CONSULTANT IN CRISIS

by Alison Roberts

  How much time was irrelevant because the position of clock hands had lost any meaning. Daylight hours had come and gone and the transition had barely been registered. They were into the second day of this incident now and hope of finding any more survivors was fading. Relays of grim-faced and exhausted rescuers kept going. Respite had been inadequate with any real rest elusive, but they had no intention of stopping. Thanks to the media picking up the story about Joe and Ricky, the entire nation was waiting for news—waiting to see if, by some miracle, the heroic paramedic and the disabled child would be found alive.

  USAR technicians had flown in from the north island now and many tired team members had been replaced. June had opted out of any further duties and both Owen and Roger had been stood down. Kyle had refused replacement.

  ‘No way, man. I’m not missing this.’

  Kelly wished she had even a fraction of Kyle’s seemingly unquenchable enthusiasm. She found herself stealing glances at the young volunteer firefighter during the briefing that had become just another part of the routine. Kyle was listening eagerly to the statistics. The number of dead and seriously injured had crept up only a little. The number of people unaccounted for had dropped markedly. Areas of damage in the supermarket had been carefully mapped now with fewer no-go sections. The suggestion that the explosion had not been an accident was gaining credence and new teams of police forensic experts were starting work to examine the disaster area for evidence.

  Kelly waited for the separate USAR briefing, wishing she had had a replacement urged on her, but no offers had been made to herself, Wendy, Fletch or Ross. Medics with their qualifications were a rare commodity.

  ‘How’s it going, Ross?’ Kelly could see the lines of strain on the young doctor’s face, and he would have to be the most physically fit of their whole class, with the possible exception of Wendy. Kelly was grateful she hadn’t been near a mirror in the last twenty-four hours. If Ross looked this weary and grubby, she hated to imagine what she must look like.

  ‘I’m stuffed,’ Ross confessed. ‘How ’bout you?’

  ‘I’ll be very glad to go home,’ Kelly responded. ‘If it wasn’t for the fact that Joe’s still trapped in there, I’m not sure I’d want to face any more of this.’

  ‘It’s a lot tougher than I thought it would be. Pretty horrendous, in fact, isn’t it?’

  Kelly just nodded. She could see the incident command officers conferring. Any moment now they would receive the instructions for their next tour of duty. ‘Do you think he’s still alive, Ross?’ Kelly had to ask. She badly needed some reassurance.

  ‘I don’t know.’ The sigh was heartfelt. ‘I hope so.’

  ‘Me, too.’ Kelly was now watching Kyle again, who was flicking his headlamp on and off. The flashing of the light on the tent wall was irritating. ‘Has he been this hyped all the time?’

  ‘Pretty much. I’d like to know where he finds the energy.’ Ross looked as though he was sharing Kelly’s irritation. ‘He’s never used the breaks to rest. He sneaks back to watch what’s going on. He was even in the morgue the last time we chased him up.’

  ‘Good grief.’ Kelly couldn’t imagine going into that particular tent unless it was absolutely necessary. She wouldn’t forget her visit there with Jessica in a hurry.

  Wendy had had enough of Kyle’s method of passing the time. ‘Turn it off, Kyle,’ she snapped. ‘Or on. Just make up your mind, for heaven’s sake. You’re driving me nuts.’

  ‘Oh, sorry.’ Kyle flicked his lamp off and smiled at Wendy. ‘How long do you think this is going to take?’

  ‘I have no idea, Kyle. We’ll have to keep looking until everybody is located. It might take days yet.’

  ‘No, I meant how long before we can go back inside?’

  Wendy simply shook her head and Kelly felt herself smiling sympathetically. Kyle’s eagerness was not shared by anyone other than fresh recruits, and the answer would come soon enough anyway. It was Dave who addressed the waiting USAR personnel.

  ‘USAR 2 is going to work from the base on the Desmond Street entrance. A crane is being used to clear the car park exit at that point. At least two vehicles are known to have been caught on the outward ramp.

  ‘USAR 4 is going to level 2, starting on the south side.’ Dave’s pointer traced a circle around the area on the map. ‘Your squad leader will now be Tony.’

  A significant glance was exchanged between several listeners. Tony had been leading USAR 3 but the team had virtually disintegrated. June had gone home. Jessica was not allowed to return to duty and Joe…The fate of USAR 3’s other medic was on everybody’s mind.

