The Unseen (Book one of the Ro, James, and Alicia trilogy)

Chapter 4

I pulled away reluctantly and rushed to Mary's side. I took hold of her hand and she motioned for two men wheeling a stretcher to follow. Carefully, I took his pulse. Still there, slow but there.

"He was injected by a fellow student with a sedative we give to the elderly," I announced putting in the saline needle. "He was given too much according to this purple bruise." I pointed to it and Mary made a noise.

I walked out to the ambulance with Mary leaning on me and Alicia walking next to me. Gently I pulled the cloth off of his eye and started tending to his lips. It was split worst then I thought and blood was still dribbling out of it.

"I got it from here you girls need to stay in school," Mary said standing up and lifting the stretcher up into the ambulance. Alicia and I shook our heads.

"I was the nurse to see him like this and I have to scrub in," I replied, and then taking Alicia's hand I stood up for her. "She was the only other person to help him and she just beat the snot out of her brother, I think she deserves to at least come to the hospital to see him better."

Mary nodded and we hopped in closing the doors behind us. "Young lady," she said to Alicia, "stay over in that corner so blood doesn't reach you. Ro, take this apron and put it on." I threw on the apron swiftly and finished up the suture in James's lip.

Alicia sank into the corner and watched as we had to start tearing open James's arm. Since I was the youngest I had to use my good eyesight to try and find the pinprick in the vein that the sedative was inserted. Right as we got to the hospital I found it and clamped the blood flow to it.

A doctor rushed out and took Alicia's arm. "Bring her to the waiting room in the east wing on floor two," I commanded. Alicia followed the doctor but kept glancing behind her shoulder as I followed her into the elevator. "Mary I found the hole, we need to hurry because it's in the basilic vein and he's losing a lot of blood."

As soon as the words left my lips the elevator doors opened and the doctor held Alicia back as we rushed out and into the east wing E.R. The medics moved James onto the hospital bed and nurses rushed to my side.

"I need a sclerotherapy needle and fast, attach it to a tube, I'm going to try and remove the sedative before it reaches the brain," I order.

"Ro, that's extremely difficult, let a surgeon or doctor do it," Mary pleaded.

"I am the best person in here, right now, that can see the hole. I am the best shot you got to do this, Dr. Mary," I reply calmly.

Mary nodded and Vanessa handed me the needle attached to the tube. I find the hole and take a deep breath. Carefully I put the needle through the hole; once I got it up to the middle of the vein I release my breath.

"I need suction," my voice says unnaturally calm. Clear liquid starts backtracking out of the tube. Once I see blood I speak again. "Stop suction and clamp off the tube so the sedative doesn't go back in." Vanessa and John do as I say and I find myself extracting the needle.

Quickly I grab a suture and begin to stitch the wound back up. "We need oh positive blood, he's lost about a pint if we don't get it back in him all of this would have been for nothing." Silently a doctor emerges and sticks a needle in James's opposite arm as I finish his last stitch.

We wait in the E.R. to make sure that all the blood goes in him and his vitals remain stable. Everyone cheers and clap me on the back. Mary kisses both my cheeks and wheels James out herself. I exit and wash my hands for the required five minutes. Doctor Paisley comes up to me and waits for me to finish. My sapphire dress is clean and my makeup is flawless even throughout that hour and half surgery.