Falling For The Mob

27 Rules

Zoë

"Bring me two pints of O positive and have them wheel in the next one," Tony takes off running as I continue fastening the bandage around my patient's leg. The speed at which he is losing blood is worrisome, at this rate, he won't survive another five minutes.

"I can't feel my leg," the small boy begins crying and thrashing against my grip.

"Sweetheart, please, everything is going to be fine, but you need to calm down." I push him down by his chest, fighting the strength that is much more than I expected. I can't let him look down, or he'll see the only remainder of his leg is a hideously ripped stump.

Ripping a piece of the bedsheets, I finally manage to wrap his leg tight enough to stop the bleeding. His agonizing screams fill the hall, shattering my heart along with my eardrums. Even with the best prosthetics, he will have trouble walking or even standing the rest of his life. But he'll live.

One of my nurses runs up to me with an IV, "Clean his wounds and hook him up to some fluids, then roll him into the waiting area."

An injury this severe should immediately be brought to the operating room, but they're all booked, and as long as his life is not in immediate danger, he will have to wait.

Barely having enough time to change my gloves, I am dragged in front of the next bed, a young woman in her mid-twenties who is having trouble breathing. "Her chart says she's four months pregnant."

Tony holds the clipboard in front of me, just long enough to scan the information they have so far. Her entire torso is bruised, probably a few broken ribs. "Okay, try to get her into X-rays as fast as possible, I need to know how everything looks before we continue."

After giving Tony my order, I'm about to walk away when she grips my arm. Her eyes show nothing but desperation as she begins mouthing the word 'Baby' to me. I don't have time for this, but I also can't walk away.

I grab the nearest nurse and pull her in. "Please get her into ultrasound now, we need to know how the baby is doing."

A pained expression appears on her face. "Dr. DeLuca, they did a quick test in the ambulance, the fetus hasn't had a heartbeat for the last hour."

She whispered it, but the woman lying in front of me got a clear impression of what happened.

"I'm so sorry." Releasing her hand, they begin wheeling her off to the waiting area. My chest aches for her, judging by her age, I can only assume this is her first pregnancy, and she lost it.

Not two feet later, she begins violently thrashing her arms and legs, gripping at the nurses. Her wheezing becomes louder and high-pitched as her face reddens with angst.

"Get her some oxygen, she can't breathe."

I place my stethoscope against her chest, trying to locate the source of the blockage, when she starts coughing. Blood splatters everywhere, and it begins pouring out of her mouth like an overflowing sink.

"Her lung collapsed, she needs to get into the OR right now. Page the station, tell them to clear a room immediately......"

My voice cuts off as her body begins seizing. Three of us try to hold her down to avoid more damage, but it becomes pointless as her body suddenly falls limp underneath me. A look I have seen countless times before flashes across her face before her eyes roll back. The area around the bed falls silent as all eyes land on me.

Before I even begin, I already know the outcome, but I place my stethoscope against her pulse point and begin a slow count to fifteen. Nothing...

"Time of death, nine fifty-eight PM."