A/N
This was the hardest chapter so far, I had to do so much research so if theres any doctors reading this feel free to correct me because I don't know what I'm doing, I probably killed her.
NARRATORS POV:
After Isabella had been laid onto the gurney she had been quickly wheeled into Trauma 1. As they reached the trauma bay, the physician, Dr. Matthews, knelt beside her assessing the situation.
"Airway's compromised! We need to suction—now!" he commanded, observing the blood bubbling at her lips, obstructing her breathing.
The nurse grabbed the suction device and carefully but quickly cleared her airway, removing blood and vomit. Isabella's breathing was erratic, and her pulse was faint, her oxygen levels plummeting.
"We're not getting good air movement. We need to intubate her," Dr. Matthews said.
"Prep for intubation," a nurse responded immediately, grabbing the tools.
"Give her etomidate and succinylcholine to sedate and relax her muscles," the doctor added as the nurse prepared the medication. Isabella's chest rattled with each struggling breath, her convulsions worsening.
Her limbs stiffened again, and she began seizing once more.
"She's still seizing," the nurse said urgently, looking at Dr. Matthews.
"Push 4 milligrams of lorazepam IV to stop the seizures," he ordered "Someone call a respiratory therapist, now!"
The nurse administered the dose while another nurse prepared the sedation drugs for the intubation. Moments later, Dr. Matthews slid the endotracheal tube into her airway, and the respiratory therapist connected her to a ventilator. Isabella's chest rose steadily now, but it wasn't enough. Her oxygen levels remained dangerously low.
"Check for breath sounds, something is wrong." Dr. Matthews said, stepping back.
The nurse placed the stethoscope on Isabella's chest. "Decreased on the right side," she reported, her voice tense.
Dr. Matthews nodded grimly. "She could have a pneumothorax from the rib fractures. Let's get a portable chest X-ray—stat!"
The team rushed to bring the X-ray machine into the trauma bay. Isabella's broken ribs, visibly shifting under her skin, were likely the cause. The X-ray confirmed their fears—a collapsed lung (pneumothorax) on the right side, along with signs of blood pooling in the chest cavity.
"Looks like we've got a hemopneumothorax. We need to place a chest tube immediately."
The trauma surgeon, Dr. Green, arrived just as they confirmed the diagnosis. With a calm but urgent voice, she said, "Let's place the chest tube and drain the air and blood from the pleural space."
The nurses prepped the sterile field as Dr. Green made an incision between Isabella's ribs. Blood trickled out as the surgeon inserted the chest tube into her chest cavity, where blood and air had accumulated, compressing her lung. Instantly, blood and air began draining from the tube, and her lung slowly started to re-expand.
"She's stabilizing," one nurse remarked as Isabella's oxygen levels improved slightly.
Another nurse rushed in and whispered something to Dr.Mathews who nodded.
"Prep for a tox screen, she might be intoxicated." He opened Isabella's eyes and observed them. "Pupils are dilated and her eyes are red, might have consumed drugs." The machine monitoring her heartbeat started beeping, her heart rate was skyrocketing—a clear sign of internal bleeding.
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Saving Isabella
Teen FictionIsabella's life has been anything but easy. At 14, she's already endured more than most. Her mother and her mother's boyfriend, Jack, were both controlling and abusive, leaving Isa to navigate the scars of their manipulation. Her mother always told...
