Whumptober Day 1

“You have to let go,” Demetra said to Mekayla. “You can stand with me, but you can’t go with Jordan. Dr. Howell will take very good care of him.” Demetra pulled Mekayla away from the stretcher, coaxing Mekayla into dropping Jordan’s hand.

Dr. Howell walked alongside the stretcher where Jordan lay, writhing in pain. “Jordan, you were in a car accident. We’re bringing you up to emergency surgery.”

Whumptober Day 26

“911, what is your emergency?”

“I fell.” The voice on the other end of Victor’s call pauses. “Who am I speaking with”

“I am Victor,” Victor responds, perplexed by the caller’s question. “Where did you fall?”

“Victor, it’s me–”

“Kai? Where are you on the trail? Do you need fire and rescue or just EMS?”

“At the end of the falls.”

“What is the extent of your injuries. Wait. You didn’t–”

“I did. Rocks scratched me up real good. On shore but I can’t control all the bleeding. Probably a couple broken ribs too.”

“You sound great for a man who almost drowned.”

“It’s probably the blood loss.”

Whumptober Day 25

“Dispatch, am I clear to enter?” Kai asks into his radio.

“Police have cleared the scene. You may proceed, Himona,” Victor replies. “Caller has been hiding in the coat closet by the front door.”

Kai grabs the med kit and enters the house. He slowly approaches the front closet and knocks on the bifold door. “Aliana? This is EMS. I am here to help you.” He slides the door open.

Aliana lets out a scream as the door opens. The carpet beneath her left leg is stained with blood. “Is he gone?” she asks.

“He’s gone,” Kai reassures her. “Police did a full search. Now it’s time to get the wound cleaned up.”

Whumptober Day 24

Demetra slowly and firmly wraps her arms around Omar, who is rocking back and forth, flailing, and screaming. “It’s okay. It’s not real. I, Demetra, am right here. Do you feel me?”

“You can’t take my family again!” Omar screams, interrupting Demetra’s steady voice.

“It’s over. You are safe. Focus on my presence. Feel my arms around your chest. Smell my fruity shampoo. Listen to my breathing. I am here.”

Whumptober Day 23

“Maria, I’m here.” Chaia rushes over to her wife’s hospital bed. “I am so sorry I couldn’t be here earlier, I got caught up in an important work presentation. But I am here now.” She stares down at the waist belt that restrains her wife to the bed and slides her hand down to grasp Maria’s hand, which is held firmly against the bed by its own restraint. “It looks like it was hard today. That must’ve been really scary. I’m here, and I’m going to make sure that they don’t scare you like that again, okay?”

Whumptober Day 22

“How’s the internal med rotation treating you?” Anna asks Rory, handing him a coffee.

“Not as exciting as the ED. But I definitely don’t miss all the screaming.” Rory responds.

Just as Anna begins to walk away from the coffee counter, Dr. Howell calls her name from the ED down the hallway. “Anna! We need all hands on deck in here!” Her shouts are quickly overpowered by a distant screaming.

Anna places her coffee next to the coffee machine and rushes to the ED doors, turning around to ask Rory, “You coming?”

He follows Anna to find a patient screaming in pain from his injuries.

Dr. Howell takes note of Rory’s appearance. “Dr. Byrne, good to see you. We’ve got a mass casualty from a car crash on the interstate. Go take the patient in 3.”

Whumptober Day 21

“Justin, I’m gonna need more bandages,” Kai calls out. “Gauze, cotton, an extra t-shirt! Anything we’ve got!” He shifts his attention to Demetra, whose shoulder wound fills Kai’s first gauze with blood, what has not been soaked up spilling down onto her dark hair, which stands out against the blue (well, now red) rug. “I am going to put pressure on the wound, which will slow the bleeding, but it’ll probably hurt.”

Whumptober Day 20

Demetra rushes over to Omar, who is strewn out on the floor of their apartment. “Omar, are you awake?”

“Yeah,” he replies weakly.

