Sammy Helmond watched as the double doors leading to the ambulance bay swung
open and a gurney was rushed inside. His throat felt thick with emotion as he
watched the gurney be wheeled past him and into a critical care cubicle in the
restricted section of the emergency room. A moment later, a second ambulance
arrived and wheeled in another gurney.
A
shooting in Cade Creek.
Things like that simply did not happen, not here. Oh sure, there was the
occasional hunting accident and such but very rarely did someone get shot on
purpose, and now they had two gunshot wound patients.
Sammy knew he was going to be needed to run interference when family and
friends arrived. The doctors needed time to assess wounds and ensure that the
injured patients stayed alive. Once they knew their patients weren’t going to
die and they had a better idea of what they were dealing with, someone would
come out to talk to the family.
The best way that Sammy could help was to keep the family calm and make sure
that the doctors had all the information they needed to care for their
patients. Knowing this, Sammy got two clipboards and attached the medical
questionnaires that needed to be filled out by the family.
When the main door to the emergency room opened and several people rushed in,
Sammy’s heart sank. The one thing he hated about working in the emergency room
of a small town was that he knew just about everyone that came in. Sometimes
it was really hard to separate his personal feeling from his professional
obligations.
“Sammy,” Jonny breathed as he rushed to the check in desk. “They brought Russ
in. He was shot.”
Damn.
“The doctors are working on him now, Jonny,” Sammy replied. He held up the
clipboard. Now probably wasn’t the best time to bring it up but he really
needed to get this information to the doctors. “I need this filled out.”
If anything, Jonny’s face grew even grimmer. “I don’t…I don’t know any of
this.”
“Just fill in what you can, Jonny. I’ll get the rest from Russ’s medical
records.”
“I can help with some of it,” Mitch said as he hovered behind Jonny. “I’ve
called Russ’s parents and they should be here soon. They can help fill in the
rest.”
“I should know this, you know.” Jonny’s shaky hand took the clipboard and he
made his way over to one of the chairs. “We’re married. I should know this.”
Sammy blinked several times to get rid of the tears threatening to spring to
his eyes at the lost look on Jonny’s face. He knew the man well as they kind
of worked in the same profession. Jonny often dropped by for a chat after
dropping a patient off. It was heartbreaking to see his fancy wedding outfit
covered in blood.
“How’s Hank?”
Sammy’s gaze snapped to Benjamin Brody and his husband Neason. Everything
inside of him, right down to his soul, stilled. “Hank?”
Please. Don’t let it be my Hank.
“Hank Vaught,” Brody said. “He was also shot.”
“He pushed Russ out of the way,” Neason added, his eyelashes fluttering as he
blinked away his tears. “Hand probably saved Russ’s life.”
Sammy swallowed the lump in his throat before replying. “I’m afraid I can’t
really give out that information. I’ll need permission from whoever his
emergency contact is before I can tell you anything.”
Neasons’s face dropped but Brody nodded as if he understood. “I believe the
fire chief is Hank’s emergency contact.”
“Jack?”
Brody nodded.
“I’ll call him now,” Sammy said even as he reached for the phone, dialing Fire
Chief Jack Helmond’s cell phone. It seemed to take forever for Jack to answer.
Sammy knew the man was usually busy whether he was at work or at home with his
partner Chester, but if he didn’t answer the phone soon, Sammy was going to
scream.
“Hey, Sammy, what’s up?” the man asked when he finally answered.
“There’s been a shooting,” Sammy said quickly. “Hank Vaught and Russ Bozeman
were both shot. I believe you are listed as Hank’s emergency contact. I need
you to come down to the hospital.”
“Wasn’t Russ getting married today?”
“Yes.” Sammy glanced at the people gathered around Jonny, all dressed in the
Sunday best. “I don’t know exactly what happened but I think the shooting took
place at the wedding. Someone said Hank got shot when he pushed Russ out of
the way.”
“Damn! Okay, I’m on my way.”
“Hurry, Jack. There’s no one here to make medical decisions for Hank.”
“Getting in my truck now. I’ll hit the lights.”
“Just hurry, Jack.” Sammy hung up and took a moment to center himself. His
desperation to go check on Hank was overwhelming. He needed to keep it
together. He took a few more cleansing breathes and then walked over to one of
the other nurses. “I need to run in back. Can you watch the counter?”
Sally glanced up, smiling. “Sure.”
“The fire chief is on his way here,” Sammy said. “Just let him come back when
he arrives.”
“Okay.”
Sammy walked around the check in counter and over to the small group gathered,
waiting for news. “Jonny.” The anguish on the man’s pale face when he looked
up just about ripped Sammy’s heart out. “I’m going to run in back and see if
the doctor can tell me anything. I’ll be right back.”
“Thank you.”
He nodded and turned, keeping his steps even and at a regular controlled pace
as he walked to the double doors leading back into the medical bay. He tapped
the code to open the door and then waited. The activity in the back area was
busy, as it should be if there were two gunshot victims in the emergency room.
Sammy stepped through the doors and went to the nurse’s desk set in the middle
of the twelve room medical bay. It became blaringly apparent that one patient
was in room twelve and the other in room ten. That was where all of the
activity was located.
He moved closer, listening and watching. He cataloged all of the medical
procedures happening in front of him but his brain refused to process exactly
what they were. All he could see was the blood saturating Hank’s shirt as it
was being cut off of him. The heart monitor said Hank was alive but how was
beyond Sammy. He could see the wound that the doctor was trying to treat, the
jagged edges of skin where a bullet had ripped through the man’s flesh.
Hank shouldn’t be alive.
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