An All Saints Fan Fiction by Xroix

Chapter 2

Where the Penalty Lies

The Emergency Departments doors flew open with a loud rustle of noise. Leaning over the patient's torso, Mac was doing chest compressions on the young male with a rapid but even rhythm. The expression on his face was exhaustion; he had been doing CPR the entire way to All Saints Western General.
Rushing to the MVA victim, Frank helped them wheel him in, his strong-arm holding the front of the bed and Vincent on the other side, Jess followed almost systematically.

"What have we got?" Frank said abruptly, looking at the massive gash and burns to the man's torso, his clothes stained red in blood and there was a gaping hole where his lower abdomen previously was. Vincent kept a firm and even pressure on the wound to prevent further blood loss on the way to theatre.
Mac answered. "MVA in an intersection, we have two others on the way – this one's done himself the worst though" He replied between compressions.
Cate gave all the details, "Mark Saunders, 29; second to third degree burns to roughly 25 percent of abdo area, he is hypotensive and in hypovolemic shock due to blood loss. The laceration is very deep, and approximately five inches long. He was conscious for a short time but went into shock on the way here and lapsed."
"Is there anything this guy hasn't got?" Frank commented dryly.
Jess put another blanket over his legs to keep him warm and avoid his hypovolemic shock resulting in hypothermia.

"This guy's in severe shock, he's lost at least one fifth of blood volume," Jess acknowledged, "Do you want me to administer Dopamine to increase cardiac output and blood pressure?"
"No, we'll need to attend to his abdo trauma first – to stop the blood flow, he can't afford to lose anymore." Vincent stated, "We'll need plenty of O Neg on stand-by, we've got to do this fast, then we can focus on increasing his BP and fluid volume without any problems." He looked up and in crucial tone he added, "It would be aimless to treat his hypotension or transfuse any blood now, he'd only lose it." He explained.
Jess nodded understandingly, quietly admiring his skills and quick thinking.

"How'd he get this extent of damage from a car accident anyway?" She exclaimed.
"Hard to say, he wasn't involved in the actual MVA," Cate answered, "He was treating the ones that were injured – there was a gas leak in one of the cars – poor bugger got stuck in it when the whole thing went down with a bang" she explained gravely, "– We would of gotten to him sooner but we couldn't get in there until we were given the all clear"
This got Franks attention.
Why wasn't it detected?" Frank said angrily before continuing, his eyes wide and savage,
"Don't you know what gas bloody smells like!?"
Cate and Mac exchanged glances for a moment, Cate flashed him a disconcerted look.
Rolling his eyes dramatically, Frank looked infuriated.
"…We'll deal with this little problem later! – Vincent?" Frank barked, Vincent looked up, "Notify me when you're done with him in theatre, I want to know about his progress…"
he glared at the two ambulance officers with malevolence.
"Okay, we'll be a while though" Vincent answered as he grimaced at the mess that was the patient's abdomen. Looking at the severe burns, he piped up "Umm, Frank? We might need a consult from the Burns Unit to take a look at the tissue damage as well – can you arrange that?"
"Will do" Frank replied with a hollow tone as he walked back to the nurses admin station, Jess following, leaving Vincent, Cate and Mac to get him to surgery as they rushed to the elevators, every second counting.

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At the Nurse's Admin Station:

