She nodded. “Yes, I think this problem has simply gone on for far too long.”
“And you can’t drive yourself to the hospital?”
“Heavens no. I don’t drive at night. There are far too many hooligans about.”
“And this couldn’t have waited till the morning?”
“I really don’t think so.”
“You didn’t call your primary care doctor about this?”
“Oh no! It’s too late at night to bother him.”
“And that’s why you didn’t call anyone to give you a ride to the hospital, just your neighbor, so he could check on your cats.”
She nodded. “That’s right.”
“What about a taxi?”
She looked scandalized. “Those things are filthy! I will never ride in vehicle like that!”
“You do realize that if we take you to the hospital, there is nothing we are going to do for you except give you a ride?”
She brightened. “That’s all I wanted in the first place.”
Ramirez’s righteous indignation deflated. “All right,” he sighed. “Follow me.”
He turned for the door right as Drifts slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand.
The ride to the hospital was relatively uneventful. Drifts grumbled to himself between puffs of an albuterol nebulizer Ramirez had set up for him in the front cab before they left. An expert at driving with a cigarette dangling from his lips the nebulizer didn’t prove to be too big of a leap for Drifts. Justin, per Ramirez’s instruction, practiced his assessment skills on Minnie Crowder, as his instructor silently looked on.
Minnie cheerfully chatted with Justin, but she outright refused to answer any questions about her medical history stating, “That’s my private business between myself and the doctors, young man.”
Justin looked to Ramirez for guidance and the older man waved it away with a shrug. Ramirez picked up the radio mic. “Unit Three-Three-Three, calling State Hospital for patient report.”
Moments later the radio crackled with a woman’s voice, “Go ahead Three-Three-Three, this is State Hospital.
“Yes we’re inbound with a fifty-three year-old female patient complaining of sniffles for the past several weeks. Lungs are clear, pulse oximetry is 100 percent. Blood pressure is 118/70. Heartrate is 70. Resp are 18 non-labored. Patient is appropriate for triage.”
“You’re kidding?” the hospital called back.
“Wish I were,” said Ramirez.
The lady on the other end of the radio sighed. “Very well, Triple-Three, we’ll see this patient out in triage.”
“Copy. Patient to triage. Triple-Three out.”
Minnie looked back at him with open shock. “Why did you tell them all of that?”
“Because the emergency room staff needs to know,” Ramirez told her.
“Why did you tell them I could go to triage?” she demanded.
Ramirez told her evenly, “Because in my professional opinion, your condition is far from critical. Triage will be an appropriate place for you to start.”
Minnie scowled at him, “You know what? I believe you need to work on your customer service.”
Ramirez’s demeanor remained unfazed. “I’m sorry you feel that way, ma’am.”
“I told you not to call me ma’am!” Minnie said. “Call me Ms. Crowder.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way, Ms. Crowder,” Ramirez said.
“Well, I do believe that I will be speaking to your supervisor soon,” she told him.
Justin looked nervous. Drifts rolled his eyes. Ramirez merely shrugged. “If you feel like you must.” Minnie retreated into a huffy silence.
As they pulled into State Hospital’s driveway, Drifts commented, “Oh Damn! Unit Three Fifty-two is here.”
Ramirez looked up from his report, “They are? They must have diverted to State because it’s closer.”
“Yeah, the sup’s vehicle is also here too. There’s John talking to Harrison. Harrison is crying!”
Drifts parked their ambulance a few spaces away. Billy Harrison, a younger burly medic with a mop of blond hair was sitting on the back of ambulance Three-Fifty-Two with his face in his hands actively sobbing. John Sutter stood nearby awkwardly patting his shoulder.
Ramirez stood up. “Ms. Crowder, if you will please follow us, we’ll take you inside to be evaluated.”
She looked furious. “I still do not believe this is right. Why are you taking me to the waiting room? I came in by ambulance; shouldn’t I be given priority treatment?”
“It doesn’t quite work that way, ma-Ms. Crowder. Now if you follow me please.”
Before Ramirez could reach the door there was a knock. The medic opened it to find Sutter standing there. “May I help you, John?”
Sutter nodded and motioned him to step outside the rig, out of earshot of the others. Drifts joined them and Sutter didn’t object. “Hey Leo, I know that you aren’t that close with Harrison, but I was wondering if you could please take the time to talk to him.”
“Sure. He just ran that pediatric shooting right? Did he have to use the drill?”
Sutter nodded.
“Damn!” Drifts said.
“That’s rough,” said Ramirez. “I’ll be with him in just a moment. I have to take my patient in and give a report.”
Sutter looked past him and sized up their patient, who was glowering at them from inside the ambulance. “She doesn’t look too bad. Just give me a quick report and I’ll take her in for you.”
Leo recapped Minnie’s condition just as had called it moments ago. Ms. Crowder refused to call her doctor or get another ride in,” he added.
Sutter’s eyes narrowed. “You’re kidding right?”
Ramirez shook his head.
“Not only that,” Drifts chimed in, “she’s the code one ‘short of breath’ that made us divert from the shooting Three-Fifty-Two had just ran.”
“What! Is that true?” He looked to Ramirez for confirmation.
Ramirez nodded.
“Excuse me?” Minnie called from within the box. “I find all of this lollygagging and small talk very unprofessional!”
Sutter’s jaw set. “Please go talk to Billy for me, Leo. I’ll handle this.”
Drifts smiled. “I’m sure you will.”
Sutter stepped up into the box. “Ma’am, I’m sorry for the delay. My name is John Sutter. I’m the shift supervisor. I’ve just tasked Leo with something else, he’s given me a report so that Mr. Colbert and I can escort you in and make sure you get taken care of.”
