Caught in the Undertow

Worse for Wear

"Unknown female, mid to late thirties, found unconscious with serious head and neck injuries, GCS four on arrival, displaced open fracture to the left tibia. other Multiple fractures..." The paramedic announces as they bring Nikki into the Accident and Emergency through the ambulance entrance, doctors and nurses rushing around Nikki ready to start treatment.

One nurse thinks on her feet and while the others work quickly on Nikki to make sure there is no more blood loss or chance of Nikki losing her life. The young nurse quickly places her hands in Nikki's coat pocket which has been cut off her and comes across a smashed phone, a pen and finally her Lyell Centre ID Badge, she reads it looking up at the high ranked nurses working on Nikki, "we've got an ID. Dr Nicola Alexander... a pathologist... at the Thomas Lyell Centre," The young nurse announces.

"Thank you Nurse Zitek... could you alert next of kin please... or get in touch with the Thomas Lyell Centre for them to contact next of kin... now let's focus on keeping Nicola alive so she doesn't need a pathologist herself," The clinical lead announces.

Nurse Zitek hurries off to phone the Lyell to get in touch about Nikki. The nurse calls the Lyell and waits for someone to answer the phone. "The Thomas Lyell Centre, Professor Chamberlain speaking..." A voice comes down the phone.
"Hi, this is Nurse Ellen Zitek at King's College Hospital, accident and emergency. We have a Doctor Nicola Alexander here... and we are wondering if you would be able to get in touch with her next of kin, we don't have any contact numbers down for her..." She responds.

There is a pause before Thomas responds, "What's wrong with her?" He asks.
"Nicola has been involved in a hit and run-"
"And her chances?" Thomas asks.
"It's unaware at the moment until we have run the right tests..." Ellen responds she spends a few more minutes on the phone talking to Thomas before he ends the call.

Thomas walks out of his office running his hand through his hair, Ellen had given Thomas as much information as she could and Nikki sounded in a bad way. Jack and Clarissa look up from their desks at Thomas, "What's wrong Thomas? You look like you have just been given the worst news in the world," Jack chuckles.

Thomas looks at Jack with a serious expression knowing his two colleagues aren't going to like this news at all. "It's Nikki," He breathes.
Clarissa and Jack mirror expressions and raise eyebrows, "What about her?" Clarissa pushes.
"She broke down somewhere?" Jack smirks.
Thomas shakes his head running his hand over his face, "Nikki's been taken to King's College Hospital... hit and run... she's in a bad way. I've been told to alert next of kin, but Matt is in Washington."

Clarissa and Jack's faces drop in unison, "What!" Jack stutters in shock, standing without even thinking he grabs his coat and keys.
"Jack, where are you going?" Thomas asks.
"I need to be with her!" Jack responds pulling his coat on frantically.

"We need to calm down, Nikki wouldn't want this fuss. We need to get in touch with Matt," Clarissa adds notices how intentional Jack is suddenly acting.
"No, not Matt. Nikki told me they have... they have broken up... because... of me" He breathes.

Thomas and Clarissa look at Jack raising eyebrows unsure of what he is on about, "Jack?" Thomas asks.
"I need to be with her, okay?" Jack responds pulling his phone out and checking the time.
"You're making it sound like you slept with her," Clarissa asks.
"That's because I have... she broke up with Matt so she could be with me..." He responds.

Before his colleagues can respond back Jack has left the office and in a blur, he drives to King's College Hospital wondering what the extent of her injuries was, but Thomas had told him she wasn't in a good way.

Jack gets to the hospital in record speed and bursts into Accident and Emergency, he waits in the queue before heading to the main desk, "Nicola Alexander? she was brought here... I am her... boyfriend..." Jack says quickly knowing they wouldn't allow him to see Nikki unless he was an immediate relation.
"Okay, if you take a seat I shall get a nurse to come and speak with you," The receptionist responds. Jack nods and takes a seat in the waiting room.

Within five minutes the nurse comes out to speak with Jack, "Hi you must be Nicola's boyfriend, I am Nurse Ellen Zitek, and you are?" She smiles her Ukrainian accent flicking as she speaks.
"Jack Hodgson... erm... how is she?" Jack quizzes.

"She's stable for now... the neuro-surgeons will be taking her up to theatre shortly before the orthopaedic surgeon's make any attempt to repair the breaks to her legs," Ellen responds.

Jack looks at Ellen in shock, "why does she need surgery, can I see her?" he asks holding his breath.
"The Doctor will be able to tell you more... I can take you through to her now, we have done our best to clean her up..." Ellen starts as the pair stand up and she walks Jack through to rhesus.

Jack follows Ellen through and into a room where multiple nurses and doctors are working around two patients in the room. Ellen guides Jack over to a bed where laid flat is Nikki, his heart plummets as he sees Nikki's lifeless body, the ventilator breathing for her, black and blue, dried blood smeared over her face and chest. "Oh Nikki," He speaks looking at her.

He walks to her side and looks at her, he wanted to say they had the wrong person but it was most definitely Nikki. "What have you got yourself into," He mumbles leaning over her and kissing her head delicately.
Jack can't help fight back the tears that are forming, but the anger soon built in him, he knew this was Matt's doing, something deep down was telling Jack that Matt was to blame for all of this and he knew he wouldn't get away with this. Jack looks up at Ellen who has been joined by a doctor, "Jack this is Doctor Khatri, she is our trauma neuro-surgeon she will be taking Nicola up to surgery now."

"What are her chances?" Jack asks, sniffling and wiping a few tears away.
"We will know more once we have removed the blood clot from the brain," Doctor Khatri explains.

Jack glances down at Nikki and gently takes hold of her hand, "So she may not be the same after? blood clots can cause strokes or even worse," Jack responds despite not having a medical degree he had heard Nikki mention it many times during post-mortems.

Within a couple of minutes, the surgery team had come down to Accident and Emergency to see to Nikki. Jack had said his goodbyes to Nikki and told her to stay strong and pull through from the surgery, he had planted many delicate kisses on her head before she was wheeled off towards the life for her life-saving surgery.