璇玑之心刃·冷血悍将-第115部分

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looked　at　the　paramedics。　‘How　is　he；　Mike？‘
‘Damned　near　bled　out；　Bert。　Definite　shotgun；‘　the　man　answered；　affixing　the　cervical　collar。　‘A　bunch　of　pellets　in　the　neck；　some　near　the　spine。　I　don‘t　like　this　at　all。‘
‘Where　you　taking　him？‘　the　police　sergeant　asked。　‘University‘s　full　up；‘　the　junior　paramedic　advised。　‘Bus　accident　on　the　Beltway。　We　have　to　take　him　to　Hopkins。‘
‘That‘s　an　extra　ten　minutes。‘　Mike　swore。　‘You　drive；　Phil；　tell　them　we　have　a　major　trauma　and　we　need　a　neurosurgeon　standing　by。‘
‘You　got　it。‘　Both　men　lifted　him　onto　the　gurney。　The　body　reacted　to　the　movement；　and　the　two　police　officers　…　three　more　radio　cars　had　just　arrived　…　helped　hold　him　in　place　while　the　firefighters　applied　restraints。
‘You‘re　a　real　sick　puppy；　my　friend；　but　we‘ll　have　you　in　the　hospital　real　quick　now；‘　Phil　told　the　body；　which　might　or　might　not　still　be　alive　enough　to　hear　the　words。　‘Time　to　roll；　Mike。‘
They　loaded　the　body　in　the　back　of　the　ambulance。　Mike　Eaton；　the　senior　paramedic；　was　already　setting　up　an　IV　bottle　of　blood…expanders。　Getting　the　intravenous　line　was　difficult　with　the　man　face　down；　but　he　managed　it　just　as　the　ambulance　started　moving。　The　sixteen…minute　trip　to　Johns　Hopkins　Hospital　was　occupied　with　taking　vital　signs　…　the　blood　pressure　was　perilously　low　…　and　doing　some　preliminary　paperwork。
Who　are　you？　Eaton　asked　silently。　Good　physical　shape；　he　noted；　twenty…six　or　…seven。　Odd　for　a　probable　drug　user。　They　guy　would　have　looked　pretty　tough　standing　up；　but　not　now。　Now　he　was　more　like　a　large；　sleeping　child；　mouth　open；　drawing　oxygen　from　the　clear　plastic　mask；　breathing　shallowly　and　too　slowly　for　Baton‘s　fort。
‘Speed　it　up；‘　he　called　to　the　driver；　Phil　Marconi。　
‘Roads　are　pretty　wet；　Mike；　doing　my　best。‘　
‘e　on；　Phil；　you　wops　are　supposed　to　drive　crazy！‘　
‘But　we　don‘t　drink　like　you　guys；‘　came　the　laughing　reply。　‘I　just　called　ahead；　they　got　a　neck…cutter　standing　by。　Quiet　night　at　Hopkins；　they‘re　all　ready　for　us。‘　
‘Good；‘　Eaton　responded　quietly。　He　looked　at　his　shooting　victim。　It　often　got　lonely　and　a　little　spooky　in　the　back　of　an　ambulance；　and　that　made　him　glad　for　the　otherwise　nerve…grating　wail　of　the　electronic　siren。　Blood　dripped　off　the　gurney　down　to　the　floor　of　the　vehicle；　the　drops　traveled　around　on　the　metal　floor；　as　though　they　had　a　life　entirely　of　their　own。　It　was　something　you　never　got　used　to。
‘Two　minutes；‘　Marconi　said　over　his　shoulder。　Eaton　moved　to　the　back　of　the　partment；　ready　to　open　the　door。　Presently　he　felt　the　ambulance　turn；　stop；　then　back　up　quickly　before　stopping　again。　The　rear　doors　were　yanked　open　before　Eaton　could　reach　for　them。
‘Yeow！‘　the　ER　resident　observed。　‘Okay；　folks；　we‘re　taking　him　into　Three。‘　Two　burly　orderlies　pulled　the　gurney　out　while　Eaton　disconnected　the　IV　bottle　from　the　overhead　hook　and　carried　it　beside　the　moving　cart。
‘Trouble　at　University？‘　the　resident　asked。
‘Bus　accident；‘　Marconi　reported；　arriving　at　his　side。
‘Better　off　here　anyway。　Jesus；　what　did　he　back　into？‘　The　doctor　bent　down　to　inspect　the　wound　as　they　moved。　‘Must　be　a　hundred　pellets　in　there！‘
‘Wait　till　you　see　the　neck；‘　Eaton　told　him。
‘Shit。。。‘　the　resident　breathed。
