Bound To Heal Ch. 01

Bart was stabilizing the broken leg while Doogan slid the other strap under and around the other exposed thigh and tightened it. He then tightened the first strap. Applying the body splint had once again left her white panties exposed with her skirt bunched up low around her tummy.

Doogan pulled the lady's dress down several inches to cover her white panties and reduce her exposure.

Doogan and Bart were unable to treat her fractured leg from the way she was located in the car, so Bart supported the lady's fractured leg, as Doogan and another paramedic, who had arrived with the second ambulance helped lift the lady from the car using the body splint's handholds.

Then Bart and Doogan carefully splinted her lower leg. Doogan checked her toes for proper circulation.

She was then placed on, and strapped to, a spine-board, then onto the ambulance stretcher and lifted into the ambulance. Doogan finished starting an IV in the lady's arm as Bart closed one of the rear doors of the ambulance.

A police officer approached, "How is the lady, not too serious I hope?"

Doogan spoke quietly to the officer, "She has head, chest and leg injuries."

"Damn," said the officer, shaking his head. "Thanks for getting the other ambulance for the drunk driver of the pick-up truck. Witnesses said he blew through the red light. I've spoken with your medic-buddies. I'll be escorting that guy to the other hospital and then to jail if he has no serious injuries. Dispatch just sent his information. This guy's supposed to be under a five year driving suspension for a drunk driving accident a couple years ago. Wish we could lock these guys up and throw away the key. Take care and have a better day." He turned and walked towards the other ambulance.

Bard and Doogan looked at one another, each thinking the same thing... That other driver is in deep doo-doo.

The loud piercing sound hurt Julie's head again. Suddenly, a bright light was hurting her one eye. Then it hurt her other eye and the pain went straight to her forehead. She groaned. The light moved slightly left and right. It became bright, then blinding, and then bright again. She tried moving her head to stop the light from hurting her eyes, but something was holding her head.

The lady had been groaning while Doogan and Bart had treated her in the car, and now the oxygen was improving her level of consciousness.

Julie felt almost comfortable, a sensation of being embraced, wrapped up, and secure. However, the soreness was creeping back now and the pain was increasing in her head, leg and breast.

"Miss? Can you hear me?" a male voice said. "Miss? Come on, wake up. I need to talk to you, ask you some questions. Can you hear me?" Doogan persisted.

The lady moaned and her eyes followed his movements slightly.

"Good Miss. Stay with me here. What's your name?" said the voice again.

"Juuuleee," she mumbled, now hearing herself for the first time. Her eyes opened more, seeing a man in front of her.

"Ok, Julie. Do you have any pain? Where do you hurt?" said the voice. She saw his lips move at the same time she heard the voice. This man must be talking to her. He reached towards her with something in his hand.

She felt something cool and soothing on her forehead, on her cheek, and then the other cheek. "Mmmm," she moaned, feeling the refreshing coolness.

"Just a cold pack to help sooth you and bring you around Julie," the voice said.

She realized she was lying on her back, a strange sensation of moving. The man in front of her was looking intently into her eyes.

"Julie, stay with me now." the male said looking at her.

"Who . . . are you? Where am I?" she asked, now noticing the lights on the ceiling above this man. There was a feeling of motion again. A siren wailed for a second. Where was she? There was a stethoscope dangling from around this man's neck. She reached for the thing covering her nose and mouth.

"No Julie, leave the oxygen mask on. It'll help you breath," said Doogan as he gently held her hand.

"Julie, my name is Doogan. You've had a car accident. No. Don't move Julie. You are securely strapped down on a board for your protection to prevent any further injuries. There is a special collar around your neck and your head is taped to the board, so hold your head still. Julie, do you understand what I'm saying? Don't turn your head or move around. Just lay still and you won't have much pain. Do you understand Julie?"

"Yes..." She remembered now, she was driving her car, stopped at a red light, then, the realization hit her.

