The hospital dispatch radio squawked with grating static, slicing through the seldom quiet or empty emergency room.

“Bus twenty-four to BGH.” The disembodied voice coming over the speaker sounded stressed, to say the least.

“BGH, go ahead, twenty-four,” Jade the overnight duty nurse, answered.

Doctor Kin Jerome straightened from where he’d been slumped in an uncomfortable office chair, dozing against the back wall behind the nurses’ station.

“We have an unconscious, approximately, thirty-five-year-old female, hemorrhaging, through the upper right chest.”

“What’s the injury, twenty-four?” Jade asked, pen poised to take the information quickly.

“We’re not even sure. We were on our way back to base when we happened by a one-vehicle accident. We stopped and found one unconscious female. The air bags hadn’t even deployed. On first examination, there were no apparent injuries. We performed an immediate c-spine and back board and loaded her up. Then she just started bleeding out all over the floor of my bus. It’s gushing. I’ve never seen anything like this. I can’t even... awh, fuck! Sorry.” The transmission cut out.

With a heavy sigh, the medic continued, “I can’t even find where to apply pressure.” The dejected tone of his voice said it all. It was bad. “She’s gonna need blood and lots of it.”

Kin and Jade exchanged a concerned look.

“We’ll be ready. What’s your ETA, twenty-four?”

“The accident was only a block or so away. We’re two minutes out.”

“Ten-four, bus twenty-four. Out.”

Kin reached over, hit the speaker button and dialled the plasma clinic.

As he waited for someone in the blood bank to answer, Kin turned to Jade. “Who’s on tonight?”

“Blaine Sproles. He’s in the staff room catching a nap. He’s pulling a double.”

“Good. Go wake him.”

“Yes, Dr. Jerome.”

Kin was pleased Blaine was on duty. He was a big, strapping, good-looking, intelligent kid. Although they weren’t exactly best friends, they’d been known to shoot the shit over a cup of coffee in the cafeteria and exchange pleasantries in the locker room. Several times, they’d carpooled to a couple of the same lectures with another group of doctors. But more importantly, Blaine was a competent intern. One Kin wouldn’t have to babysit like some of the other students, as he tried to diagnose and treat whatever crisis was about to roll into his ER. He wasn’t one of those annoying teacher’s pet, brown nosin’ upstarts demanding the spotlight, either. He observed. Considered the options, then acted. With that type of intuition, coupled with the skill, out of all the new crop of fellows, he was the one who Kin believed had what it took. Every rotation there was always a standout. In Kin’s unbiased opinion, Blaine was it.

“Blood bank.”

Kin picked up the handset as soon as someone answered. “Sorry to wake you, Bram,” Kin said, dryly. “This is Dr. Jerome in the ER. We’ll need six units, O neg, stat.”

“Accident?”

“Not sure what we’re up against yet. Sounds like one patient. But stand by, we might need more.”

“Six units coming right up. And doc, don’t call me Bram.”

Kin chuckled as he hung up, glad the tech had caught the Stoker reference.

Heading into exam room one, Kin found two nurses already prepping. Kin pulled on a pair of non-latex gloves with a snap, as intern Blaine Sproles rushed in, his eyes sleep-heavy.

“Sorry we disturbed your beauty sleep, Sproles,” Kin teased.

“That’s okay. I can afford it, whereas others can’t,” he replied good-naturedly.

“Ya better watch it, Cerise might hear you,” Kin shot back. Cerise was the ER bombshell.

“What are you going on about?” Cerise asked, handing IV bags to Jade who promptly looped one onto the pole.

“Don’t ask,” Jade murmured under her breath. “Dumb boys.”

“I was simply telling, Dr. Jerome here that some of us can miss a few hours of beauty sleep.” Blaine tossed his arm over her shoulder, his hand bobbed dangerously close to her tit. Kin knew firsthand, what a lovely handful it was, since he and the curvaceous nurse hooked up, no strings attached, every once in a while, when each was unfettered and needed to blow off some steam. When she didn’t immediately remove the intern’s hand, Kin wondered if he wasn’t the only one who’d had the pleasure of her company.

“You know, like you and I,” the young, good-looking Dr. Sproles continued. “Whereas others, and I won’t name names... Dr. Jerome;” he said in a low voice, “can’t.” He sent Kin a toothy grin.

With an unladylike snort, Cerise finally swatted Sproles’ hand away. “Yes, and I can imagine Dr. Jerome’s response.”

“I do believe there may have been a rude one-fingered gesture.”

Kin watched and listened as the staff joked and kept the mood light. It was typical banter before all hell broke loose. “We have a bleeder coming in, I want everyone in face shields please.” He reminded the team.

Seconds later the ambulance pulled up. The EMT driver gave one shrill blast, of the siren announcing their arrival. The earlier hilarity died away instantly as they recognized the severity of the situation. Kin’s heart began to pound as it always did right before a patient arrived.

Kin and Blaine dashed out the bay doors as the medic opened the back of the vehicle. The attendant inside began speaking rapidly, reporting the patient’s immediate condition, BP, and pulse rate. None of which was favourable. It was obvious the victim was in mortal danger. The floor of the ambulance ran red.

As a team, they lifted the gurney down and began to roll it toward the exam room.

The generally bright white sheets were stained scarlet, actually dripping and leaving a trail behind them. They picked up the pace.

“Guesstimate, how much blood loss?” Kin barked.