"Ok we've got a trauma call coming in two minutes including a police officer." Charlie called out. "Ok people I need cubicles to cleared up please. I have a waiting room full of sick people today, this isn't the time to start coddling patients."
The ambulance bay doors opened.
"Ok people look alive for me." Charlie said.
Adam went running up to Curtis. "Talk to me, Curtis."
"Resus 1 please Luke." Charlie told him.
"18-year-old male, GCS 12, tachy to 130. Suspected DUI parked his car in someone's living room. Broke the gas line and started a fire."
"Ok on my count. 1,2,3." Adam said.
Just then another patient came in. This time Luke went running up to it. It was the police officer.
"Talk to me, Dix." Luke said.
"GCS 6, BP 120 over 80. Intubated in the field."
"Where we going Charlie?" Luke asked.
"Resus 2."
"He's hypoxic. He's inhaled a lot of smoke."
"I pulled the kid from the car but my partner insisted on clearing the house." The officer said.
"Thank you officer." Charlie said.
"On my count. 1,2,3." Luke as they moved him across. "Ok, I'll take over bagging and let's get a saline line in please."
Luke struggled with bagging the police officer.
"Ok he's spasmed down pretty hard. Suction. I need a better airway."
Luke tried to get a better airway.
"Watch his BP, he's heartrate is still tachy."
The police officers partner walked off. Luke was treating his patient, when heard an argument going on outside resus. He let Ruth take over and he went outside to find out what was going on.
"His belly is shredded if I don't take him up to theatre now you won't have anyone to charge." Adam trying to push the bed past the officer.
She grabbed hold of bed to stop Adam from going anywhere.
"Woah." Luke said when he saw that.
"You already have him on IV fluids, I have got 10 minutes at best to get an accurate blood test from him. You take him in to be operated on it will be too late." The officer still hadn't let go.
"Sir, this officer wants to take a blood test do I have your consent?" Adam removed his oxygen mask. "No? There is your answer."
"Law states that I don't need consent." The officer told Adam.
"Well hospital policy says you do." Adam retorted.
"Adam go." Luke told him.
"You need to stop." The officer tried to Adam again.
Adam was having none of it and carried on walking. The officer still insisted on getting in the way. Luke decided that he needed to intervene.
"Move. Move. Hey no." Luke told her.
"My partner could have died back there." The officer told Luke.
"I get that but you need to step aside. This is a hospital out priority to treat patients and not to make arrests. As soon as he is out of surgery and awake, he is all yours."
The officer reached into her back pocket. Half the staff in the ED had come out to watch.
"Get me that blood or I am arresting you." The officer told Luke.
Charlie tried to intervene.
"On what charge?" He asked.
"Obstructing an investigation."
"You're being ridiculous." Luke laughed.
"Get me that blood."
Luke looked at Charlie and help out his hands.
"Do what you have to do." Luke told the officer.
"Luke, you don't have to do this." Charlie told him.
"Ruth is in with my patient, go help her." Luke simply told Zoe.
Zoe nodded and went into resus.
The officer led Luke through resus. Alice came running out the staffroom.
"Luke, what's going on?" She cried out.
"He's being arrested." The officer said.
"What for?" Dixie asked.
"My job." He replied.
Alice ran at Luke and tried to hug him but the officer pushed her back.
"Ma'am move back." The officer said.
"Come on Alice." Dixie said holding Alice back.
Alice broke down into Dixie's arms.
"It's ok. He'll be alright." Dixie told her.
The officer took Luke out of the ED and put him in the back of a police car and drove away. Alice and the and the staff watched as he was driven away.
Nick walked through the ED. Charlie and Adam walked up to him.
"I just got off the phone with the police and they're stonewalling." Nick told them.
"They're still holding him. That's outrageous." Adam replied.
"I know, so I'm going down there." Nick said pulling his jacket on. "I've paged the on call and they are on their way."
Alice walked up to him.
"Let me get a coat and come with." She told Nick.
"Alice I don't think that is a good idea." Nick told her.
"Luke needs me." Alice told him.
"Fine." He sighed.
"Thank you." She smiled.
"I'm going to have a chat with Dawson and see if there is anything that he can do to help." Nick told her.
Nick and Alice pulled up outside the police station and went inside
"Yeah, we're here to see detective Simon Dawson." Nick told the police officer on the reception desk.
"I'll just call him."
The officer phoned Simon and she came downstairs and Simon greeted them and took them upstairs. Nick explained what happened.
"Holby City has a strict policy against forcible blood draws." Nick explained.
"I get that. Luke might have been following strict hospital policy but in uniforms eyes, he was obstructing a time sensitive investigation." Simon told him.
"And if we had delayed that operation we could have endangered a boys life." Alice argued back.
"Did you come here to argue or ask for a favour." Simon told her.
Alice lent back in her chair.
"Look, I spoke to Lane. That kid was doing 80 in a 30 zone and that house that he hit there was a family inside with two young kids. If we can't get the DUI charge to stick that kid is going to back behind a wheel in a couple of days. They're not happy." Simon said as he pulled up a chair next to them.
"I'm not happy either. One of my best consultants is sat behind bars." Nick told him.
"Nick you overestimate my pull."
"Its Luke sat in there." Alice begged.
"I'm asking as a friend, find a way to get him out." Nick asked.
"Look, he won't be released until he has been processed."
Nick sighed.
"I'll see if I can have him moved up the docket but other than that there is nothing else that I can do." Simon told Nick.
"Can we see him at least?"
"Sure."
Simon led Alice and Nick down to the cell that Luke was being kept in.
"Luke!" Alice called.
"Hey you guys."
"I am so sorry." Nick apologised.
"No its not your fault." Luke smiled.
"You got five minutes." The custody sergeant told them.
"I guess your not here to take me home just yet." Luke sighed.
"Dawson says you can't be released until you've been processed."
"You can't be serious, they're going to charge me." Luke was confused.
"Hospital lawyers got his gloves off, he says we've got a good chance of getting the charges dropped or reduced."
"But my license, I can't practice if I've got a criminal record." Luke panicked.
"Look don't worry about that now." Nick reassured him.
"You handled the situation exactly the way that would have anyone would have." Alice said holding his hands.
"That blood draw would have left the hospital open for investigation because we didn't have his consent. We're going to get through this Luke, leave to me." Nick said.
"Better."
"Ok that's time." The sergeant said.
Alice kissed Luke. The sergeant led them away.
Adam was looking at a computer when Jac came in. He saw her.
"Hey how'd the surgery go?" He asked.
"There was a pretty large laceration on the kids bladder so it took a while to repair. Have you seen Luke I needed to ask him something." She said.
"Did you not hear? He got arrested."
"What?" She replied.
"After I brought the kid upstairs to you they couldn't get the blood and charged him with obstruction. Jordan's working on getting him cut loose."
Jac walked away and went back upstairs.
Luke was sat lying on the bed in his cell when he heard the door open.
"You're free to go." The officer said.
"What?" Luke replied.
"You can go."
Luke got up and walked out. Jac was stood there waiting for him.
"Jac?"
"Thank me later." She replied.
They two of them walked out to her car and drove back to the hospital.
Luke walked into the ED.
"Hey, look whose back." He heard Kelsey say.
Alice came out the staffroom and ran over.
"Oh God! I was so worried." She said into his chest.
"I was fine, could have been a lot worse." He laughed.
Ruth came out of resus.
"Someone tells me you've been doing a pretty good job, Dr Winters."
Ruth smiled awkwardly.
"Right come on then, let's crack on." Luke said.
He picked up a file and went into a cubicle to treat his patient.