Dumping Ground: Daylight

Alex ~ Hypothermia

Alex felt off while he was cleaning the minivan. He stopped and put the sponge down.
"Argh..." He groaned, and he raised his hand up to his head.

The next thing Alex knew, he was lying on the ground, and it was cold and dark.
"Alex. I don't have time for this. Get inside," He heard Mike say.
"Mi... Mike..." Alex gasped, but his voice was too quiet. Then everything went black, and it stayed black.

~

"Is that Alex?"
"It is. Alex, are you ok?" May-Li asked as she and Jody saw him lying beside the minivan. It was 9am and they were about to go into town. "Alex?"
"Is he asleep?"
"Alex?" May-Li asked as they got closer and she was becoming worried. "Alex, can you hear me?"
"Alex?"
"Alex?" May-Li asked as she knelt beside him and put her hand onto his side. "Oh."
"What is it?"
"He's cold. Very cold."
"He's wearing the same clothes that he was in yesterday."
"So he is... and the water's warmer than he is," May-Li said as she tested it. "Jody, go inside and ask Mike to call for an ambulance."
"Why? What's wrong with Alex?"
"I think he could be hypothermic, and he's not waking up."
"Alright," Jody said, and she went inside.
"What's... hypothermic?" Taz asked as she came out of the front door. "Is that Alex? Is he ok?" Taz asked as she knelt beside May–Li.
"He's very cold Taz."
"Why is he asleep?"
"I don't know," May-Li said and she took Alex's pulse.
"He's freezing," Taz said as she touched Alex's skin.
"Alex might have hypothermia. It's when your body gets too cold and it starts to shut down."
"Is he going to die?"
"Not if we get him help Taz."
"And what are you doing to help him?"
"Jody's getting Mike to call for an ambulance. They'll take Alex to hospital and warm him up."
"We can warm him up here."
"He needs to be warmed up under proper medical supervision."
"Oh. Why is he this cold?"
"I don't know Taz. But he's in the same clothes that he was wearing yesterday so he could have been out here all night."
"Why?"
"I don't know. We need to wait for the paramedics and they'll take him to the hospital ok?"
"Ok," Taz said and May-Li shook Alex a little.
"Alex? Alex, it's May-Li, can you hear me?"
"Come on Alex."
"Mike's on the phone to them now," Jody said as she came outside to rejoin them. "They're worried about the impact this has had on his surgical wound."
"Of course. It's only been two weeks since he's had his appendix taken out."
"Is that bad?"
"It might be Taz."
"Mike also said that he saw Alex on the ground last night. He thought that he was joking around, so he didn't check on him properly."
"Ok, if Alex has been unconscious for the whole night, then we need to find out what made him collapse in the first place."
"He's been fine the last few days."
"Yeah, he hasn't seemed off or in any pain."
"I haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary either. For now, his pulse is good and the paramedics are on their way."
"Found unconscious twice in one month, Alex is getting a reputation for this."
"I hope not Jody," May-Li said. They waited with Alex until the ambulance came and took him to the hospital. May-Li went with him this time and Mike kept an eye on everyone at Ashdene Ridge.

"He's collapsed again?" Ryan asked.
"That's enough from you Ryan."
"Is he alright?"
"What happened?"
"How come he was so cold?"
"It looks like he was out there all night."
"Did he fall asleep outside?"
"I don't know Joseph. All I know is that I saw him on the ground last night and..."
"You saw him last night?" Tyler asked. "Didn't you go and check to see if he was ok?"
"I thought that he was messing around, so I didn't go and check on him. It was a mistake on my part."
"And now he's probably being rushed into surgery again and is almost going to die. Again."
"Shut up Ryan. This is serious."
"He only had his appendix out two weeks ago."
"Yeah, he's still got a big scar."
"It's still healing."
"Look, May-Li and Jody found him this morning and he's on his way to the hospital now. They will be able to find out what happened and sort him out."
"Mike?"
"Yes Charlie?"
"Can you take me to the hospital? I'm worried about him, and I want to help if I can."
"I'll ask May-Li to come and get you when we know more ok?"
"Ok," Charlie agreed.
"For now, there's nothing more we can do. So... carry on."

