When Darkness Calls

Chapter Twelve

Dean barged through the double doors of the emergency room, gripping firmly around Sam's waist with his good hand, and dragging his younger brother into the hospital. Sam's arm hung loosely around Dean's neck, his head resting on Dean's shoulder.

"My brother needs help," he hollered, not caring if he drew attention to himself or Sam. "He's not breathing."

Several nurses and a young female doctor rushed toward them.

"Get a gurney," the doctor ordered, taking charge of the situation. Almost instantaneously, someone came forward with one, and they lifted Sam onto it.

Someone quickly checked for a pulse and heartbeat beat. "No pulse, doctor. No respirations."

"Code blue," someone called.

The doctor's authoritative voice cut through the din. "CPR STAT. Room four."

Placing a mask over Sam's mouth and nose, a nurse started squeezing the reservoir bag in rhythmic precision as a male nurse did chest compressions.

Dean followed as they rushed Sam to the exam room, listening and watching the flurry of activities, performed to save Sam's life. So many things were happening all at once, Dean's mottled brain had a hard time taking them all in. The nurses and doctor called out things in rapid succession, working together like a well-oiled machine.

"What happened, sir?" A triage nurse asked with pen and clipboard in hand, ready to take down a report of the incident. "When did he stop breathing?"

"Just stopped . . . almost made it . . . . and he just stopped," Dean mumbled, his terrified gaze never leaving his brother for a moment as the triage nurse continued to besiege him with questions he barely heard.

"Get his vitals and hook him up to a heart monitor," the petite blonde doctor dictated. "Hang a bag of O negative on the rapid infuser, then type and cross to match."

"BP 95/50. Pupils equal and reactive to light," A nurse relayed the information to the doctor.

"Multiple third degree burns, multiple lacerations to the chest and abdomen."

The doctor moved to stand at Sam's head. "Marlene, laryngoscope, 7.0 endotracheal tube, and suction." She elevated Sam's head, and opened his mouth. "Okay, suction."

Marlene quickly complied, suctioning Sam's mouth. The doctor grasped the laryngoscope in her left hand, spreading Sam's lips with her right, and inserted the blade, lifting upward and forward. "Okay, I'm in, bag him, and start on 100 oxygen."

Grabbing the stethoscope from around her neck, the doctor listened to each side of Sam's chest, then nodded to Marlene. Marlene wrapped adhesive tape around the tube, across Sam's cheek and around the back of his head fastening the other end of the tape around the tube.

"Crackles bi-laterally, possible pneumonia."

"Blunt force trauma to the stomach," the male nurse said. "Abdomen, rigid and distended. Possible internal bleeding."

"I need a portable chest x-ray, and we need to control this bleeding, and get him up to the OR," the doctor ordered, and several nurses hurried to comply. "Mark, who's on call in surgery?"