New Girl in Town Pt. 18

They could still hear the girl screaming and Sally asked about it.

"It's the male's passenger," Reg said. "Teenage female. Responsive at scene but in shock. Head injury. Possible wrist fracture. She's verging on hysterical. We may have to sedate but I'm wary without knowing the extent of her injuries."

"Why isn't she on another ambulance?" Sally asked.

"She wouldn't let go of the male and we didn't have time to argue with her so we loaded her up with him. It was a bad wreck, Sal. They were both belted in but it was a roll over. This kid is likely all busted up inside and the girl was losing it when we started to load him up. There was a fire in the vehicle but she got him out. No burns on either of them which is a small miracle in all of this."

Dr. Golden snatched up the phone beside Sally and paged for a trauma team to report to the ER.

"Why didn't you radio in for the helicopter?" Sally asked.

"This kid didn't have time to wait for it," He answered. "We're less than five minutes out," He answered. "We're coming in hot! Have a trauma team waiting for us in the bay!"

"Dr. G has a trauma team on it's way to us now," Sally answered him and gave Dr. Golden a thumbs up. "We'll meet you at the door."

"We'll be ready for you," Sally assured him. "God speed."

She turned back to Dr. Golden and reached for her phone.

"Want to me to call another doctor down? I know that having to see kids that are your kids ages are tough and this one sounds like it's going to be even worse," Sally said.

"I'll be fine but get Dr. Oster down here and have Dr. Hanna on standby in case we need more bodies on this," Dr. Golden told her. "I'll meet the trauma team and let them know what to expect."

****

Staci looked at her phone and noted that it was the fifth time she had done so in the past three minutes. Ray, Bobby and Marybeth had left over a twenty minutes ago and she hadn't heard anything from them. Jessica still wasn't picking up and neither was Jake. The bad feeling that had been gnawing at her belly grew larger with each passing second. She looked at her phone again and sighed.

"Any word yet?" Roxie asked as she and C. C. joined Staci at the window that looked out over her driveway.

"Nothing yet," Staci answered. "I'm getting a really bad feeling about this you guys."

Before either of them could respond her phone chimed.

"It's Ray," She announced then answered it. "Ray, where are you? Did you find them?"

"Staci, where's your mom?" He asked.

Staci was confused and could hear the tenseness in his voice.

"Ray, where are you? What's going on?" Staci asked.

"Please go get your mom," He begged and something in his words spurred Staci into action.

She turned from the others and practically sprinted into the kitchen where she had last seen her mom.

"Mom!" She shouted as she slid to a stop in front of her.

"Slow down, sweetie," Mrs. Daniels said. "I have more of the cocktail weenies coming out of the pot now."

"It's Ray," Staci said as she shoved the phone at her. "Something's wrong."

"When did he leave?" Mrs. Daniels asked as she took the phone. "Ray, what is going on? Staci is all wound up and... What? Are you... Oh my god. Yes. Yes, of course I will. Okay, we will be there shortly. I'm calling them now."

"Mom?" Staci asked as she watched her mom's face drop with whatever it was that Ray told her.

"There... Staci, there's been an accident. Now, Ray's fine but it... it's Jessica and Jake. I have to call their parents," Mrs. Daniel said as calmly as she could manage.

Staci stood there in shock as she watched her mom's fingers fumble over the numbers as she tried to call Jake's family first.

"Did your mom say that Jake and Jessica were in an accident?" Roxie asked.

Staci started to nod her head then tears started to fall from her eyes. Roxie pulled her into a hug then C.C. joined them with tears in her eyes as well.

Word of the accident spread like wildfire through the party of the accident and by the time Mrs. Daniels hung up with Jake's parents the place had gone silent. Everyone in attendance had gathered in the kitchen to find out what had happened.

****

Jake's mom fumbled when she tried to hang up her phone then swallowed the sudden lump in her throat before she walked into the living room where Jake's father sat. He looked up from his western book when she entered.

"Who was that on the phone?" He asked.

"Tracy Daniels," She answered. "Wes, there's been an accident."

"Accident? At her place?" He asked. "Are the kids all right?"

She shook her head and swallowed hard before she answered.

"I don't know the specifics but Jake and Jess... they were in a wreck on the way to Staci's," She said. "We need to get to the hospital."

"Hospital?" He asked as he let his book drop to the floor.

"It's bad, Wes," She said with tears in her eyes.

He stood and hugged her tight. She went slack in his arms as he rubbed her back and said soothing words in her ear.