“Where does it hurt? Do I need to call an ambulance?”

“My head. And everything is blurry. Just carry me to the car.”

Whumptober Day 19

“911, what is your emergency?”

“I’m bleeding.”
“911 is for emergencies only. Are you currently experiencing an emergency?”

“I think I’ve been stabbed.”

Victor sighs. “That is an emergency. I am going to send help your way. Do you know what address you are at?”

Whumptober Day 18

“Dr. Byrne,” Dr. Howell says sternly, “it’s been 30 minutes. Stop compressions and call it.”

Rory continues throwing his whole weight into his hands at the end of his locked elbows. He bobs up and down, depressing the chest of the man he is crouched over. “I can’t. He came in for a follow-up on his ankle sprain and now he’s here! It shouldn’t be possible.”

“I know, and that’s why I want you to get off Mr. Manes and take a walk.”

Whumptober Day 17

Chaia squirms on the gurney, her discolored and swollen leg rustling back and forth as she struggles.

“Chaia,” Dr. Howell says softly yet firmly, “I know it hurts, but please don’t move. It’ll make it worse. Anna can get you some morphine if you hold still and we need to get an x-ray. Don’t make me soft-restrain you like your wife.”

Whumptober Day 16

Anna peels a gauze pad off of Juliet’s leg. She grabs the wet rag from the coffee table and gently dab’s Juliet’s wound.

Despite the careful touch, Juliet hisses in pain. “Anna, please–”

“I’m almost done. Unless you want this to scar over.” Anna grabs the fresh gauze pad from the coffee table and places it where the old one was.

Whumptober Day 15

“I am not the nurse here, but I don’t think that your forehead should be that warm,” Juliet says.

“I’m fine,” Anna giggles.

Juliet grabs the thermometer from Anna’s dresser and swipes it across Anna’s forehead. “103.2. You are not. Let’s get you back to bed.” Juliet lightly pushes Anna back until she sits on the bed in the center of the room.

Anna curls up in her blanket and her mood immediately sours. “But mommy, I’m scared.”

“I’m– What are you scared of?”
“The monster behind you!” Anna buries her face in her pillow.

Juliet takes out her phone to ask Kai about what she was almost certain of–she needs to take Anna to the hospital.

Whumptober Day 14

“911, what is your emergency?” Victor opens a new call report.

“My… leg… hurts… and I… can’t… breathe…” a voice on the other end of the line manages between strained breaths.

“I am going to get you some help. Do you know where you are?”

“Work.” The voice pauses, then continues, “200 Handler Place.”

“What is your name?” Victor asks. He dispatches rescue units to the location.

“Carmen… Lyle.”

“Okay, Carmen, help is on the way.” Victor briefly checks his screen to see how far away help is when he notices multiple units headed in the same direction. “Carmen, is anyone else around you hurt?”

“Everyone.” Carmen pauses, straining to breathe. “Ceiling… collapse…” she manages before passing out from the pressure on her chest.

Whumptober Day 13

“This is gonna suck,” Rory warned, moving the spoon away from the flame of the cabin stove.

“What?” Patrick asked, not expecting Rory to press the spoon against the large gash in his leg. Patrick screamed in pain as the hot metal met his exposed veins and nerves. “I know you’re a doctor and all, but what was that for?”

“Nearest hospital is a mile away. I’m not having you bleed out in my car.”

Whumptober Day 12

Omar let out a scream as Dr. Howell straightened his bright purple leg against the bed. She wrapped soft restraints around Omar’s wrists to get him to stop moving in the way of his examination.

“I can’t do this. He’s in so much pain. Can’t you up his morphine?” Demetra asked, a tinge of panic in her voice. She stared at the scene of Omar flailing in pain on the gurney.

Anna grasped Demetra’s hand. “He’s maxed out on the meds.”

“Can’t you do something?” Demetra demanded.

“Dr. Howell paged ortho and gen surg, but this kind of damage isn’t good to anyone.”

Whumptober Day 11

“I need some help!” a young woman screams into the ED waiting room.

