Hope Shepherd

Trauma

I woke up with Amelia in my face. "Ahhhhh" I yelled in surprise. "You have to get up!" she whispered quickly. Light flooded my eyes, I winced. "What happened?" I asked. "There was an mass casualty, an explosion at the train station and I got paged 911," Amelia rambled. "I can't leave you here because I might be gone for awhile and I don't want to leave you here if something happens and since you hang out at the hospital so much we could really use your help."

I got changed really fast and grabbed my backpack as Amelia got the car ready. When we got to the hospital the trauma center was a mess. There were people screaming everywhere. "Hope!" April called. " I need some help with this," she yelled urgently. "Take over CPR for me" she said. I just got CPR certified last summer, so I put my hands together and started pumping. "She's pregnant so somebody page Arizona Robbins!" April yelled at a nurse.

flat line ... "Time of death, 8:25" declared Owen. I hate it when people die. They belong too somebody. They're somebody's kid or parent or fiancé, date, and I could go on and on. They mean something to someone. Everyone says that I probably shouldn't be in the hospital this much and I've seen to more death than the average 15 year old, but I like it here, it's my home. It's the place I met Amelia and learned most of my knowledge. It's also the last place I saw my parents... One day I want to be the one save somebody. That's why I come here to do my homeschooling instead of staying home, so I can learn all I can to be the best I can in the future.

Sometimes the pressure gets to me, I saw too many people lost today... I dragged myself into a storage closet as I started to breakdown. My PTSD started to kick in. I flashed back to the car crash... the blood everywhere. Someone came into the closet. I felt someone shaking my shoulders. "Hope, hey it's ok it's me," a voice said which turned out to be Amelia. I started sobbing and I gripped onto her and we both sat down on the floor. She brought me close to her chest and hugged me. She stroked my hair and told me that she found me in the back laying on the floor tearing up a lap pad. "It's going to be alright. Owen is going to come in and stay with you for because I need to get back out okay?" I nodded, but my tears wouldn't stop.

Owen and Amelia switched out, but I couldn't stop shaking. He started softly talking to me, "Hey it's okay I know what it's like to have PTSD. It will get better eventually, just remember to take a break and ask for help when you need it. Most kids your age don't have to deal with this stuff." I started to calm down. "I think I'm alright now," I told him. "Okay. I'll leave you to it. Take it easy for the rest of the day." He got up and left.

POV Amelia: Hope really has me worried sometimes. I need to find time and talk to her, I should really head to a meeting today. Seeing Hope like this makes we want to escape the world... through drugs.

POV Hope:

I spent the afternoon in the NICU with Arizona and Alex coming in and out. I watch over the babies in case anything happens to them. I look over at one of them their face was blue. "page Arizona stat!" I yelled to a nurse. I took out my stethoscope ( yes Amelia gave me one) "I hear signs of a murmur" I reported when Arizona came by.

She checked the baby whose name was Charles. He had a valve problem. " Good catch Hope that was a good save" "thanks" I replied. It's nice to save a life instead of watching one end. "You should come around for rounds sometime" said Arizona. " I'll think about it" I said. I really like neuro and trauma  more than fetal surgery or pediatrics, but I guess I should take a look.

I went back to the trauma center and saw a guy with really bad burns. " Would you take him to the burn center and get Dr. Avery?" asked Owen. There were a lot of incoming traumas so I said yes. I took his gurney and started wheeling him down to the burn center. "Where am I? Where's my wife!" the man mumbled. "Sir what's your name?" I asked. "Walter... Walter Deluna." "Ok Walter you were in an explosion and you were badly burned, I'm taking you to the burn center." I explained.

"Dr. Avery!!! there's a guy with some pretty bad burns," I called. " Put him in a room be there in a minute!" He yelled across the room. I had a nurse help me move him from a gurney to a bed. His eyes suddenly rolled back in his head! He started seizing!

" Somebody help me get him on his side and page Neuro!" I screamed frantically. I rolled him onto his side and moved away. I've never actually helped someone seizing I've seen it happen so many times but actually helping is scary. "He also needs phenobarbital, but I don't know how much so if someone could help me that would be great!" I said loudly.

By the time Amelia reached us he had stopped seizing. " Are you okay?" she asked. " Yes. but he should get a head CT. It could be a blown aneurysm or the head lac since 20% but of head lacs can cause seizures." I reported. " Wow you memorized a lot of neuro stats, good job," said Amelia.

"Go sleep Hope, it's been a long day. Sorry that you have to sleep in the on call room because I'm on call tonight. Oh and grab a meal at the cafeteria." Amelia told me. "Good Night" I said to her. "Wait! And you're alright, right?" "Yes, Amelia I'm fine. just tired."

I really don't mind sleeping here. Except hearing the sounds of interns occasionally doing it. I grabbed a pizza at the cafeteria and went into an on call room. Just when I was about to fall asleep I heard noises. Oh seriously I think someone is making out in the room I'm in. "Dude there's someone sleeping in here" I heard someone whisper. "Pshsh we'll be quiet" Ok I definitely shouldn't open my eyes. Wait what that sounded a lot like Jo and Alex. I opened one eye to see Jo squinting at me she was only in her underwear. " Oh my God! " I half screamed and laughed. Alex started laughing too. "It is not funny, we almost got caught by a kid!" shrieked Jo. " for the record I'm 15 so I'm not stupid or blind" I retorted. I turned around and went back to sleep. Although so many terrible things happen everyday I'm reminded why I'm alive and there is good in the world.