She moved her dark fringe back from her eyes as she fiddled around with a blue pen, scribbling onto a bit of paper. A frustrated look was plastered on her face – the scribbling became more violent.
"Did it do something wrong?" Dan said to Jess, who looked to be torturing the pen for something it had done in a prior life.
"What?" She said, vexed as she looked up.
"Did – it – do – something – wrong?" He said again, this time more slowly and precise, pointing his eyes to the mutilated pen in her hand, his hands behind his back.
"It's not working" She said bluntly, throwing it on the desk. He fiddled with his hand behind his back with a grin on his face.
"Would Jessie wike a new won?" He said imitating a child's voice while looking down at her with big adorable eyes, smiling in amusement.
"I suppose"
"Pick a hand --any hand!" he exclaimed in an excited tone, jolting his arms forward.
Jess just pointed to his left with a jaded expression, leaning her face on her palm.
Excitedly, Dan produced a blue pen with the hospital logo on it – he held it up to her face in amusement. Smiling, she took it from him. "Thanks" she said, correcting her posture and standing back up straight, before a confused look arose on her face, "Dan?"
"Yeah?" He answered, shoving the remaining twelve pens in his top pocket.
"I thought Frank put a budget restriction on pens" She narrowed her eyes, "so how did you get so many?"
"I got them… around" He dodged the accusation, fiddling with his nametag.
"Da-a-a-n-n…." Jess started, putting her hand on her hip and turning towards him.
"C'mon! Why do you always think the worst of me, Jessie?" He whined.
"Because with you it's always the worst"
"Is not" he retorted, almost child-like.
"Yeah, well then tell me – where'd you get them?" she challenged, looking into him – her eyes narrowed and her face visibly eager to hear an explanation. Dan started to say something in retaliation, but stopped as quickly as he started, placing his hand back on the desk.
There was something about the way Jess looked at him that made him know that lying was a big no-no.
"I uhhh, got them from Newel's office" He answered like a schoolboy, adjusting the myriad of pens hanging from his shirt pocket.
"Newel? Are you serious!?" She exclaimed
"She has them in her office for visitors – advertising, she says, or some crap like that"
"Dan you can't just take them!"
"Why not? How many hospital officials and C.E.O's are going to visit and go 'Oh! Hang on a minute; I must grab a hospital pen before I leave! – C'mon Jessie!" He complained with a beseeching look in his eyes.
There was a short pause in the conversation before Jess broke the silence.
"…Well, okay – maybe" She agreed reluctantly, " – but you know what Newel's like, Dan – even a single missing pen is enough for her to go off her rocker!" She said, justifying her stance with a vexed tone. Annoyed, she threw the 'dead' pen into the bin in the corner.
Dan looked worried. "So-oooo… How do you think Newel 'd go if there were twenty-four pens missing?" He said with a cautious look. Jess just proceeded to hit him with her green folder.

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Where the Penalty Lies: Part Two

"That poor man…. Are the burns really serious?" Regina asked Nelson inquisitively, while filing through the mound of work Frank had given her. "I think they're more concerned with the hole that's been blown through his stomach, Reg" Dan interrupted as Nelson went on to continue. A look of confusion arose on Regina's face.
Nelson smirked, "He uuh, has a serious laceration to his abdomen, he's lost a lot of blood and is in shock – looks like it's been injured in an explosion of some sort" Nelson explained.
"A car from what I hear." Jess added
"Oh gosh, that sounds awful" Regina grimaced,
"But… how did the car explode – it wasn't –like, one of those terrorist attacks was it?"

A roar of laughter burst from Dan, Jess and Nelson, as Regina stood there unable to work out what was wrong.
Dan came up from behind her and patted her on the shoulder,
"You're a scream Reg --really" He said between laughs before walking out towards Triage.
Jess smiled at Regina "I'm not sure terrorists do that sort of thing at small suburban intersections" She said almost apologetically, her head tilted to one side, "it was a gas leak from what I heard when he came in" She continued, this time more directed to Nelson, looking up at him with an alarmed look on her face.
"Yeah…that's what I heard to" He replied, his eyes fixated on some paperwork.
"You don't think it was anyone's faul—"
"I try not to think like that, Jess" Nelson replied almost as quickly as she had started, visibly irritated that she would suggest that either Cate or Mac had stuffed up.
"Fine. Have it your way…" Jess said, throwing her shoulders up dramatically,
"But I know what goes on in MVA situations, Nelson, and I know they're trained in this kind of precaution – could you honestly say that if you were there that you wouldn't of checked for gas leaks? Or at least reported smelling gas around!? I mean the poor guy was bleeding into hypovolemic shock and because of a stuff up, no-one could help him!" She went on.
"Okay, I would have checked for leaks." Nelson replied abruptly, "All I'm saying is, let's not jump to the most obvious conclusion – maybe there is an explanation for it?" He said leaning over the desk.

"It would have to be a bloody good one!" Frank said loud and abruptly as he stormed through the office area with a look in his eye that had the capability of sending someone into cardiac arrest.
"Frank…" Nelson started, knowing that anything he said would be ignored.
"I don't wanna hear it Curtis, what the hell sort of training do they put these morons through?" he complained, taking his frustrations out on the phone – punching the numbers in so hard that Nelson thought they might scream out in mercy.
The person on the other line answered.
"I wanna a specialist from the Burns Unit to take a look at a patient of mine in E.D" Frank demanded, "
Whadaya mean 'can it wait?' – wait for what!? Till my patient decides 'It's okay Doctor, I'll live with my skin melted to my shirt – after all, it was always my favourite"
He continued to yell down at the poor soul who had picked up the phone in reception, "I have a patient who needs to be seen to by a specialist today, not later, not tomorrow, but right now! Do you think you can arrange that?" After the receptionist and Frank had exchanged a few more words, he hung up the phone violently.
Nelson looked at him, obviously annoyed.
"Don't get your knickers in a knot, Curtis" Frank said with a hollow tone as he walked out.
Nelson just shook his head and continued to fill out paperwork, trying to ignore the throbbing in his head.

