Jess climbed into the car beside George. She turned to him and kissed his lips passionately. George put the car in gear before speeding off towards their destination. Jess couldn't help but sing along when her favourite song came on the radio. George smiled at her. She was so beautiful and every time he looked at her he couldn't help but smile. He pulled up outside the restaurant that they had planned to go to. Unfortunately their table wouldn't be ready for twenty minutes so they decided to go for a short stroll along the beach.
They walked hand in hand talking about themselves and each other. A group of guys approached them, asking Jess what time it was. She paused to get her phone when they drove a sharp blade into her stomach. She hunched over in pain holding her hand over her stomach. George grabbed her as her legs seemed unable to hold her. He lowered her onto the ground before plunging his hand into the wound to stem the bleed.
'G-George!' she cried.
'It's all going to be okay, darling. I'm here, just keep still for me' he whispered.
'H-hurts' she gasped grabbing his arm.
'I know sweetheart but I need to try and stop this bleed' he informed her.
He gently brushed the hair from her face. Tears rolled down her cheeks. 'Help me' she breathed.
George grabbed her phone which was lying in the blood stained sand. He called for an ambulance informing them that there was a paramedic on scene and relaying her vital signs. He noticed her slowly drifting towards the edge of consciousness. He balanced the phone in the crook of his neck. He leant over her and gently tapped her cheek. Once he hung up the call he place the phone in his pocket.
'C-Call… M-Mum…. U-uncle C-Cal' she stammered. He dug the phone out and dialled the number of her uncle.
'Hello? Jess is that you?' the voice rang through the phone.
'Cal, it's me. I need you to meet me at the ED. Jess had an accident, she's been stabbed. I'm so sorry' George told him on the brink of tears.
'I'll be there as soon as I can, just keep her talking' Cal told him before hanging up. He raced through the house and to the car stopping outside his sister in law's house to collect her. He told her the situation and then took her straight to the ED.
Meanwhile Jess was lying on the cold sand, George had wrapped his jacket around her to keep her warm, whilst the paramedics lifted her onto a stretcher. George grabbed some gauze and pressed it into her stomach, as they put her in the ambulance. Jess refused to accept any pain relief and wouldn't let them administer any fluids. 'She's not a huge fan of needles, she'll want to wait for her uncle anyway' George told them.
After a short journey in the ambulance they arrived at the ED. Cal jumped into action helping them carry his niece inside the hospital. Jess reached a hand out to her uncle. 'I'm scared' she whimpered as George pressed harder on her stomach. Cal took her hand in his. 'Stay calm darling, I'm right here with you. Just focus on keeping those gorgeous brown eyes open for me' he whispered.
Kate ran alongside them, 'Jess, baby I'm here, just do what Uncle Cal says and keep your eyes open. He'll look after you don't worry' she murmured.
They took her straight to resus where she began to fuss. They hooked her up to several machines but when it came to getting a line in Jess refused. 'Come on sweetheart, you need fluids and blood. We have to get a line in' Cal told her. Jess shook her head.
'What about if I do it for you?' Cal asked. Jess paused before nodding her head weakly.
'B-be gentle, please' she begged.
'Always' Cal told her. He carefully searched for a vein. After a few minutes he decided that any further attempt would be futile. 'Get me the IO gun' he ordered before turning to Jess. 'I can't get a suitable vein, darling so I'm going to use the IO gun. It will be a bit more uncomfortable but I promise I'll do it quickly' he explained. Jess bit her lip and nodded.
He organized the equipment before drilling into her leg to get a line in. Jess sobbed as the needle went in. He hooked up the bloods and fluids. George was still holding stacks of blood soaked gauze over her stomach.
'Right on three lift the gauze so I can get a quick look' he instructed. When George lifted the gauze Cal quickly examined the wound. 'Someone call theatre and get us a space. I'm going to need a quick scan to check the internal organs and then we'll take her straight up' he ordered.
The nurse ran to the phone, and began relaying the information. 'Doctor Knight, there are no spaces in theatre for another three hours' she told him. Cal held his head in his hands. 'Tell them it's urgent' he ordered.
