Chapter Twenty

As Trapper and Leah started their dessert, sirens, racing engines and squealing tires preceded a barrage of flashing lights as ambulance after ambulance flew through the back entrance of the hospital parking lot into emergency. This all coincided with Trapper’s pager going off.

“Leah, I’m sorry,” said Trapper, rising from his chair. “I…” He didn’t have time to further apologize.

“Hurry,” she said. “I’ll take the dishes to your office.”

As he ran through the cafeteria door, he yelled back over his shoulder, “Do not carry them! Get a cart!” And with that, he was gone.

Following him into the cafeteria, she looked around for a cart. The main part of the cafeteria had been closed for some time, but the snack area was always open, and whoever had stocked the vending machines had left a stainless steel cart in a corner near the machines. She rolled the cart outside, took one more look at the flower arrangement, and smiled before she blew out the candle and loaded everything onto the cart.

On the elevator and walking down the halls, she looked carefully down halls to her right and left as she passed, and occasionally, she’d glance behind her. The hospital seemed eerily empty on this floor. Backing through Trapper’s office door, she left the dirty dishes on his former secretary’s desk and took Trapper’s Tiramisu and the wine carafe into his office, placing them in his mini-refrigerator. Searching through his lap drawer, she found a piece of paper, and sat down in his chair to write a note.

I hope you enjoy dessert as much as I did. It’s in the frig. Thank you for a much needed break and a lovely dinner. Leah.

She took her dessert and ate it as she slowly made her way to her room, and though she thought she’d relax and watch the television, her curiosity got the best of her.

***

When Trapper arrived in emergency, gurneys were already starting to line the walls. Trapper held his breath when he looked from one to another. “Are they all children?”

“Bus accident,” said Stanley. “They were on their way home from a church youth basketball game.”

“Where do you need me?”

“Triage until we find someone who needs your skills. Minor injuries are on the right. Moderate injuries are on the left. Major injuries go straight to exam rooms or surgery.”

Moving closer to the entrance, Trapper began looking at children coming in on gurneys or walking, directing them to the right or left. “Stanley, where are the parents?”

As Stanley knelt to examine a child who had walked in, he answered, “The chaperones are on their way. We’ll let them use the phones to call the rest of the parents. There are some uninjured kids here. They brought in everyone who was on the bus because there wasn’t much left of the bus.”

“Do we have someone who can take care of the uninjured kids? They’re just wandering around.”

Leah had just stepped around the corner, and quickly backed up behind the counter, watching as child after child came in. She stopped Gloria as she ran by with her hands full of pillows and blankets. “Gloria, I’ll take the uninjured children to the waiting room.”

Gloria hesitated before she ran on, offering a smile and a nod.

Trapper stopped his triage when a man carrying a child in his arms came through the door. “Doc, I don’t think he’s breathing.”

“Gloria, get me an exam room, stat!” ordered Trapper. Taking the boy in his arms, he hurried down the hall. “Where did you find him?” he asked the man who had brought the child in and was following. Laying the child on the bed, Trapper listened to the boy’s chest with a stethoscope.

“The bus rolled several times. He was on the bottom of the pile,” answered the man.

“He’s breathing, but it’s shallow. Start him on oxygen.” Gloria stepped around Trapper, pulling a mask forward from the oxygen feed on the wall and placing it over the child’s nose and mouth. Feeling the boy’s chest, Trapper stopped and raised his shirt. Bruises cover his chest and abdomen. Next, Trapper pressed around his stomach. “He’s got some internal bleeding. Maybe broken ribs and pneumothorax. Gloria, if he starts gurgling, get him intubated and page me. We’ll have to put in a chest tube until we can get him into the OR. Start an IV and plasma and get a CT scan of his chest and abdomen. Then type and match him for surgery. And call Ernie. Tell her I need her.” Turning back to the man, he asked, “Are you his father?”

“No, his father is out of town. He was staying with one of the other parents.”

“What about his mother?”

“She’s dead. All he has is his father.”

“Okay, let’s find the parent he was staying with. He should have a contact number for the father.” Picking up the wall phone in the exam room, Trapper dialed, and as he waited, he asked, “What’s the boy’s name and age?”

“Marcus…Marcus Jones. He’s nine.”

“Arnold. Arnold, wake up. I need you to start on a court order. I have a nine year old by the name of Marcus Jones who needs immediate surgery. No, we haven’t found his parent yet. He’s out of town. Internal bleeding, collapsed lung. Thanks, Arnold.”

Walking back out to the main hall, Trapper found Stanley. “Do you have any more for me, Stanley?”

“No. I’ve referred two to neurology with head trauma. The rest have broken bones, cuts and bruises. Are you going to have to operate?”

“Yeah, the kid’s bleeding internally. I need to find out who he was staying with.”

“The parents who were following the bus just arrived. Some of them are trying to contact the other parents.”

“Ask around Stanley. See if you can find out who Marcus Jones was staying with. I’ll go check the waiting room.” Trotting around the corner and down the hall, Trapper stepped into the waiting room and was swarmed by nervous parents. Holding up his hands, he said, “As soon as we know anything about your child, someone will come get you. Were any of you babysitting Marcus Jones?”

“Yes,” said a man, raising his hand. “He was staying with me.”

“And your name is?” asked Trapper.

“Alan Jaeger.”

“Mr. Jaeger, I’m Dr. McIntyre,” said Trapper, putting his hand on the man’s shoulder and guiding him out of the waiting room. “Marcus has some internal bleeding and needs surgery. We need to contact his father for consent. Do you know how to get in touch with him?”

“Yes, I have a number, but he might not be there. He’s at a convention.”

“If you’ll come with me, I’d like you to try to reach him from the nurse’s station.” As the two men walked down the hall, Jaeger asked about his own son. Trapper asked, “What’s his first name?”

“It’s Alan. He’s a junior.”

At the nurse’s station, Trapper moved Mr. Jaeger behind the counter and sat him in front of the phone. “Mr. Jaeger, this is Donna, one of our emergency room nurses. Donna, Mr. Jaeger needs to keep trying to call a parent. We need consent for surgery for Marcus Jones. And see if you can find his son, Alan.” He barely waited for her to nod. Having spotted Gonzo in the hall, he hurried to him and told him to scrub for surgery.

***

Leah had gathered several of the uninjured children and those who had been treated for minor injuries around her. She could only find seven. Guiding them down the hall toward the waiting room, she stopped at the entrance. The room was full of adults waiting to hear any news about their own children.

“Hey guys,” she said, turning back to the children. “Do any of you see your parents here?” All of them shook their heads. “Okay. There’s no room for us here, so why don’t we go up to my room and watch some television? I’m sure we can find something.” As she passed the nurse’s station, she found Gloria on the phone. “Are you on hold?”

With frustration on her face, Gloria grumbled, “Yes.”

“I’m going to take these children up to my room to watch TV. There’s no room in the waiting room. I just wanted someone to know where they are.”

Just as Gloria opened her mouth to answer, someone spoke on the other end of the phone. She nodded at Leah, and turned away. Before she left, Leah reached over the counter for paper and pen, making a list of everyone’s name. She waited for a break in Gloria’s conversation before she passed the paper to her. “These are the children who are with me.” Gloria stuffed the paper in her pocket and watched Leah lead the children away from the chaos.