Read Online Emergency at Bayside by Carol Marinelli - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Carol Marinelli
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memory, made better because this time she could close her eyes, this time she could sleep…
At first Meg felt only relief when a child’s screams dragged her awake. Focussing on her watch, she stood up with a yelp and shook the sand out of her sarong.Never mind the soup, there wouldn’t even be time for a shower at this rate. Fuzzy from sleep, and the bright midday sun, it took Meg a second or two to register that the screaming hadn’t stopped—in fact it had multiplied. A woman was screaming.
Loudly.
Swinging around, Meg watched in horror as she saw a woman running hysterically along the beach, twisting and turning, carrying a screaming child in her arms.
A bleeding child.
That second was all it took for Meg to break into a run, to shout her orders to the stunned onlookers who were watching helplessly, frozen with shock.
‘Get me a towel. Someone call for an ambulance.’
The screaming grew louder, and Meg acknowledged with relief that the child was screaming also as the woman practically threw the infant into her arms. ‘He stood on a bottle. Oh, God—help him, please!’
‘It’s all right, darling.’ Despite her own fear Meg spoke soothingly to the child. Lying him down, she immediately raised his leg. The blood was pouring from his foot. Meg swallowed hard. It wasn’t pouring; it was pumping. He had a large arterial bleed. Immediately she applied pressure behind his knee, holding the leg as high as she could as an elderly gentleman thrust a towel at her.
‘Here—can you use this?’
‘I can’t let go of his leg.’
‘Tell me what you want me to do.’
Meg nodded, relief washing over her. Her fear was real. Nothing scared her in Emergency—there sheknew what she was doing, could put her hand on the necessary equipment in an instant, summon help at the touch of a button or the buzz of an intercom. But here she was on her own. Apart from this man no one had done a single thing to help—all were standing uselessly. Meg didn’t blame them for a moment, but it didn’t help matters in the least. But this man was sensible. The sweat was pouring off him, and there was a grey tinge to his lips, but he was at least listening, ready to help. ‘Hold his leg up and push like I am behind his knee. I need to have a look before I wrap it up.’
As soon as Meg released the pressure the blood started spurting again. By now the child had stopped screaming; he was lying there shocked and pale, which worried Meg far more than the noise.
‘Has someone called for an ambulance?’ she asked as she examined the foot. There was no glass visible so, taking the towel, she wrapped it tightly around the foot, pulling it as hard as she could in an attempt to stem the flow of blood. ‘Has someone called an ambulance yet?’
One of the women was frantically pushing the buttons on her mobile. ‘It isn’t charged.’
‘Has anyone else got a mobile?’
‘I could run up to one of the houses,’ the man offered. Meg looked down at the child. He was becoming drowsy, and despite her best efforts already the towel was bright red. ‘Or my car’s just there. My wife could drive…’
Meg did a swift calculation. By the time he had run up, and assuming he got straight in to someone’shouse, it would be at least another ten minutes until the ambulance got here—and that was if their luck was in. If they dashed to a car she could have him straight in within five minutes.
‘We’ll go by car. I have to keep pushing—keep his leg up.’
He nodded. ‘June—go and start the car.’
Spurred into action, the assembled crowd finally moved, helping to carry the boy the short distance along the beach to the waiting car. The mother sat in the front, sobbing loudly as Meg and her helper squeezed into the back and the car jerked away.
‘Drive carefully,’ Meg warned the woman.
‘But step on it, love.’ The man gave Meg a small smile. ‘She’s as slow as a snail normally. My name’s Roland.’
‘Meg.’
It was
At first Meg felt only relief when a child’s screams dragged her awake. Focussing on her watch, she stood up with a yelp and shook the sand out of her sarong.Never mind the soup, there wouldn’t even be time for a shower at this rate. Fuzzy from sleep, and the bright midday sun, it took Meg a second or two to register that the screaming hadn’t stopped—in fact it had multiplied. A woman was screaming.
Loudly.
Swinging around, Meg watched in horror as she saw a woman running hysterically along the beach, twisting and turning, carrying a screaming child in her arms.
A bleeding child.
That second was all it took for Meg to break into a run, to shout her orders to the stunned onlookers who were watching helplessly, frozen with shock.
‘Get me a towel. Someone call for an ambulance.’
The screaming grew louder, and Meg acknowledged with relief that the child was screaming also as the woman practically threw the infant into her arms. ‘He stood on a bottle. Oh, God—help him, please!’
‘It’s all right, darling.’ Despite her own fear Meg spoke soothingly to the child. Lying him down, she immediately raised his leg. The blood was pouring from his foot. Meg swallowed hard. It wasn’t pouring; it was pumping. He had a large arterial bleed. Immediately she applied pressure behind his knee, holding the leg as high as she could as an elderly gentleman thrust a towel at her.
‘Here—can you use this?’
‘I can’t let go of his leg.’
‘Tell me what you want me to do.’
Meg nodded, relief washing over her. Her fear was real. Nothing scared her in Emergency—there sheknew what she was doing, could put her hand on the necessary equipment in an instant, summon help at the touch of a button or the buzz of an intercom. But here she was on her own. Apart from this man no one had done a single thing to help—all were standing uselessly. Meg didn’t blame them for a moment, but it didn’t help matters in the least. But this man was sensible. The sweat was pouring off him, and there was a grey tinge to his lips, but he was at least listening, ready to help. ‘Hold his leg up and push like I am behind his knee. I need to have a look before I wrap it up.’
As soon as Meg released the pressure the blood started spurting again. By now the child had stopped screaming; he was lying there shocked and pale, which worried Meg far more than the noise.
‘Has someone called for an ambulance?’ she asked as she examined the foot. There was no glass visible so, taking the towel, she wrapped it tightly around the foot, pulling it as hard as she could in an attempt to stem the flow of blood. ‘Has someone called an ambulance yet?’
One of the women was frantically pushing the buttons on her mobile. ‘It isn’t charged.’
‘Has anyone else got a mobile?’
‘I could run up to one of the houses,’ the man offered. Meg looked down at the child. He was becoming drowsy, and despite her best efforts already the towel was bright red. ‘Or my car’s just there. My wife could drive…’
Meg did a swift calculation. By the time he had run up, and assuming he got straight in to someone’shouse, it would be at least another ten minutes until the ambulance got here—and that was if their luck was in. If they dashed to a car she could have him straight in within five minutes.
‘We’ll go by car. I have to keep pushing—keep his leg up.’
He nodded. ‘June—go and start the car.’
Spurred into action, the assembled crowd finally moved, helping to carry the boy the short distance along the beach to the waiting car. The mother sat in the front, sobbing loudly as Meg and her helper squeezed into the back and the car jerked away.
‘Drive carefully,’ Meg warned the woman.
‘But step on it, love.’ The man gave Meg a small smile. ‘She’s as slow as a snail normally. My name’s Roland.’
‘Meg.’
It was
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