25 and her infant daughter, maybe 9 or 10 months old. Yeah he dealt with this sort of thing all the time, but after the day he had, after the last few months, it made it so hard to see this kind of thing.
"Dr. Hayward. 24 year old female. LOC on arrival. B.P. is 80/50 pulse tachy at 140. Head lac. Complains of left upper quadrant abdominal tenderness, possible splenic rupture." The paramedic spouted off as they wheeled the woman on the gurney into the ER. The other medic was carrying the baby in her car seat behind them. "Second patient. 10 month old female. B.P. is 90/64, heart rate 125. Some bruising on the chest and occipital lobe but she seems alert and oriented.
"Okay. Get the mother into Trauma 1 and take the baby to exam room 2." David directed. This was going to be a long night.
"I want a CBC, CT, abdominal series and a surgical consult." He ordered to the nurses. "What's her name?" He asked, anyone who would answer.
"Jennifer Cooper." One of the nurses responded.
"Jennifer." David said to the woman. "Jennifer, can you hear me? " He said again.
"My baby." She said low but loud enough that he could hear. "Danielle."
"Your daughter is stable Jennifer. I'm Dr. Hayward, can you tell me where it hurts?"
"My baby. Take care of my baby." Were the only words she spoke before she lost conciousness.
"She's in V-fib. Starting CPR. Get a crash cart.
Charge to 300.
Clear.
Continue compressions. Charge to 360.
Clear. Charge again.
Clear."
"Dr. Hayward, she's in Asystole." One of the four nurses told him.
"Atropine, 1 mg IV push. Continue compressions."
"It's not working Dr. Hayward."
"How long has she been down?"
"Almost 20 minutes."
"Push another round of Atropine." He ordered windedly from administering chest compressions on the young woman.
"She's maxed out doctor. Maybe it's time to stop." The nurse to his left said solemly.
"This woman is young. She has a daughter. Don't you think she deserves our best efforts?"
"It's been too long Dr. Hayward. She's gone. Are you going to call it?"
He hesitated a few seconds before speaking. "Time of Death, 1:47." David announced to the room. The nurses already cleaning up.
"I'm sorry Dr. Hayward." An exiting nurse said.
"Where is the little girl?" He asked an incoming nurse.
"She's up in CT."
"Can you page me when she's brought back down?" He asked the nurse, while moving to sit down on a stool.
"Sure thing Dr. Hayward."
He continued to sit there next the young woman who's life had just been lost in his hands. All he could think about were the girl's last words. Take care of my baby The words echoed through his head. I will he thought to himself. He would see to it that her daughter was safe and healthy. He owed her that much.
"Dr. Hayward?" A nurse said quietly, to him sleeping in a chair. "Dr. Hayward. It's 9am." The nurse continued, when she saw him waking up. She also handed him a cup of coffee when she saw he was alert enough to take it.
"Thank you Melissa." He said to the young nurse who took such good care of him.
"Have you been sitting here in the PICU all morning?"
"Since 2:30, yeah." He said reading the chart of the patient in front of him.
"How's she doing?"
"She's stable. Slight swelling on the brain and a broken rib. She's sedated and on a ventillator, but she's a fighter."
"I'm sorry about her mother Dr. Hayward. I know you did everything you could."
"Not enough. Now this little girl is motherless."
"You can't put that on you. It was accident that brought them here in the first place. That drunk driver is responsible."
"I know, but I just can't help but feel responsible. The way the mother looked into my eyes and pleading to take care of her daughter. It's like she knew she was going to die."
"And now you feel responsible for this little girl."
"Who else is there?"
"Well all of the nurses here in peds can take care of her until you've taken care of your scheduled patients. Your 9:15 consult is waiting."
"Right. I still have 23 hours left on this shift."
"If you need anything just let me know."
"Just one thing Melissa. If my wife calls, make sure you come get me."
After attending to all his scheduled and non-scheduled appointments, he found time sit with the little girl who lying in the NICU. Every couple hours, if he wasn't on break, he would go to her crib and "consult". Reading the chart and talking with the pediatric specialist that was there at the time. He had once again found himself waking to chair he had often been occupying for the last 30 hours. He checked with Melissa to see if Erica had called. She hadn't. Not in the last 36 hours. He had called her two or three times but she hadn't answered. He knew that she could have been busy, with Enchantment business or just being social diva she was. Only he knew she hadn't taken Dr. Scott's news well. Maybe she hadn't called because she was at home, too upset to talk with. After all, he had left her only a few hours of what seemed like one of the worst days they'd had as a couple. He said goodbye to the little girl, promising that he would be back in two days when his next shift was, maybe even sooner. Right now he needed to get home, check on his wife and get some sleep.