"Go get dressed while I get my shoes on," He instructed her. "We'll be at the hospital in just a few minutes."

She nodded in understanding and went upstairs to throw on something over her pajamas. When she came back down she found her husband struggling to get his shoes tied.

"I can't make my fingers work," He said in a voice thick with emotion.

She reached down and held his trembling hands in hers.

"Jake needs us," She told him with newfound strength. "Let me."

She quickly tied his shoes, helped him to his feet and they hurried out the door without shutting off their lights or anything.

****

The ambulance roared into the bay and the trauma team along with Dr. Golden jumped into action. One opened the rear door as a couple of the others grabbed the stretcher and pulled it out into the cold air.

"His BP is still dropping," Pete the EMT stated as he hopped out of the ambulance.

"Jake!" Jessica shouted as she pushed past Pete to get to Jake.

"Jessica!" Dr. Golden shouted when she saw her bloodied daughter.

"Mommy? Mommy, it's Jake. Help him please," Jessica begged as she held onto Jake's hand.

"Jessica, what happened? Where are you hurt?" Dr. Golden asked her as she tried to look her over.

"We have to move," Dr. Renee Linville, the trauma doctor said as she looked at Jake. "Dr. Golden, do you have her?"

"She's my daughter," Dr. Golden informed her. "This is her boyfriend, Jake. Have his parents been called?"

"One of the kids that found them was making a call," Reg answered her. "We were in too much of a hurry to sort that out. Either that kid or the sheriff will alert them."

"Step out, Dr. Golden," The lead trauma doctor told her. "You know the deal. You can't work on someone close to you. You can call the family and tell them."

She nodded and tried to step back but Jessica held fast to Jake's hand and started to hurry along with the gurney.

"Jessica, you have to stay with me," Dr. Golden told her. "I need to get you checked over, baby. You've been hurt."

"No, I need to stay with Jake," Jessica argued. "He's hurt really bad. I heard them say so. He needs me, mommy. He needs me!"

"Dr. Linville has him and she is one of our best," Dr. Golden told her daughter as she pulled her gently but forcefully away from Jake's side.

The trauma doctor started to say something but backed off and assessed Jake's condition.

"We need to get him up into surgery. Right now!" She said once she finished her assessment. "Get us a room prepped. We need the portable CT waiting for us and tell them to put a rush on because we are coming now!"

"Internal bleed?" Dr. Golden asked as Jessica pulled her along with Jake.

"We'll know soon," She answered as the elevator arrived.

Dr. Golden nodded as the elevator door closed. She stood there for a moment with her arm around Jessica who started to cry as the door closed.

"Come on, baby," Dr. Golden urged her as she pulled her away from the bank of elevators and toward an examination room.

Sally, who watched from nearby gave her a nod and called for Dr. Hanna to join them.

****

"Sissy, does it hurt?" Sarah asked as she stood half hidden behind her dad's leg.

"She can't answer you, sweetheart," Mr. Golden said. "Jess has been given something to help her sleep."

Sarah nodded as tears fell down her cheeks. Mr. Golden lifted her into his arms and hugged her to his chest.

"She's going to be okay, Sarah," he assured her as he rubbed her back.

"What about Jake?" She asked.

"Mommy is checking on that right now," He told her.

"Can we go see him?" Sarah asked.

Her dad shook his head.

"Not just yet, baby," He told her.

Dr. Golden pulled the privacy curtain back, stepped in then closed it behind her.

"They'll have a room ready for Jessica in a few minutes," She shared as she stepped over to Jessica's bed.

She brushed some hair from Jessica's forehead while she carefully avoided the bandage that was there.

"Jake?" Mr. Golden asked.

"In surgery," She answered. "I need to see Pam and Wes but I didn't want to leave Jess before you arrived."

"We're here and we have her. Go see them and tell them that we'll come check on them as soon as Jess is settled in a room," He told her.

She kissed Jessica's cheek then Sarah's and her husband's before she left to go to the waiting area.

****

Dr. Golden found Jake's parents seated in the waiting area of the surgical unit. Jake's dad had his arm around his wife's shoulders while she patted his knee in support. They looked up as Dr. Golden got closer.

"Val, how is Jessica?" Mrs. Gibson asked as she got to her feet.

"She's sedated," Dr. Golden answered. "We're waiting on a room to open up for her now. I thought I would come up and see if there has been any word on Jake."

