The sirens blared one last time as the ambulances traversed the car park and pulled up with a hiss outside the main entrance. Dixie opened the back doors as Zoe made her way through the double doors and out into the cold, somewhere in the distance people were singing carols and the lights from the Christmas trees attached to the front of the building flickered on and off with a buzz.
"Is this the RTC car driver?"
Zoe called above the sequel of a third ambulance.
"No, he's one of the motorcyclists who were sandwiched In the middle."
Dixie called back, manoeuvring the trolley with the patient on down from the ambulance as Zoe joined her at her side.
"Male, 28, he took a nose dive through one of the cars windscreens about half an hour ago. He's got a head injury, suspected pelvic injury, K.O'd at scene. Fluctuating GCS of 14, pulse is 110, BP is 130 over 80, SATS of 95. I've immobilised him and given him 250 of normal saline. We offered him morphine but he refused all analgesia."
She spoke quickly as they pushed the trolley in through the main entrance and along the corridor to RESUS.
"Right, let's get him over nice and gently now please. On my count, 1, 2, 3..."
Dixie heaved the weight of the man onto the waiting bed with the help of the various nurses who clustered about the bed.
"Ok, can we get the next bed ready please we've got another patient on the way."
Zoe spoke loudly above the groan of the patient and the nursing staff dispersed, quickly assorting themselves to wherever they were supposed to be.
"Ok..."
Zoe murmured, taking her stethoscope from around her neck and placing it into her ears,holding the cold pad against the bare chest of the motorcyclist.
"Good air entry...chest sounds clear. He's tachycardic 110-120. He's got severe bruising across his abdomen and to the right side of his pelvis."
She spoke quickly, wrapping the stethoscope back about her neck so that the cool pad knocked against her breast bone. She peered down at the patient, the blue black of the bruising blooming quickly across his skin.
She raised a hand, catching the attention of a passing nurse.
"We need to get a CT of head to toe asap please."
She called. The nurse nodded her blonde head and moved passed.
She stepped back as Lily busied herself with the patient, hooking him up to the various machines. The doors opened behind her and another patient was wheeled in on a trolley followed by Max who pushed a young man in a wheelchair, a t-shirt held against his face.
"Who's this?"
Zoe asked, looking to Max.
"Uh...Dixie said to bring him in, he was one of the motorcyclists."
He murmured. Zoe frowned, peering down at the hair that seemed to have been grazed almost completely from one side of his head, shards of glass glittering in amongst the blades of hair and grit.
"The one not wearing a helmet..."
Max added, noting Zoe's expression.
"Well! You've been very lucky, Mr..."
She paused as the man looked up at her with a roll of his eyes.
"Liam."
He said through the fabric of the t-shirt.
"Liam. I'm Dr Hanna and I will be looking after you today."
She looked to Max.
"Back to the wards, cubicle five."
She said, raising a hand and making her way to the door, holding it open so that they could pass back through. Max whispering his thanks.
"So, it's not too bad?"
Liam asked, leaning back to look at Zoe as they made their way to cubicle 5.
"It's bad enough. The glass embedded in your head is going to take some time to extract. All of which, of course, would have been prevented had you been wearing a helmet..."
Zoe mused, holding the door open again so that they could enter onto the ward and stopping to wait for Max to position him inside the cubicle.
Liam rolled his eyes again as Max parked the wheelchair, pushing his foot down on the break.
"Yeah, I'm thinking about getting an adamantium helmet."
He said with a casual shrug of his shoulders and the smug look of a twenty-something teenager.
"Yeah?"
Zoe murmured.
"That's...the stuff the Wolverine skeleton's made out of, isn't it?"
Max asked, raising an eyebrow. Zoe glanced at him with a tilt of her head.
"Yep. Hardest metal in the world!"
Liam announced with a purse of his lips.
"Indeed..."
Max murmured.
"Indeed...yeah. Sadly of course, a fictional metal. So that would probably reduce it's effectiveness in a crash-style scenario, wouldn't it?"
He said, catching the amused twitch of a smile that Zoe tossed his way.
Liam looked pensively in the direction of the curtain that Zoe closed about them.
"Good point...good point."
He sighed.
"Still! The hardest metal in the world though!"
He shrugged, raising a hand to his lip and chewing at his nail.
"Fictional..."
Whispered Max with a shake of his head. Zoe widened her eyes at him in mock warning.
"Ok! Max, I think you've done your bit here..."