They　wheeled　him　into　the　capacious　emergency　room；　selecting　a　cubicle　in　the　corner。　The　five　men　moved　the　victim　from　the　gurney　to　a　treatment　table；　and　the　medical　team　went　to　work。　Another　physician　was　standing　by；　along　with　a　pair　of　nurses。
The　resident；　Cliff　Severn；　reached　around　delicately　to　remove　the　cervical　collar　after　making　sure　the　head　was　secured　by　sandbags。　It　took　only　one　look。
‘Possible　spine；‘　he　announced　at　once。　‘But　first　we　have　to　replace　blood　volume。‘　He　rattled　off　a　series　of　orders。　While　the　nurses　got　two　more　IVs　started；　Severn　took　the　patient‘s　shoes　off　and　ran　a　sharp　metal　instrument　across　the　sole　of　his　left　foot。　The　foot　moved。　Okay；　there　was　no　immediate　nerve　damage。　Good　news。　A　few　more　sticks　on　the　legs　also　got　reactions。　Remarkable。　While　that　was　happening；　a　nurse　took　blood　for　the　usual　battery　of　tests。　Severn　scarcely　had　to　look　as　his　well…trained　crew　did　their　separate　jobs。　What　appeared　to　be　a　flurry　of　activity　was　more　like　the　movement　of　a　football　backfield；　the　end　product　of　months　of　diligent　practice。
‘Where　the　hell‘s　neuro？‘　Severn　asked　the　ceiling。
‘Right　here！‘　a　voice　answered。
Severn　looked　up。　‘Oh　…　Professor　Rosen。‘
The　greeting　stopped　there。　Sam　Rosen　was　not　in　a　good　mood；　as　the　resident　saw　at　once。　It　had　been　a　twenty…hour　day　for　the　professor　already。　What　ought　to　have　been　a　six…hour　procedure　had　only　begun　a　marathon　effort　to　save　the　life　of　an　elderly　woman　who‘d　fallen　down　a　flight　of　stairs；　an　effort　that　had　ended　unsuccessfully　less　than　an　hour　before。　He　ought　to　have　saved　her；　Sam　was　telling　himself；　still　not　sure　what　had　gone　wrong。　He　was　grateful　rather　than　angry　about　this　extension　to　a　hellish　day。　Maybe　he　could　win　this　one。
‘Tell　me　what　we　have；‘　the　professor　ordered　curtly。
‘Shotgun　wound；　several　pellets　very　close　to　the　cord；　sir。‘
‘Okay。‘　Rosen　bent　down；　his　hands　behind　his　back。　‘What‘s　with　the　glass？‘
‘He　was　in　a　car；‘　Eaton　called　from　the　other　side　of　the　cubicle。
‘We　need　to　get　rid　of　that；　need　to　shave　the　head；　too；‘　Rosen　said；　surveying　the　damage。　‘What‘s　his　pressure？‘
‘BP　fifty　over　thirty；‘　a　nurse…practitioner　reported。　‘Pulse　is　one…forty　and　thready。‘
‘We‘re　going　to　be　busy；‘　Rosen　observed。　‘This　guy　is　very　shocky。　Hmm。‘　He　paused。　‘Overall　condition　of　the　patient　looks　good；　good　muscle　tone。　Let‘s　get　that　blood　volume　back　up。‘　Rosen　saw　two　units　being　started　even　as　he　spoke。　The　ER　nurses　were　especially　good　and　he　nodded　approval　at　them。
‘How‘s　your　son　doing；　Margaret？‘　he　asked　the　senior　one。
‘Starting　at　Carnegie　in　September；‘　she　answered；　adjusting　the　drip…rate　on　the　blood　bottle。
‘Let‘s　get　the　neck　cleaned　off　next；　Margaret。　I　need　to　take　a　look。‘
‘Yes；　doctor。‘
The　nurse　selected　a　pair　of　forceps；　grabbed　a　large　cotton　ball；　which　she　dipped　in　distilled　water；　then　wiped　across　the　patient‘s　neck　with　care；　clearing　away　the　blood　and　exposing　the　actual　wounds。　It　looked　worse　than　it　might　really　be；　she　saw　at　once。　While　she　swabbed　the　patient　off；　Rosen　looked　for　and　got　sterile　garb。　By　the　time　he　got　back　to　the　bedside；　Margaret　Wilson　had　a　sterile　kit　in　place　and　uncovered。　Eaton　and　Marconi　stayed　in　the　corner；　watching　it　all。
‘Nice　job；　Margaret；‘　Rosen　said；　putting　his　glasses　on。　‘What‘s　he　going　to　major　in？‘
‘Engineering。‘