~

"Alex. Hey," Charlie said softly as she rubbed his hand. "It's Charlie."
"Charlie...?" Alex asked as he woke up.
"Yeah. How are you feeling?"
"Where am I?"
"You're in hospital."
"Why am I warm?"
"You're covered in blankets. May-Li found you outside the house this morning. You were freezing cold and you were unconscious."
"I was outside?" Alex asked as he opened his eyes.
"Yes, by the minivan. You were out there all night and you developed hypothermia."
"I was.. I was washing the minivan. Then everything went black."
"It went black?"
"Yeah. I don't know what's wrong with me."
"Neither do we. The doctor's running some tests and she should be back soon."
"She?"
"Yeah. Dr Hartbridge."
"Oh, ok."
"How are you feeling?"
"Alright. I've got a bit... of a headache."
"Are you sick?"
"No. It's just my head. And my throat's dry."
"Here," Charlie said and she gave Alex some water.
"Thanks," Alex said after she held him to drink some. "You're here. Not May-Li or..."
"May-Li's talking to your doctor."
"But you're here," Alex said and Charlie smiled a little as she squeezed his hand.
"I was worried about you."
"Alex. Is he awake?" May-Li asked Charlie as she came over with Dr Hartbridge.
"He is. He woke up a few minutes ago."
"How are you feeling Alex?" May-Li asked as she sat on the bed beside him.
"Warm. But my head hurts."
"He's got a headache, and a dry throat."
"That would figure Alex. I'm Dr Hartbridge and we've done a blood test on you."
"What did you find?"
"Your body's severely dehydrated. It's easily treated, and given your recent abdominal surgery, I'm not too surprised."
"If we'd had known that this could happen, we would have kept a closer eye on Alex."
"It's not something to worry yourself over. Dehydration after abdominal surgery is fairly common, but being left overnight in the cold is something we don't see often with these cases."
"He lives in a children's home, and Mike last night..."
"It's alright May-Li. Alex's body temperature is coming up nicely and all I need to do is put him on IV fluids until his sodium and potassium levels are back up to normal."
"Ok. Thank you."
"How long am I going to be here for?"
"Hopefully no longer than a few hours. We'll keep you under observation and I'll be checking on you regularly."
"Thank you."
"I'll get a nurse to put the IV in and start you on the fluids."
"Thank you," Alex said and Dr Hartbridge left him.
"Alex, Mike and I are very sorry about what happened," May-Li told him.
"It's alright. She said that dehydration is normal after abdominal surgery."
"But if Mike had checked on you then..."
"Mike was going to check on me?"
"He came outside to bring you in last night. When he saw you on the ground, he thought that you were messing around. He didn't realise that you were unconscious."
"So I get to blame Mike this time for me ending up in hospital?" Alex said and Charlie smiled a little.
"Yes. I wouldn't tell him though."
"I won't," Alex said, and he smiled.

~

Alex stayed in the hospital for three hours before he was discharged and May-Li brought him home.
"Back again from the hospital?"
"Watch it Ryan."
"It was dehydration this time right?"
"Yeah. Having abdominal surgery meant that my body was using up more salt, but I wasn't consuming enough to replace it."
"So you passed out while washing the minivan because you weren't drinking enough salt?"
"Yeah, basically Floss."
"And Mike and May-Li left you out there all night?"
"I didn't realise that Alex was unconscious."
"We know Mike."
"I'm glad that you're back, and that you're ok."
"Thanks Joseph."
"Again."
"Yeah, it feels like a repeat of two weeks ago."
"What happened to caring about each other?"
"We do care and are glad that you're ok Alex. Just don't make a habit of this."
"Trust me, I don't want to."
"Is your surgical wound ok?"
"Yeah, it's just fine Taz. It's still healing and they put a new dressing on it."
"Well, it's great for some," Ryan said and Alex felt anger rising within in.
"Next time, why don't you just lock me in my room and leave me to die of appendicitis."
"What?"
"You didn't help me. I was being stubborn, but I was in agony. You could have told Mike and May-Li, but you didn't."
"Your health isn't my problem."
"And from now on, yours isn't mine. If I get hit by a car, I know that everyone here will help me. Who will help you?" Alex asked and Ryan went quiet for a few moments.
"I don't need to answer to you," Ryan said, and he left them.
"It's been a bad few weeks for me," Alex said to the others. "Thank you for being kind and patient with me."
"Of course."
"We get it Alex."
"Thanks Sasha."
"Yeah, we understand."
"Come on, May-Li's brought flour and I want to make some cookies."
"It's nearly 9pm Floss."
"So?"
"That sounds good. There's always a need for a celebration."
"My thoughts exactly," Floss said and Alex went with her into the kitchen.

All the residents had late night cookies, and Alex was really glad that he had people around him who, when they had found him cold and vulnerable, they had warmed him up and brought him home. They were a family worth looking out for and looking after, just as they had already done for him.