White-Out- by Brownie
Disclaimer: These characters are mine until the story is over, and you can't have them back until then!
Side Notes: Sorry for being so slow, and sorry that it's a bit short, and sorry that you don't get to find out what happens to Malucci yet, but you want to know what happens to Corday, don't you? Anyone?
* * *
"A tree? You landed us in a bloody TREE?"
"I'm sorry," the pilot said sheepishly, "I'd like to see you try to fly in this." Corday sighed in disgust. She supposed it was better than tipping off a building, but they could still be pretty high up. The radio had been beeping every two minutes, but no one dared moving to answer it.
"Are we going to die up here?" the woman asked, "I mean, if this doesn't fall, won't we all freeze?"
"More'n likely," the paramedic grumbled.
"Don't be so pessimistic," Corday said, "Try and think of something."
"I didn't write my will out," he said regretfully.
Corday turned back to the pilot. "How tall can trees be in Chicago anyway? Can't we climb out?"
"And have the chopper land on us?" he asked, "Brilliant idea, doc."
"Well you said before that the wind may blow it over anyway! We could at least take a chance!" Although she knew damned well that even if they got out, they wouldn't know where to go. Or how to carry the two people on the boards. She sighed again. "We're royally screwed, aren't we?" It wasn't a question.
"Well, as long as you're seeing things our way," the pilot said obnoxiously.
"What about my husband?" the woman asked.
"Well, he's breathing again," Corday said, "But I don't think he'll stay like that for long. He has to get to a hospital, quickly."
"Not much chance of that," the pilot grumbled.
"If it weren't so dangerous to move, I'd slap you," Corday said, just as it began rocking in the wind again.
"Looks like thinking it was enough," the pilot said, "Everyone hold onto something." The whole thing was tipping further as the wind picked up more violently. The boards started to slide across the floor. Corday instinctively reached out to stop them, but her movement added just enough force to break the chopper loose. Everyone went crashing to the side as it fell, along with all the medical equipment and God-only-knew what else. It hit the ground quickly- they hadn't been all that high up- sending glass flying and breaking all the lights. With the windows now gone, there was almost no protection from the snow.
Corday slowly lifted her head once it was silent. With the lights gone and the snow swirling about, she could see almost nothing. "Is everyone okay?" Corday called into the darkness. She heard a high-pitched beep from somewhere, and it took her a moment to realize a moniter was flatlining.
"Dr. Corday?" the paramedic called, "The guy's heart stopped, can you get to him?"
"I can't see a thing!" she yelled, "Shock him until I get there!"
"With all this snow, I'd electricute us both!"
"Then do CPR!" she yelled back, forcing herself to her feet.
"I can't! There's blood everywhere, and my hands are a mess."
"What about the pilot?" Corday asked, "Can he do it?"
"No the pilot can't do it," the pilot spoke up from another direction, "The pilot is too far away, and can't see a thing, and isn't very happy about his situation."
"Can't someone do something?" the woman asked near Corday's feet. She could barely make out her head.
"We're running out of options," Corday told her. She carefully started making her way to the location of the moniter, knowing she could do almost nothing at this point anyway.
"It's asystole," the paramedic said quietly when she reached him so the woman wouldn't hear, "Do you want to call it?"
She sighed in defeat and lit up her watch. "Time of death- 11:24." The paramedic switched off the moniter.
"So is that it?" the woman called, "You just let him die?"
"We didn't just let him," Corday said, "His injuries were too great, and the crash finished it off. I'm sorry, but there was nothing we could do." They were silent for a moment before the woman spoke up again.
"Well now what? Are we going to freeze here?"
"No," the pilot called from somewhere in the distance, and a light flashed in Corday's eyes. "Flashlight didn't break. We can walk from here."
"She can't walk," Corday said, "We'll have to carry her." The pilot finally reached the group, and the flashlight was bright enough for her to see everyone. They all had cuts from the broken glass- the pilot pointed out one that uncomfortably close to her eye- but no real damage had been done. The paramedic's hands both had quite an amount of glass embedded in them. Pulling it all out would take too long there, so he carefully wrapped them in gauze from Corday's bag and insisted on helping her and the pilot carry the board. The woman held the flashlight up for them, and the pilot stood in the front, leading the way through about a foot and a half of snow.
* * *
Benton was working on an almost-severed limb when he spotted Greene pulling a gurney into the room next to him. He nearly dropped his instruments when he saw that it was Malucci on the thin. "What the hell happened?" he asked no on in particular.
"He got hit when the ambulance crashed," Kovac said, opening the door, "You have a handle on everything in here?" Benton looked down at the leg he was attempting to put back together at the knee, while at the same time trying to stop the bleedin from a gash that had sliced the major artery in the thigh.
"An extra hand'd be nice if you have a minute," Benton said. The nurses hurridly gloved and goggled Kovac, and Benton had him hold the artery shut while he himself worked on the knee. The phone rang before he had accomplished anything, and the next thing he knew, Haleh was shoving the phone in his face.
"It's Weaver," she said.
"Peter, are you almost done over there?" Weaver shouted into his ear.
"I haven't even begun," he said, "This is going to be a while."
"Can't you send him up to OR?" she asked.
"Not yet," Benton said, "I'll send Kovac over if you really need help, but I can't leave."
"Send him," Weaver demanded.
"But…"
"Now, Peter!" And the phone slammed down. Benton looked through the window to see what was happening. He couldn't see Malucci- too many nurses blocked the way- but the moniters were beeping wildly. He turned back to his patient just as Mark was pulling out the sternum saw.
"Weaver called for you," he told Kovac.
"What about…"
"Don't argue!" Kovac tossed his gloves and bolted into the next room. And only then did Benton realize that Corday hadn't returned.