  ‘USAR 5 is coming inside again with me,’ Dave continued. ‘We’re going to try an approach to the car park area from the fire escape next to Toyland.’ He tapped another location on the map. ‘Getting to that point through the remaining section of the pharmacy looks like a possibility. We’ll be working under the section being covered by USAR 4 so we’ll keep in close radio contact to share information.’

  Dave looked around the silent group. ‘We’re into the second day now so biological hazards are increasing. There are bodies that haven’t been located, sewerage systems have been disrupted and oxygen levels will be further reduced. Pockets of gas are still likely. Don’t enter any new void until the atmospheric testing has been done.’

  There was no other option than to go through the pharmacy again, with the heart-wrenching reminder of finding those two little girls. Kelly followed her team members silently as they returned to a scene that was not losing any of its nightmarish qualities due to familiarity. Even if this shopping precinct was completely restored, Kelly was not sure she would ever want to set foot on its tiled walkways again.

  Large quantities of debris had been shifted now. It was easy to gain access to the pharmacy and beyond. The supermarket had been searched as far as possible and many victims removed. Kelly’s team was now being deployed to one side of the worst-hit area adjacent to where the second floor had collapsed. Reinforced concrete drooped like badly hung wallpaper, with lengths of steel rod poking like fingers into huge gaps. Voids beneath slabs of concrete had to be checked. The debris took on a new horror for Kelly when they neared the toy shop. Soft toys and dolls lay dusty and ruined. Plastic building bricks crunched under steel-capped boots. This was the place they were most likely to find more children. Kelly had to clear her throat more than once to be able to raise her voice.

  ‘Rescue team here. Can you hear me?’

  Nothing. Again and again silence was ordered and the team went through its drill, moving slowly forward, a metre at a time. Minutes crawled into hours and Kelly wondered if she would ever breathe again without smelling stale air filtered from thick dust or be able to blink without the discomfort of gritty, sore eyes. Surely it would all be over soon.

  Dave was keeping in close touch with Tony and USAR 4. They were still overhead, having searched a large area on level 2, and were now reaching their limit where the damaged flooring made it unsafe to go close. There had been a couple of false hopes. Kyle was sure he had heard someone calling. Tony and other team members couldn’t confirm his belief but they had to be sure before they gave up.

  Silence was called for throughout the site. Kelly’s team stopped and waited. The call for silence filtered back and pneumatic equipment was shut down. Wheelbarrows were halted. A bucket brigade put down their wire rubble baskets. They all waited. Kelly could hear the calls coming from above.

  ‘Rescue team here. Can you hear me?’

  Silence.

  And then a shout. A loud shout. Almost a scream. Dave’s radio buzzed a second later.

  ‘Dave? We’ve got a problem.’

  ‘What’s up, Tony?’

  ‘Kyle’s got himself in trouble. He went out on his own and he’s stepped onto a single piece of reinforcing rod. He’s impaled his leg.’

  They could all hear Kyle screaming.

  ‘He’s close to an edge. Can you see him from where you are?’ />
  They were all looking up towards the source of the dreadful sound. A dim shape could be seen writhing in the shadows of the upper level.

  ‘Help! Someone help me!’

  A figure moved past Kelly to get closer to the gap in the ceiling. ‘Have we got some sort of ladder or platform we can get in here?’ Fletch was staring upwards. ‘We might be able to reach him.’

  ‘It’s nearly five metres.’ Dave changed the channel on his radio. ‘Let’s find out what might be available.’

  The calls for help became more frantic. Tony’s voice was hard to hear over the sound of Kyle’s voice when he responded to Dave’s message that a ladder was on its way.

  ‘We’ve got a bit closer. It looks stable enough if we’re careful.’

  ‘Can you cut the reinforcing rod and get him free that way?’

  ‘Might have to. Ross is going to try and have a look at his leg.’

  They were all watching as Ross slowly approached Kyle, his headlamp illuminating the scene. They could see Ross bending towards Kyle’s leg. And they all saw Kyle grab the medic’s arm.

  ‘Don’t touch my leg, man! It hurts!’