Anna rushes a wheelchair over to the frantic young woman, who is supporting a similarly-aged man. “What’s wrong?” she asks.

“He hadn’t had any water in a couple of hours and he collapsed from dehydration during study group. I got him some water to drink, but Bram decided to challenge him to a chugging contest, and now he’s been coughing and spitting up water for 15 minutes.”

“Okay. Let’s get him in the wheelchair. What’s his name?”

“M-ma-max. It’s Max. I’m, um, Malin. We’re twins, but I’m a whole hour older.”

“Okay,” Anna says, helping Max into the wheelchair. “Come with me.” She pushes Max through the entry to the ED and helps Max onto a bed. “Dr. Byrne!” Anna calls out. “I’ve got a college-age male with a possible laryngospasm or pulmonary edema!”

“Get him on Oxygen and keep him calm. I’m on my way and paging respiratory.”

“What does that mean?” Malin asks tentatively.

“He might be reacting to water in his lungs. You may have heard it be called delayed drowning.”

Whumptober Day 10

“C’mon, Mar. We’re heading to the hospital.” Chaia grabbed the hospital backpack off the sofa and slung it over her shoulder. “I’ll carry you to the car.”

“No,” Maria insisted weakly.

“I know you hate hospitals, but would you please look at your finger?” Chaia pleaded. On Maria’s finger was a purple pulse oximeter. Her pulse was 170 and she hadn’t gotten up in 20 minutes. Of course, Maria’s pulse had gone down since she collapsed onto the sofa. “It hasn’t been this bad since before your diagnosis,” Chaia reminded Maria. “You definitely need fluids and an EKG. An echo might even be warranted. I can’t do any of that here. Let me help you feel better.”

“I’m fine,” Maria insisted through labored breaths. In reality, she was not fine. Her chest was heavy and pained with each beat of her heart. She felt like she couldn’t breathe and her head spun. “I am going to work,” she proclaimed. She stood up from the spot on the sofa. Almost immediately, Maria’s vision went black and she collapsed to the floor.

Chaia sighed and scooped her wife up, knowing that she’d probably come to soon. “That’s one way to let me help you.”

Whumptober Day 9

Victor curls up in a ball on Chaia and Maria’s sofa, his teary eyes glued to the television screen. “No,” he whispers.

Maria sits down next to him and grasps his hand. “I’m here.”

Victor leans his head against her shoulder. “I haven’t been able to reach my mom all day. She was there.” He points at the television screen. “She was celebrating her birthday at that community center.” He turns his head and sobs into her shoulder.

Whumptober Day 8

Dr. Byrne meets Kai at the entrance to the ED. “What’s up?”

“Jack Brooks. 40-year-old male collapsed with sudden severe chest pain and shortness of breath a couple hours after playing football with his kids. Wife and kids are on their way over. Sats holding in the mid-80s, heart rate at 120, pressure at 130/90.”

Dr. Byrne glances over at Dr. Howell. “Alright. Bring him to trauma two. I need ultrasound.” He walks along the stretcher and helps Kai transfer Jack to the bed. “Okay, Mr. Brooks,” he says, squirting some ultrasound gel onto the probe, “my name is Dr. Byrne. I am here to help you. Now, this is going to be a bit cold, but it’ll help me get a better sense of what is going on.” He pushes the probe into Jack’s chest.

Jack flinches in pain. His breaths are heavy and strained. “Can’t breathe,” he pants out.

Dr. Howell appears behind Dr. Byrne. She grabs an Oxygen mask from behind the gurney and places it over Jack’s face. She looks over at the ultrasound screen. “Dr. Byrne, what do we see here?”

“That looks like a pneumothorax.” Dr. Byrne spies Jack’s blank expression out of the corner of his eye. “It means you have a collapsed lung. My recommendation for your current situation is a needle aspiration of the pleural cavity. This procedure can be done right here, right now, but it’s a bit uncomfortable. Do we have your consent to proceed?”