"Nothing yet," Mr. Gibson answered. "They just had us sign a bunch of papers and said that they would be with us shortly. How long does something like this normally take?"

"I can go back there and get you a quick update," She told them but before she could turn to go, Mrs. Gibson pulled her into a hug.

The mother's hugged as tears fell from both their eyes while they held each other and tried to give one another strength. Behind them the elevator chimed and Tracy Daniels stepped out. She saw them and hurried over.

"What's going on with the kids?" She asked them.

"Jake's in surgery," Mr. Gibson answered. "That's all we know."

"I was just going to find out more, Tracy," Dr. Golden said.

"What about Jessica?" Tracy asked. "There's a roomful of kids downstairs that are anxious to know what's going on."

"Jessica is about to be moved to a regular room for observation," Dr. Golden answered. "She's got a mild concussion, a broken wrist, some bruised ribs along with several minor abrasions."

"Staci is beside herself with wanting to see her," Tracy said then patted Mrs. Gibson's arm. "Jake too. All of their friends insisted on coming to the hospital with us. I had to have Ray convince Staci to stay down there when I came up to see if I could find you all."

"Tracy, can you sit with Pam and Wes while I go back and see what's going on with Jake?" Dr. Golden asked. "I'll just be a second."

Tracy nodded, guided Mrs. Gibson back to her chair then sat there hugging her as Dr. Golden used her keycard to buzz herself back into the surgical area.

She grabbed a gown, mask and gloves as she hurriedly walked along towards the operating theater where Jake was being cared for.

"Suction," Dr. Linville called for as she worked on Jake. "I need to see where this blood is coming from."

The nurse suctioned the area as Dr. Golden backed into the room. Without looking up, Dr. Linville called out.

"You aren't supposed to be in here, Dr. Golden," She said then nodded to her assistant. "More light."

"I wasn't going to scrub in," Dr. Golden said. "I'm just checking in."

"On your daughter's boyfriend," Dr. Linville pointed out. "Who you should be with right now and not in my O.R."

"The first thing my daughter is going to ask me when she wakes up is how he is doing so I am taking care of her," Dr. Golden snapped. "Now tell me what is going on."

The nurses around the table all looked a bit shocked but Dr. Linville seemed to take the tone in stride.

"Understood," She said as she started to stitch up the bleeding vein in Jake's chest. "How are we on blood?"

"He could use at least two more bags," One of the nurses answered and stepped back. "I'll call for them to send up some more."

"That will be bags three and four that I've put in him," Dr. Linville answered. "I've found the bleed and I've just stitched it closed. It looks like a broken rib caught it in the crash. I'm looking for any other bleeds and Dr. Yang is on his way down to assess the brain. It's swelling so we'll probably have to relieve that pressure but that's his call once he scrubs in."

"How severe is the head trauma?" Dr. Golden asked worriedly.

"The CT showed swelling but we won't know until Dr. Yang has a look at it," Dr. Linville answered.

"He had a concussion earlier this year," Dr. Golden shared. "He played football. It caused him some headaches and memory issues for a few days afterward."

"I'll note it for Dr. Yang," Dr. Linville said then looked up at her. "Val, I've got him, okay? He's not going to die on my table. Now go tell his folks that I'll be out as soon as I can with an update."

"Thank you, Renee. For everything," Dr. Golden told her then left the room.

As she started down the hallway she spotted Dr. Yang. He walked toward her at a quick clip which wasn't his usual pace.

"Dr. Golden," He greeted her. "I heard that your daughter was brought in. Car accident, I heard. She's not the one I'm to see is she?"

"Possibly later," She answered him. "Her boyfriend is the one that you were called down for. He's in O.R. three with Dr. Linville."

The short man nodded then assured Dr. Golden that he would check in with her as soon as he was available before he disappeared into the operating room. Dr. Golden paused at the now closed door and took one last look inside.

"Don't you dare die on us, Jake," She whispered. "None of us are ready for that kind of a loss. Don't let my girls down. Please."

****

She returned to the waiting area and heard what sounded to her like the beginnings of an argument.

"Jake doesn't drink!" Staci said loudly to the sheriff's deputy that stood with Jake's parents.

"Staci!" Tracy scolded her daughter as she pulled her back from the deputy.

"I wasn't accusing anyone of anything, Miss," Deputy Sheriff Vance Mason said calmly. "It's standard procedure in an accident investigation. Wes, you understand."

