Chapter 255

Alex was on his cell phone as the car his assistant arranged to pick him, Lindsey and Sonia up at the airport sped towards the hospital. He looked distressed. He turned back in the seat and faced Lindsey and Sonia.

"Sara and Kate are still in surgery. They can't give us a further update. Tegan's being transported right now to the same hospital"

"Is that all they could tell you?" asked Lindsey.

"They said that… that Tegan's badly injured but they don't know the full extent of it yet Linds" said Alex.

"Oh god… please, please, please" Lindsey mumbled and started crying again.

Sonia simply put her hand on Lindsey's back and rubbed in a circular motion while staring out in front of her looking shell-shocked.

-0-

"Smooth landing if you can please guys. We can't afford sudden movements" Craig said into his headset.

"You got it" said the pilot as the helicopter descended.

"Okay Hart, get out of there. ETA two minutes" Craig yelled and opened the covers just enough for Cam to slide out"

Cam was shivering, on her knees in her underwear. Somebody put a blanket over her. She moved to put her clothes back on. Her body was cold and stiff and her teeth lightly clattering.

"You – get checked out please. I'll speak to the captain" said Craig pointing at Cam.

"Yes sir" said Cam.

"Good job out there" said Craig.

Cameron didn't reply, she simply pulled on her shirt, cargo pants and boots as fast as possible.

The helicopter touched down with a slight bump.

"Lost her output, she's in v-fib" shouted a medic.

"Dammit" Cameron yelled and fell down on her knees to start chest compressions.

"You've made it this far, get beating now" she said through her compressions.

"She's too cold to shock. Let's get her inside, continue chest compressions" yelled Craig over the noise as the doors opened.

Tegan was placed on a gurney and lifted out of the helicopter. Cam jumped out after her.

"We lost her pulse when we touched down" shouted Craig at the team meeting them. He had been updating the trauma team at the hospital on Tegan's condition every few minutes during transport.

Cameron didn't wait for instructions, she simply climbed on the gurney and continued compressions. The team started pushing Tegan inside. Cameron was focused, so focussed she didn't even feel the cold creeping through her body.

"Come on Tegan… come on" she muttered.

"Hart get off" Craig said as the gurney was pushed into the trauma room a couple of minutes later.

Cam jumped off fast.

"Smooth, gentle, slow transfer on three" instructed Craig.

The team transferred Tegan slowly and gently to the bed.

"Rhythm still v-fib" somebody shouted.

"Okay we can try three stacked shocks, temps close enough" said Craig.

The team placed pads on Tegan's chest and quickly covered her in thick blankets again.

"Let's charge to 200 and get the bear hugger ready" said Craig.

They used the defib pads and didn't need hand held paddles.

"Oxygen away, stand clear" Craig said as the machine indicated full charge.

"Clear… Shocking"

Tegan's body jumped under the covers.

"No change, no pulse, still fib" said a nurse.

"Again please 300…. Stay clear… Shocking"

"Nope, no change"

"Again, 360…. Stay clear… Shocking"

Tegan's body jumped up again. Craig's eyes shot up to the monitor.

"Got her, that's sinus brady on the monitor" said Craig.

Cameron gave a large semi-sob.

"Okay guys I want warm, humidified oxygen, another liter of warmed saline and let's get her prepped for a peritoneum and pleural lavage. I want a rectal temperature probe inserted" said Craig.

"Her rhythm is still all over the place" said Cam.

"We've got this, you can go now" said a nurse.

"It's okay… I can help" said Cam.

"Cameron, go get warmed up please" said Craig looking over his shoulder.

"Oh… okay" mumbled Cam and stepped back. She looked as if she had seen a ghost. Her heart was racing and she was out of breath. She didn't know what it was about this case that had her so emotionally involved. She didn't leave the room, she just gave a few steps back.

One of the doctors made an incision in Tegan's chest, the other in Tegan's belly. Tubes were shoved into both and warm, sterile saline solution started running into the cavities to directly warm the organs.

"Alright, we may need bypass if she doesn't respond fast enough" said Craig before shining a torch into Tegan's pupils.

"Pupils still dilated, sluggishly reactive to light, equal. Let's get the portable x-ray down here stat. We need a CT sooner rather than later. I don't see any evidence of a major head injury but that was one hell of a fall she took. Do a fast scan, let's see if there's internal bleeding" Craig said before glancing up.

"What are you still doing in here Hart? Go… get… warmed… up" said Craig.

Cam was shivering. A nurse took her elbow and guided her out.

Somebody came running down the hall. "Where's Tegan Quin… is Tegan in there?"

"Um… ma'am you can't go in there right now" said Cam taking hold of Lindsey's elbow.

"Is Tegan okay? Is she in there?"

"Are you her… wife?" Cam asked but she recognised Lindsey almost instantly from photos.

"Yes… is she okay? I need to speak to a doctor" said Lindsey looking completely panicked with her head in her hands.

"I'm one of the medics that found and treated your wife, let's get you to the family room and we can talk" said Cam.

"Please just tell me she's alive" Lindsey cried, it broke Cam's heart.

"She's alive" said Cam and swallowed hard.

Cameron led Lindsey to the family room. Alex and Sonia just about ran into them.

"Nobody is talking to us. They say we should wait in the family room. Somebody will be out soon" said Alex.

"This is one of the medics that found Tegan" said Lindsey.

"Is she okay, what's wrong with her, how bad is it?" Sonia rambled.

"Look… I'm not supposed to be talking to you" said Cam looking spooked.

"Please" Lindsey pleaded.

"Okay… um… I worked on Kate too. She's injured but last I heard she's alive. I think she's still in surgery, I'll find out"

"What's wrong with her" Alex asked.

"Sir, I can't discuss…"

"Please…. Please" Alex pleaded.

"She is definitely critically injured. Serious internal bleeding. We stabilised her on scene. I didn't travel with her. Sara was alert and oriented when I saw her last. She had a broken leg from what I could tell, possibly some internal bleeding. She seemed okay though" said Cam and swallowed hard.

"Tegan?" asked Lindsey. "When my search partner and I found Tegan… um… it looked as if… I mean she took a fall down a small ravine. She had a badly broken arm, lots of bumps and bruises, possible internal bleeding, a dislocated shoulder but what worried us was that her breathing was compromised and… um… I really shouldn't be…" Cam trailed off.

"Please" said Lindsey through tears.

"Tegan is severely hypothermic… I think that's the biggest challenge right now. I'm sorry I can't tell you more" said Cam.

"Thank you" said Sonia and spontaneously hugged Cam.

"You're freezing… and your teeth are clattering" said Sonia.

"Oh, I'm okay Ma'am" said Cam.

"Sit down you look rattled. I'll get you a coffee" said Sonia.

"That really isn't necessary"

"You helped my daughters… it's necessary. Anyway it's that or going crazy as I pace up and down with worry"

Cam didn't say anything.

A/N: Tegan is scaring us! Hang on Tee! What do you guys think about the new character Cameron?