Finding Maisie

Finding Maisie: Chapter 10

The ambulance had stopped at the bottom of the building and I heard the paramedics jumping out of the van and into the apartment building. I wondered how many sets of stairs there were and whether it would be easier to climb them than use the lift. All that went through my mind was why don't they hurry up? Or, shouldn't they be here by now?

The roof door swung open and in came the paramedics. They rushed over to Callum and placed him on the stretcher.

'What happened?' A woman with mid-length blonde hair in a ponytail asked.

'He was shot,' I said, 'In the hip. Please help him.'

'What's his name,' spoke a man with short brown hair whilst helping to carefully place Callum on the stretcher.

'Callum. Callum Miller.'

The paramedics pulled the stretcher along to the lift. They wouldn't be able to carry him down the stairs without causing much more damage. I waited to enter it with them but there was no room. I had to take the stairs.

I rushed down them, skipping many and jumping the rest when I reached near the bottom of the staircase. I was secretly glad that I couldn't take the lift. That way I didn't have to wait and look at Callum. This way I could keep myself distracted.

I reached the last staircase and heard the ding of the elevator. I saw the paramedics and the stretcher carrying Callum race towards the ambulance. I ran next to them and climbed in the back of the van. One paramedic got in the front and started the engine. The other two paramedics began working on trying to stabilise Callum the best they could without being at the hospital. I heard snippets of what they were saying: "Bullet entered pelvis,", "May be blood clot," and "Prepare for cardiac arrest."

All I could focus on was Callums face. It was paler than usual. It was cold. How could I have let that happen?

The ambulance stopped and the back doors opened. The paramedics rushed him into hospital and I quickly followed.

'This is Callum Miller,' the blonde-haired paramedic said, 'He has a gun-shot wound to his pelvis which means the risk of pulmonary embolism.'

They led him into a room and began working on him. I stayed outside, not wanting to get in their way and jeopardise something. It seemed to be going alright; they seemed to be making him better until a beeping from the heart monitor alarmed me. Something had happened. I looked at the paramedics and they looked worried. They immediately began CPR.

I couldn't watch it anymore. I slid down the wall and shut my eyes. I blocked out the sound of the heart monitor or the sounds of nurses telling me they had a family waiting room. I didn't know how long I sat there but finally a doctor came out with news.

'What happened?' I asked.

'Callum was shot in the deep veins of his pelvis, this created a blood clot. This blood clot broke away and moved to the lungs and blocked one of the arteries. Thus, Callum cardiac arrested,' the doctor explained.

'Will he be okay?'

'He's stable... At the moment. The next twenty-four hours will be very touch and go but only time can tell if Callum will make a full recovery. We've given him medication to make him sleep but you can sit in there for a little while. The police will be here soon and they'll want to talk to you. After that you can leave. Give your number to reception and we can call you if anything happens. Oh and we'll need his next of kin's as well.'

'Thank you,' I said.

I walked into Callum's room and stared at him. He had tubes sticking out of him and the heart monitor next to him beeping his steady heartbeat. It only made him look more vulnerable.