The Irish Rose

Chapter 4

I was carefully unloaded from the back of the ambulance, and wheeled into the Emergency Room. As I was wheeled into the Emergency room,  a doctor came running up, "Give me a run down!" he said. "This is Lilly, a 25 year old female who was involved in a riding accident. Her horse threw her and her friend's horse stomped down on her leg. So we have some bruises and contusions, and a possible broken leg." the paramedic managed to get out. "Take her to trauma room 3 please" So the gurney I was on, was wheeled up next to the hospital bed in the trauma room. "On the count of 3 we transfer her over the other bed." the doctor in charged said "One, Two, Three" on the third count, I was lifted into the air and placed on the hospital bed. "I need a spinal x-ray to check for spinal injuries, and an x- ray for that leg. I need to know the extent of the damage and stat!" With that, the room turned into a mad house. The nurses were in and out, people kept tampering with my IV.  Finally, I was lifted slightly, and an x-ray plate was slipped behind my back. The room cleared except for a select few nurses with their radiation proof vests. After the x-ray was taken, the plate was slipped from behind my back and another plate was slipped under my leg. As my leg was lifted up, I let out a whimper of pain. Tears began to stream down my face once again.  "I'm so sorry Miss, it's necessary." The nurse said as she took the x-ray and then proceeded to leave the room to get the films developed.

Finally the room began to die down, but the pain in my leg never quit and on top of that my stomach was hurting so bad. I wasn't quite sure why, but I just couldn't seem to find a way to get away from the pain. Soon a doctor walked in, before he could say anything, I channeled my pain, and gathered up my courage enough to say "I want Dr. Aedan, and only Doctor Aedan." I commanded. The Doctor stopped dead in his tracks before he calmly replied "Miss, he is not a trauma doctor." "I don't give a crap at this point. I am in pain, and no one tells me jack. Dr. Aedan know who I am, and knows my case. Just tell him that Lilly Victoria Rose James is in the Emergency Room." I replied. With that, the Doctor left me alone in the trauma room.

Sometime later I was feeling very drowsy, and I was still in pain. This time, the pain was in multiple locations, and it felt as if I could not get a reprieve. The C-collar was still around my neck, which prohibited me from turning my head.  I was beginning to dose off, when I heard  bickering outside of the curtain to the trauma room I was in. The bicker was hard to understand, I couldn't make out much of anything. Before long, the trauma curtain was thrown back and Dr. Aedan was striding to the side of my bed. "Dear Lord, you look terrible." I couldn't help but let a small smile grace my lips. "Why are you still in a C-collar?" I took a small breath before I let out a raspy reply "I am unsure." "Why don't I go see if I can get your x-ray films" Before Dr. Aedan could walk out, a nurse came in with the x-ray films that Dr. Aedan was just about to go and find. The nurse slipped the films up on the light board, and flipped the lights on. Dr. Aedan walked over to the light board and examined the x-ray of my spine. "It looks like your spine is clear of injuries, but I would recommend that you go see a chiropractor after you are released from here. As for your leg, the damage to your leg is quite severe, I am sorry to inform you that you will have to have surgery." I took a big gulp as the news was spilled to me. "As you can see, part of your bone is sticking out. This will have to be fixed surgically in the Operating Room. You will be put under anesthesia, so you will be unaware of everything around you. We will have to fix your leg with some metal screws and rods. More than likely, you will have to go through some physical therapy after your leg is completely healed." It took my brain a couple of minutes to full process everything that Dr. Aedan had said. This was a lot, and it was all Elizabeth's fault. Just as I was about to reply, a jolt of pain came from my chest and I clutched at it as I curled into myself. Within seconds, Dr. Aedan was by my side. "What's hurting  Lilly?" He asked with surprising gentleness. "My stomach is hurting" I whined out. "I need a bedside ultrasound STAT" Dr. Aedan yelled out into the hallway. Within seconds a nurse came running in with a cart. "Lilly, I need you to lie back again. Ok?" I nodded my head and did as he asked. "I need a pair of scissors and I need a nurse to hook her up to the monitors!" Dr. Aedan commanded. Soon, my shirt was being cut, revealing my bare abdomen and my sports bra underneath. This by far was the most uncomfortable moment of my life. Once my shirt was cut, a cold gel was placed on my bare skin around the area where the pain was radiating from. Dr. Aedan grabbed the ultrasound probe and placed it down on my skin, spreading the cold gel around on my stomach. I watched as Dr. Aedan watched the ultrasound screen intently. When he was done, he turned to look at me and said "Lilly, you have some free fluid around your abdomen. I am going to have to preform a small procedure in here. It is called an abdominal tap.  I'm just going to have to do a small awake procedure to get rid of that excess fluid."  I knew right then that my heart rate kicked up into like 5th gear. I hated needles, and the fact that there was going to be one going through me was absolutely terrifying. Dr. Aedan stood up, and a nurse began placing the sticky electrodes onto my skin, and then hooked them up to the monitor near my bedside. While the nurse did this, my leg was being prepped, and Doctor Aedan gently slipped the C-collar off from around my neck.