Lost in Love

CHAPTER ONE Anthony Mallon rushed into Jupiter White Memorial Hospital stressed out and out of sorts. He could hear his own heartbeat and barely saw where he was going. He probably looked like a crazy person right now, drenched in rainwater but honestly, he did not care, he just wanted to see her. He saw the nurses’ station and made a beeline towards it, through the crowds of people in the waiting area. How can hospitals be so crowded and still function? “Excuse me, nurse,” he said to the first person in uniform that he saw. “Yes, may I help you?” the nurse on duty smiled at him. She was polite but he didn’t care about that right now, this was urgent. “I was called and told my wife was brought here tonight,” he said in a voice out of breath. “What is your wife’s name?” she asked looking at her computer. “Alex...Alexandrea Sanchez, she was in an accident. Please, is she here?” Tony had never been this scared in his life. He always prided himself for being cool and composed under any situation, for a man in his position it was a requirement, but today that was not the case. He just needed her. “Are you sure? There is no one here by that name,” the nurse said, still looking at her computer. “Can you look again please, she has to be here,” he basically pleaded. This was wrong all wrong. They were not supposed to be here tonight. Suddenly there was a lot of noise in the room. An ambulance had just arrived outside. The EMTs jumped out and a couple of doctors ran to meet them. One of the EMTs began to shout instructions as they moved into the hospital pushing the gurney. “Latina woman, twenty- six years car accident almost an hour ago,” “An hour?” one of the doctors interrupted. “Roads were blocked and slippery because of the rain. She has lost a lot of blood and her pulse is thready. We intubated on site but she is still not responding. She was tachycardic and hypotensive en route” EMT said trying to shout over the noise in the hospital. “Alright everyone, we are initiating multiple blunt trauma protocol, there are obvious head and chest injuries. let’s go,” one of the doctors said taking over the situation. That is when he saw her, a glimpse of her but he could recognize that face anywhere. She was still wearing her wedding dress, although it was now covered in dirt and blood. Her head was clearly injured and bandaged up. Her face was partially covered in blood and her eyes were closed. She was mostly covered by a blanket and she did not look good.  “That is my wife, please help her,” he finally said, snapping out of the trance he had been in. He followed the train of doctors who apparently had his wife’s life in their hands. They put her in a room and basically surrounded her. He went in too, he needed to do something, anything to help her. He couldn’t lose her, not like this. They put her on the bed and started working on her. “Sir, what is her name?” one of the doctors asked him, not looking at him. “Alex,” he said, barely able to breathe. Before he knew it machines started to beep frantically and everything was chaotic again.  Tony did not understand anything they said, all he heard was get those I.Vs up...make sure lines are patent...depressed skull fracture with probable bleed...trauma ultrasound... get C.T ready...checking reflexes...no obvious spinal deformities...two bags of O neg...no breath sounds on the right..chest tube..left upper quadrant looks clear… Tony felt like he was living someone else’s life. He was an intelligent and powerful man but right now he was weak and did not understand what was going on. All he knew was that she could die, and he would never forgive himself. “Sir, you need to wait outside, let us help your wife,” one of the doctors, a middle-aged woman was guiding him out of the room. He did not want to leave her but there was nothing he could do for her. “Dr, Brown, she is crushing,” someone shouted from inside the room. The doctor that had just ushered him out ran back in.  Tony looked through the window as they injected a clear fluid into her I.V and someone shouted clear and placed the defibrillator pads on her chest. He watched as a wave of electricity shot through her body. Her back arched upwards and then back down on the bed, still the machines were beeping. They increased the charge and shocked her again. This went on four more times until the beeping on the machine went into rhythm indicating that her heart was beating again. Tony let out a breath he did not even know he was holding.  “She needs surgery now, Schmit, get the husband to sign the paperwork, everyone else who is relevant let’s go, OR 1 now!” *** Have you ever had that recurring dream where you are standing on the edge of a very high bridge, so high you cannot even see the bottom? Where suddenly you start falling and then you hit the water and you start drowning, but then you wake up just before the water drags you to the unforgiving deep? Tony was feeling like that at this very moment, except there was no waking up, the water kept dragging him down. “Mr. Mallon, sir, are you still with me?” Tony snapped out of it and realized the man-child next to him was still talking. He looked over at him to see the man agitated and confused. He was holding a stack of papers on a clipboard with his eyes on Tony, unsure of his next move. “ Sorry doctor, you were saying?” Tony said in an ice-cold annoyed voice that he used when trying to belittle people. It worked most times but it just made this ‘too young to be an actual doctor’ man still standing there look like a scolded child.  “Oh, ah...well… I was,” the man stammered and mumbled and at that point, Tony lost all the little patience he had been holding on to since he got here fifteen minutes ago.  “I am sorry is there a real doctor anywhere?” Tony finally snapped looking around. “Is there a problem here?” an older looking doctor arrived almost immediately. “Yes, this child is failing to speak legibly,” Tony said looking at the first doctor. “Oh, this is Dr. Schmit, our surgical resident, Schmit, go please,” the young doctor basically ran away dumping the load of papers into the older doctor’s hands. “How may l help you? I am Dr. Garcia, chief of surgery,” the man said, extending his hand to Tony. “Anthony Mallon,” he said, shaking his hand. “Mr. Mallon, how can l help,” Dr. Garcia said, his tone changing, and Tony realized the man had recognized the Mallon name, most people did. “My wife was just taken into surgery, they needed me to sign something?” “Yes, consent forms and a DNR form. Come with me to my office we will talk there,” he said guiding Tony to the elevators.