"Elmer?" Hook called the younger doctor's name as they moved down
the hallway as fast as they could. Elmer's cries for help sounded much
louder now and Hook and Chris could both hear the terror in his voice.
Hook shook his head slowly, hoping that Elmer had just been badly shaken by the earthquake but he couldn't quite get rid of the feeling that they might be heading into something very serious.
"Hook?" Elmer called when he finally heard an answering voice in response to his cries for help. "See, Lona." He reached out, taking her hand and holding it carefully in his for a moment. "Everything's going to be fine. We'll be out of here in no time and then we'll get you patched up. You're going to be fine, I promise."
"Elmer, are you okay?" Chris called. something about the fright in Elmer's voice was making her very nervous. "Is Lona down there with you?"
"Yes. Please hurry! She's hurt bad!" He shouted as he continued to kneel by Lona, gently holding her hand in his, the other hand resting on her chest to make sure that she didn't have any more breathing problems.
Chris and Hook looked at each other, a bit of panic definitely starting to set in for them as well upon hearing that Lona had been injured. They hadn't found a way to the upper floors yet. If Lona needed medical attention beyond the basics.....
"We'll help her somehow," Hook whispered to Chris to reassure her as he looked into her eyes and saw serious worry for her friend. "Don't worry."
A couple of minutes later, they finally reached the sleep lab door.
"Elmer?" Hook called as he pushed the door open, stopping in shock when he caught sight of Lona. She was deathly pale but that wasn't what alarmed him. It looked like Elmer had done something, that there was some sort of tubing sticking out of her side and....
"What happened?" He asked as he dropped to the ground at Lona's side followed a second later by Chris. He reached out. relieved when he found a weak pulse in her neck and felt the faint breathing. He gently moved the blankets slightly aside, frowning when he saw the discoloration on Lona's left side beneath the ribs and the jury rigged chest tube that Elmer had somehow inserted.
"The roof fell in on her and she got hit by a big pipe." Elmer said as he watched Hook with growing worry. He didn't like the way that the other doctor kept looking at that tube he had inserted. Had he done something wrong with it, maybe made her worse somehow? Elmer would never forgive himself if something that he did hurt Lona in any way.
"What happened to her lung?" Hook asked quietly, gently feeling around the discolored area as he did so. He really didn't like the way this was looking. Lona needed to be upstairs and in an OR now.
"I think a broken rib punctured it." Elmer said slowly, sure that he was about to be in trouble for what he had done, even if he couldn't see what other choice that he had had. "The lung collapsed. I waited as long as I could but her lips were turning blue and...." He gently patted Lona's hand, his only thoughts prayers that he hadn't done the wrong thing and hurt her worse.
"Good thinking." Hook noticed the frightened expression on Elmer's face, the look like a puppy dog that knew it was about to be kicked. Hook reached out and gently patted Elmer's shoulder. "You did good, Elmer."
"Can you help me get her out of here?" Elmer asked, a slight warm feeling washing over him as he heard the words of praise. Someone telling him that he did something right for a change. He couldn't remember the last time that something like that had happened. "She's bleeding somewhere." He slowed talking slightly, choosing his words with care now.
"I think maybe the ribs damaged the spleen too?"
"That makes the most sense." Hook nodded as he finished his inspection of the discolored area as the realization that Lona was definitely needing surgery and the faster the better hit him.
"You know a way out of here, right?" Elmer asked in a slightly panicked tone. He knew how much blood a person could use from a damaged spleen. If they didn't do something fast....
Hook was silent for a moment, rapidly running over the possible options in his mind. They obviously couldn't get back to the main parts of the hospital the way that they had come and even if there was a way out in the other direction, the time that it might take to find it looked seriously like time that Lona didn't have. No, they couldn't wait to get her upstairs. They would have to do the surgery down here.
"Get one of the mattresses from the beds." Hook said finally.
"We'll need something to carry her on."
"We can get her upstairs, right?" Elmer asked anxiously.
Hook hesitated for a moment before speaking. "No, there isn't time to keep looking for a way out. We're going to have to do the surgery down here. Get one of those mattresses and let's see about getting her down to the morgue. They should have most of the supplies that we need in there."
