The Man In Bed Three...

WE BURST through the double doors and kept running. He was bleeding and really badly.

"OK ! We have another male. ID reads as Mr Stanly Johntson, thirty five. Let's get him straight into theatre."

Dayle took over the gurney and swung it round to the elevator. He gave me a boasting smile. I needed it. That was the thirteenth casualty. The final? No way. I watched him as the elevator doors shut. He acted so calm.

"DOCTOR HARDFORD!" I span round. Great another one. I bit my lip. "DOCTOR HARDFORD, WE NEED YOU!" I ran to the doors. Two Paramedics were trying to wheel another gurney in. The man on it looked terrible. His clothes were blood soaked all down his right side.

"CAN WE HAVE SOMEONE HOLDING THE DOORS PLEASE!" I shouted. An intern ran up to the doors. She pulled one open and the Paramedics rushed in. I looked at her before running to the casualty. She looked terrified. It was a new internship. How long had she been here? Two weeks maybe? I gave her the same reassuring smile that Dayle had given me. She needed it more than me. There are so many situations and scenarios that Medical School cannot prepare you for. This was one of those situations. There had been a crash. A Train crash, just outside of Brighton. This was the closest hospital.

"NAOMI!" The Doctor on senior duty shouted.

"YES SIR," I shouted before running after the two paramedics. The hospital porters took over the gurney and the Paramedics turned to me.

"Young adult male, he has a foreign body in his side, we believe it to be a peice of seating from one of the train's carriages."

"Thank you," I said, trying to act calm. They gave a simple head nod and ran back to the waiting ambulance outside. I was almost to the casualty, when the porters suddenly stopped. They turned.

"HE'S STOPPED BREATHING!" One of them shouted. Okay now I ran for it. I got to him, assessed the situation. Fingers to his pulse. It was there, but he wasn't breathing.

Nurses and interns were gathering. "He's gone into extreame shock, his body trying to close down. Okay guys watch closely you might have to do this later on today." I nodded to one of the nurses. "Aiden, I need an Intubator stat." He nodded and ran to the nurses station. Then I turned my attention to the man. I had to improvise with what I had. I took, from my coat, a face mask and placed it over the man's face. Then CPR. Tilt his head back, hold his nose. Two sharp breaths through the mouth opening. I felt his chest inflate. No air ascaped from his side. I listened, no the body haden't gone into into a lung. Good. Now compress his chest, keep away from the entry site. Thirty compressions done. Another two breaths. Aiden returned. Get up you fool. He gave me the Intubator. I took it. Aiden took over the chest compressions. Snap out of this, get on task. Sometimes you've just gotta take a second. I closed my eyes. Breathe in - breathe out. Good now GO! I turned to an intern. She looked sick.

"What's your name," I asked her, turning back to the casualty. I snapped open the metal laryngoscope and took the face mask off the man. Aiden opened the man's mouth for me. I pushed it in and then pulled his tongue away. I pushed the tube in and removed the laryngoscope. All this only took me seconds.

"Nate," She said in a rather shaky voice. "Natalie Rivers."

"Okay Nate, can you get me a potable ECG please."

Then I heard, from behind me, the doors swing open. A woman ran in shouting, "JOHN! JOHN WHERE ARE YOU?" One of the nurses went to her, but then she saw me and the man I was

Intubating. "JOHN!" She ran over to the gurney. I shot Aiden a look that said, "deal with the wife". Working here I've seen this situation so many times, and I've found that theres a different approch for all close ones. This was the classic wife reaction. Also she was wearing a wedding ring. Ah detective skills. I took the air balloon, attached it to the tube and squeezed. And just like that I was simulating breathing. All this took under thirty seconds. I turned back to see Nate run off for the ECG and Aiden take the wife aside. Then something horrible hit me. The woman's stomach? No, Oh dear God no. She was pregnant.

Now it was all to play for. If this man died, that child wouldn't have a father, and I was in no mood to let that happen. I kept on compressing the balloon. Come on! When there, as simple as that, the man started choking. Instantly I deflated the tube and pulled it out. He breathed deeply. I breathed deeply. I wiped my brow. I saw nate coming with the ECG. I gave her a "well done" smile and clipped it to the man's finger when she gave me it. I started it up and was revelve to see and hear the steady thump of his heart beat. I placed the ECG on the gurney.

"Alright let's get him into a room. I want him assessed. Page me immediately if there's an emergency or if he needs theatre. I want to be his surgeon. This man's wife is expecting a baby if he dies I am not going to be happy." I tapped the gurney and the two porters wheeled him off followed be three interns.

The wife came to me.

"Is he going to be okay?" I looked at her.

"We're going to do all we can. I promise." A tear slipped down from her eye. She put her hand on her stomach.

"Please, I'm pregnant, he needs to be alright. I can't think what I'd do if he..." She stopped. I felt for her. His life was in my hands. She was putting him in my trust. I did what I always did in those situations.

"When is your baby due?" I changed the subject.

"February fifth," she said, her eyes on her husband. "I want to see him."

"I'm afraid you can't just now, we need to asses his injuries. But you can help him a great deal by giving us the information we need, Mrs...?"

"Walker, Catherine Walker. My husband's name is John Walker."

"Okay, thank you Mrs. Walker. I'm Naomi Hardford, I'm going to be your husband's surgeon and doctor. Would you like to come to the nurses station, they'll take your details and get you something to eat and drink."

Mrs. Walker nodded and I led her to the station. Then the doors crashed open again. Another casualty. Another life to save. Oh now it was on. I turned, two Doctors had already ran to the gurney. Will they stop bringing in bleeding people? Nope.