Doctor's Notes - Chapter 3
Hi Everyone. Thank you so much for your kind words about the story. This chapter is brief, but transitional. ;)
As Joe went back to the piano, Kel and Dixie sat forlornly at their table.
Kel scowled. Dixie sighed.
"Yes, I blew it," she said, and looked at the doctor's face. "You don't have to agree with me, Kel."
His scowl changed to a grim look. "I'm sorry, Dix," he said. "I did nothing to help, either. I just wish I knew what to say to change his mind."
They were interrupted by a crashing noise at the other end of the room.
"Somebody help!" they heard from a woman.
Kel and Dixie ran over to her. The woman was middle-aged, her eyes pleading with them.
"It's my friend!" the woman wailed. They looked on the floor to see a man struggling to breathe.
They noticed they weren't alone; Joe Early had stopped his piano playing and joined them.
As Kel kneeled next to the patient, he took his car keys out of his inner jacket pocket. "Dix, get my bag," he said, handing the keys to the nurse.
"And someone call an ambulance," Joe added as he got down on his knees next to Kel. "Bob?" he said to a surprised waiter, who nodded and went to make the call.
Kel looked at the man. "He's choking, Joe."
"He started choking on a pretzel!" the woman exclaimed.
Kel and Joe began efforts with hard pats to the man's back to dislodge the pretzel, but to no avail.
Joe leaned down and listened. "He's not breathing, Kel."
Both of them looked inside the man's mouth. "It's hard to get a good look," Kel said. "I can't see the pretzel."
Dixie had rejoined them by this time.
"Dix, get the plastic part of a hypodermic, alcohol, cotton, a scalpel…." Kel ordered.
"Tracheotomy." Joe remarked.
"Want to assist?" Kel asked.
"I already am."
TBC….