basric

It's a level one trauma center, not an emergency room. Chest pain, broken arm you go to the ER. Run your car under a tractor trailer you're brought to trauma. The uniforms are black worn with gold tee shirts. They're called the death squad by the rest of the medical center. Only the burn center receive as critical patients.

She was pulling charge nurse that night and would handle triage. A care-partner (tech) made a comment using the "Q" word and was immediately shushed by nurses and residents on the floor.

Though they heard two of the three LifeFlight copters leave thirty minutes ago; had received the call from the resident on board--MVA (motor vehicle accident) forty year old female, multiple upper arm fractures...believed intoxicated had T-boned an eighteen year old female, for who they were waiting as the firemen used the jaws of life to extract her.

Though you know what's coming the adrenaline doesn't really kick in until the whomp, whomp, whomp of the blades are heard as they touch down and quickly expel the victims. Its quiet no longer.

She repeated the mantra to herself, Its not our place to judge, only treat all equally" as she assessed the belligerently drunk woman who reeked of alcohol. She low prioritized and assigned her to a nurse to assist the Resident in setting her arms.

However, the MRI showed the eighteen year old had a crushed pelvis and ruptured thoracic disc that severed her spinal cord. Open wounds were pressurized and covered. Blood was hung, the patient prepped and sent to surgery.

The first victim was demanding and obnoxious throughout the night. Nothing satisfied her. A police officer came to the desk and requested the station be called when she was to be released. Her ETOH blood level was four times the legal limit. One nurse with a particular dislike for cops hopped up and all but screamed that was a HIPPA violation and we certainly would not call them.

More work for the charge nurse who now had to write up a smart mouth nurse who caused a scene on the floor in front of the young woman's family.

The charge nurse went home and wanted to speak with her own policeman husband but felt tied by her oath and the law. All patients are the same. All must be treated the same." She agonized over this all day unable to sleep as she thought of the young woman who would be a paraplegic for the remainder of her life. A sweet undemanding girl with family there to support her. A patient who never called, you had to check on her.

That plus while she changed the other woman's bandages overheard the woman make arrangements to be picked up and and hidden out of state; since she had had her license revoked for three previous D.U.I.'s and was currently on probation. She'd expressed no remorse over her crime or her young victim. She'd offered one nurse money to smuggle vodka in for her and literally threw a fit when denied.

The charge nurse faced her hospital's policy, the new HIPPA laws versus her own moral values and ethics. Both battled for supremacy.

The morning came when the young girl was transferred to the Medical Center's rehabilitation center. The other woman continued to complain. She wanted out. The charge nurse delayed her discharge papers until eight o'clock in the morning.

The care-partner put her in a wheelchair, took her from the eleventh floor to the lobby and outside.

Ten minutes later the care-partner returned. He'd been shocked when two police detectives appeared by her sister's car, loaded with boxes for her escape, and arrested her. She resisted and screamed as she cursed them all..

Had the detectives just been waiting each morning for her release or had a trap been sprung. Either way the charge nurse slept peacefully for the first time in three days.