The high and low sound of the warning alarm was near defining as the building shuddered to its foundation. The female voice on the loudspeaker just barely overpowering the alarm but not the occasional deep rumble from the facilities basement floor.
"Warning, containment breach, evacuate facility. This is not a drill." Mammals were all making their way in a quick but calm manor as was expected of all personal at the facility. All except for a single skunk, trapped on the second floor at his post. The first blast had brought down part of the floor above and blocked the exit.
Now he stared out his only option of escape. A window overlooking a four story drop into the icy cold river below. The second large explosion from the depths of the building, rocking the building around him and causing bits of the ceiling above him to fall to the floor at his feet made the decision for him. Picking up the chair at his desk he swung it at the window as hard as he could to break away the safety glass and climbed up into the frame. He ignored the pain as bits of glass that remained cut through his dark blue uniform, his brass nametag polished proudly on his chest "L. Forest".
Just as he was about to jump a third explosion ripped through the building, sealing the fate of the building and the blast sending him further into the river then he could ever have jumped. Some of the building pieces knocking him unconscious before he hit the icy cold water below, allowing the current to take him south in the swelling waters of spring.
*oOo*
"Meredith Bonny Wild" A smirking cheetah called out from the spot he was leaning against the wall. Blue scrubs covered by his white lab coat. "Welcome to the night shift."
Meredith, dressed in the same blue scrubs and the same white lab coat chuckled as she came in the front door of the Zootopia General ER. "James." She said it flatly but there was a smirk on her muzzle, and her large red furred but pointed tip ears were focused on the Cheetah. "Busy day? Or just looking to get out a little early to see .. what's her name this week?"
The Cheetah puts his paws over his heart as if wounded. "Meredith, you wound me." That smile never leaving his muzzle. "Her names Cinthia." Pushing away from the wall as Meredith walked past him.
"Right, Cinthia." Shaking her head. "Well the sooner you give me the transfer report the sooner you can get your tail out of here Doctor." Snickering as she accented the last word.
"Right, Doctor. Well Mrs Fitsgerald is in again."
"Pawpads again?"
"You guessed it. And chatty as ever. She's in room 2. You have a drunk in room 4. Oh and Dani is the surgeon on, up in OR."
"Great, Dani … its going to be a long night." Her ears drooping a little.
"Oh come on you don't believe in that whole black cloud thing? Do you?" The cheetah teased.
"Every time I'm on the night shift with her …" Putting her bags down at the charge nurse station her ears come up quick and alert as she hears the tones from the annunciator. The tones indicating an inbound medical helicopter. She spared the Cheetah an I told you so stair before pickup up the telephone. "Zootopia General Online go ahead." Pen and small notebook out ready to start writing as she waited for the click of the radio from the other end.
The calm voice that spoke back was a familiar voice that she had heard a number of times in the three years she had worked as an ER doctor, interspersed with the sound of the helicopters roter and turbine engines. "Zootopia General, this is Zootopia midflight inbound to your facility with an approximately late twenty's .. two zero .. year old male skunk, unconscious and shallow breathing, blunt force trauma to the head and second possibly third degree burns on entire posterior side. Possible drowning as well, patient is intubated with IV access. BP one hundred over fifty, pulse forty-five. Time out ten minutes. Any questions or comments?"
Meredith quickly copied down the information as one of the nurses whom had been looking over her shoulder started to prep the trauma room. "No questions, direct into trauma on arrival. Zootopia General clear" She hung up the phone and without looking back. "Going to have to cancel that date tonight, I'm going to need you to stay. Call Dani down here and get anesthesiology down here as well."
"X-ray and ultrasound?" He asked immediately without even a complaint.
"Please, lets get trauma one prepped." The nurses on duty knew what to do already and everyone moved about to get ready for when the chopper landed. The chopper could be heard as it overflew the building and landed on the pad outside. The two medics hopping off the bird even as the engines started to spin down and wheeled the patient in. One constantly squeezing the BVM to help the patient breath. "What do you got for me Chuck?"
"Hes probably about 24 years old or so we estimate. He was found on the side of the river just outside of the northern part of the city. He had shallow breathing and sounds like water on the left side. Large bruising on the back of his head and burns from his neck down to his thighs. Mostly look severe second degree one area mid back looks possibly third degree." He was talking fast as they moved him into the room as the surgeon flipped on the bright lights above the bed. "He came around briefly but not long, and I don't think he speaks English."
Once they wheeled him into the room and position the stretcher next to the bed they all took part of the sheet under him and the medic spoke up again. "Move on my count, one … two … three." On three the skunk was moved quickly over to the bed and the stretcher was moved out of the way. Just as the anesthesiologist came in and transferred the skunk from the hand breathing equipment to a ventilator.
"Thanks Chuck, we got it from here." The greying otter nodded, almost a silly look to be honest with the large required flight helmet he and his female partner wore. "I expect your written report as soon as possible too."
Chuck laughed. "You got it Doc." Clearing out with his partner in tow the chopper could be heard leaving shortly there after back to base.
"All right people we have work to do. Dani take a look at the head, Where the hell is xray?" Meredith took complete control over the orchestra that was the room.
*oOo*
Three hours later, a whole drilled into the skunk's skull to train fluid, a chest puncture for a collapsed lung, and bandages for his back found Meredith Sitting in her chair writing her report and watching the remote monitor for her patient closely. He was stable but not anywhere near out of the woods. Chewing on her pen, sharp K-9ns in the muzzle of a bunny putting large dents in the end. "Who the hell are you." No ID was found on him and Skunks were not exactly overflowing in the city.
After a moment's thought she leaned forward and picked up the phone, dialing a number she had memorized. It rang a few times and then there was the click of the line being picked up. "Detective Judith Wilde."
Meredith smiled. "Hay mom. Still working hmm?"
"Your father and I had to finish some paperwork … " In the background there was a male's voice, "Oh is that my baby carrot?" the name causing Meredith to roll her eyes. Her mother thankfully ignored it. "Everything all right?"
"Yah, umm if you and Dad are still on you should come down to the ER. I've got a real head twister here. Not dangerous, we are keeping him sedated but, I think the ZPD needs to get involved on this one." Her ears sensitive as her mothers, could hear the snapping of paw fingers and then the quick movement of footpaws on tile.
"We will be right down. Is he sedated because he caused problems?"
"No mom, because he needs to be sedated."
"Alright, see you shortly." Then the line was disconnected, her mother having hung up the phone.
A/N: Adding in a line break for when the scene's change. I was recently informed that they were not present. A big thank you to GhostWolf88