Minnie’s eyes lit up. “You’re his supervisor?”
“Yes.”
“I have to say, I have found his customer service left something to be desired.”
“Very well,” said Sutter. “Let’s proceed inside and I will listen to all of your concerns.”
Minnie smiled. “Thank you, sir.”
Sutter helped her up from the stretcher. “Follow me ma’am.”
“Oh, please call me Minnie.”
“Very well, Minnie, let me help you down.” Both Sutter and Justin assisted Minnie out of the ambulance. Drifts stood back watching. “This way.” Sutter took the lead, and Minnie, Justin, and Drifts followed behind.
They passed Unit Three-Fifty-Two where Billy Harrison was openly sobbing into Ramirez’s chest. Ramirez held him tightly, telling him, “It’s okay, Billy. It’s okay.”
Harrison cried, “I tried! I really tried to save her!”
He patted him. “I know you did.”
Minnie looked at the scene with a mixture of confusion and revulsion. She whispered, “What was that all about?” Sutter ignored her as he pushed the waiting room doors open and motioned them to follow him in.
The large dingy room was filled with people. There was a tight cluster of them wailing into each other’s arms. At the epicenter of the group was a couple who had collapsed to their knees sobbing uncontrollably. They were holding a shrieking toddler girl who was trying to claw her way deeper into her parents’ embrace and a little girl of about five with pigtails and nightgown. She looked around at the gesticulating crowd with open terror. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she remained completely silent.
“Mr. Sutter?” Minnie motioned him to come back outside the waiting room.
The shift supervisor turned to look at her with an inscrutable expression. “Yes, Ms. Crowder?”
She glanced back inside. “Are you sure this is the most appropriate place for me to be?”
Sutter’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
Something about the supervisor’s expression gave her pause. She dismissed it with a shake of her head. “Well, Mr. Sutter, since I did arrive by ambulance, do you truly believe it’s appropriate for me to be in the waiting room with all of these . . . people?” The pause was loaded with the unspoken and highly distasteful adjectives.
Sutter’s expression became chilly. “Ms. Crowder, when you called 911 for your sniffles, your call was considered a breathing problem in our dispatch system.”
“Well I should say so. I found it to be quite the bother.”
“Ms. Crowder your ‘shortness of breath’ was wrongly given our highest priority because many legitimate breathing problems can be life-threatening emergencies.”
Minnie looked at him angrily. “Are you going to talk to me this way too, Mr. Sutter? I expected as much from the other man because he was a common worker!”
Drifts’s back stiffened. Sutter gave him a stand down gesture. The EMT clamped his mouth shut as he continued steaming.
Minnie jabbed a finger at Sutter. “But you, sir, are management! You should be held to a higher standard.”
Sutter stared her dead in the eyes. “Put your hand down.” Minnie’s indignation deflated a little as she let her hand drop. “Ma’am,” Stutter said in a low tone, “I am only going to say this once, and believe me, you want me to say it as quietly as possible.
Minnie exclaimed, “Why, so no one can hear how unsatisfactory your ambulance service is?”
“No. Because when you called 911 your case of the sniffles bumped the closest ambulance off of the response to the scene of a shooting.” He nodded to Drifts and Justin, “Leo, Sam, and Mr. Colbert here would have been there in minutes if they hadn’t pulled off their call to help you.
“The next closest ambulance took over ten minutes to get to that shooting. There, they discovered that their patient was a seven-year-old girl who was struck in the chest by a bullet that went through her bedroom wall. So while this crew was arriving at your home, this little girl was drowning in a pool of her own blood. She was unconscious when the other crew arrived. They lost a pulse when they loaded her into the ambulance. On the way to the hospital the paramedic had to abandon CPR on her because she reanimated. The distraught young man that you saw outside was forced to use his drill on that child. And Leo, the other paramedic you think so little of, is out there right now comforting him.”
Minnie looked at him horrified. “Why are you telling all of this?” she whispered.
“You didn’t pull the trigger, but your misuse of our emergency resources prevented my people from saving a little girl who actually needed our help.”
He opened the door and pointed at the crying couple holding their children. “Those people, as you referred to them, are that dead little girl’s parents and sisters. They were just given the news of their daughter’s death.
“Her name, by the way, was Amiyah.”
Minnie burst into tears.
“Now follow me. Let’s go tell the triage nurse all about your sniffles.”
Chapter Nine
Crash
“That was hard-fucking-core, man!”
Sutter grunted. “If we hear any more complaints from her, I will have her brought on charges of 911 abuse.”
“Shit, John! I didn’t know you had it in you!” Drifts was practically giddy with enthusiasm.
“If that foolish woman tests my resolve, I guess we’ll find out.”
“Um, guys, Sam Mr. Sutter.” Justin spoke up as he pointed.
A red-eyed young EMT approached them from the entry doors of the ER.
“Who’s that?” Justin asked.
“That’s Alex Dmitri, Billy Harrison’s partner. Damn, he looks rough.”
“What can I do for you, son?” Sutter asked Dmitri as he approached.
“Sir, um Leo, asked me to come and get you,” said Dmitri.
“Thank you, we were just on our way out there.”
Ramirez met them just outside Unit Three-Fifty-Two. Harrison wasn’t anywhere to be seen. He looked at his partner. “Sam, go ahead and take Justin on to the unit. I’ll be along shortly.”
Drifts nodded. “Come on, kid.”
Justin cast Sutter and Ramirez a worried look as he followed behind.
“How’s Billy?” Sutter began.
Ramirez shook his head. “Not well. Listen John, I’ll be frank with you. I think that last call was a career-killer.”
The supervisor nodded. “I was afraid of that.”
“Yeah. He’ll most likely have PTSD after this,” said Ramirez.