Sorry, I took an extended holiday, but trust me, I needed it. Hope to back with regular updates now, but I never really know what's going to happen
Bella put the phone down and called into the kitchen. "Dylan, there's been a coach crash, Noel's just called and Zoe wants us both to come in?"
Dylan was giving Milly her breakfast. Their daughter was sat in a highchair, kicking her feet in anticipation for the delivery of the spoon on Dylan's hand. Dylan made a slightly out of character aeroplane noise, before sliding the spoon into Milly's mouth. "Well, she can't have both of us, unless the childminder wants to cancel her holiday for us?"
"We're both on call, some mix up with the HR registers- I'll call the creshe and see if they have space."
Dylan scowled sulkily, "She doesn't like the creshe."
"Dylan, she's six months old, she doesn't like any strange places."
Dylan frowned again.
Bella continued, "It doesn't look like we can be picky, unless you want to call your mum."
"No."
Bella frowned, "Well then." And then she sighed, "You finish feeding her, I'll get changed and pack a bag."
.
Bella and Dylan arrived at the E.D, just in time to hear the end of Zoe's briefing. A nurse in a purple uniform, Bella assumed she was one of the student nurses, cooed at the sight of Milly in her baby carrier.
Zoe didn't look to impressed, "You can't bring her in here?"
Dylan was showing Milly off to Charlie and Linda. Bella shrugged. "Childminders on a flight to Barbados, you're the one mucked up the register and had us both on call, so if you want to shout at somebody-"
Zoe frowned, "Did I? Oh. Sorry."
Bella blinked, "I was joking. Someone from the creshe is coming to get her in five minutes. Where do you want me?"
Zoe looked back at Bella, looking into her ever so familiar dark brown and hazel fleckled eyes, but not really registering what she had just said. "What?"
Bella did her best not to look concerned, "Um, major coach crash?"
Zoe blinked, and suddenly she was back, "Yes. I need you in resus at first, but if they need a doctor on the scene then one of you will have to go, and if Tom can't handle cubicles by himself then you might have to help out."
Still hiding her concern, Bella smiled. Perhaps the month of maternity leave had not quite been long enough. "Just the usual then?"
"Indeed." Zoe nodded and called over to Dylan, "Dylan, I want you in CDU, set up HDU as overspill for resus for me?"
Dylan nodded, the woman from the creshe had just come. Milly had taken that moment to wake up and start to cry. Zoe noticed the look of indecision on Bella's face, half wanting to rush over and take her child from the strange woman, half determined to stay. It hadn't been so bad when she was younger, she wasn't really able to distinguish between faces, but now, Milly knew when she wasn't with her mummy or daddy.
Zoe sighed, suddenly looking much older than her years. "Life's too short Bella. Go on, take her home. We'll manage."
Bella shook her head, "No, I'm here now. And it looks like you need all the help you can get."
Before Zoe had a chance to reply there was a shout across the E.D from the resus, "Zoe, Bella, Charlie, can I have some help over here?" It was Sam, the first patient was in.
.
The day past by with a blur of patients, student nurses making balls-ups and general student-teacher drama's. It was an all round depressing day, kids dying, relatives crying and Bella was stressed about being apart from Milly. They were so busy, that Bella didn't get a chance to catch up with Dylan until all the doctors were in resus treating the coach driver, who jumped from the 4th floor. His leg was partially detached and he was loosing blood too quickly for them to replace. Zoe was examining the wound. "Everything is such a mess in the wound, I can't even see the atery- Bella, can you see anything?"
Zoe handed the clamp to her and Bella took over. She had seen more injuries of this sort over in Afghanistan, "How much blood are we putting in?"
Dylan answered her question, "He's got all the lines in-"
"So he's loosing it faster than we're putting it in, Tess, have you still got cardiac output?"
Tess shook her head, "No, he's loosing pressure too."
Dylan was the first to suggest it, "Amputation?"
Bella nodded, "I can't find anything to tie in here, just blood-" She looked at Zoe, who made the ultimate call.
The newly appointed clinical lead sighed, "I doubt the legs viable anyway. I'm not having this man bleed to death on my watch. Bella, will you lead? Dylan, can handle the ventilation? Tom can you call theater? And Lloyd can I have some light in here?"
Bella nodded, "Keep squeezing those bloods please."
Zoe nodded, "Let's go. Tess can you call for another 6 units?"
Bella took the scalpel, nodding more to herself than Zoe. She hated amputations, always a throwback to her days in the army.
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