Wes gently brushed away any pieces of glass he could see and wrapped her eyes. He’d try to irrigate them in the ambulance. The left side of her head and face was swelling and bruised. A tree limb punctured the airbag, which lost some of its protective use. A seatbelt bruise traversed her neck to the area over her clavicle.
“I’m going to put a collar on you, so you don’t move your neck.” He measured and placed a cervical collar around her. He leaned into the car, feeling her breath against his cheek. Vanilla circled the air. “Ellie, I’m going to place my hands on your ribs and belly. Tell me if anything hurts. Are you having any trouble breathing?”
“Just scared.” She waved her hand.
Wes took it between his palms. “Nice slow breaths. I’m going to try to get the passenger door open. But I can hear you. Tell me where were you heading?” He moved to the passenger door and used a small prybar from his bag to force it open. He crawled beside her.
“The ambulance should be here soon.” He pulled a silver blanket from his bag and covered her further. Talking to her to ease her fear, he took a set of vital signs. Her pulse and respirations were elevated, and her blood pressure was low normal.
“Oh no. You have to call my boss. It’s my first day of work. I’ll lose my job.” She grew agitated.
“Take some slow breaths. You’ve had an accident; I’m sure your boss won’t be angry.” He swiped a few locks of her hair from her forehead. “Okay, Ellie, you’re going to feel a little pinch. I’m going to start an IV.”
He started it with ease. Trained as a Special Operations Combat Medic in the Navy and now a nationally registered paramedic, starting an IV in a crumpled car was easy compared to on a battlefield while ducking bullets. His eyes scanned the area, and he clenched his jaw at the feeling of being watched. The sound of the approaching sirens brought him a bit of relief. “Help will be here soon. Hang in there.”
A sheriff’s car and the ambulance arrived at the same time. A pair of EMTs pulled a stretcher and backboard from the rig and rushed to the passenger door where Wes was working with one knee in the car. The deputy was at his side.
“Hey, sir, did you call it in?” the deputy asked.
“Yes, I found her like this. Scott, it’s Wes from the Chase Center for Training.”
“Wes, I didn’t recognize you in the fancy suit. What do you need?” the deputy asked.
Wes did his best to meet as many members of the community as he could. The Center for Training also offered some of their resources to local law enforcement and fire service.
“We need to get her to the hospital. I don’t know how long ago this happened; her eyes are filled with glass,” Wes said, then leaned back in toward the patient. “Okay, Ellie, the ambulance personnel and I are going to get you out of here. I promise once we get you into the ambulance, I’ll get you settled, and we will call your boss.”
Wes stepped out of the car and helped the crew slide her onto the backboard. “You’re doing great, Ellie.” He stepped back as they loaded her into the ambulance.
The deputy sheriff reached for her purse on the floorboard. Inside, he found an ID card. “Wes, um, she’s one of yours? According to the ID, this is Eleanor West, MSW, Director of Equine-Assisted Therapy.”
“Shit, it’s her first day.” His discussion with Christian popped in his head.She prefers to be called Ellie.He felt stupid.How many Ellies are out there?
“I never met her in person.” He looked toward the ambulance. “We need to move now,” Wes insisted.
* * *
“Ellie, how are you doing?” he called into the ambulance.
“She’s out,” the female EMT called back.
Wes jumped inside, his heart rumbling like the engine. “C’mon, Curly. Wake up for me.” Running a knuckle down her sternum, he asked the EMT, “Could you get me another set of vitals?”
Grabbing the radio headset inside the ambulance, Wes called the emergency room. “This is Medic M0001079, Crockett. Agency 01032, Chase Center for Training. Request an A—Alpha trauma alert.” He gave his presentation.
“Sure. You have a low number. You do this a lot?” the EMT questioned.
“National Registry since 2007.” Wes worked fast and efficiently. “Wake up for me, please, Curly?” His eyes never stopped scanning from her to the monitors. He opened his phone and hit a speed dial. “Yvonne, put Christian on.”
“You’re psychic. I was about to call you. Eleanor West is thirty minutes late, and she’s not answering her phone,” Christian said.
“That’s because she’s in an ambulance. I found her wrapped around a tree one click out. She’s unconscious. I’m heading into Inova Loudon with her.” Wes maintained his hand on her shoulder. After ending the call, he rigged a bag of saline to run through a nasal canula as an eye bath. He cut the bandages free and began to wash out her eyes.
“They taught us that hack in school, but I’ve never seen that done before,” the EMT said.
“Well, now you have.” Wes offered a smile and discussed the technique. Bag emptied, he rebandaged her eyes.
After hitting a large bump, Eleanor started to struggle. “Ellie, it’s Wes. Shh. You’re in an ambulance. You had an accident. That’s it. Nice slow breaths,” he coached.