"；That‘s　good。‘　Rosen　held　his　hand　up。　‘Tweezers。‘　Nurse　Wilson　set　a　pair　in　his　hand。　‘Always　room　for　a　bright　young　engineer。‘
Rosen　picked　a　small；　round　hole　on　the　patient‘s　shoulder；　well　away　from　anything　really　vital。　With　a　delicacy　that　his　large　hands　made　almost　ical　to　watch；　he　probed　for　and　retrieved　a　single　lead　ball　which　he　held　up　to　the　light。　‘Number　seven　shot；　I　believe。　Somebody　mistook　this　guy　for　a　pigeon。　That‘s　good　news；‘　he　told　the　paramedics。　Now　that　he　knew　the　shot　size　and　probable　peration；　he　bent　down　low　over　the　neck。　‘Hmm　。。。　what‘s　the　BP　now？‘
‘Checking；‘　another　nurse　said　from　the　far　side　of　the　table。　‘Fifty…five　over　forty。　ing　up。‘
‘Thank　you；‘　Rosen　said；　still　bent　over　the　patient。　‘Who　started　the　first　IV？‘
‘I　did；‘　Eaton　replied。
‘Good　work；　fireman。‘　Rosen　looked　up　and　winked。　‘Sometimes　I　think　you　people　save　more　lives　than　we　do。　You　saved　this　one；　that‘s　for　damned　sure。‘
‘Thank　you；　doctor。‘　Eaton　didn‘t　know　Rosen　well；　but　he　made　a　note　that　the　man‘s　reputation　was　deserved。　It　wasn‘t　every　day　that　a　fireman…paramedic　got　that　sort　of　praise　from　a　full　professor。　‘How‘s　he　going　to　…　I　mean；　the　neck　injury？‘
Rosen　was　down　again；　examining　it。　‘Responses；　doctor？‘　he　asked　the　senior　resident。
‘Positive。　Good　Babinsky。　No　gross　indications　of　peripheral　impairment；‘　Severn　replied。　This　was　like　an　exam；　which　always　made　the　young　resident　nervous。
‘This　may　not　be　as　bad　as　it　looks；　but　we‘re　going　to　have　to　clean　it　up　in　a　hurry　before　these　pellets　migrate。　Two　hours？‘　he　asked　Severn。　Rosen　knew　the　ER　resident　was　better　on　trauma　than　he　was。
‘Maybe　three。‘
‘I‘ll　get　a　nap　out　of　it　anyway；‘　Rosen　checked　his　watch。　‘I‘ll　take　him　at；　oh；　six。‘
‘Yon　want　to　handle　this　one　personally？‘
‘Why　not？　I‘m　here。　This　one　is　straightforward；　just　takes　a　little　touch。‘　Rosen　figured　he　was　entitled　to　an　easy　case；　maybe　once　a　month。　As　a　full　professor；　he　drew　a　lot　of　the　hard　ones。
‘Fine　with　me；　sir。‘
‘Do　we　have　an　ID　on　the　patient？‘
‘No；　sir；‘　Marconi　replied。　"；The　police　ought　to　be　here　in　a　few。‘
‘Good。‘　Rosen　stood　and　stretched。　‘You　know；　Margaret；　people　like　us　shouldn‘t　work　these　kind　of　hours。‘
‘I　need　the　shift…differential；‘　Nurse　Wilson　replied。　Besides　which；　she　was　the　nursing…team　leader　for　this　shift。　‘What‘s　this；　I　wonder？‘　she　said　after　a　moment。
‘Hmph？‘　Rosen　walked　around　to　her　side　of　the　table　while　the　rest　of　the　team　did　its　work。
‘A　tattoo　on　his　arm；‘　she　reported。　Nurse　Wilson　was　surprised　by　the　reaction　it　drew　from　Professor　Rosen。
The　transition　from　sleep　to　wakefulness　was　usually　easy　for　Kelly；　but　not　this　time。　His　first　coherent　thought　was　to　be　surprised；　but　he　didn‘t　know　why。　Next　came　pain；　but　not　so　much　pain　as　the　distant　warning　that　there　would　be　pain；　and　lots　of　it。　When　he　realized　that　he　could　open　his　eyes；　he　did；　only　to　find　himself　staring　at　a　gray　linoleum　floor。　A　few　scattered　drops　of　liquid　reflected　the　bright　overhead　fluorescents。　He　felt　needles　in　his　eyes；　and　only　then　did　he　realize　that　the　real　stabs　were　in　his　arms。
I‘m　alive。
Why　does　that　surprise　me？
He　could　hear　the　sound　of　people　moving　around；　muted　conversations；　distant　chimes。　The　sound　of　rushing　air　was　explained　by　air…conditioning　vents；　one　of　which　had　to　be　nearby；　since　he　could