Doctor Blue

Mr. CP died on Monday. I guess he wasn't one of the 20% that survive.

Two things you should know about my hospital, before I start my story.

• After 8pm we are not allowed to page overhead.
• I've worked here 4 1/2 years and we have had 3 Dr. Blue codes.

So, on Tues. at 10:28, 2 mins. before my shift ends for the night, I heard a frantic page-"Doctor Blue to the ER! Doctor Blue to the ER!"

Yay! something exciting to do. So I hurry to grab a cassette, grid and turn on the portable machine. Rush to the elevator, push the button...wait....wait....wait...ding!...rush into the elevator...wait...wait...ding!..rush out of the elevator into the ER.

There are three disembodied heads peeking out from between the curtains of exam rooms 2,3 and4. The patients are all goggling at the trauma room, so I head in that direction.

I push the portable machine and drag the EKG machine in my wake (this is a skill:driving the port machine and pulling the EKG machine at the same time, I usually end up running over someone or bashing my heels with the EKG machine).

When I get to the trauma room I see: A man in blue jeans, lying on the floor, spread eagle on his back. Nurse Bumknee kneeling by the pt's head trying to get O2 tubing attached to a tank. Dr. Blackjack kneeling and talking to the pt.

Nurse Sunny, who is 9 months pregnant, comes in behind me and grabs supplies to start an IV in the pt's left arm. A couple seconds later, the lab tech arrives and kneels down to take blood out of the pt's right arm. The pt is surrounded, swarmed and I have to straddle the pt. to get the EKG stickers on his chest.

EKG:normal. And five minutes after all the excitement the ER is back to normal too.

It was fun while it lasted!