The Baby Doctor's Bride

Ethan pulled her aside. “I think his spleen’s ruptured. I don’t have a second hemoglobin level yet, but he has all the signs, especially abdominal pain and tenderness, pain in his left shoulder, and being shocky. The question is, do you want to observe him here and then Medevac him out when we know for certain, or move him close to an O.R. now, before he needs one?”

“Do you really have to ask?” Her tone was wry.

“I’d vote to move him out now, but this is my first day on the job,” he reminded her. “I’m still learning your protocol.”

“The only protocol I have is that I make a point never to gamble with my patients’ lives. I’d rather give them an unnecessary helicopter ride than hold them here until it’s too late.” She met his gaze. “Do you have a problem with that?”

“Not at all,” he admitted. “I’d hoped you’d agree with me.”

“Then I’ll make the arrangements.”

“As an FYI,” Ethan mentioned before Ivy got too far, “Ben said they were using the Jaws of Life to free this Marybeth person, so she might need to catch a chopper ride, too.”

“I’ll notify the air dispatch.”

After making the flight arrangements, Ivy ran into Jed outside the trauma room. The same age as Walt, Jed was looking as haggard as Ivy felt.

“Busy day for you, too?” she commiserated.

He smiled. “I haven’t worked this hard in years. How Walt did it all by himself is a mystery. Not to mention downright miraculous.”

Ivy chuckled. “I have to agree.”

The ambulance bay doors whooshed open and the E.M.T. crew wheeled in another victim. At the same time the main doors at the other end of the department flew open, and a crowd of frantic adults rushed through.

“Have fun with that group,” Jed murmured, before he sprinted toward the incoming gurney and disappeared inside the trauma room where Ethan and Tommy already were.

Immediately Ivy was surrounded by parents asking after their children. After trying unsuccessfully to get a word in edgewise, she gave an unladylike whistle.

Complete and utter silence followed.

“Who belongs with Suzy and/or Emma?”

A young couple and a single woman raised their hands.

“Tommy?”

“He’s our son,” another couple said.

Ivy smiled. “Dr. Ethan is with him right now, but I’ll let him know you’re here. The rest of you—” she glanced at the other parents “—come with me.”

She led her group to a nearby treatment room, where she paused in the hall. “Both Suzy and Emma are fine,” she told them. “They have some bruises and bumps, and will be sore for a couple of days, but nothing that a few hot baths and plenty of rest won’t cure.”

“Are you sure?” The woman who’d identified herself as Emma’s mother asked.

“Absolutely. But if they complain about anything new in the next couple of days, be sure you bring them in. In the meantime they can have acetaminophen to ease their aches and pains.”

“Thanks, Dr. Ivy.” Suzy’s father pumped her hand. “We appreciate this.”

“Can we take our girls home now?” Emma’s mother asked.

“Absolutely.” Ivy opened the door and the two girls inside jumped up and ran to their parents. Amid hugs and tears and sniffles, the two chattered like a pair of blue jays as they described the accident.

Happy to send those two on their way, Ivy peeked into the room where the twins slept in the baby beds that someone had robbed from the medical ward, clearly worn out from their experience.

Determined to let Ethan handle the other set of waiting parents, she found him next to Tommy’s bed. “How’s he doing?” she asked, ignoring Jed and the nurses surrounding his patient for the moment.

“Stable, for the moment. His second hemoglobin level has dropped, though.”

“ETA for the helicopter, twenty minutes. Which was at least…” she checked her watch “…seven minutes ago.”

“Good.”

“His parents are waiting outside. I thought you should talk to them as you know his condition better than I do.”

He hesitated, as if hating to leave Tommy’s side.

“I’ll stay,” Nancy offered. “His vital signs haven’t changed in the last fifteen minutes. I’ll let you know if they do.”

Ivy accompanied Ethan to the nurses’ station, where the Weathers were still waiting. From the worry on their faces, they obviously expected to hear the worst.

“How is Tommy?” his father asked. “Can we see him?”

“In just a minute,” Ethan said, before he introduced himself. “Tommy’s suffered abdominal trauma and I believe he has a ruptured spleen.”

At Mrs. Weathers’s gasp, he continued, “He’s stable for the moment, but he’s going to need surgery and soon.”

“How soon?”

“Within hours, I’d say,” Ethan admitted. “Dr. Harris has called for an air ambulance. It should be here any minute now to fly him to Wichita, where a surgeon is already waiting for him.”

“Is that the only thing wrong?” Mrs. Weathers’s voice and mouth trembled. “His spleen?”

“As far as I can tell. His X-rays didn’t show any problems with his spine, although we’ll have a radiologist read them to be absolutely certain. He can also wiggle his fingers and toes, so I think it’s safe to say he’ll be running around before long. As for other conditions—his liver and kidney function tests all look good, but the surgeon will know more after he takes a look inside. Afterward they’ll continue to monitor him closely. Sometimes problems crop up a day or two after the accident. For now, the immediate problem is to stop the internal bleeding.”

“Won’t it stop on its own?” Mr. Weathers asked.

“The spleen is a highly vascular organ, which means it’s full of blood vessels. Its function is to filter all the blood as it enters the circulation. The only way to stop Tommy’s bleeding is to remove the organ.”

His parents’ faces blanched. “If his spleen is a filter, won’t he need it?”

“As important as it is,” Ethan explained, “one can live without it.”

“Can we see him, Doctor?”

“For a few minutes—until the air crew gets here. Don’t worry, they’ll send a nurse and an E.M.T., so Tommy will have excellent care while he’s flying. Mind you, though, when you see him he’ll be groggy, and may not make much sense,” he warned. “And don’t be alarmed by the tubes and monitors.” He smiled. “Your son has been a real trooper. He’s a tough little character.”

Throughout Ethan’s conversation Ivy had hung in the background. She gave him high marks for his bedside manner. Once again she wondered why a physician of his apparent caliber had been so reluctant to answer her first call for help. She was equally curious as to why he’d changed his mind. But, whatever his reasons, she was glad that he had. Considering how Tommy was the only one who’d been critically injured, she probably could have managed on her own while Walt’s nurse practitioner dealt with the twins and the two older girls. However, it was nice having another physician available. As Jed had said, it was nothing short of miraculous how Walt had managed singlehandedly.