Page 189 of Eight of Swords, Part Two

Another set of doors bursts open and the ceiling changes above him, crowded now with articulated lights, hanging monitors and steel tracks.

Resus.

The trauma beds stand clear of the walls, leaving all four sides open to the medics, while monitors, oxygen and suction sit recessed into flat panels around the room, keeping the floor between them completely unobstructed. Beyond the glass partition lies the sterile core, scrub room first, operating theatre behind it. Recovery branches away in the opposite direction, multiple monitored beds and the private rooms farther back.

Kade knows every inch of Medical.

But he’s never seen it from a stretcher before.

Noah comes out quickly, pulling on gloves. ‘What happened?’

‘One round through the right shoulder.’

Noah peers at the injury. ‘It’s a through-and-through.’

‘I know.’

‘Kade heals fast. This isn’t—’

‘Look at his chest!’ Lachlan barks.

‘All right, transfer on three. Keep him flat, support the shoulder. Ready? One, two, three.’

They lift Kade across on the sheet and something tears open deep inside him. His body is splitting beneath the skin and filling with its own heat.

‘Look at me.’ Noah catches his jaw and holds him steady while a penlight cuts across one pupil, then the other. ‘Equal and reactive. He’s tracking. Where’s the pain, Kade?’ When Kade can’t speak to answer, Noah cuts through his shirt and asks Lachlan, ‘Blunt force trauma?’

‘Blunt trauma?’ Lachlan asks.

‘I don’t know, but he’s breathing shallow, skin cold, pulse thready and fast. He dipped twice during extraction.’

Noah examines the bloody opening at the front of Kade’s shoulder, lifts him enough to find the exit, then frowns.

‘Shoulder’s through-and-through. Lateral track, mostly soft tissue. It hasn’t touched his chest, nowhere near.’ Gloved fingertips press lightly over Kade’s heart. ‘So what the hell… is this?’

That feather-light touch chokes a silent scream out of him, spine arching, eyes rolling back. Pain burns like molten lava smothering his bones.

‘Two lines,’ Noah orders. ‘Get blood running and bring me the ultrasound. I’m doing an eFAST.’

A junior medic brings a bag of blood.

‘O-negative going up.’

‘No.’ Noah doesn’t look away from Kade. ‘Not for him. Reserve fridge, third drawer. Black labels.’

The medic hesitates. ‘Those are restricted.’

‘They’re his. Move. Try and stay still, Kade.’

Cold gel spreads across Kade’s body.

Noah brings the ultrasound probe down against his chest and it’s lucky Kade can’t scream because it might shatter every piece of glass for miles, it could fracture the earth, splinter the skies. He’s never in his whole life felt pain in this way, didn’t know it existed.

His interior is rupturing, tearing, dying.

‘You’re doing so good,’ Lachlan tells him. ‘I’m right here.’

‘You need to move.’