"Incoming!" Maggie yelled as the ambulance doors opened.
"A 35-year-old male found down in his kitchen. Hypotension at 80 over 40, heart rate 134, only responsive to pain," the male EMT reported, trailing behind Maggie as they pushed the gurney into the ER.
"All right, he's going to treatment four. Dr. Rhodes, can you take this? We're slammed," Maggie called, looking over at Dr. Connor Rhodes.
"I'm on it. Sanchez, come with me," he instructed, calling over Madeline as they quickly moved toward the patient.
"Ready?" Dr. Rhodes asked.
"One, two, three," they said in unison, lifting the patient from the stretcher and transferring him onto the bed.
"All right, let's get him hooked up. Prep a saline line. We'll need another wide open," Madeline instructed, eyes focused on the patient's condition.
"Oxygen levels are at 85 and dropping," April noted, her voice tense as she glanced at the monitor.
"What's happening to me?" the male patient groaned, his voice weak.
"We're going to find that out," Dr. Rhodes said, securing his stethoscope around his neck and listening carefully to the patient's heartbeat. "We're going to intubate."
"Give me a 7.5 ET tube, 20 of etomidate, and 1 milligram per kilo of rocuronium," Madeline called, her eyes scanning the patient's vitals while she adjusted her stethoscope.
"Septic shock?" April asked, gently patting the patient's legs.
"Maybe, but we need to find the source," Dr. Rhodes replied, his gaze flicking between the monitors and the patient.
"Your respiratory muscles are weak. I'm going to intubate you so they can rest," Madeline said softly, reassuring the patient as she prepared. "Reese, give him 3 grams of Unasyn. Send for a CBC, CMO, coags, and lactate. April, get a blood gas, and send blood and urine for culture."
"On it," April replied, moving swiftly to gather the necessary equipment.
"There's no bleeding or deformity in his legs," Dr. Reese reported, looking over the patient's lower limbs.
"We're almost ready," Madeline confirmed, feeling the pressure mounting.
"Heart rate's erratic," April noted, her voice growing more concerned.
"Watch his pressure," Dr. Rhodes added.
Madeline positioned herself at the patient's head, beginning the intubation process while Dr. Rhodes, April, Sarah, and the other nurses continued to manage the various aspects of his care.
"All right, I'm in," Madeline said, glancing up briefly to ensure the tube was properly secured in place.
"Dr. Sanchez?" Sarah's voice interrupted, calling Madeline's attention.
Madeline turned to see Sarah pointing at something on the patient's left arm. Her eyes widened in recognition. Without hesitation, she grabbed a pair of scissors and began cutting away his shirt.
"Oxygen saturation is up to 98, and he's stable for now," April reported, her voice tinged with relief.
"No," Madeline muttered, her gaze fixed on the patient's chest, where similar markings to those on his arm were visible. "We need to get him up to the OR now," she said firmly, looking at Dr. Rhodes and April, her expression grave.
"I have a feeling we're too late," Dr. Rhodes murmured, meeting her gaze with a grim understanding.
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YOU ARE READING
The Sergeant's Daughter
ActionAfter a messy and painful divorce from her ex-husband, Madeline decided to shift her focus entirely to her career. Her passion for medicine and her patients became her primary motivation-until she crossed paths with a blue-eyed detective who disrupt...
