Moment of Truth - Ch. 5
* * * * *
We had finally made it to the hospital. Abby wasn't looking too good, but we'd managed to keep her stable on the way there.
"Kerry! We need you!"
"What'd we got?" - Abby! John, where did you, what happened?"
"Long story, but for now she's stable. Near drowning, hypothermic, and bradycardic. - Kerry, he tried to kill her to get back at me! Why does he keep doing this?"
"I - I don't know John, but for now we just need to help Abby, okay? She's - "
"V-tach!"
"What!?"
"She's in v-tach! Must be pulmonary edema."
"We need to get that fluid out of her lungs!"
"Asystole!"
"NO! Dammit! Give me the paddles. Charge to 350! CLEAR!"
"Still asystole. BP's 80/50."
"Charge again! CLEAR!"
"Back to v-tach - v-fib - wait, sinus rhythm."
"Okay, okay good. You got it Kerry? I need to - I am - just um page me in ten minutes okay?"
I ran off to the bathroom; I didn't believe this. I just kept waiting to wake up from this nightmare. 'How could I let this happen? I let it happen to Lucy, and now Abby? Except Abby had gotten lucky. She went into asystole, but I got her back. She had been lucky. - I think I am going to be sick.'
* * * * *
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
I was being paged; I needed to go see Abby. So I got up from the chair I had been sitting in and I walked into the trauma room.
"Hey, um Malik, any changes?"
"Yeah, shallow resps, but I got a good strong pulse. Temp's 95."
"Okay, thanks. Hey Malik, do you think I could um - "
No problem Dr. Carter."
With that, Malik left the room, Abby and me the only ones in the room. She looked so helpless just lying there with wires coming out of her chest and arms, a tube in her throat, and they had had to cut her clothes off her. She was just so helpless. I sat down next to her and rubbed her head.
"Abby honey, can you hear me?"
She wasn't moving. 'Could she have been deprived of oxygen for too long? Maybe she is just -' That is when she started to move. She slowly opened her eyes, and a faint smile appeared across her lips.
"Abby, I'm here. You are going to be just fine. I am- I am so sorry for letting this happen to you."
I could tell that she wanted to talk, but she couldn't speak.
"Abby, you can't talk right now, we had to intubate you, but Abby, I need to ask you something. You can just nod your head for the answer okay? I really need to know this."
She nodded her head yes, but she looked so scared.
"Did Sobriki - Did he do anything to you? Did he hurt you?"
God, I was so scared that he had done something to her, and if he had, I would've never forgiven myself. But she shook her head no.
"Good, are - are you sure? Maybe you passed out at one point, or -"
She put her hand up to my face, and reassured me that she had no knowledge that he had done anything to her. Thank God, she was going to be okay. Now we just had to find Sobriki.
* * * * *
We had finally made it to the hospital. Abby wasn't looking too good, but we'd managed to keep her stable on the way there.
"Kerry! We need you!"
"What'd we got?" - Abby! John, where did you, what happened?"
"Long story, but for now she's stable. Near drowning, hypothermic, and bradycardic. - Kerry, he tried to kill her to get back at me! Why does he keep doing this?"
"I - I don't know John, but for now we just need to help Abby, okay? She's - "
"V-tach!"
"What!?"
"She's in v-tach! Must be pulmonary edema."
"We need to get that fluid out of her lungs!"
"Asystole!"
"NO! Dammit! Give me the paddles. Charge to 350! CLEAR!"
"Still asystole. BP's 80/50."
"Charge again! CLEAR!"
"Back to v-tach - v-fib - wait, sinus rhythm."
"Okay, okay good. You got it Kerry? I need to - I am - just um page me in ten minutes okay?"
I ran off to the bathroom; I didn't believe this. I just kept waiting to wake up from this nightmare. 'How could I let this happen? I let it happen to Lucy, and now Abby? Except Abby had gotten lucky. She went into asystole, but I got her back. She had been lucky. - I think I am going to be sick.'
* * * * *
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
I was being paged; I needed to go see Abby. So I got up from the chair I had been sitting in and I walked into the trauma room.
"Hey, um Malik, any changes?"
"Yeah, shallow resps, but I got a good strong pulse. Temp's 95."
"Okay, thanks. Hey Malik, do you think I could um - "
No problem Dr. Carter."
With that, Malik left the room, Abby and me the only ones in the room. She looked so helpless just lying there with wires coming out of her chest and arms, a tube in her throat, and they had had to cut her clothes off her. She was just so helpless. I sat down next to her and rubbed her head.
"Abby honey, can you hear me?"
She wasn't moving. 'Could she have been deprived of oxygen for too long? Maybe she is just -' That is when she started to move. She slowly opened her eyes, and a faint smile appeared across her lips.
"Abby, I'm here. You are going to be just fine. I am- I am so sorry for letting this happen to you."
I could tell that she wanted to talk, but she couldn't speak.
"Abby, you can't talk right now, we had to intubate you, but Abby, I need to ask you something. You can just nod your head for the answer okay? I really need to know this."
She nodded her head yes, but she looked so scared.
"Did Sobriki - Did he do anything to you? Did he hurt you?"
God, I was so scared that he had done something to her, and if he had, I would've never forgiven myself. But she shook her head no.
"Good, are - are you sure? Maybe you passed out at one point, or -"
She put her hand up to my face, and reassured me that she had no knowledge that he had done anything to her. Thank God, she was going to be okay. Now we just had to find Sobriki.