Read Online Green for Danger by Christianna Brand - Free Book Online Page B

your femur, that’s the thigh bone, and we’re going to put a little thin steel pin through, above the knee, to pull the bone into place. That’s all there is to it. It won’t take very long and it isn’t serious a bit—is it, nurse?”
    â€œNot a bit,” said Esther.
    â€œThere isn’t any danger, nurse? I’m going to wake up all right?”
    â€œOh, Higgins, of course you are. There’s nothing to be frightened of.”
    â€œPromise me, nurse?” he insisted. “ Promise me?”
    â€œYes, Higgins, of course; there’s no danger—I promise you.”
    â€œYou’ll tell the missis, will you, my dear?” he said anxiously. “She’s waiting in the hall outside, and she’ll be fretting a bit. Tell her there isn’t any danger will you, my dear?”
    â€œYes, all right, Higgins, I will. As soon as you’ve gone off to sleep.”
    He relaxed on the pillow, comforted. “Thank you, my dear. God bless you, my dear.” He gave her a little, rather pathetic smile, and Barney put the rubber mask down, gently, over his mouth and nose.
    The water bubbled gaily in the little glass jar at the top of the trolley bracket, through which the gas and oxygen pass. “Breathe quite normally, old boy. Don’t worry. Relax and breathe gently. No hurry …” Barney’s voice was quiet and soothing, but the mask was pressing down more heavily on Higgins’ face. “Just quite quiet, old man; nothing to worry about …” Woods stood beside the table, ready to hang on to kicking legs or flailing arms. Major Moon and Eden came back again from the washroom, pulling on fresh rubber gloves.
    4
    Something was going wrong. Higgins’ face was turning from blue to a dark plum colour, showing on the cheek bones and at the edges of the mask. He breathed noisily and under the blankets his limbs jerked convulsively. The line of bubbles in the jar altered as Barnes cut down the gas and increased the oxygen: he looked rather troubled.
    Two minutes later the man was still a bad colour, and the red rubber bag in its black net, heaved in and out with the heavy, stertorous breathing. Only the oxygen showed bubbling now in the jar. Major Moon said anxiously: “He’s an awful colour.”
    â€œI can’t make it out,” said Barney, his eyes flickering over the apparatus for signs of anything wrong. “He’s having nothing but oxygen now.”
    â€œThere doesn’t seem to be any obstruction,” said Eden, watching the heaving bag.
    â€œI’ll just slip an airway in, to make sure.” He caught up the tube from the trolley, dabbled its rubber end in a pot of lubricant, and, removing the mask for a moment, thrust a gag between the teeth to keep the mouth open, and forced the tube down Higgins’ throat. Blue lips closed over the metal mouthpiece and Barney replaced the mask. After another half minute the man’s breathing changed. The respirations became light and shallow and irregular. The jerkings gave way to little twitchings and jactitations and the livid colour was replaced by a leaden grey, infinitely more horrible. Barney said, staring down at him: “He’s collapsed!”
    Major Moon flung back the blankets and started artificial respiration, pressing down upon the ribs and relaxing them with a slow rhythmic movement that yet was pregnant with urgency. Barnes plucked open a little bottle and filled a syringe: as he plunged the needle under the rib into the heart he said briefly to Woods: “Give some coramine—intramuscularly.”
    Even the shallow respirations had now ceased. Major Moon worked on, slowly pressing and relaxing. Barnes stood by helplessly. He said after a minute: “Shall I try more oxygen?”
    Eden shrugged his shoulders. “I should shove in some more coramine, intravenously,” said Moon, not pausing in his work. He added gravely: “As