-Chapter 29
As Michaela was travelling towards the hospital and witnessed the emergency services, sirens blaring travelling out of town at speed, she had a feeling of terror engulf her. The uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach hadn't left her all day like she was just waiting for something to happen.
Michaela entered the hospital and went to the Doctors' lounge to fill in the files and have a think about the day. She was worried about Sam being on her own. It was against all she believed and was taught in medical college, but she felt powerless to be able to assist the stubborn older lady.
Miriam came in looking for Doctors who could assist in the ER as they had had a notification that a helicopter had crashed out at the falls in a pine forest. There were five on board and their condition was unknown but they would receive information from the services as soon as it was available.
Michaela felt impelled in helping as there was an epidemic of flu amongst the doctors that was gripping the city. Donning a clean white doctor's coat over her simple white dress, she dialled Sully and was again frustrated in going onto voice mail so she was just leaving a message she was working late. Then she called the kids and explained the emergency, assuring them that Sully would be there and could they start dinner. She would be home as soon as she was possibly available.
The waiting was tense and everyone was running around preparing for the casualties. Information had been received that three had been unconscious, one still was and that the most critical was being winched into a helicopter at that moment and being flown out. His condition, as far as was ascertained was critical; they were not sure he'd make it. The other four would be taken out via road as they were not in mortal danger.
Michaela was on the side as the helicopter landed the blades causing a whirl pool of air around them. They opened the door while she and the others moved in quickly, removing the patient and immediately taking him into the light on the way to the ER.
She finally looked at the poor man's face and nearly fainted. "Sully." The shock at seeing him pale, perspiration beaded on his brow, his hand icy to touch and obviously gravely ill shook her to her very core. She had not known he was even out on the chopper today.
"Quinn, what the devil do you think you are doing?" the crisp voice of Professor Tillson demanded as her steps faulted.
"Nothing, Professor." She couldn't bring herself to tell him the man laying in the gurney desperately ill was her fiancé for if she did she would be removed from the case as he would be considered family. "*No family* was the policy of this hospital and many more institutes," she thought "But I need to be here, I have to be here for him."
On a quick examination and finding his abdomen ridged the Professor decided Sully needed vitally urgent surgery as he was bleeding to death. He suspected a ruptured spleen. Time was of the essence in this type of emergency situation; already Sully had been out for too long since the accident.
Without stopping the team headed for the operating room.
Suddenly Sully took a gasp of air and then nothing. Michaela noticed and begged, "Breathe! Sully breathe, don't leave me!"
A mask was shoved over his face from the oxy-viva and someone pumped the air balloon and Tillson yelled "Now!" as they sprinted through the heavy doors into the OR.
Spinning around and having seen Doctor Quinn's reaction he firmly said, "No family allowed in the OR." Then he hurriedly followed the mobile stretcher with its desperately sick patient.
Paralysed with fear she whispered, "Sully breathe don't leave me. I love you so much."
Michaela was hearing a buzzing in her ears and rainbows dancing before her eyes as she stopped. Before slipping to the floor in shock she prayed,"Sully please, please hang on, I love you." Then she was engulfed in blackness.
...
Miriam Tilson's face came foggily into view as Michaela regained consciousness.
Michaela tried sitting up and getting a hold on her emotions. Never had she felt so utterly helpless. Miriam looked with concern in her brown eyes. "Michaela, why didn't you tell Robert that he was your fiancé?"
"First I didn't know it was Sully; he wasn't supposed to fly today. Then I didn't want to leave him, I needed to be with him. I love him so much." It was getting harder for her to explain her reasons, feeling like she couldn't breathe.
"I understand, but Robert was not impressed and will more than likely have something to say."
"How is he? How is Sully?" Michaela asked not caring about any reprimand she would receive. She was just concerned for the man she loved.
"Robert is doing all he can to save Mr Sully. Michaela, he is in a bad way. You'd better prepare yourself."
Suddenly the silliest thing arose. "He prefers just to be called Sully. I didn't know he was flying today," repeated Michaela before dissolving into tears.
Miriam stepped forward and took the younger doctor in her arms trying to reassure her, "Robert is the best surgeon here in Colorado Springs and he will do all that is humanly possible to save your Sully."
