Nurse Or Nanny?

Chapter Fifteen

Ashley/Laura's POV

I can't believe what I just saw. I am running out of the cafe not even thinking about David and what he might think, I am just in nurse mode now. I have obligation to help these people, I am capable. If I was in Canada and did nothing I could be sued and that's ingrained in my head. I look around and asses the situation. The driver who hit the pedestrian is getting out of the car, no blood, small impact, she's fine. The driver that swerved first, is getting out of his car, airbags deployed, he looks like he has a broken nose, he's holding his stomach, maybe bruising from seat belt - not sure - I run over to him.

"Hey, you alright?" I say as I am searching his body for anything major. "Here, lay down" I pull off my jacket and let him use it as neck support "You!" I yell at someone who is standing just a few feet away from me. "Come here, don't let him move, and if he starts throwing up, help him to his side." It's all I say as I rush to the person who is most critical. Maybe thirty seconds has elapsed by this point and I can see a few different people on their phones and I hear someone say ambulance. It's all I need to know at this point, that help is coming. I am approaching the person that was hit by a vehicle and they are still conscious but barely.
"Hi, I'm Laura and I'm here to help you till more help arrives okay. Can you tell me your name?"
"Mark." Is all he says, and he's closing his eyes and wincing in pain. He is laying sort of twisted, he is on his back but his right leg is over his left leg, his right hip in the air and I can see that his left leg is broken. When the car his him he fell and rolled and finished with a half roll that left him in this position. I know I have to roll him back to properly asses him. I take my hands and start at his head and make my way down his body, feeling for anything broken. I grab his shoulders they seem okay, his arms, he winces when I grab his left upper arm. I think that's the side he fell on, would make sense since his left leg looks broken. I feel around his chest and stomach and they all feel fine. If he has anything internally going on I can't tell. Nothing broken at least. I feel down his right leg and it seems okay, I start to feel down his left leg and he screams.
"Sorry, but good to know you can feel that, probably means your back isn't broken." I give him a sympathetic look, "you're going to be fine."
"Ashley, what are you doing, you should't be touching him." I am shocked to hear David's voice, I completely forgot about him. I kneels down beside me looks at the man,
"Hey, how are you feeling?" David says.
"Not great." Mark says and I kind of laugh, I'm happy he is making a joke, means he maybe didn't his his head on the ground as hard as I initially thought.
"I can tell, here, let me straighten you out, you might feel a bit better not being all twisted." David says and he goes to move his right leg.
"Stop! What do you you think you are doing? You can't move him." I say in my nurse voice, which is full of confidence. He looks a little stunned. I know I just met him and I need this job, but making sure David doesn't do anything stupid to jeopardize this mans life if top priority right now.
"He looks like he's in pain, this might help him a bit." He says and he looks genuine when he says he wants to help him.
"You cant move him, you don't know whats broken, if you move him you might make things worse, if you want to help you can support his neck until the ambulance arrives." I say and I grab his wrist and start counting his pulse. It's going a little faster than what I like to see, but with what I just said to David could be a result.
"Okay." Is all he says as he looks at me strangely. Like he is trying to figure me out. Which I don't blame him. Just two minutes ago we were having an interview and he was in charge and I seemed this a person basically incapable of doing anything and now I am ordering him to stop what he is doing and give him a job to do. I guess I can probably say goodbye to any chance of getting that job now.
"Mark, can you tell me what day it is?" I ask him.
"Tuesday."
"That's right, and can you tell my where you're from."
"Here." He says,
"And where is here?"
"Galveston." Good.
"Okay Mark, that's good. And now can you tell me how many fingers I'm holding up?" I put up two fingers.
"Three? No two." I look him in the eye's with a questioning look.
"My glasses flew off somewhere, I promise I'm okay." That makes sense.
"Okay, I am still going to tell the paramedics. They will ask you more of the same questions, and you were hit by a car, be prepared for lots of test." He groans and closes his eyes. I am checking his heart rate again and it seems to have slowed down a bit bit his leg looks broken so that does account for the slight increase now. I can see David looking at me and I can tell he has a million questions and I have no idea how I am going to answer them. I hear the sirens and can see the ambulance making its way down the street. When it parks and the attendants get out I stand up and make my way over to them as they are getting the stretcher out of the back and the big kit from the side.
"Hey, this man here was hit by a car, struck him on the left and it seems like he has a break on the lateral side above the knee. Small lacerations to his left arm and hand, it looks like he grabbed his head on the way down. Doesn't seem to have a concussion and his hear rate was increased but has lowered and has been steady for the last five minutes." I tell them all this as they walk over to Mark and lay down the board beside him. They pull out a neck brace and David starts to move.
"Hey, thanks for supporting his neck, most people don't think about it." The first paramedic says as he puts the brace on. David just nods his head and steps out of the way.
"There is also a second man who is laying down over there." I point across the street. "Looks like the airbag got the best of him, he had his hand on his belly but I am assuming its from the seat belt. He'll need another ambulance to take him to the hospital.
"Thank you, another one is on the way, just a minute out from us. Thank you for everything you did, these people were lucky you were here to help them." I throw my hands up in the air, I didn't really do anything, had something more serious happened I don't know what I would have done.
"No problem, I didn't do much." I say and smile at them as they roll Mark to the back of the ambulance.
"Hey Mark, hope all goes well for you." I say and give his hand a squeeze.
"Thank you Laura." I all he says before the paramedics push him into the back. As these guys drive off the other ambulance shows up but I feel like my work here is done and make my way back to the cafe. David follows me in.
"Hey, where did you learn all that stuff?" He asks me and I can see the curiosity all over his face.
"I have some first aid training, pretty basic, if anything major had happened I probably wouldn't have been able to help." I say hoping he buys it. I can see he doesn't but I don't think he'll pry anymore.
"And that guy on the ground, when he was getting into the ambulance he said 'thank you Laura', who was Laura?" Shit, shit, shit. Did I tell Mark my actual name. I've been so good at sticking to the names I've been given.
"I didn't hear that. I just heard him say thank you." I try and say as convincingly as I can, not really looking at him. Complete denial, that's my best strategy at the moment. I don't think he buys it.
"You sure, I could have sworn I hear it." He's not dropping it.
"Maybe he was talking to the other paramedic in the back?" I say and he seems to take it but I don't think I convinced him. He has nothing to be suspicious about so I'm wondering why he is prying so much.
"Okay, yeah, maybe you're right." He says with a bit of a sigh at the end. Hopefully he forgets this whole thing happened.
He writes down his address on the piece of paper he had out and hands it to me.
"I'll see you tomorrow morning." And he walks out of the cafe.