As Grandma is awkwardly fitted with the brace, I glance over at Mr. Short Sleeves. He’s not even shivering.
Chapter Two
Adam
Just another endless day on the job…these twelve-hour shifts are murder. How much longer until I can go home?
The clock on the ambulance dashboard reads 4:03 p.m.
Great, two more hours… I don’t mind when we’re busy, but sitting around a gas station parking lot isn’t exactly what I signed up for.
A call comes through the speakers interrupting my inner gripe session. “We have a two-vehicle crash in the parking lot of Crown Theater off Maria Boulevard. Closest unit please respond.”
Sitting behind the wheel, I grab the comm. “10-4, unit 365 responding.”
“Adam, please try to curb your enthusiasm. You know I don’t like having my coffee breaks interrupted,” jokes Charlie, my co-worker.
He is close to retirement and my get-up-and-go attitude, never fails to amuse him. He has seen a lot over his thirty-plus years as a paramedic, and I hope that my sense of humor will still be intact when I reach his age instead of having blood and death burned into my retinas.
“C’mon kid, let’s roll,” adds Tommy, another veteran on the staff. He is quieter than Charlie but no less professional when it comes to answering a call.
I turn on the overhead lights and ease into traffic. No need for the siren since we are only two minutes away and no major injuries were reported. It is probably the usual fender-bender with bruised egos and heated tempers.
I turn right at the light and aim the ambulance down the road. The movie theater is next to the new shopping center. Traffic is busy, but it’s nothing to worry about. I can already see the police cars by the theater. Jeez, did they really need three cruisers for a minor crash? Looks like they’re having a slow day, too.
I inch onto the scene as a gust of snow nearly obliterates my vision. This is going to be fun.
“All right, let’s go and get a handle on the situation,” Charlie says. “I’ll talk to the cops. Tommy, take Adam with you and see if anybody needs immediate assistance.”
“Should I bring any of the equipment with me, boss?” I ask.
“Yeah, you can start with the neck brace. We’ll see if we need to bring out the stretcher,” Charlie responds.
As Charlie greets the cops, Tommy and I get our first look at the crash. The SUV looks fine, maybe a bent fender, if that, but the driver’s side door of the black sedan resembles the Incredible Hulk’s punching bag. I hate when people driving smaller cars become the crash test dummies of larger vehicles. It’s not a fair fight. Not by a long shot.
“The two men with the SUV look fine. They’re out and walking around. But it looks like something’s up with the old lady in the car. See how that cop is hovering over her?” Tommy asks.
“Guys, come here for a minute, will ya?” Charlie calls.
We jog over to where Charlie is standing. He is talking to a cop whose face is covered in acne scars. I don’t usually notice things like that, but the guy looks like a pepperoni pizza.
“You guys are first on scene, so if the lady wants to go with you, you’ll be the ones to take her to the hospital,” the cop says. “The other three aren’t complaining of any injuries, so it’ll just be her.”
I glance over again at the car and catch the girl staring at me. Is she shaking her head? I hope she’s not talking the driver out of seeking treatment. Big mistake. So many times an accident victim is still in shock, coasting on adrenaline when these things happen. It’s an hour or two later when the real pain sets in.
“You continually amaze me, kid,” Charlie says.
“And why is that?” I ask.
“We’re in the middle of a blizzard and you’re standing there like it’s the Fourth of July. I might be old and feeble, but would it kill you to wear a damn coat every once and a while?” Charlie asks.
“Old? Feeble? Glad you finally admitted it, old man,” I joke.
“Watch it,” Charlie warns.
“Well, if you fellas are done horsing around, I’d be much obliged if you could take a look at the victim. I wanna get outta here, the sooner the better,” says the pimple-faced cop.
Charlie turns around and rolls his eyes at me. Tommy is already hurrying toward the car.
“What do we have here? Officer, what’s the situation?” Tommy asks, as he reaches the female cop. She is still standing guard over the elderly lady, who is clearly injured.
“Looks like possible whiplash, but you’re the experts,” she says. “I’ll leave it to you to examine her. I’ve been trying to keep her from moving her neck.”
“Excellent, we’ll take it from here,” Charlie responds.
Since I am still in training, I step back and watch as Tommy takes the neck brace from my hands and gives it to Charlie. Charlie is such a pro in these situations. He always knows how to keep a victim calm and get the job done.
I chance another quick look at the girl. She is extremely quiet, no doubt taking it all in. At least she’s not causing a fuss or getting in the way. Looks like we’re all headed for a ride to the hospital.
Take Me Now Page 19