"Oh-No! The pain. I'm hurt. I going to die! OhmyGod!" Tears flowing into her eyes, then running down her cheeks, her vision now blurred. Fear taking hold of her mind, freezing her still instantly.

"Oh, help me please!" she heard her voice say. Now she wanted someone to hold her, to hug her. Anyone. She was in pain and alone, except for this man in front of her. She was really frightened.

"You're ok Julie. You're not going to die. You have a couple injuries, but nothing too serious," said the man in front of her.

Julie looked into the man's eyes not sure she was hearing him correctly. Her fear eased a little. Then she had a terrible thought. Was this man telling the truth or just trying to keep her calm until the end. Her mind snapped.

She remembered the sudden death of her parents in a car accident. She WAS going to die. "No! Help me please! Help me!" Her eyes were wide now with real terror. "Don't let me die!" She tried to reach out, to lift her head, to sit up. She got dizzy with the effort and relaxed.

"Julie, relax and lay still. Everything is going to be ok," said the man leaning over her. She felt him gently but firmly grasping her shoulders to both hold her still and gently reassure her.

Yes, fear, fright, and terror almost always in their eyes when they realized they were in the ambulance, always thinking they were going to die. Doogan still gently but firmly held her shoulders, reassuring, comforting.

"Julie . . . Julie listen to me! You're not going to die. Lay still and listen to me. You have a few cuts that we've bandaged, the bleeding is stopped. You have an injured leg, it's splinted for protection, so don't move your legs, Ok Julie? And you have an IV line in your arm. Do you understand? Julie, you're going to be ok. Please keep still and don't move around." Doogan didn't tell her he suspected a head injury, hopefully only a mild concussion, but that was the doctor's problem.

She felt the tremors roll through her, shivers of fear, not really believing this man, but wanting to . . . desperately. "Help me please, help me."

"Julie, you're in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, and things are looking better now that you're talking to me. You had me a little worried there for a few minutes but you're ok now," the man said.

She looked up at him, her mind a little calmer. His cheek had a smudge of dirt. His hair dishevelled and matted with the sweat on his forehead, his eyes moving, looking at her body. Oh. He's really looking at me closely. Her fear increased. Then she remembered seeing her dress crumpled up around her hips, her legs exposed in the car, embarrassment surfacing. She tried to look down but the neck collar and the tape held her head still but she could see the top of a blanket covering her chest. She blinked to clear the tears from her eyes, and relaxed a little more.

He reached over her head and then he was gently pressing a tissue to the edges of her eyes and wiping her cheeks. Why was he looking at me like that? Is there something wrong that he's not telling me?

"Julie, I'm going to gently press on your stomach. Tell me if you have any pain. Ok? Doogan said.

Julie looked at him a second, "Ok."

He carefully pulled down the blanket and gently pressed on her stomach. "Any pain here? How about here? And here?"

Julie answered, "No." to each gentle press on her stomach.

Doogan pulled up the blanket and looked down at Julie. "Good, things are looking better for you Julie."

He reviewed the accident in his mind... thinking of things that may have hidden injuries. She had been slumped in the car semi-conscious and groaning, supported by the seat belt. A bump and laceration on her head from hitting the door frame. A lacerating puncture on her breast from the long handled ice scrapper when the car spun around and rolled over, then impacted the telephone pole. And her leg was fractured, deformed by the impact of the truck and the centrifugal force.

Doogan continued to visually check the treatment they had done to this lady. Relax, deep breath, let the stress out. She's ok now.

He now asked her the usual questions about ... name, age, doctor, meds, medical conditions, allergies, pregnant, hospital stays, next of kin, etc. He took another set of vitals -- pulse, blood pressure, respirations.

He's looking at me. The stern look on his face softened and a small smile appeared on his face.

He looked out the ambulance window for a few seconds watching landmarks go by, estimating time of arrive at the hospital. He then radioed the hospital providing the patient's condition so they would be ready when she arrived.