  Did Kyle push him away or did Ross lose his balance and then his carefully calculated footing? Kelly couldn’t believe what she was watching. Ross didn’t have a hope of saving himself. He was propelled towards the edge and fell with a spiralling movement to land with a sickening thud a split second later on the broken concrete slabs only metres away from where Fletch was standing. He lay on his back with a deathly stillness.

  For another second nobody moved. The silence was more complete than it had been during any of their rescue calls. Even Kyle stopped screaming as the horror of what had just happened registered. It was Fletch who broke the stunned immobility of the scene. He stepped forward and crouched beside Ross.

  ‘Ross. Can you hear me, mate?’

  Kelly stumbled towards them. She could see Ross’s eyes flicker open. He was conscious. Was it even remotely possible that he could have escaped serious injury?

  ‘Can you hear me, Ross?’ Fletch sounded calm. ‘Do you know where you are?’

  The dust mask had been pulled clear. Ross’s lips moved but no sound came out.

  Kelly crouched beside Fletch. ‘Is his airway clear?’

  Fletch had his hands on either side of Ross’s face now, supporting his neck as he pushed the jaw forward to ensure an open airway. ‘He’s breathing.’

  Ross opened his eyes again and groaned.

  ‘It’s OK, Ross,’ Kelly said. ‘You’ve had a fall. Don’t try and move until we’ve checked you out.’

  ‘Can’t…move.’

  ‘What can’t you move, mate?’ Fletch was still holding Ross’s head.

  ‘Legs…’ The power of speech was returning to Ross. ‘I can’t…feel…my legs.’

  ‘Squeeze my hands, Ross.’ Kelly pulled the leather glove and put her fingers into his palm. Her glance at Fletch and the tiny shake of her head confirmed what he could see for himself. The hand made only a flicker of movement.

  ‘Does anything hurt, Ross?’

  ‘My neck. God, Fletch, I’ve broken my bloody neck, haven’t I?’

  ‘Don’t jump to conclusions,’ Fletch told him. ‘You’ve certainly done something and we’re going to make damned sure we take care of you until you’ve been checked out properly.’ He looked up. ‘Grab a C-collar, will you, Kelly? Dave—come and shift some of this rubbish so we can get Ross lying on a more even surface.’

  ‘I’ve broken my neck.’ Ross sounded almost surprised. ‘I’m still breathing so I guess it’s lower than C5.’

  ‘Just keep as still as you can.’ Fletch was concentrating on supporting Ross’s head as other team members carefully moved some smaller pieces of rubble from around and beneath Ross.

  Medical back-up had been urgently summoned. A Stokes basket arrived with a backboard and collar included in the supplies it contained.

  ‘We’ll ease the helmet off,’ Fletch instructed. ‘I’ll hold his head. You undo the strap and get it clear, Kelly.’

  She had to work around Fletch’s hands, needing to gently ease the ends of the straps clear of his fingers without allowing any movement of Ross’s head. Then she had to wiggle the helmet clear, a fraction of an inch at a time.

  ‘Slow down,’ Fletch ordered. ‘Try and be a bit more careful, Kelly.’

  Kelly bit back the retort that she was being as careful as humanly possible. She was making damned sure she didn’t do anything to invite criticism. Not because Fletch was watching like a hawk but because this was Ross. And this terrible accident should never have happened.

  With the helmet and dust mask completely removed, it was possible for Kelly to check for obvious injuries to the neck area.

  ‘Trachea’s midline,’ she told Fletch.

  ‘I can see that for myself.’

  Kelly ignored the tone. Fletch was probably as upset as she was that this had happened to a friend. She carefully slid her fingers beneath Ross’s neck to feel the top of his spine.

  ‘No obvious deformity,’ she informed Fletch. ‘Pain is over C6 to C8.’

  It wasn’t until they had the neck collar on and an oxygen mask in place that Kelly realised how quiet it still was around them. People were just standing and watching and the atmosphere was one of deep dismay. One of their number was injured and, from the way the medical team was acting, it didn’t look good.

  ‘What’s the blood pressure?’

  ‘105 over 68.’ Kelly still had her hand on Ross’s wrist. ‘Heart rate’s 120.’

  ‘It’s about time you had an IV line in. What gauge cannula are you going to use?’

