treatment

tx

Tx 
•
common medical abbreviation referring to medical treatment

Sometimes, you forget that your newly found significant other has a huge occupational hazard.

Well, on normal days it is definitely, without hesitation, a hazard. On days like this, Brett can only feel reassured that Eddy was actually, in all honesty, and for the love of all holy, a nurse. He almost heaves a sigh of relief, clearly ironic in view of the scene in front of him. Eddy was crouching over a (quite literally) fallen musician, quickly performing what Brett can only assume to be an assessment of some sorts on the poor man. One of the percussionists - Jerry?, Brett notes. It was clearly a series of severely unfortunate events. The clumsy man, had clearly somehow or rather, tripped over a music stand, and had landed badly on his elbow, resulting in the current gory mess on the floor.

The moment Eddy had heard the 'thud' of humans falling on the ground - a sound that he knew too well by now, really, he had reacted on some primitive instinct. He immediately had let go of his grip on Brett's hand and ran over to the man on the ground. As if on cue, the world and everyone else in the room had disappeared. On first look (after rudely ripping the sleeves of the probably very expensive white dress shirt, sue me, Eddy thought), it didn't take too much to see that there definitely was something broken and sticking out of his elbow.

Okay, no big deal. Eddy immediately called for a first aid kit, which had magically appeared by his side, courtesy to Brett - bless his favourite person in the world right now. He had then instructed Brett to help him with sitting the musician up so that he could immobilise the arm.

But there was something wrong.

This wasn't right - He wasn't bleeding out or anything. Why wasn't he responding?

"Hey." Eddy begins, tapping on his shoulder firmly (like all good ACLS certified nurses do), "Are you okay-", Eddy looks at Brett. "Jerry. His name is Jerry." Eddy nods. "Hey, Jerry, are you okay?" He firmly taps his shoulder again, then pressed on his fingernails. Jerry, in his awkward half-sitting position, manages a groan, before falling towards the left.

This isn't good. This wasn't just a normal fall. Shit.

"Hey Jerry, can you hear me? Grab my hand if yes." Eddy tries, tapping on his left hand, testing his theory. Jerry grabbed him by the right. God damn it.

"Brett, put him down now, call the damn ambulance. He's probably having a fucking stroke. Tell them the place, when they ask for the current situation, put them on loudspeaker to me" Brett didn't need to be told twice before he had his phone out.

"Alright Jerry. I'm going to just shine some light into your eyes." Eddy sounded confident, but he was actually pretty much shaking on the inside as he turned on the flashlight on his phone. (yes this is not good practice but right now i dont really give 2 shits)

His pupils were unequal in size. Conjugate eye deviation to the right.

"Okay, can you try to smile?" Left sided facial drooping. Eddy tried not to cynically laugh at the irony of this situation.

"Jerry, can you feel me touching your face? Nod if yes, shake if no." He touched his forehead, arm, leg on the right side, then the left. Jerry only nodded for the left side.

"Lift your arms?" Eddy tried. Jerry scrunched his face, only managing to lift the right arm a slight amount before dropping them.

Yup. A stroke it is.

When it seemed like an eternity had passed, Brett had shoved the phone unceremoniously in his face. Eddy took a deep breath (channelling all his inner nursing strength), and off he went. "Patient is a middle aged male post fall. GCS 10 - E2V2M6, with pupils unequal and conjugate eye deviation to the right, has left sided sensorimotor deficit. I'm not a doctor, but I'm telling you this dude has a stroke - a right MCA at that. Also, left open fracture of the elbow - i've barely immobilised it."

"Help is on the way - thank you for your assessment." The operator replies, and Eddy had no idea if he should've interpreted that as a wow you're such a cocky person or a holy shit i've never received such a detailed call? and could only respond with "Thanks too - Sorry if I spoke too fast, comes with the job." He could hear the operator lightly laugh, "And how may I address you? Let me guess, you're a nurse."

"Eddy Chen. And you got that right. I am a nurse." Eddy couldn't help but scoff at Brett's halfhearted snicker beside him. He shoved the phone back to Brett, "I've got a patient to care for."

He really thinks it's an inappropriate time to be laughing.

But hey, coping mechanisms right?

Eddy took the time to finish properly immobilising Jerry, trying his best to roll him left and right as lightly as possible to adjust the bandages across his chest and thigh with the help of Brett. He responded occasionally to the operator checking up on them via the phone put on speaker. He even had time to take his pulse (a whopping 135 beats per minute) and respiratory rate (23 breaths per minute), before the paramedics finally arrived.

As the emergency medical technicians loaded Jerry onto the gurney, he repeated his assessment to the paramedics, including the pulse and respiratory rate, with the casual - "I suggest for an ECG - doctors would probably want to know if he's having an a. fib." He said his thanks to the paramedics as they left with Jerry.

"Weird flex, but okay." Brett said, as they stood to take in the entire situation. It was only then the room full of people had registered in Eddy's head. Here they were, in the middle of the foyer outside of the concert hall, with a good amount of people dressed in their nicest clothing - Eddy included. And he had just done all of that.

Like that.

How many times can you curse in a day?

Brett seemed to have realised Eddy's internal war and curses floating around in his head and nudged him. "Eddy dear - stop worrying. Everyone's clapping for you." Brett said in his gentlest voice. Everyone suddenly became animate again, like someone just pressed the 'play' button. But it was true, there were people clapping him on the back, people saying 'damn', people just being amazed - 'i didn't know nurses knew that, or could even do that!'.

Brett enveloped him in a hug. "You're amazing, and I don't deserve you. You know that?" Eddy laughed as he returned the hug.

"I'm quite the occupational hazard, though."

"I still love you the same."

"Can we go home now? I'm exhausted."

Brett couldn't help but laugh.

Amidst the cacophony of the foyer, their lips met in a sweet and short kiss.

"Let's go home now, my drama queen."