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Authors: Lauraine Snelling
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and Ansel’s toddler daughter did the same, except the kid didn’t snore softly like that man did.
Hannah looked up. “Beth is all right?”
“Yes. I’ll probably be bringing them back in here. What can we lay her on?”
Bo was staring at him. Of course. When Mrs. Unfeld had to go, she went. Bo was holding it. “Come on, Bo. Your legs must be crossed.”
Almost eagerly, his dog abandoned his protective watch over the baby and followed Ben out through the back service door. Black dog in the black night, he disappeared instantly. When the hospital was on generator, it burned no outside lights.
In fact, no one was burning lights. Every power line in town must be down. The wind still screamed through the trees. Things still whipped past now and then—roofing shingles, small branches—but the wind was definitely tapering off. The rain was not.
Bo came back to the door soaking wet, stopped at Ben’s knee, and shook. Stupid dog. They went back inside, out of chaos into chaos, back to reality. Bo resumed his post curled up at Hannah’s feet.
Ben returned to the front reception area, but Barbara and Mrs. Unfeld were not there. Avis had taken Barbara’s place at the desk again. The waiting room was still stuffed full, but now most people were curled up in the chairs or stretched out on the floor, sleeping. A short guy Ben knew only as Dominic consulted a list in his hand and looked around the room. He threaded his way to a couple sitting in a corner. They climbed stiffly to their feet and followed him out into the hall. The Culpepper kid was coming out of one and he didn’t even look tired. He smiled at Ben. Ben smiled back.
Dominic led the couple into one. “Someone will be here shortly.”
“Dominic?” Ben wiggled a finger. “Where is Hannah on that list?”
He frowned. “I don’t have a Hannah on this list. Who’s Hannah?”
That old familiar fury boiled up instantly. She wasn’t even on the list! All night she’d been holding that helpless baby and she wasn’t even on the list! And he…
“Ben!” Dennis and Yvette shoved a man in a wheelchair through the double doors. “Asthma! Our O 2 ran out. We gave him a shot of epinephrine, so his heart is racing.”
The fury would just have to wait. This fellow looked terrified, fighting for breath, and he had turned blue. “Dominic, put Hannah on the list now ! Dennis, maybe three is open again.”
Behind him, Dominic was asking, “Yeah, but who is she?”
Three was a mess, but it was open. They lifted him onto the table Rob and his patient had just vacated. The Culpepper kid showed up in the doorway. Dennis adjusted the table to half sitting as Ben hooked the line from the nose prongs to the nozzle in the wall. How much oxygen remained in the big bottle in the supply closet? He set it while Dennis checked to make sure the life-giving air was flowing. The Culpepper kid started picking up.
“Surely we have albuterol,” Ben muttered as he searched the cupboards; in all of his looking for stuff, he had not checked these cabinets. No meds of any kind.
He turned to the patient. “You have any sort of bronchodilators with you?”
No response.
Dennis said, “We didn’t find any, but we didn’t look far. Wanted to get him here.”
“Dennis, go ask Esther. She’s in the next room, or at least she was. If she’s not, Barbara is in the restroom, cleaning up Mrs. Unfeld. Barbara will know.” Barbara, a registered nurse, knew everything. Nurses knew more than doctors did, at least regarding the practical stuff. Might as well check under the sink; it was the only door left. “Oh, for pete’s sake.”
Who would stash a big plastic box of meds under the sink? But there it was, and rifling through it Ben found albuterol. He bit the cap off the vial so he could pour it into the nebulizer.
Dennis came back in. “Under the sink. And the clamp is over the sink.”
He opened a cabinet door above the sink, dragged out a plastic bag of various gizmos,
Hannah looked up. “Beth is all right?”
“Yes. I’ll probably be bringing them back in here. What can we lay her on?”
Bo was staring at him. Of course. When Mrs. Unfeld had to go, she went. Bo was holding it. “Come on, Bo. Your legs must be crossed.”
Almost eagerly, his dog abandoned his protective watch over the baby and followed Ben out through the back service door. Black dog in the black night, he disappeared instantly. When the hospital was on generator, it burned no outside lights.
In fact, no one was burning lights. Every power line in town must be down. The wind still screamed through the trees. Things still whipped past now and then—roofing shingles, small branches—but the wind was definitely tapering off. The rain was not.
Bo came back to the door soaking wet, stopped at Ben’s knee, and shook. Stupid dog. They went back inside, out of chaos into chaos, back to reality. Bo resumed his post curled up at Hannah’s feet.
Ben returned to the front reception area, but Barbara and Mrs. Unfeld were not there. Avis had taken Barbara’s place at the desk again. The waiting room was still stuffed full, but now most people were curled up in the chairs or stretched out on the floor, sleeping. A short guy Ben knew only as Dominic consulted a list in his hand and looked around the room. He threaded his way to a couple sitting in a corner. They climbed stiffly to their feet and followed him out into the hall. The Culpepper kid was coming out of one and he didn’t even look tired. He smiled at Ben. Ben smiled back.
Dominic led the couple into one. “Someone will be here shortly.”
“Dominic?” Ben wiggled a finger. “Where is Hannah on that list?”
He frowned. “I don’t have a Hannah on this list. Who’s Hannah?”
That old familiar fury boiled up instantly. She wasn’t even on the list! All night she’d been holding that helpless baby and she wasn’t even on the list! And he…
“Ben!” Dennis and Yvette shoved a man in a wheelchair through the double doors. “Asthma! Our O 2 ran out. We gave him a shot of epinephrine, so his heart is racing.”
The fury would just have to wait. This fellow looked terrified, fighting for breath, and he had turned blue. “Dominic, put Hannah on the list now ! Dennis, maybe three is open again.”
Behind him, Dominic was asking, “Yeah, but who is she?”
Three was a mess, but it was open. They lifted him onto the table Rob and his patient had just vacated. The Culpepper kid showed up in the doorway. Dennis adjusted the table to half sitting as Ben hooked the line from the nose prongs to the nozzle in the wall. How much oxygen remained in the big bottle in the supply closet? He set it while Dennis checked to make sure the life-giving air was flowing. The Culpepper kid started picking up.
“Surely we have albuterol,” Ben muttered as he searched the cupboards; in all of his looking for stuff, he had not checked these cabinets. No meds of any kind.
He turned to the patient. “You have any sort of bronchodilators with you?”
No response.
Dennis said, “We didn’t find any, but we didn’t look far. Wanted to get him here.”
“Dennis, go ask Esther. She’s in the next room, or at least she was. If she’s not, Barbara is in the restroom, cleaning up Mrs. Unfeld. Barbara will know.” Barbara, a registered nurse, knew everything. Nurses knew more than doctors did, at least regarding the practical stuff. Might as well check under the sink; it was the only door left. “Oh, for pete’s sake.”
Who would stash a big plastic box of meds under the sink? But there it was, and rifling through it Ben found albuterol. He bit the cap off the vial so he could pour it into the nebulizer.
Dennis came back in. “Under the sink. And the clamp is over the sink.”
He opened a cabinet door above the sink, dragged out a plastic bag of various gizmos,
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