but that would be in a perfect world and this isn’t one. Nearest hospital is too far away and he would never make it, even if he would allow us to take him.”
Ellen leaned closer for a better look. “He’s lost a lot of blood. He needs a transfusion.”
“I’m O. Have you ever done a transfusion outside a hospital?”
“No.”
“Then I’ll set that up and you can take care of the wounds while I’m giving blood. Ever removed a bullet?”
She gave him a wry smile. “I saw it done during emergency rotation.”
“Can you handle it?”
“Sure I can. So if I understand this right, you’re going to lie around while I do all the work?”
“Funny lady.” Chance reached for his pack.
She came down on her knees beside him.
Chance called to the boy to come and hold the flashlight and asked the woman to get them some hot water. He then prepared a syringe of antibiotic and injected it into the man’s arm. “It’ll be too little, too late, but it’s better than nothing.”
Ellen could identify with his frustration. She pulled the saline bottles out of the backpack as Chance removed supplies from his bag. Slipping on gloves, she lifted the bandage off the upper hole in the man’s leg. It was still oozing. She opened up some four-by-fours and placed them over it, then gave the same attention to the other one. As Ellen worked Chance was busy setting up an IV line. With efficiency and precision that she admired, he’d already inserted the needle into the man’s arm.
Chance spoke to the boy again and he dashed out the door. The woman arrived with the water. Ellen continued to clean around the first wound. The boy returned with a wooden chair that had seen better days and a lantern. Chance placed the chair close to the mattress. Ellen took the lantern, situating it so she could get the most out of its light.
“I’m ready for you to finish this IV,” Chance said.
“Let me change gloves.” Ellen stripped off the ones she’d been wearing and pulled on clean ones. She moved close to Chance. Taking his arm under hers, she held his steady and began pressing on the bend in his elbow for a good vein. She was close enough to catch the natural scent of him.
“You know, you really are beautiful.”
She glanced up then down again. “You’re not already light-headed, are you?” With a firm, steady push she inserted the large IV needle into his arm. “Hand me one of those tape strips.”
“No, just speaking the truth.” He handed her a strip from the ones he’d placed on the backpack. “This isn’t your first stick. Nicely done.”
“Thank you. Yes, I’ve done a few in my time.” She looked him straight in the eyes. “But I’m always open to a first time in other areas.” His eyes widened slightly before he started pumping his fist and blood flowed to their patient.
“You’d better get busy on those holes or you’ll be wasting my blood.”
“I’m on it.” She removed her gloves and replaced them with clean ones again. “I’ll have them taken care of and get back to you in a minute.”
Ellen carefully cleaned around the surface of the first wound. She was going to have to remove the bullet and not damage the nearby artery while doing it. Even in the best of situations that would still have a degree of difficulty. Under these conditions that was upped a hundred times. Ellen counted on her skill to save this man, if not her experience.
Locating large tweezers, she cleaned the blood away and went after the bullet. She pursed her lips tightly as she continued to search. Finding the bullet, she grabbed it and pulled it out. The wound bled anew. She dropped the bullet to the floor and snatched some four-by-fours and placed them over the hole.
“Nice job, Doctor.”
“Thanks, but I have to stop this bleeding. Could you apply pressure while I get the sutures ready?”
“Sure. Now I’m assisting you.”
She glanced at him. “Problem with that?”
“Not at all.” After she’d helped him pull on a glove, he put two fingers in the center of the pads.
Minutes later Ellen had the wound sutured closed. She checked on Chance as she worked. She didn’t need him passing out. He seemed comfortable. The entire time she worked she was conscious of him watching her.
As she applied the final piece of tape to the bandage Chance said, “You handled yourself well, Dr. Cox.”
“Thank you. How’re you doing?” She took the patient’s vital signs. He was stable, but barely.
“I think I’m about at the end of my giving. Head’s a little light.”
“Well, let me try to stand and I’ll see about you.” She pushed up but her knees were stiff and didn’t want to move.
“Give me your hand and I’ll pull.”
She took his hand. It was a struggle but she finally made it to her feet.
“Walk around a minute and get some feeling back into your legs.”
Ellen took his suggestion and made a couple of circles around the shack.
Returning to Chance, she removed the needle and applied a pressure bandage. “Now, sit there for a while. I don’t need two patients. I’ll have to admit this is out of my usual wheelhouse. Even in a clinic in the middle of New York City, what we have done here is over the top.”
“If it makes you feel any better, this is a little extreme for me as well.”
“Thanks for that. I thought you might remind me again that I shouldn’t be here.”
“I only acted that way because I was afraid that you had bitten off more than you could chew. These conditions are harsh.”
What he didn’t say was that today was an example of that. She had a patient waiting and couldn’t worry about that now. Going down on her knees again, she started caring for the last bullet wound. With the lower one, the bullet had gone clean through. Working as efficiently as possible with the few supplies as she had left, she closed the wounds Done, she started cleaning up.
In all the medical work she had ever done she’d never felt better or more confident about herself than she did at this moment. This work was what she had been born for.
She looked at him. “We’re not all the hothouse flowers you think we are.”
“I know that now. You’ve more than proved it.” Chance looked around the shack. “It seems we’re here for the night. We need to keep an eye on him.” He nodded toward the injured man.
Ellen placed a hand on their patient’s head. “Infection is our enemy now. And you don’t need to do any activity for a while either.”
Chance
