"Lona?" Elmer gently felt for her pulse again as he called her
name, barely able to keep tears out of his eyes at the sight of the limp,
motionless body. Why wasn't she reacting, waking up and telling him to stop being such a child? He bit his lip as he felt her pulse, fluttering unnaturally fast. He knew that she had be be losing blood and a lot of it from somewhere inside but there was nothing that he could do about it, not while they were stuck down here. He had been screaming for what felt like forever with no response and the phone lines were down. Did anyone even know there was a problem, that they were trapped down here? He fought to keep control as he thought of that. What if no one realized they were trapped and.... If they didn't get Lona upstairs and treated soon.... He could feel himself starting to hyperventilate as he thought of it. No, how could he loose her like this?
No, with a firm shake of his head he forced him to grab control of himself as best he could. Lona wasn't going to die. He was a doctor, for goodness sakes! If he couldn't think of something to do to save the woman that he loved, then he really was as big an idiot as Lona though he was.
"It's going to be okay, Lona," he whispered, gently holding her hand in his once more before starting to check around the sleep lab for something, anything that he might be able to use to help Lona. This was a hospital. Why in the world weren't there any medical supplies in here? He looked over at Lona as he searched, his movements becoming more frantic at the sight of her pale face. There had to be something in here that he could use to help her! "You really are a loser like Lona and your father think, aren't you?" he murmured under his breath as he frantically searched, barely able to keep from falling apart completely as nothing that would be of any use turned up.
"You probably shouldn't even be a doctor, probably only let you through med school because they felt sorry for your father since his good son was dead." Elmer lowered his head for a moment, despondancy almost overwhelming him. He was sure that if it had been his brother down here he wouldn't be falling apart like this, would have already managed to figure out something to do to help Lona. He knelt down by Lona once more,
reaching out and holding her hand in one of his as he felt her pulse carefully with the other hand. He could tell even before he checked that she was weakening, though. Her skin was cold to the touch and she was deathly pale. He placed one hand on her chest and could feel that her breathing had grown worse, slow and labored.
"Lona?" Oh, please, don't let what he was suddenly very afraid was happening, be happening. He hesitated for a moment before reaching out and undoing her blouse, something he knew he should have done long before now.
There was bruising on her left side near the ribs, the discoloration slowly spreading, tension obvious as he gently touched her. He didn't want to check anymore, didn't want to get an idea of exactly how bad this really was, wanted to be able to still hold out some hope. With a stern shake of his head, though, he gently touched her chest, probing slowly to feel the extent of the damage. Her breathing was definately worse, more and more uneven beneath his fingers.
"Lona?" He called her name once more before he leaned down,
pressing an ear lightly against her chest. He was barely able to keep from crying when even this didn't cause her to stir. She ought to be hitting him in the head for doing something like that with her, for opening her blouse. Why wasn't she responding at all?
A moment later he sat back up, fear washing over him. Punctured lung. One of the broken ribs must have punctured a lung and done goodness knows what other damage to her. And now the injured lung was starting to collapse. No, this couldn't be..... He looked from Lona to the doorway,
calling once more, "HELP!! Someone please help us!!"
"Lona," He whispered her name, staring into her pale face as he struggled for control. He couldn't let this happen, couldn't just let her die like this. But what could he do to save her?
motionless body. Why wasn't she reacting, waking up and telling him to stop being such a child? He bit his lip as he felt her pulse, fluttering unnaturally fast. He knew that she had be be losing blood and a lot of it from somewhere inside but there was nothing that he could do about it, not while they were stuck down here. He had been screaming for what felt like forever with no response and the phone lines were down. Did anyone even know there was a problem, that they were trapped down here? He fought to keep control as he thought of that. What if no one realized they were trapped and.... If they didn't get Lona upstairs and treated soon.... He could feel himself starting to hyperventilate as he thought of it. No, how could he loose her like this?
No, with a firm shake of his head he forced him to grab control of himself as best he could. Lona wasn't going to die. He was a doctor, for goodness sakes! If he couldn't think of something to do to save the woman that he loved, then he really was as big an idiot as Lona though he was.
"It's going to be okay, Lona," he whispered, gently holding her hand in his once more before starting to check around the sleep lab for something, anything that he might be able to use to help Lona. This was a hospital. Why in the world weren't there any medical supplies in here? He looked over at Lona as he searched, his movements becoming more frantic at the sight of her pale face. There had to be something in here that he could use to help her! "You really are a loser like Lona and your father think, aren't you?" he murmured under his breath as he frantically searched, barely able to keep from falling apart completely as nothing that would be of any use turned up.
"You probably shouldn't even be a doctor, probably only let you through med school because they felt sorry for your father since his good son was dead." Elmer lowered his head for a moment, despondancy almost overwhelming him. He was sure that if it had been his brother down here he wouldn't be falling apart like this, would have already managed to figure out something to do to help Lona. He knelt down by Lona once more,
reaching out and holding her hand in one of his as he felt her pulse carefully with the other hand. He could tell even before he checked that she was weakening, though. Her skin was cold to the touch and she was deathly pale. He placed one hand on her chest and could feel that her breathing had grown worse, slow and labored.
"Lona?" Oh, please, don't let what he was suddenly very afraid was happening, be happening. He hesitated for a moment before reaching out and undoing her blouse, something he knew he should have done long before now.
There was bruising on her left side near the ribs, the discoloration slowly spreading, tension obvious as he gently touched her. He didn't want to check anymore, didn't want to get an idea of exactly how bad this really was, wanted to be able to still hold out some hope. With a stern shake of his head, though, he gently touched her chest, probing slowly to feel the extent of the damage. Her breathing was definately worse, more and more uneven beneath his fingers.
"Lona?" He called her name once more before he leaned down,
pressing an ear lightly against her chest. He was barely able to keep from crying when even this didn't cause her to stir. She ought to be hitting him in the head for doing something like that with her, for opening her blouse. Why wasn't she responding at all?
A moment later he sat back up, fear washing over him. Punctured lung. One of the broken ribs must have punctured a lung and done goodness knows what other damage to her. And now the injured lung was starting to collapse. No, this couldn't be..... He looked from Lona to the doorway,
calling once more, "HELP!! Someone please help us!!"
"Lona," He whispered her name, staring into her pale face as he struggled for control. He couldn't let this happen, couldn't just let her die like this. But what could he do to save her?