Heidi spent far too much time in her opinion rummaging around looking for medical references. All the medics she knew had a stack of those books somewhere, sh just had to find Doug’s. Once she found them, she would have to find the one with the right stuff in it. The next step would be worse. She would have to understand what it said. In the process of looking, she found the wall locker filled with Doug’s medical supplies. At least this was a positive.
Heidi ran back out to the kitchen and returned to the cabinet with a large pot in her hands. This she started filling up with bags of Lactated Ringers. She was in luck. On the shelf were prepackaged IV Start kits complete with tubing. Three or four went into the pot. The bottom shelf had a Pelican case marked ‘Med Box” on a peel and stick label gun label.
All through this Dr Kildare scavenger hunt, Heidi was yelling at Emilia, checking to see how Doug was. She did this about every five minutes. Heidi pulled out the case. She could see books behind it. As she reached to pull out the books, Emilia’s voice screamed at her from the bedroom.
“MOM! I can’t feel a PULSE!” There was worry and panic thick in her voice. Heidi straightened upright, the case in one hand, the pot filled with supplies in the other. She raced down to the bedroom.
As she reached the doorway, a trembling Emilia was feeling Doug’s chest and neck back and forth, trying to sense a pulse or a breath. She yelled again.
“MOM!”
Heidi rushed up to the bed. She set the stuff down halfway across the floor in her haste. Emilia saw her arrive and seemed to relax a tiny amount.
“Mom, he was breathing shallow and then I didn’t see him take another breath. I felt the neck. I couldn’t find a pulse. Tell me I’m wrong! He’s got a pulse , right?”
Heidi felt Doug’s wrist and neck at the same time she lay her head on his chest. None of these yielded any results. Heidi’s brain spent a moment or two examining her options. In the end there was only one she could make sense out of.
“Emilia, you are going to have to do CPR.”
“Wait, What! I’ve never done CPR before. Why don’t you do the CPR?”
“Because it’s easier to do CPR for the first time than it is starting an IV without training. Lets get him on the floor. You get his feet. Hurry.” Heidi grabbed Doug under his arms and slid him to the floor as Emilia guided his legs and feet to the ground.
“OK, Emma, tip his head back, two breaths, just like I did by the creek. Then thirty compressions, straight down, both hands together on the center of his chest between his nipples. Push it down half way.” Emilia moved into position tentatively.
“Go! Get started!”
“I don’t know how to do this, mom!”
“You have the rest of Doug’s life to learn. I got to get the IV, find the right drugs in the book, and get the drugs into him.”
Emilia started compressions. Heidi was watching.
“Emma, push hard! You are trying to push him in half to compress the heart!”
Emilia gave a big push. A big cracking and popping sound came from Doug’s chest. Emilia jumped back and threw up.
“I can’t do this! I just broke all his ribs!”
“You didn’t break them. It’s like cracking your knuckles. You just popped the knuckles in his sternum. Get back down there and push.”
Emilia got back into position. Two breaths, thirty compressions. It was hard pushing Doug’s chest like this. Emilia looked over at her mom. She was watching her, a strange look in her eyes.
“You got this, kid! I have to go to the other room for the books, I’ll be right back!”
“Wait! Mom! Don’t leave me! How long do I have to do this for?” Emilia pleaded with her mom.
Heidi’s eyes were strange and her tone was sad in her reply.
“As long as it takes. If you stop, Doug is dead.” Heidi turned and left the room.