She gestured with a nod of her head to the curtain.
"Fine."
He rolled his eyes and smiled, his tongue sticking out between his teeth just ever so slightly, waiting as Zoe helped Liam out of the wheelchair and up onto the bed before he took off the brake and pushed the chair from the cubicle, glancing back at Zoe briefly as he left, smiling to himself as she winked at him.
"Right, Liam."
She pulled on a pair of plastic gloves and reached over to retrieve a pair of tweezers.
"So, where were you off to in such a hurry that you forgot to put your helmet on?"
She asked, adjusting the lamp to shine on the side of his head that glittered with glass shards. He huffed and rolled his eyes again.
"I'm training to be a beauty therapist. I was late for a training session."
He explained, dropping the t-shirt from his face to reveal several shards of glass spiking out from his cheek.
"Really?"
She murmured, narrowing her eyes and lowering the tweezers, pulling out each piece of broken glass slowly.
"So what was today's lesson?"
She asked, trying to keep his mind elsewhere as he winced against the pain.
"Waxing."
He said, flinching again.
"And now I'll have to rebook!"
He added.
"I only needed to do one more person to reach the required amount."
He sighed as he spoke and his shoulders sagged.
"Hold still please."
she murmured.
"What about you? I could give you a landing strip?"
He asked, whether hopefully or jokingly she couldn't quite tell.
"Uh...no. Thank you, but I prefer to keep the whole airport."
She tugged on a particularly large piece of glass making him hiss.
"Finally! A woman after my own heart. Too many women messing about with their bodies these days..."
He shook his head and she had to place her hands firmly on him to hold him still.
"So that's why you're going into the business then is it?"
She asked with a sigh.
"Yes!"
He exhaled.
"I just want to make women feel beautiful, y'know. Mind you. Not that I get a chance with many women now...they all think I'm a poof!"
He exhaled and Zoe puffed out her lips in a mute sigh.
"You'd marry me wouldn't you?"
He asked suddenly.
"What?!"
She asked incredulously, her eyebrows raised, her hands paused mid tweeze.
"As a male beauty therapist? Would you marry me?"
He asked, turning slightly to look up at her.
"Uh...no."
She placed her hands back against him and pushed so that he had no choice but to turn his head again. She felt his shoulders go slack.
"Maybe I should swap courses again..."
He sighed.
"Is this the RTC car driver?"
Zoe called above the sequel of a third ambulance.
"No, he's one of the motorcyclists who were sandwiched In the middle."
Dixie called back, manoeuvring the trolley with the patient on down from the ambulance as Zoe joined her at her side.
"Male, 28, he took a nose dive through one of the cars windscreens about half an hour ago. He's got a head injury, suspected pelvic injury, K.O'd at scene. Fluctuating GCS of 14, pulse is 110, BP is 130 over 80, SATS of 95. I've immobilised him and given him 250 of normal saline. We offered him morphine but he refused all analgesia."
She spoke quickly as they pushed the trolley in through the main entrance and along the corridor to RESUS.
"Right, let's get him over nice and gently now please. On my count, 1, 2, 3..."
Dixie heaved the weight of the man onto the waiting bed with the help of the various nurses who clustered about the bed.
"Ok, can we get the next bed ready please we've got another patient on the way."
Zoe spoke loudly above the groan of the patient and the nursing staff dispersed, quickly assorting themselves to wherever they were supposed to be.
"Ok..."
Zoe murmured, taking her stethoscope from around her neck and placing it into her ears,holding the cold pad against the bare chest of the motorcyclist.
"Good air entry...chest sounds clear. He's tachycardic 110-120. He's got severe bruising across his abdomen and to the right side of his pelvis."
She spoke quickly, wrapping the stethoscope back about her neck so that the cool pad knocked against her breast bone. She peered down at the patient, the blue black of the bruising blooming quickly across his skin.
She raised a hand, catching the attention of a passing nurse.
"We need to get a CT of head to toe asap please."
She called. The nurse nodded her blonde head and moved passed.
She stepped back as Lily busied herself with the patient, hooking him up to the various machines. The doors opened behind her and another patient was wheeled in on a trolley followed by Max who pushed a young man in a wheelchair, a t-shirt held against his face.
"Who's this?"
Zoe asked, looking to Max.
"Uh...Dixie said to bring him in, he was one of the motorcyclists."