"Julie, everything seems ok. We can both relax. Things are looking better for you," said Doogan. He looked directly into her eyes, seeming to study her very soul, watching her pupils constrict and dilate when he moved his penlight near her eyes. Good, her eyes are reacting more normally now. She may be lucky... hope so.

The ambulance slowed and stopped.

"Julie, we're at the hospital now, so lay still while we lift you out and take you inside. His comforting gentle hand touched her shoulder again.

"Things are looking good Julie," he said.

With her eyes closed, she tried to relax a little. She started to cry, tears running down her cheeks. A soft tissue moving across her cheeks clearing away the tears. She opened her eyes to see Doogan's face. There was tenderness and compassion there. She closed her eyes but the foreboding fear didn't go away.

Then the ambulance doors opened and she had a sensation of moving, floating, falling, suddenly more fear. Her eyes snapping open full of fright. She reached out to grab something to hang on to. The paramedics were lifting her out of the ambulance.

"No Julie, hands by your sides. You won't fall. We've got you. Don't worry. You're tied securely. You're safe Julie. Put your hands by your sides. We don't want to pinch your fingers in the doorways. Good girl," he said.

She watched the ceiling tiles and lights drift by overhead as she entered the hospital emergency department. They lifted her onto a bed. She watched the paramedic giving the nurse a report on her condition. Then he stepped next to the bed and leaned closer to her face.

"Julie, the doctors and nurses here will take good care of you," he said, "Hope you get better real soon." He smiled, giving her a big wink and a nod of encouragement. He turned and walked out of Trauma Room #3.

Julie looked at the nurse, "Who was that?"

"Doogan, the paramedic that treated you at the car accident," said the nurse as she started asking the same questions he had asked in the ambulance. She also checked Julie's information for her relatives and said she would call them shortly. Another nurse was starting to cut her clothes off and expose her firm young body for a more complete and thorough assessment and examination. "Be careful, she's covered in broken glass," said the other nurse.

Julie felt embarrassed and could feel her exposed nipples stiffening in the cool air. She tried to look down but the neck collar and splinting prevented that. She felt her body being slowly but carefully exposed by the two nurses. OhmyGod, I'm being stripped! Another wave of embarrassment washed over her. Tears started to blur her vision again.

They had her completely naked now except for bandages, the body-splint and the splint on her leg. They continued to brush away and pick pieces of glass from all over her body. Julie felt so exposed, helpless and embarrassed.

Just then the treatment room door opened and in walked a man in green scrubs, the emergency doctor. At the same time, Julie felt a warm sheet and blanket settle over her naked body as another wave of embarrassment flooded through her mind.

Julie felt a warm sheet and blanket settle over her naked body.

Bart was cleaning up the stretcher and equipment, making things ready for the next call. Doogan was writing his patient report. Almost complete, Doogan now needed to check the lady's address and date of birth for his report. He walked back towards Trauma Room #3 to verify the information and also see if any of their equipment had been removed from the patient.

As the doctor walked around the end of the bed, Julie noticed the paramedic also walking across the room. Ohmygod! Where had he come from? Had he watched the nurses cut her clothes off? Had she been exposed and naked for him to see? She felt even more embarrassment.

Doogan walked over to the nurse's station and looked at the patient chart and notes. The nurses had opened the lady's purse and found her driver's licence. It was paper-clipped to the nurse's notes on the patient's chart. He checked the information he needed and walked out of the room with only a quick glance at the patient now covered with a sheet.

He was thinking of the quick glimpse of Julie's beautiful and naked body when he had followed the doctor into the room. She looked secure and comfortable wrapped in the splinting. Her one breast exposed, the other was covered by some dressings. Her dark pubic hair covered her prominent mons pubis, so erotically displayed by the shape of her pubic bone. Stop, he thought, he couldn't take advantage of a nice lady in such a desperate situation. It wasn't proper. He walked back to the small office for EMS personnel, sat down at the desk and completed his patient report.

End -- Bound To Heal -- Chapter One.