"Rachel James, early thirties, severe abdominal bruising, blow to head, unconscious on arrival," Nikki Marshall filled everyone in on the patient she and Comfort were bringing in. "She was found by a man walking his dog. Suspected assault."
"Ok, has everyone got a bit?" Comfort Newton asked. "On my count, one, two, three!" They lifted the stretcher over onto the bed and they set about attaching her to various machines.
"Right, we'll need bloods and tests," Philippa Kinross, acting consultant, directed them. "Lucy, can you check her stats please?"
Lucy began checking her heart rate, blood pressure and other various statistics. Lara began checking the patient over, before looking sharply round at Nikki.
"Is this Rachel, Rachel the policewoman?" she checked.
"You know her?" Philippa asked.
"She's been involved with a few cases," Lara explained.
Dillon crossed to the other side of the bed, next to her, on the pretence of going to ring for bloods. He leant in close to her and said in a low voice, "She's also Patrick's girlfriend."
Lucy heard and looked up in alarm at the same time as Lara did. Dillon looked at the two women forcefully, willing them not to say a word.
Lucy stared down at Rachel wordlessly. She was Patrick's Jamie.
"Lucy!" Lara nudged her hard. "Can you put a line in please?"
"Sure." Lucy jerked herself out of her reverie and began trying to save Rachel's life.
Lucy looked at Patrick's face as Dillon admitted defeat and let Lara continue heart massage. It had been fifteen minutes since Rachel had crashed and Patrick hadn't shown any emotion as yet, but the façade was beginning to crack. He'd forced Philippa out the way over an hour ago, and things had seemed to be on the up. But this was hopeless. Lucy felt drained suddenly, thinking back to that night nearly three years ago when she had been standing in Patrick's shoes. She knew if Lara couldn't bring Rachel round it would be her turn to try, and she honestly didn't think she could.
"Patrick, it's been fifteen minutes," Charlie said gently. Lucy didn't know if he knew about Rachel and Patrick, but he was being incredibly kind. "She hasn't responded."
"We just need to keep trying," Patrick insisted, not taking his eyes off Rachel's face.
"Patrick," Charlie looked at the doctor with a pained expression.
Patrick exhaled slowly before nodding. "Does everyone agree we should stop?" he asked.
Dillon and Lara nodded. Lucy forced herself to agree. She knew that deep inside Patrick wanted them to disagree with him, to demand to fight on. But what was the use? It would only prolong his torture.
Patrick nodded.
"Time of death 15.33," Charlie said.
"Thanks everyone," Patrick said in a small voice, before leaving recus.
"Dillon, Lucy, can I leave you to sort things out here?" Charlie asked. "Lara, I think you better go and find Patrick. The husband needs telling."
Lucy began unhooking the many machines that Rachel was connected to. She hated these moments when everything seemed to return to normal somehow, a routine job. She knew what she had to do and she did it, unquestioningly, while some poor person's heart was breaking. Sometimes her job sucked.
Dillon glanced over at her. Without really knowing why, he said, "We did our best, Lucy."
Lucy looked up, surprised he'd spoken. She'd been in situations like this, with him, and other nurses, and they'd done it all in silence. She managed a weak smile. "I know. But sometimes our best isn't good enough is it? I've heard it all before." She pulled the bed clothes over Rachel's bruised and battered body, pleased that at least they could give her some of her dignity back.
Dillon hesitated before saying, "About Patrick and… well… no one else knows…"
"It's cool," Lucy said nodding firmly. "I'll keep it quiet." She paused. "Who's going to tell her husband?"
Dillon shrugged. "Patrick I guess."
Lucy looked at him in alarm. "But…"
"It'll be hard, but…" Dillon trailed off.
"It'll be worse than hard," Lucy said quietly. "It'll feel like every word is making you sick and like your heart is breaking with each breath. If he can get through it without breaking down, he'll be lucky."
Dillon looked at her in amazement. He'd never heard her say so much in one go, and there was so much passion behind what she was saying.
Almost immediately she shook herself. "Anyway, I guess that's us done here then. I better go and see what Duffy has in store for me next."
