The Flames of Medicine

14

Okay! This chapter is dedicated to @lovelydarling_x !! Thank you soo  much for reading my book and for getting back to me and just supporting me and making me want to write more. ILY! 

Please don't hate me if this chapter hurts your heart :( 

Calum POV: 

"Check for spinal -- WE NEED A BACKBOARD! -- where's the brace?" I frantically look around trying to find the equipment to move him.

"WE NEED MEDICAL BACK HERE!" 

Michael and I both turn to look at a firefighter kneeling next to an unconscious Hernandez as well. 

Michael and I looked at each other, knowing we didn't want to leave Luke, but it was our job to help people so one of us was going to have to go. As I nod to Michael notifying him I would go, we hear a second ambulance arrive and the team running to Hernandez. 

Thank god because I would not have concentrated. Now I know why they tell us in med school that we cannot practice medicine with our own family members. 

This is brutal. I'm so conflicted. I'm panicking because Luke isn't waking up, but I'm also panicking because I know how to do my job and I know Michael and me are Lukes best chance at survival right now, not knowing his full extent of injuries. 

The chief came running back to us with the board and neck brace. 

"I need to get the fire under control--"

"go chief, we got it" Michael said as we removed Lukes fire protective sleeve from his head, careful to not move his neck so much. 

The chief went off and started to give off orders to control the blazing fire caused by the explosion. 

"okay, brace is on. Hand me the board" Michael said as I finished finished untying Lukes fire jacket, which was hot and sticky.

"Michael, we need to get the jacket off, it's hot and has some melted parts. It's burning him" 

Michael nodded and helped me remove his arms from the hot material. 

Fuck. Holy Fuck. 

Michael POV: 

As soon as we took his arms out of the sleeves, we could see he had burns on his arms from the fire and cuts from the glass of the window. 

"Boards -- " I had to compose myself. I was letting shock and emotion take over me. 

"Board is under. Lets turn him."

Calum nodded as he turned as yelled "STRETCHER!" 

"on my count, ready?..." I looked up to look at Calum.

We both had a look hard to read in our faces. 

"1... 2... 3" 

We both carefully turned Luke over the board. I unbuttoned his fire sleeve from his chest -- jesus how many layers does he have to wear?! I couldn't rip his shirt so I cut it with the scissors displaying his bare chest, with some cuts and glass encrusted into him. 

Calum got the IV ready and looked for a good spot in his arm. I made sure he was breathing fine and his heart was okay. 

"Calum, listen to his heart" I looked at him. 

He looked up as he finished taping the IV. 

"what is it?" He said as he got his stethoscope. 

I stayed quiet but kept working on hooking Luke up with the oxygen machine to regularize his breathing and patching some of the bleeding cuts. 

"Irregular heartbeat. We need to get him to the OR so I can find the source of it." 

"okay, I'm getting cardiac rhythm" I said as we both stepped away so the defibrillator could take an accurate reading. 

"He's in vtach. get the defib ready to shock" 

Calum POV: 

We were actually about to shock Lukes heart back to a normal rhythm. This was actually happening. 

"clear-"

We both let go and let the machine surge Luke with a jolt of electricity. His body lifted with the jolt of electricity and fell back on the board. 

"still in vtach." 

"pushing 1 of epi" I say as Michael continues squishing the breathing bag. 

"clear -" 

We both hold our breath as the machine shocks him 1 more time. 

"We got a rhythm" 

"OKAY PACK IT UP LETS MOVE NOW!" I say as we quickly move the board to the stretcher. 

"Where are we going?!" I hear the driver of the ambulance say 

"Same hospital. King Medical"  Michael says as we load Luke up and we both close the doors as the ambulance drives off. 

Ashton POV: 

My pager goes off as I finish checking on my rounds and post-op cases. I was happy because I was almost off shift but there seems to be a trauma emergency I'm needed for. I haven't seen Michael or Calum in a while and they weren't in their office. They might be in surgery. 

"what is it?" I ask as I slow down in the ER pit. 

The ambulance breaks in front of the ER door as I run to the back of the ambo. 

I open the doors and never in a million years did I want to be the one looking at the scene in front of me. 

It was Michael administering vtach drugs and Calum performing chest compressions on Luke. 

"He crashed half way here--" Calum said evidently tired from doing chest compressions. 

I looked at Michael, shock evident in my face. 

"Bomb. 2nd floor fall from window. -- Move, my turn" 

Calum and him switched as I jumped on and got the epi and got ready to push it into his IV.

"glass lacerations, irregular heart rhythm, low pulse, stats dropping and perforated lung, no spinal as far as we could examine. No consciousness" Calum said as he finished squishing the breathing bag. 

"Push epi!" Michael said as I did so. 

We both stared at the machine hoping that a pulse would pop up so he could be stable enough to get him into the OR. 

"pulse! let's move" I say as we all move in unison and get Luke stretchered into the OR. 

"come on Luke -- you can't give up" I say.

I take a deep breath in. I look at Calum and Michael as we all silently pray. 

I look at the machine displaying the irregular heart beat then look back at Calum. 

"scalpel" 

we all get to work. 

Michael on Luke's knee, Calum on finding the source of Luke's irregular rhythm and me fixing the blunt trauma the explosion caused to his abdomen. 

But who was going to fix his trauma when he woke up?

IF he woke up?