"Have we uhh, got any word on the E.T.A of these other patients?" Nelson asked Jess.
"From the M.V.A?"
"Yeah" He said looking over towards her
"Should be soon but I can make a few calls—"
"Nah, that's okay. I need you to assist with the patients here – Terri hasn't got here yet and we're short-staffed again"
"Oh, did she say when she'd be in?" Regina asked, butting in, "It's not like her to be late"
"That's what worries me" Nelson replied with a vacant tone.
"The M.V.A probably put everyone in a jam, she's probably just caught in traffic" Jess replied simply,
"Even Saints have shitty days" She added with a more negative tone as she walked past Nelson.
He turned and eyed her on the way out in a defensive reaction, before being distracted by Regina.

"How Frank thinks one ward clerk is capable of doing all of this paperwork, I'll never know!" Regina said flustered, throwing it on the desk.
"Look, why don't you go take a break and I'll cover for you here?" Nelson suggested,
"Maybe after some time away from Frank, the workload will seem no where near as horrific as dealing with him"
A smile lingered on his face.
"Really?" Regina exclaimed, "are you sure everything will be okay here without me?"
A smile appeared on Nelson's face. "Yeah, Terri should be here soon anyway" Nelson replied, looking at his silver wristwatch: 6:07 pm.

…She should have been here by now…

"All right then, I'll be back in a tic," Regina said before placing her black handbag over her shoulder.
"Take your time" Nelson replied in a vacant tone.
He ran his fingers through his hair and yawned slightly, letting an exhausted sigh escape his mouth. With his elbows resting against the desk, he glanced at the clock: 6:12pm.

…That's it – something has to have happened

Picking up the phone, he dialled Terri's familiar mobile number as he tapped his fingers across the teal blue desk.
Dan hurriedly walked up to the nurses' admin station. Seeing Nelson on the phone he hesitated, before whistling his attention. Nelson's eyes peered up from the receiver.
"Can't you see I'm on the phone?"
"Yeah, I can but— "
"Well is there something weird about my face that you have to stand here in front of it while I'm clearly busy?"
He said in an unusually irritated tone of voice.
"Uhh, no, I just wanted to ask you a question but if your phone calls important–"
"She's not answering" He said running his fingers through his dark hair, "So now would be a good time to tell me what you want" He said trying to calm his voice down and disregard the headache that had been threatening to become a migraine.
Thrown off by Nelson's irritated-even-more-than-usual-tone, Dan tried to tiptoe around his foul mood:

"I was just wondering whether the order of Steri-strips had come in yet – we're running low and I need some for a couple of the walk-ins." Dan stated.

"How long until the ones we have run out?"

"They'll be gone by night shift" He estimated

"Why didn't anyone say we were running that low?"

"It's a busy day, maybe no-one had the time?" He suggested, shrugging his shoulders a little.

"Look," he said holding his hand up, "I'll tell Terri when she gets in, until then, get Charlotte or Dr. Quade to do some sutures instead – I know it takes longer but it'll have to do"
"All righty – I'll let everyone know"
Satisfied with the answer, Dan went to go off in search of a spare doctor to do the honours, but before leaving he turned around with a devious smile.
"You know, now that you mention it," Dan begun, "There is something weird about your face, Nelson,"
He said, unable to keep the smile from beaming on is face.
"Piss off, Dan"

Noticing Nelson was having a shitty sort of day, Dan decided to do what he said.

Trying to turn his attention back to his unanswered phone calls, Nelson hung up and re-dialled.

…This is ridiculous, why have a mobile phone if you're not going to answer...

He was thrown out of concentration as the E.D doors flew open again, only this time a look of worry plastered itself on his face: "Terri? What the hell happened?" he exclaimed in horror, throwing the phone down.

As he looked at her blankly, his dark, sorrowful eyes directed at the blood splattered on her shirt…

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more to come, hope you like! Xroix xx.