"I do understand, Vance, but my son is in there fighting for his life right now so you'll excuse me if I don't think that you walking in here and demanding a sample of his blood to test is an okay thing to do," Mr. Gibson stated.

"Wes, I didn't demand..." Vance started to say then noticed Dr. Golden had walked up. "Are you Jake's doctor?"

"Not this time," Dr. Golden answered. "He's still in surgery. He's dating my daughter..."

"That would be Jessica Golden," He said. "Where is she currently? I need to interview her about the accident."

"She is waiting for a room upstairs," Dr. Golden answered him. "She has been sedated so it would be useless to try and get any information out of her right now."

"Of course," He sighed then turned back to Jake's parents. "Wes, Pam, I have to get the sample and I would prefer not to have to get a court order to make it happen. If Jake wasn't drinking..."

"He wasn't," Staci stated. "They hadn't even made it to our house and we weren't serving any alcohol anyway."

"As much as I would like to take your word on that my boss won't let that fly," Vance said.

"Val, can you take Deputy Mason back so that he can get this sample and exonerate my son?" Jake's dad asked.

"Unless you need to get back to Jessica that is," Jake's mom stated.

"I do need to get back to Jess but I will take Deputy Mason back once I tell you all what I found out about Jake," She told them.

"Please, Dr. Golden," Staci said. "Everyone is downstairs waiting for word. I insisted that mom let me come up with her to check in on Jake. Marybeth is covered in blood and everyone is wanting to know what to do or how to help if they can and I'm just a dumb cheerleader who doesn't have any answers and..."

Staci started to cry before she was smothered in hugs by all three mothers.

"You aren't a dumb cheerleader, sweetheart," Jake's mom said.

"You're a great friend who cares about her friends," Dr. Golden said as she smoothed Staci's hair. "Here's what I was able to find out and your mom will help you tell the others. Okay?"

Staci nodded, wiped the tears from her cheeks and gave each mom another hug before she stepped back and waited for Dr. Golden to continue.

"Dr. Linville found where he was bleeding into his chest and has patched that," Dr. Golden answered. "She was looking for any more just to be sure. Dr. Yang is in with him now as well assessing him for a brain injury. There is some swelling but they will know more and let you know as soon as they can. I don't know how long that could take though. I'm sorry."

"You did all that you could and Wes and I appreciate it," Jake's mom assured her as she gave her a hug. "You should get back to Jessica. Let her know that we'll be in to see her as soon as we can."

"She would appreciate that I'm sure," Dr. Golden said then turned to Deputy Mason. "Follow me please."

****

"You seem to know the Gibson's," Dr. Golden said as she used her pass to get her and Deputy Mason into the surgical area.

"Wes and I went to high school together," Deputy Mason explained then chuckled. "I guess I could say that with most people around here. You folks just moved here not too long ago right?"

"Just before the school year," Dr. Golden answered. "It feels like it's been a long time and not so long at the same time."

"I get that," He said. "Has your daughter said anything at all about the accident?"

"Nothing coherent," She answered. "She came to us in shock and just kept telling me to help Jake. We had to give her something to calm her down so she would sit for the doctor to look her over. Can you tell me anything about how or even where it happened?"

"I can tell you the where but nothing about the how. I'm sorry but I'm sure that you understand that this is an active investigation," He said. "The crash occurred coming out of a curve on Nolan road. The locals call is Sheldon's curve. Have you heard of it?"

"I haven't," She answered. "Was speed a factor?"

"I can't answer that," Vance answered.

"Another vehicle involved?" She asked.

"There doesn't appear to be as of yet," He answered. "We are still processing the scene. This rain that's rolled in isn't going to help but we're looking at all aspects of it I assure you."

"I'm glad to hear that," She said.

"Have you ever known Jake to drink and drive or do any type of drugs before tonight?" He asked.

"Jake doesn't drink nor does he do drugs," Dr. Golden stated. "Not this night and not any night. He would not put my Jessica at risk like that."

"You understand why I have to ask," Vance said.

"I do understand but I don't have to like it, Deputy," Dr. Golden stated then turned away from him. "I'll get you your sample and you can work out how you are going to apologize to Jake's parents when it comes back clean."

****

Jessica slowly drifted back to consciousness and found herself in a dimly lit room. She could hear the sound of the rain outside as it beat against the window. It was a steady sound that nearly drowned out the beep of the machines that were attached to her.

"Jake?" She called out into the darkness of the room.

"Baby?" She heard her father's voice answer her instead. "Jess, are you awake?"