Looking around, he grabbed an old sweatshirt from the back seat, folded it, and pressed it firmly to the wound. He couldn’t be sure, but it was possible an artery was ruptured. If that was the case, this man could bleed out before they ever got him to the hospital.
The daughter hovered near the door, and Blake made sure to keep her talking and include her father in the conversation as well. Sirens split the air, and he breathed a sigh of relief. There might be more people who needed his help, but he couldn’t leave until someone took over the pressure on this wound. Then, he should text Carli to let her know he’d been held up. Canceling again.
A thought came to him, and his heart almost stopped. How far ahead of him had she been? At least a couple minutes, right? No way she could have been involved in this. But there were at least five more cars that he could see up ahead, and they looked in bad shape, too. Was one of them hers? He couldn’t tell from here in the darkened sky. The closest lamp post had been knocked sideways by one of the vehicles.
Police, fire, and ambulance sirens all blended in the night air. Flares were set up, and police walked among the cars attempting to survey the damage.
He looked out the window where paramedics and other emergency responders rushed about. One stopped to check on him.
“This man needs help immediately,” Blake said after introducing himself. “There’s a possible ruptured artery. I’ve got pressure on it for now, but it’s still leaking blood.”
Paramedics rushed over, and he was allowed to ease away. He made sure to get the man’s name and promised the daughter he’d check on them at the hospital.
As he made his way further, he gazed at the scene. Traffic was being squeezed through a small lane on the far left as police waved people through. A dozen other vehicles had crews working on the injured or moving cars out of the way.
He helped with more of the injuries in any way he could as several ambulances took the victims to the hospital. Word was there had been at least one fatality and several others critically wounded. Who knew how long he’d been assisting? Things were finally clearing up. For the injured. The cars still needed to be towed or moved.
After checking that things were under control with the paramedics, he scanned the area seeing his flashers still blinking in the distance. Another ambulance took off near the head of the crash site, sirens blaring, and he pivoted to watch a tow truck pull out with a large vehicle attached. The twisted metal behind it almost stopped his heart.
No. Was that a tan Chevy? Like Carli’s car?
Rushing over, he checked the damage. The whole passenger side was caved in, and glass littered the inside. He couldn’t get the door open, so he ran around to the driver’s side and tugged. A program for the lecture they’d just attended lay propped against the gear shift.
No, no, no.
Where was she now?
One of the cops came over as he waved his arms.
“The woman who was in this car. What happened to her?”
The officer shrugged. “I’m not sure. I was directing traffic when we first got here. If she’s not here, then probably at the hospital. Couple of them were badly injured.”
“Thanks.” His breath stuck in his lungs, thinking what might have happened to Carli.
As he made his way back to his car, sweat beaded on the back of his neck and dripped into his shirt. Even the forty-degree weather couldn’t stop the fear from running through him.
“Heading to the hospital, Doc?” one of the cops asked, waving him through the worst of the traffic.
“Yeah, I want to check on a few of these accident victims.” The first was finding out what had happened to Carli. Not knowing her condition was killing him and churning his insides.
He used the valet parking for the ER and rushed inside, shrugging out of his coat as he went. It was a madhouse, but after a quick peek at the waiting room, he skirted past most of the chaos and headed to the nurses’ station.
“Have all the accident victims from the highway crash been entered yet?”
Glancing at the hospital badge he’d pulled out and clipped to his shirt, she shook her head. “They’re still being triaged. Is there someone in particular you’re looking for?”
Before he could answer, the door behind him opened and someone called his name.
“Blake, did you get called in for this?” Sam Canterbury was head of Emergency Services. Blake had helped him out during the blizzard a few weeks ago.
“No, I happened to be on the highway as this happened. I pulled over to help wherever I could.”
“Are you available now? We have a few little ones who could use a pediatrician.”
“Sure, but I’m looking for a friend who was involved in the accident. I didn’t realize until I saw her car. It was totaled. I’m assuming she was brought here.”
“A few of them were sent over to Mercy,” the nurse at the desk offered. “What’s her name, and I can check for you when I get a minute?” Her glance into the crowded waiting room didn’t make him think this would be any time soon.