He murmured. Zoe frowned, peering down at the hair that seemed to have been grazed almost completely from one side of his head, shards of glass glittering in amongst the blades of hair and grit.
"The one not wearing a helmet..."
Max added, noting Zoe's expression.
"Well! You've been very lucky, Mr..."
She paused as the man looked up at her with a roll of his eyes.
"Liam."
He said through the fabric of the t-shirt.
"Liam. I'm Dr Hanna and I will be looking after you today."
She looked to Max.
"Back to the wards, cubicle five."
She said, raising a hand and making her way to the door, holding it open so that they could pass back through. Max whispering his thanks.
"So, it's not too bad?"
Liam asked, leaning back to look at Zoe as they made their way to cubicle 5.
"It's bad enough. The glass embedded in your head is going to take some time to extract. All of which, of course, would have been prevented had you been wearing a helmet..."
Zoe mused, holding the door open again so that they could enter onto the ward and stopping to wait for Max to position him inside the cubicle.
Liam rolled his eyes again as Max parked the wheelchair, pushing his foot down on the break.
"Yeah, I'm thinking about getting an adamantium helmet."
He said with a casual shrug of his shoulders and the smug look of a twenty-something teenager.
"Yeah?"
Zoe murmured.
"That's...the stuff the Wolverine skeleton's made out of, isn't it?"
Max asked, raising an eyebrow. Zoe glanced at him with a tilt of her head.
"Yep. Hardest metal in the world!"
Liam announced with a purse of his lips.
"Indeed..."
Max murmured.
"Indeed...yeah. Sadly of course, a fictional metal. So that would probably reduce it's effectiveness in a crash-style scenario, wouldn't it?"
He said, catching the amused twitch of a smile that Zoe tossed his way.
Liam looked pensively in the direction of the curtain that Zoe closed about them.
"Good point...good point."
He sighed.
"Still! The hardest metal in the world though!"
He shrugged, raising a hand to his lip and chewing at his nail.
"Fictional..."
Whispered Max with a shake of his head. Zoe widened her eyes at him in mock warning.
"Ok! Max, I think you've done your bit here..."
She gestured with a nod of her head to the curtain.
"Fine."
He rolled his eyes and smiled, his tongue sticking out between his teeth just ever so slightly, waiting as Zoe helped Liam out of the wheelchair and up onto the bed before he took off the brake and pushed the chair from the cubicle, glancing back at Zoe briefly as he left, smiling to himself as she winked at him.
"Right, Liam."
She pulled on a pair of plastic gloves and reached over to retrieve a pair of tweezers.
"So, where were you off to in such a hurry that you forgot to put your helmet on?"
She asked, adjusting the lamp to shine on the side of his head that glittered with glass shards. He huffed and rolled his eyes again.
"I'm training to be a beauty therapist. I was late for a training session."
He explained, dropping the t-shirt from his face to reveal several shards of glass spiking out from his cheek.
"Really?"
She murmured, narrowing her eyes and lowering the tweezers, pulling out each piece of broken glass slowly.
"So what was today's lesson?"
She asked, trying to keep his mind elsewhere as he winced against the pain.
"Waxing."
He said, flinching again.
"And now I'll have to rebook!"
He added.
"I only needed to do one more person to reach the required amount."
He sighed as he spoke and his shoulders sagged.
"Hold still please."
she murmured.
"What about you? I could give you a landing strip?"
He asked, whether hopefully or jokingly she couldn't quite tell.
"Uh...no. Thank you, but I prefer to keep the whole airport."
She tugged on a particularly large piece of glass making him hiss.
"Finally! A woman after my own heart. Too many women messing about with their bodies these days..."
He shook his head and she had to place her hands firmly on him to hold him still.
"So that's why you're going into the business then is it?"
She asked with a sigh.
"Yes!"
He exhaled.
"I just want to make women feel beautiful, y'know. Mind you. Not that I get a chance with many women now...they all think I'm a poof!"
He exhaled and Zoe puffed out her lips in a mute sigh.
"You'd marry me wouldn't you?"
He asked suddenly.
"What?!"
She asked incredulously, her eyebrows raised, her hands paused mid tweeze.
"As a male beauty therapist? Would you marry me?"
He asked, turning slightly to look up at her.
"Uh...no."
She placed her hands back against him and pushed so that he had no choice but to turn his head again. She felt his shoulders go slack.
"Maybe I should swap courses again..."
He sighed.
More soon! xxx