Jess grabbed his wrist. 'Do it here, do it now' she mumbled.
'Jess, I'd rather it was done in theatre, by a professional in a more sterile environment' Cal told her.
George looked over at Cal and nodded. 'Whatever you think is best, just please help her' he pleaded,
'Do…. It….. Now' Jess begged, tears filling her eyes.
'Right get me, a gown, some sterile drapes, gloves, and a set of basic surgical suturing equipment' he instructed. He grabbed a pair of scissors and cut his niece's shirt off. 'Someone page the anaesthetist' he ordered as he cleaned the site. 'Jess I need you to keep talking to me and keep those eyes open' he instructed.
's-sorry' she whimpered. A nurse took over from George, and he grabbed a chair and sat with Jess.
'Doctor Knight, the anaesthetist is tied up at the moment, they won't be down for another twenty five minutes' the nurse informed him. Cal began to get frustrated.
'Do…. Without' Jess gasped.
'I can't you know how painful it will be, I have to tie off the artery and stem the bleed' he protested.
'Do… with… local' she told him, her voice showing the lack of energy she had. Cal nodded. 'I'll….be….fine' she gasped.
Cal injected the local anaesthetic into her stomach. 'Someone get Connie here now' he ordered. He pulled on the gloves and gown and spread the drapes over Jess' tiny frame. George held her hand in his tightly. 'Right Jessica, when Auntie Connie gets here we'll start, I want her to supervise because of her expertise, but don't worry I will take good care of you' Cal assured her.
The door swung open and Connie stormed in. 'Care to bring me up to speed Doctor Knight' she demanded.
'Right, Jess Hardy aged 24, penetrating stab wound to the lower left quadrant of her abdomen, no internal organ damage but it has punctured the blood vessels, the surgeons are all busy and there are no anaesthetists, on the insistence of Jess, we are operating down here using a local anaesthetic' Cal informed his wife.
'Right, let's get some more pain relief administered, I want another dose of anaesthetic drawn up and on standby' she ordered as she pulled on a gown, mask and gloves. She tied her hair back before pulling the gloves on. 'Hello Jessica, now you know what this entails but I need you to stay calm and still, this won't be pleasant as I am sure you know but we'll get this sorted quickly for you' she assured the young girl.
'T-thank you' Jess whispered.
'Okay Jessica before we start can you feel me touching your tummy?' Cal asked.
Jess shook her head, 'not really' she replied.
'Good, we'll get started then, if the pain gets too much please tell me, and we will stop' he whispered.
He took a deep breath before removing the gauze, he plunged a finger into the wound causing Jess to whimper. 'Right, we'll need to extend the wound slightly Jess, but keep nice and still you are doing brilliantly' he told her. He gripped the scalpel in his hand, before dragging it along her side. Jess let out a loud sob. George gripped her bloodied hand tighter.
Cal plunged his fingers back into her abdomen and began repairing the torn blood vessels. Jess began to feel weak, and was struggling to keep her eyes open. 'Jessica, keep those brown eyes open for me, I need to see your beautiful brown eyes' George instructed. Jess could no longer fight the pain, or the feeling of tiredness and slowly slipped unconscious. Cal hurriedly finished the procedure before attempting to rouse his niece. They stitched the wound and took her to a side room to recover. Cal administered some stronger pain relief and fluids to try and help her.
A few hours later and there was still no sign of her waking up, George stayed with her all night hoping she would be okay. He held her hand in his. Suddenly he felt small pressure on his hand. 'Jess?' he whispered. Her eyes flickered. She closed her eyes again, trying to adjust them to the light. 'What happened?' she asked wearily.
'You were stabbed, your uncle has treated you but you fell unconscious, how are you feeling?' he asked.
'Sore, scared, where's Uncle Cal and mum?' she asked.
Cal walked into the room, followed by his wife and sister in law. 'Hello sleepy head, let's get you some pain relief and change your dressings' he whispered.
'Thank you' she whispered beginning to fall asleep again.