Chapter 295
[ 481 words ]
Chapter 295:
All the color drained completely from Caroline’s face. The phone slipped slightly in her trembling grip.
The paramedic shouted over the blaring sirens that they were redirecting the ambulance to Washington United Medical Center. It was the closest Level 1 trauma center.
The call abruptly disconnected, leaving a harsh dial tone buzzing loudly in Caroline’s ear.
Caroline stood completely paralyzed. The crushing weight of the tragedy short-circuited her brain. Her mother was dying.
Julian heard the key medical phrases. He instantly snapped out of his misguided intervention.
The concerned friend vanished completely, entirely replaced by the brilliant, highly focused trauma surgeon.
He stepped forward. His voice was completely professional and urgent. He asked Caroline for the patient’s ETA and the paramedic’s injury report.
𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘀.𝗰𝗼𝗺
Caroline looked at him with wide, unseeing eyes. Her lips trembled uncontrollably. She whispered that her mother was coming in.
The adrenaline hit Caroline’s system like a runaway freight train. She broke into a dead sprint down the long corridor toward the ER ambulance bay.
Julian was right beside her. He matched her frantic pace. He pulled out his pager to alert the trauma surgical team to prep an OR immediately.
They burst through the heavy double doors. The wailing sirens of two approaching ambulances cut sharply through the cold night air.
The first ambulance screeched to a halt. Paramedics jumped out instantly. They threw open the back doors to reveal a blood-soaked stretcher.
Caroline’s breath caught painfully in her throat. The woman on the stretcher was completely unrecognizable. Her mother’s face was obscured by thick blood and a massive oxygen mask.
She tried to rush forward. Julian grabbed her waist firmly. He physically hauled her back to prevent her from interfering with the paramedics’ movement.
He sternly reminded her that she was family right now, not medical staff. He ordered her to stay out of the drop zone.
The paramedics shouted the critical vitals. They reported massive internal bleeding, a crushed pelvis, multiple rib fractures, and rapidly dropping blood pressure.
The stretcher was rushed violently into Trauma Bay 1. Dr. Marcus Holloway, the on-call attending surgeon, immediately took charge of the chaotic scene.
Caroline stood frozen in the cold ambulance bay. The harsh metallic scent of blood hung heavy in the air, triggering a sickening wave of nausea. The woman who had disowned her, who had spoken to her with such bitter venom just weeks ago, was now fighting a losing battle for her life just on the other side of those swinging doors.
She wrapped her arms tightly around her own torso, her body violently trembling. Tears finally spilled down her face, a chaotic, agonizing mix of grief, unresolved anger, and sheer terror. She stumbled toward the isolated family waiting room, her legs feeling like heavy lead. Her hands were shaking so badly she could barely push the heavy wooden door open.
Inside the trauma bay, alarms blared continuously. Dr. Holloway struggled desperately to stabilize Mrs. Thompson’s crashing vitals.
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