Hook shook his head slowly, hoping that Elmer had just been badly shaken by the earthquake but he couldn't quite get rid of the feeling that they might be heading into something very serious.
"Hook?" Elmer called when he finally heard an answering voice in response to his cries for help. "See, Lona." He reached out, taking her hand and holding it carefully in his for a moment. "Everything's going to be fine. We'll be out of here in no time and then we'll get you patched up. You're going to be fine, I promise."
"Elmer, are you okay?" Chris called. something about the fright in Elmer's voice was making her very nervous. "Is Lona down there with you?"
"Yes. Please hurry! She's hurt bad!" He shouted as he continued to kneel by Lona, gently holding her hand in his, the other hand resting on her chest to make sure that she didn't have any more breathing problems.
Chris and Hook looked at each other, a bit of panic definitely starting to set in for them as well upon hearing that Lona had been injured. They hadn't found a way to the upper floors yet. If Lona needed medical attention beyond the basics.....
"We'll help her somehow," Hook whispered to Chris to reassure her as he looked into her eyes and saw serious worry for her friend. "Don't worry."
A couple of minutes later, they finally reached the sleep lab door.
"Elmer?" Hook called as he pushed the door open, stopping in shock when he caught sight of Lona. She was deathly pale but that wasn't what alarmed him. It looked like Elmer had done something, that there was some sort of tubing sticking out of her side and....
"What happened?" He asked as he dropped to the ground at Lona's side followed a second later by Chris. He reached out. relieved when he found a weak pulse in her neck and felt the faint breathing. He gently moved the blankets slightly aside, frowning when he saw the discoloration on Lona's left side beneath the ribs and the jury rigged chest tube that Elmer had somehow inserted.
"The roof fell in on her and she got hit by a big pipe." Elmer said as he watched Hook with growing worry. He didn't like the way that the other doctor kept looking at that tube he had inserted. Had he done something wrong with it, maybe made her worse somehow? Elmer would never forgive himself if something that he did hurt Lona in any way.
"What happened to her lung?" Hook asked quietly, gently feeling around the discolored area as he did so. He really didn't like the way this was looking. Lona needed to be upstairs and in an OR now.
"I think a broken rib punctured it." Elmer said slowly, sure that he was about to be in trouble for what he had done, even if he couldn't see what other choice that he had had. "The lung collapsed. I waited as long as I could but her lips were turning blue and...." He gently patted Lona's hand, his only thoughts prayers that he hadn't done the wrong thing and hurt her worse.
"Good thinking." Hook noticed the frightened expression on Elmer's face, the look like a puppy dog that knew it was about to be kicked. Hook reached out and gently patted Elmer's shoulder. "You did good, Elmer."
"Can you help me get her out of here?" Elmer asked, a slight warm feeling washing over him as he heard the words of praise. Someone telling him that he did something right for a change. He couldn't remember the last time that something like that had happened. "She's bleeding somewhere." He slowed talking slightly, choosing his words with care now.
"I think maybe the ribs damaged the spleen too?"
"That makes the most sense." Hook nodded as he finished his inspection of the discolored area as the realization that Lona was definitely needing surgery and the faster the better hit him.
"You know a way out of here, right?" Elmer asked in a slightly panicked tone. He knew how much blood a person could use from a damaged spleen. If they didn't do something fast....
Hook was silent for a moment, rapidly running over the possible options in his mind. They obviously couldn't get back to the main parts of the hospital the way that they had come and even if there was a way out in the other direction, the time that it might take to find it looked seriously like time that Lona didn't have. No, they couldn't wait to get her upstairs. They would have to do the surgery down here.
"Get one of the mattresses from the beds." Hook said finally.
"We'll need something to carry her on."
"We can get her upstairs, right?" Elmer asked anxiously.
Hook hesitated for a moment before speaking. "No, there isn't time to keep looking for a way out. We're going to have to do the surgery down here. Get one of those mattresses and let's see about getting her down to the morgue. They should have most of the supplies that we need in there."