  ‘Fourteen.’ If Fletch criticised her choice or technique, she would suggest that he let someone else support the alignment of Ross’s spine so that he could do it himself. Happily, the procedure was easy and swift.

  ‘Any signs of other trauma?’ Fletch wasn’t going to allow Kelly even a moment’s respite.

  Having already started a rapid survey, Kelly found the query unnecessary. She was just as keen as Fletch was to do this job to the best of her ability. ‘Chest clear,’ she said without glancing up. ‘Diaphragmatic breathing.’ She continued her examination, interspersed with minimal summaries. ‘Abdo soft. Pelvis stable. Abrasions to left thigh. No fracture.’ She tested the neurological deficit and passed on the findings with disquiet. ‘Paresthesia in all limbs. Paresis in both arms and paralysis of both legs.’ How much of it would be permanent was impossible to guess.

  They positioned the backboard and extra people were summoned for a log roll. Kelly quickly felt down the knobs of the vertebrae when Ross had been tipped carefully sideways to allow the backboard to be slid into place.

  ‘Get on with it, Kelly.’ Fletch sounded frankly irritable now. ‘I want to get Ross immobilised a bit better than this.’

  ‘No obvious deformities.’ Kelly’s tone was clipped. It wouldn’t be helping Ross to hear the tension Fletch was taking out on her. Not that Ross seemed aware of it. Wendy had made her way to the scene from the upper level now and was crouched as close as she could get to Ross. She held one of his hands tightly gripped between her own and was talking to him with quiet reassurance. ‘There’s a lot of bruising and abrasions,’ Kelly continued. ‘With tenderness at about T4 and T10 and L4 to 5.’

  ‘OK. We’ll lower onto the backboard on the count of three.’ Fletch was still holding Ross’s head carefully. ‘One, two…three.’

  The padded cushions of the head immobiliser were positioned.

  ‘Get some padding under his neck and lumbar region,’ Fletch ordered. ‘And get those straps fastened. Have you taken any hard objects out of his pockets?’

  ‘Not yet.’

  ‘Perhaps you could manage that, Dave. Car keys, shears, torch—anything like that.’

  Kelly ignored the implied criticism that it was a task she should have already managed. She knew it was important to remove anything that could cause a pressure inj
ury but she hadn’t exactly been wasting her time. It had been less than ten minutes since the accident and Ross had been assessed, had IV access, was receiving oxygen and was ready to immobilise and transport. Given the circumstances they were working under, they were doing extremely well.

  Kelly clipped the body straps onto each side of the backboard. ‘Cross it over and then thread it through the handle on your side,’ she instructed Dave. ‘Then pass it back to me.’

  The straps got tangled as it came back to Kelly’s side. She fumbled to straighten them and get the ends clipped together.

  ‘For God’s sake, Kelly, you’re supposed to know what you’re doing.’ Fletch reached for the fastening clip.

  ‘I do,’ Kelly shot back. She yanked the strap free of Fletch’s grip. Wendy had given Fletch a surprised stare. Did he not realise that his bad temper was making this situation even worse?

  Finally, they had Ross securely strapped. There were plenty of hands available to lift the backboard and place it gently inside the Stokes basket.

  ‘OK, Ross, we’re moving now, mate.’ Fletch wiped perspiration-streaked dust from his forehead. ‘We’ll get you into Emergency in no time and sort this out.’

  ‘Hope there’s someone on duty who knows what they’re doing.’

  ‘There will be,’ Fletch promised. The smile he gave Ross was the first Kelly had seen on his face in a very long while. ‘Me.’

  So this was it, then. Kelly followed the team carrying Ross, picking her way through the rubble. Fletch was going. By the time he’d seen Ross through his initial assessment and treatment, this whole incident would probably be over. There wasn’t much left for USAR team members to do here anyway. Kelly would probably be sent home soon enough and she was ready to go. This had become a very personal disaster. She had made some good friends over the last three weeks and in the space of two days lives she was involved with had been shattered. The trauma of dealing with their first USAR call-out and the tragedy of so many lives being lost would have been enough for any of them to deal with. On top of that, Jessica had lost her mother and probably her son. Ross was badly injured, which would affect Wendy almost as much as him. And Joe…Kelly tried to push back threatening tears. She focused on Fletch’s back as he walked ahead of her to one side of the basket stretcher.