Chapter 6 – This isn't the best I've written but I hope you enjoy this chapter and as always reviews are most welcome :D
About a week or so later
Grabbing the last few bits of 'just-in-case' makeup and throwing them into her handbag, Zoe races from her bedroom into the kitchen, where Sophia stands packing files into another of Zoe's bags and then catches the car keys that Zoe throws in her direction.
"Ready?" Zoe asks fastening the belt of her dusky pink coat and props her handbag up onto her shoulder.
"Where's Max?"
"Asleep, it's his day off," smiles Zoe dragging the larger bag of files off the counter, "come on… let's go."
Sophia walks around the counter and takes the bag back from her; she has become quite protective over Zoe and makes sure that she doesn't do anything too strenuous. Zoe tilts her head to one side and smiles at Sophia while taking a deep breath.
"Take it I'm driving?" laughs Sophia as she spins the keys around her finger and catches them in the palm of her hand, "You know we're going to have to stop getting up so late don't you?"
"Yeah, yeah. Come on you." Laughs Zoe in reply as she shoos Sophia out of the door and closes it behind her.
As they turn the corner onto the main road, they find themselves stuck at the back of a pile up and roadworks that block anyone from over taking. Zoe peers out of the passenger side window while Sophia stares forward and concentrates on the road in front of them.
"Typical." Sophia sighs heavily as she pulls the handbrake up and the car comes to a slightly jolted stop.
"Perfect excuse for being late," winks Zoe in reply pushing her seatbelt back and opening the car door before heading towards the scene.
Sophia reluctantly follows her after throwing her own seatbelt back and slamming the door shut. As she sees Zoe immediately starting CPR Sophia rushes back towards the car, grabs Zoe's medical kit from the boot and runs back. Zoe, who has stopped to check for a pulse, reaches into it and attaches the patient to her portable defibrillator.
"Call an ambulance and check those people over for me would you Soph?" asks Zoe shaking her head and re starting compressions.
"Ambulance is on its way," shouts Sophia from across the road where she has already reached another two patients, "Hi. My name's Sophia, we're going to help you. Can you tell me your name?"
"Emily," whispers the younger patient, "the car came out of nowhere and he flew out of the front window."
"Okay Emily," begins Sophia as she realises the patient is in some state of shock, "can you tell me where it hurts?" she asks as she makes some procedural checks: pupil dilation, pulse and GCS.
"It's just my arm but my mummy's bleeding please help her." Begs the young girl who is of no more than six or seven years old.
"Okay Emily don't worry, I'll take a look at mummy now. Can you just rest your arm across your chest for me?" The little girl does so with Sophia's help, "Good girl."
Sophia looks at the mother and sees a deep laceration to her thigh that is bleeding out so she takes off her scarf and firmly presses it against the cut in an attempt to stem the bleed. The patient twinges a little in pain and starts to come around a little more but slightly dazed and confused.
"Who are you?" she asks, "What happened?"
"Hi. It's okay, try not to worry I'm going to try and help you. Can you tell me your name?" Sophia gently puts one hand against the woman's cheek and brings it forward to face her while keeping plenty of pressure on the injury with the other.
"Elizabeth." Comes the response followed by a panic as if her mind has finally caught up with what has happened, "Em! Where's Emily? My daughter!"
"Okay Elizabeth. Emily's just fine – she's right next to me, see? She's only hurt her arm and right now I'm more worried about you." Elizabeth's eyes widen and, as she tries to sit up, she vomits over Sophia's clothes, "Do you know if you hit your head at all?" Sophia calmly replies as an ambulance arrives and Iain and Dixie jump out towards Zoe.
"Zo? You alright mate?" asks Dixie kneeling next to her and the gentleman as Iain breaks off and heads towards Sophia.
"Just a normal morning Dix," Zoe jokes, "Okay. This guy was found with no pulse and I had to try CPR which he didn't respond to so I shocked him out of VT. His pulse is still weak, my guess is he was thrown out of his car after he hit that woman's."
"Okay we'll get him on this ambulance and I'll put out a call for another ambulance to carry the other two yeah? 3006 to control…requesting a second ambulance to the RTC on Redwood Road."
Zoe nods as she looks over to Sophia who is continuing to talk to Elizabeth while Iain straps up Emily's arm and tries to cheer her up. While Zoe stares at the rest of the scene, Dixie has lifted the patient onto a stretcher and started to wheel him towards the back of the ambulance. She notices Zoe's stare and stops to smile alongside her.
"She's a good'en that one you know? Reckon she's made someone proud today."
"Yeah," replies Zoe softly, "she definitely has."
As Dixie heads off in the ambulance, Zoe packs her things back into her medical bag and follows in her car, leaving Sophia and Iain to see to the others. Sophia smiles as she watches Zoe drive away and then turns back to face Elizabeth who has had her leg strapped up by Iain and smiles at her.
Sophia and Iain finally reach the ED and Iain pushes Elizabeth in, filling Connie in on her injuries, while Sophia walks ahead with Emily and takes her into the Paediatric Resus room where Charlie stands waiting.
"Charlie," starts Sophia, "this little girl is Emily. She has a possible break to her arm but other than that she seems to be in good spirits – she's been telling Iain and I jokes throughout the whole ambulance journey here haven't you?"
Emily nods and begins telling Charlie one of her jokes as Sophia backs out of the room to go and meet Zoe. She walks into Zoe's office and sees a huge bunch of roses in a box on the desk and reaches towards the card.
"Someone's got an admirer," she sarcastically remarks as she reads aloud, "Dear Zoe, it's you. It's always been you and it always will be because I love you more than anything. Surprise for you when you get home. Love, Max"
Zoe laughs and blushes slightly, "I don't know what you said to him last week, but it worked so thank you."
"Well you're very welcome," smiles Sophia as she begins to head for the door, "I'd better go and clean this off me now. I swear patients must just love to be sick on me." She laughs.
"Soph?" Zoe stops her from leaving.
"Mmhmm?" asks Sophia turning to face Zoe.
"You did really well today and, well, I just wanted to let you know how proud I am of you. How proud Nick would've been too."
"Well what can I say?" starts Sophia not wanting to make this conversation a soppy one, "I guess I'm just a 'good'en' aren't I?" she winks as she leaves the room before rushing back to poke her head round and say to a confused looking Zoe, "Next time tell Dixie to make sure her radio is switched off after talking to control?"
Zoe smiles and begins to shake her head with laughter as she watches Sophia enter the staffroom to change her clothes. She walks over to the desk and leans in to smell the bunch of roses, "Perfect. My life is perfect." She says to herself, smiling and realising that she was truly happy and that nothing could change that.
Well, almost nothing.