Neck Day 2021

It’s whump of the month’s one-year anniversary! Woo!

This is, of course, for @brutal-nemesis’s Neck Day 2021.

Word Count: 579

Trigger Warnings – Also Tagged: blood & hospitals

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Victor presses his hands into his sister’s bleeding neck. “How much longer?” he asks the paramedic.

“We’re there,” the medic responds. The ambulance’s lights and sirens die down. The paramedic jumps out the front and opens the back two doors.

The other paramedic, Elissa, slowly pushes the stretcher out the back of the ambulance, where it is stabilized by the first paramedic. Victor remains on top of the stretcher, straddling his sister’s body, hands pressed into the towel on her neck. Elissa pushes the stretcher through the ambulance entrance doors.

“Clare Sosa, 27-year-old female with severe neck laceration and carotid trauma,” Elissa calls out. “Heart rate is 125 and BP is at 80/54 and dropping. Pressure has been applied to the wound for,” she shifts her gaze to Victor.

“28 and a half minutes,” he finishes.

A small group of doctors and nurses in yellow trauma gowns approach the stretcher. One of them asks, “Is she conscious?”
“In and out,” Victor replies, his eyes meeting a familiar face in the crowd.

“Victor,” Samson calls out, making his way forward in the rush. “3, and then straight to the OR,” he tells Elissa, walking alongside her. Samson turns to a nurse. “Maven, page Dr. Riley. Get him down here stat. Oh and call the blood bank. We’ll need as many units of O neg as we can get our hands on.”

“Aren’t you also a trauma surgeon?” Maven responds.

“I am, but I will need the help. Thank you,” Samson fires back. Maven splits from the group as they pass the nurse’s station. Samson unwraps gauze and hands it to another nurse. “Opal, when we get to three, you’re gonna switch out with Victor, okay?”

“Yes,” Opal says.

“I can’t leave her,” Victor pleads.

The group stops at ED bay 3, where Dr. Riley has appeared. “What is the matter Dr. Buhle?” he asks.

“Carotid trauma,” Samson replies. “I need you to take a look and start the surgery. There is something more immediate I need to take care of.” Samson gazes at Victor. “On the count of three, you are going to get off of your sister and lift the towel. Dr. Riley will take a look and Opal will resume pressure on the wound. Then they’ll take her up to surgery. Ready?”

“No.”

“Victor, you have to do this. Please take my hand and get down.” Samson extends his arm. “Please let us do our jobs.”

Victor takes his boyfriend’s hand. He slowly climbs down from the stretcher and lifts his hand, but he leaves the towel. Samson doesn’t care about the towel. He helps Victor to a nearby chair.

Dr. Riley peeks under the towel and signals to Opal to resume pressure on the wound. He grasps the stretcher and begins wheeling it to the OR.

Samson peels his gloves off and gets Victor a hand wipe. He slowly wipes the blood off of Victor’s hands and allows them to wrap around his yellow gown into a tight embrace. Samson hugs back. “We are going to do everything we can,” he reassures Victor. “What happened?”

“I don’t know,” Victor says, his voice breaking. “I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know.” He sobs into Samson’s shoulder. “I just heard a noise, so I went to check on her, and I found her like this.”

“That’s okay. She’s in good hands. It’s gonna be okay.” Samson ignores the page that he knows is from Dr. Riley.