Chapter 27

I awoke, more or less, in the back of an ambulance. I could hear the siren wailing. I couldn't move anything. And I hurt all over. Back, neck, legs, you name it.

I must have groaned, because it attracted the attention of the medic sitting next to me. He was one I didn't know. He leaned over and said, "don't try to move, we've got you strapped to a backboard and your neck's sandbagged and your head's taped down".

I swallowed and licked my lips and managed to get my voice working. "How bad..."I grunted.

"Doesn't look bad at all, really. No apparent fractures of your arms or legs, you seem to have normal peripheral reflexes, pupils equal and reactive, and your chest sounds are normal. Pulse and BP are a little high, but you don't seem to be shocky. O2 sats are good. I've got you on IV D5W, TKO and low flow O2 from a nasal canula. We're about four minutes out from University."

I tried to clear my throat and made myself cough, which produced some stabbing pains from my right ribs. By reflex, I took a deep breath, which generated another round of pain. Definitely broken or cracked ribs.

The medic was watching me closely. "Ribs?" he said.

I tired to nod, couldn't, and said, "Yes".

"Man, you were lucky! That whole ceiling fell on you. Sopping wet 5/8" inch gypsum board, 1x2 furring strips, some 2x4 framing and about a ton of soaked fiberglass insulation. If you hadn't had that door open, it would have squashed you like a bug!"

"Your buddy got on the radio and called for help, then started digging you out. We'd been standing by on scene, and had you out and packaged inside 5 minutes."

About that time, we arrived at the ER. I heard the siren stop, and then we stopped and backed into the ramp. I shut my eyes, and tried to relax and they wheeled me inside.

The place was in full trauma mode. I was rushed to the Radiology for a full-body CT. When that was done, I was wheeled back to the ER, where they removed my bunker boots and then systematically cut every stitch of clothing off of me. Every orifice was probed. A catheter was inserted, and a urine sample taken. A greasy, gloved finger shoved up my anus to check for sphincter tone. Blood was drawn- 5 or 6 tubes of it. All the while, a nurse was firing questions at me, getting a history.

The doc looked in my eyes, nose, mouth and ears. That done, a blanket was thrown over me while we awaited the results of the CT scan.

The phone rang, and the doc talked to someone for a few minutes. He turned to me and smiled. "Well, Firefighter Darkscar, you're one lucky man. We got the results of the CT back. No head, neck or spinal trauma was found, so I think it's time to let you off that backboard."

He started loosening straps and the nurse cut the tape holding my head to the sandbags. She ripped the tape off of my forehead with a nicely cold-blooded professional yank.

"There you go, do you think you can sit up? I expect you're pretty stiff."

"I'll try- can you give me a hand?"

They each took a hand and with that help I was able to sit up- just in time to get another stab of pain from my ribs. I froze for a second, and sucked in air, which caused another spasm.

"Your ribs?" the doc asked. He was another one I didn't know. His nametag said Dr. Ogabe- a very tall and dark black man, with a gentle Nigerian accent.

"Yeah- lower right side. It's pretty uncomfortable. I don't think they are broken though. I had broken ribs from a bike accident once."

Well, I haven't seen the CT myself, but the radiologist said that you had at least two, and possibly three cracked ribs. We could wrap them if you like, but for a non-displaced break, I really don't think it will help much. Are you hurting anyplace else?"

I thought for a few seconds "It would probably be easier to list what doesn't hurt." I chuckled, and quickly regretted it. "Everything hurts, but nothing HURTS like it was damaged, if that makes any sense. Both my knees seem to be pretty sore, and I have a crick in my neck, but that might be from the backboard. I expect it will be worse tomorrow."

Dr. Ogabe chuckled, too. "I expect you're right about that. I want to admit you for observation overnight, and I also want to get an MRI of your neck and both knees. If there is some soft-tissue damage, I'd like to get a fix on it right away."

"Ok, Doc. Uh- do we have to have this catheter in?"

"I'd like to keep it in until we finish the scans. I don't have the UA back, but I want to know if there is any frank bleeding from your kidneys."

"Ok- but no longer then necessary, please. Can I have something to drink?"