Disclaimer: See Chapter 1 (same as usual)
Chase, Cameron and Foreman all walked into the room less than two minutes after the head nurse had emergency paged them. By this time, Wilson and a nurse had managed to get the young woman onto the exam table. Quickly and efficiently, she was already halfway through changing the patient into a hospital gown so they could better assess and treat her. Hanging back in the corner, House started issuing instructions to his team while Wilson worked to revive the woman.
"Chase, get a blood sample for the lab. I want a CBC, Chem-7, type and cross-match for three units and a HCG level." Without moving his eyes from the patient, House continued, addressing the next doctor in line. "Cameron, see if you can find her intake records, a purse or family member out there. I want to know who she is and where she came from. Use the yellow pages to find family if you have to."
House paused only long enough for her to hurriedly exit the room before turning to Foreman. "Find me an ultrasound machine and draw up one half a c.c. Vitamin K, diluted for IV administration.
"Chase," he added, moving closer to the exam bed as he spoke, "get a line started, 18 gauge, before you bring that blood to the lab. And pick up a unit of O-Negative on your way back."
Nodding, the blonde doctor barely looked up from his task. Quickly bandaging the site just inside her elbow that he'd used for the draw, he grabbed the necessary supplies for the large sized IV that had been ordered as he carefully inspected her arm for a second, suitable site. Pursing his lips, he released the tourniquet for a moment; relocating it higher on her arm and smiling slightly as he found a vein he liked and nailed it on the first shot. Luck was definitely with them so far, and judging from the woman's ashen complexion, it would be needed. Hurriedly, Chase gathered the precious vials of blood he had collected and purposefully headed out of the room towards the lab. STAT was the word of the day, but he knew careless haste could cause major setbacks, so he treated the glass tubes with the caution they deserved.
"BP's 105/50, pulse 115," the nurse spoke to the doctors still in the room. Her deep focus and methodical care belying the urgency and intensity that rippled through the room.
Ashen colored throughout her body, the woman was still unconscious, despite Wilson's verbal attempts, and even when he resorted to jostling her shoulder's slightly.
"Estimated blood loss?" House queried as he flicked his pen light on and checked her pupils, leaning his cane against the bed while both hands were occupied with the task.
"I'm guessing 500 to 750 cc's in the clothes, and…" Wilson check the woman quickly from his location on a stool at the foot of the exam bed, "maybe another 500 so far vaginally."
Glancing down at the absorbent, blue "chux" pad beneath the patient, the nurse nodded her assent at the estimate. "She's still flowing freely," she added, bringing her eyes up to meet House's gaze.
"Begin uterine massage," he told her, turning to address Wilson while she complied, "Track down an umbrella packing from OB or the ED and get a surgeon ready in case we can't stop her bleeding."
Initial treatment interventions in place, House stepped back from the exam table and rummaged in the room's supply cabinet for a gown and fresh gloves. Things were definitely going to get messy in this room before the night was out, and he didn't have the inclination to have to stop at a dry cleaners with blood soaked clothes on his way home.
Any minute now, Chase and Foreman were expected back with phase two of Jane Doe's treatment. House had absolutely no intention of wasting a single minute of his time, and was already mentally planning the care options to present to the young doctors.
Thanks for the patience folks, here's the end of this chapter. For all those great folks who are wondering, 4 years of Nursing school has made the 'technical lingo' a little bit easier to incorporate into my writing. Anyways, hope you're all enjoying so far, a few more reviews should spurn another chapter. (Pass the news along, I know dozens of you read House fanfic :-p)