Chapter 14
When she saw Ginger, one of the other RNs come up to the desk, she gave her instructions to call Dr. Early and tell him he had to come in immediately for a patient and to keep the message vague, the last thing Dix wanted was for him to end up in a car crash racing to get here.
Dix was glued to the Bio Phone connection at Rampart. She wanted to go into the field with Kel and Mike but knew how critical her role was right here. A.J. had to start talking again, not only because her immediately survival depended on it but so the rescue personnel could find them. Canyon River Road was long and snake like, there was 20 miles or more to cover, in the dark. The other emergency nurses were doing their jobs in getting the treatment rooms set up and an OR on standby, all praying that none of it would be needed.
"A.J....honey, come on...you need to listen to me. Help is on the way, where are you? Can you give me an exact location? Please talk to me!" Frustration was causing her voice to crack. They could literally be almost anywhere in that stretch of road. Once they were found, even by chopper it could take at least another 10 or 15 minutes till they could reach Rampart. She hadn't gotten any response from her since the paramedics and Brackett had left.
"Dixie.......Dixie?" A small voice filled with pain replied back to her.
"Yes, A.J. it's me. Please do you know where you are, exactly?"
"I think about 10 miles from the last call..." The pain was causing her mind to slow down.
"Alright, give me one second, you just keep talking." This was critical, no one knew just how much blood loss, either external or internal, there was. She could have a concussion on top of everything else.
She had already set up a link from County, who would relay it to the responders and then back again. "County, I have a location of approximately 10 miles from the previous accident scene."
"Brice.....Oh GOD....please help him." She was fighting to not cough again, the pain was no walk in the park but when that happened....
"What are the victim's conditions?" She was hoping that using their routine would help her keep going.
"Male is approximately 29 years old. He has a break in the left humorous and tib. fib., along with a possible head injury. He is on a back board and splinted, with O2 available." She continued by telling Dix his vital signs. "I gave him an IV with Normal Saline, in an attempt to keep his BP, because of possible internal injuries.
"That is exactly what you should have done......A.J. are you still there?" Dixie was straining to hear anything, even if it was just the breath sounds that had been present before.
"Here...so much pain....I'm cold." Her voice was beginning to slur and the temperature had begun to drop. She knew she had to stay awake, but the pleasantness of the darkness was tempting.
"I know A.J., I know but keep this line open and stay with me. What are your injuries?"
"Head lacerations, possible concussion, lower left flailed chest, now with probable pneumothorax, partially collapsed. She has difficulty breathing and chest pain. Vitals are as follows...." Speaking about herself in second person, helped her to maintain distance from the situation.
"Oh, GOD! She could develop into Tension Pneumo!" Quickly she told County to relay to Squad 51, the conditions of the victims and that their locations would be far off of the road itself.
"Can you get more vitals from Brice?" Dix figured if she could keep her busy, it prayerfully be enough of a distraction from the situation. Kel and the others should be well on their way by now.
"No....had to find the Bio Phone.....radio smashed....handy talk missing, I can get back to him now though...." She shuttered at the thought of moving again but Dixie was right, she had to stay updated on his condition and maybe they would find both of them faster if they were together.
"Wait, A.J., you should just stay there! You probably have internal injuries, besides your lungs, you've already done enough!" Dixie wished she had kept her mouth shut, she knew her friend well, and she would do anything to save her partner, even if it meant getting herself killed. "Can you still hear me?"
With what little strength reservations she had left, Wolfie tried to move while bringing the Bio Phone with her, it was their only lifeline left. She managed a short distance before the weight of the unit, her intensifying pain and shortness of breath stopped her. "I'm sorry.....GOD forgive me....I just can't go any further...." Her voice betraying her professional exterior.
"That's alright, stop worrying, help is almost there....Johnny's almost there." She was praying that hearing his name would give her another reason to fight the urge to sleep and stop the horrible pain she must be in. Dixie had already noted that A.J. seemed to have some altered mental status and her speech was beginning to slur. Time was ticking by and her responses to the questions were coming farther apart. "What happened to you guys out there?"
"Car ran us off the road....over a cliff....fell far....no fire though....small miracles, huh?" For a second there was a lighthearted moment, and a smile in her voice.
"We'll take any we can get, right?" That was a philosophy that both applied to Emergency Medical care and the fire service in general. One that Dix held dear to, especially times like right now. Then she heard her start to cough, filled with spasms and wheezing, then silence again.
"A.J.....talk to me! A.J.? Don't give up now, come on, their almost there. You done everything right, don't stop now! Please!" After she begged for several minutes, she heard the sound of sirens in the distance.