"Can I see him?" Michaela pleaded.
"As soon as he is in recovery," the other woman said sympathetically.
Suddenly Michaela remembered, "Oh! The children, they are home on their own." She was torn in wanting to know they were safe but a greater need was to be there for Sully.
She wondered how the children would take the news of Sully's accident. They were home alone and expecting Sully at any time. She had not had a moment to form friendships since arriving in town, and she had not yet met any of Sully's friends. The children had formed some at school but so far that was all; even Sully's friend Robert E hadn't met her yet.
Picking up her mobile she flicked it open and discovered a message from Sully, saying he had been called into fly tourists for the afternoon, that he loved her and couldn't wait till dinner time to see her. She wondered why she hadn't heard it before.
Her tears renewed as she heard his voice and his last message.
Miriam asked, "Michaela, are you all right?"
"N..no. I can't lose him Miriam, I just can't. Not now."
Michaela opened her cell again and dialed the house Matthew answered, "Doctor Mike, what's wrong?" The other two sitting at the kitchen table instantly looked up, anxious to discover what was happening and why Sully hadn't arrived.
Hesitantly she explained. That there had been a helicopter crash and Sully had been the pilot. That he was now in surgery in a critical condition. She would see how he was after surgery and then be home as soon as possible.
"No need to worry, Doctor Mike. We are fine." Putting his hand over the mouth piece Matthew explained quickly what had occurred and asked if either had a friend who lived nearby and a phone number of the parents.
Colleen volunteered that Becky lived down the road and her Mum's name was Helen before she gave Matthew the number.
Brian remained very quiet and withdrawn. He felt vulnerable, thinking he may lose someone so quickly after his parents, and he thought, "It's just not fair. Sully didn't do anything. Why does he have to get hurt?" Suddenly pushing his chair back with force he ran upstairs to his bed room.
Colleen followed in quick pursuit, "Brian what's the matter?"
In the meantime, Michaela rang Helen and explained the situation after introducing herself to the bewildered woman. She asked if she'd heard from the children whom she trusted implicitly to be alone but still... "Would you mind checking on them?" she asked.
Becky had told her mother about her new best friend Colleen and her brothers who had been on the same school bus, so Helen reassured the Doctor if she heard from the children she'd more than happy to assist.
...
Sully was surfacing from an anaesthetic induced haze, trying to open his eyes to someone talking to him down a long tube. Suddenly he was gripped with an excruciating pain in his abdomen and he was pulled instantly into consciousness.
Hearing a voice down a tunnel like on the old gramophone record player he heard, "Sully! Cough, cough it up!" Then he felt tubing being removed from his throat.
"How are you feeling?" Michaela was gently asking him when he focussed on the speaker. She looked like an angel being dressed in a white dress. He felt like he was experiencing a moment of déjà vu but just couldn't figure where he'd seen the image before.
"Rotten. Who ran over me?" he groaned through a parched dry throat. "What happened?"
Placing the analgesic pump in his hand Michaela explained it was situated in his spine via a lumbar infusion and all he had to do was press it to alleviate the pain, and before he asked no he couldn't over dose. "Your chopper crash landed and you have had a splenectomy (spleen removal) because your spleen had ruptured and you haemorrhaged."
"Can I live without it?" he tentatively asked looking at the drips of blood and glucose connected by tubing into his arm. "And what about the others? I did what I could but I think I musta' passed out. The pain got so bad, Mike, I tried to help them."
"Yes, you can live without it, and everyone survived as you did. There will be a crash investigation though," she told him.
"It was dirty fuel. Coulda' had water in it. Starved of fuel, rota just stopped," he slurred as he began drifting off again, yet not before he kissed the hand he was holding onto."Go home, I'll be fine."
"No Sully, I'm right where I want to be right now," she stated emphatically. "With the one I love," she ended with a whisper.
Alarms were going off on the machines as he lapsed back into unconsciousness. As he did he remembered the sweat lodge, Michaela in a white dress and she was leaving. "No!" he silently screamed. He didn't want her to leave.
Sully's condition remained critical.
