Chapter 9 - Cyanotic

"Bleep, Bleep!" Alerted the dispatch radio.

"County General, this is dispatch for status update. Over."

Susan walked to the radio and picked up the hand receiver. "Dispatch, County General's on open status. Over"

"10-2, General"

She put the receiver down and walked to the other side of the admit desk. "Jerry, can you call Abby and see if she had any luck finding Neela?"

"Bleep, Bleep!" The radio alerted again.

"County General, how do you read? Over."

Susan walked back to the radio and picked up the receiver again. "Read you 10-2. Go ahead, dispatch."

"General, implement drowning protocol. Two casualties alert, Boy and a woman both critical, fell in frozen lake at Archer Park, Over."

"On stand by, Over." Susan replied

"Trauma 2 & 3 are free, we can put them in there." Morris said entering the admit desk.

"Ok, let's round up at the ambulance bay." Susan commanded

They all snap on their gloves in preparation for the casualties to arrive.

A siren wails from the distance, the decibel gets higher as the Paramedics nears the hospital.

----

Neela sat next to Abby laid out on the gurney in the back of the ambulance. She had difficulties trying to push an IV, struggling due to the EMT's driving erratically at high speed causing it to rock side-by-side and bumping on the uneven roads.

"Shit! Come on!" Neela shouted, frustrated, fiddling with the tubes.

"We're nearly there," said Dumar squeezing the air bag.

The driver slammed on the brakes, which sent Neela flying against the driver cabin. She gets up in a daze, stumbled trying to sort her messed up hair out. Dumar opened the door - Susan, Morris, Ray, Sam and Chuny standing waiting to assist. Neela stepped out.

"Neela!" Susan shouted at her surprise then looked at the victim realising it was Abby. "Oh my god!"

"Abby?" Ray said in surprise. The other ambulance pulled up in the bay. "I'll attend to this one."

"That be the boy…" Neela said.

Doris Pickman stepped out from the back of the vehicle. "We've got DOA… We tried…" she shook her head.

"Oh no…" Neela pursed her lips and sighed sadly after hearing the bad news.

They pull the gurney from the back of the rig and quickly pushed Abby into the ER.

"What happened" Susan asked placing the stethescope in her eyes to listen to Abby's heartbeat.

"She got cyanotic!" Neela cried, "It's all my fault… BP's 32 palp, pulse is weak, she's bradycardiac, heart rate's 38."

"What's the temp?" Morris asked.

"80, I managed to revive her, she wasn't breathing or had a pulse. Her lungs were full of water."

"Put her in trauma 3, warm her up or we'll lose her"

They threw few layers of blankets over her body. The doors of the trauma room swung open and positioned the gurney. They all gather around, pulling out wires and tubes.

"The warmed IVs are here." Sam announced, hanging them up.

"We'll need a pleural lavage to warm her heart" Morris placed his stethoscope round his neck

"Good idea!" Susan squeezing the air bag. "What happened Neela?"

"The boy was messing about on the frozen lake and fell through… Abby was kneeling to reach him and I was holding on to her ankles, the ice gave way when she got hold of the boy. She went in…" Neela sobbed, "It's all my fault!"

"Why is it your fault?"

"I wasn't gripping onto her hard enough" Neela looked way; she noticed a few colleagues gathered around behind the door, watching in shock.

"I'm not getting a pulse," Sam said, holding Abby's neck.

The heart monitor screeched out the lethal rhythm.

"Come on Abby, don't give up on us now!" Susan pushing on her chest. "Stay with us!"

The monitor bleeped the normal sinus.

"She's back"

"Good! Lets start the lavage now!" Susan said, with the stethoscope in her ears.

"Keep the IV going," Morris instructed. "And Sam watch out for the re-warming shock"

Sam the miserable nurse nodded. "Ok."

----

Outside in the corridor, Susan caught up with Neela, who wanted to rush off somewhere to cry alone.

"Neela!" Susan shouted.

The Indian doctor paused on the spot and clenched her face as she turned to her boss.

"Where the hell were you?" Susan asked "Jeez! You've put Abby's life at risk!"

"Well I did say it was my fault…"

She shook her head and placed her hand on her forehead. "No Neela, it isn't, I'm sorry I've shouldn't have said that."

Neela slipped puts her hands inside her coat pocket and sighed.

"I'll have a chat with you later, there's so much going on right now."

"I guess you still want me to work now?" Neela asked with her head bowed down.

"Well…. yes! We're short staffed here!"

"Dr Lewis" Jerry interrupted leaning over the counter, waving the phone to her. "Long distance phone call"

"Ok I'll take it" She walked to the admit desk and turned to Neela "Speak to you later, ok?" Susan took the phone from Jerry and answered it.

"Hello Dr Lewis here"

"Hi it's Luka."

"Luka! Thanks for leaving me in the lurch at short notice!"

"Sorry, I had to help with an emergency over here in Kisangani, Weaver gave me the authority."

"Yes I know, you could at least come to me first. Trying to run away from your problems? You know Sam… Abby…"

"What? What are you on about? No! The hospital camp is experiencing problems at the moment, they're threatening to remove it, so Carter is trying to work out where to relocate it"

"Oh I'm sorry for jumping conclusion, well… On everyone's behalf"

"Everyone's behalf? They're thinking that I've gone running…?" Luka said smiling and looking puzzled "I wish people would get there facts right… anyway I was calling to say I may have to stay here a little longer"

"Thank you, thanks for letting us know. I'll find someone to cover for you…"

"You sound stressed out than ever."

"Well you could say that," Susan replied "We are seriously understaffed here…"

"Ok, so in general. Is everyone ok?"

"Well… erm… it…" Susan stuttered to avoid telling him the bad news

"What is it Susan? I know that tone"

"I really don't want to say it down the phone." Susan clenching her teeth trying not to say anything.

"Susan!"

"Well... erm…" Giving out a nervous "Ha" trying to bring herself to tell him. "It's Abby, she's critical"

"What! What happened?" He asked.

Susan briefly told Luka the incident.

"Oh my god!"