#she literally was like 'hey you have to turn your equipment in or I'm failing you' and I'm like 'lol I did that an hour ago. how about the

[daincrediblegg]

I fucking love my production professor

[pink-peony-princess]

My Heroes

-Ester-

“Are you sure you want to do this?" Shawn asked, looking down the snow covered mountain and back at me. He looked petrified. Something which I found hilarious considering he regularly went into dangerous situations, putting his own life at risk to help others. He was an Emergency Response Doctor and worked both in the hospital and out in the field, quite often in highly dangerous and ‘touch and go’ situations.

The other guys laughed at his uncertainty. “We'll be fine Shawn,” Connor, one of my brother’s friends, and a fellow doctor spoke.  They had all taken me for a ski getaway for an early birthday present.They all work as doctors, Connor in PEDs, Dave in Orthopedics and Brian as a heart surgeon.

“We’ve done this route about ten times already,” Brian added.

"Yeah, you have,” My brother spoke, emphasising the fact that he had not be present on previous occasions.

"Just shut up!" I commanded, sighing. "I'm going. Who's with me?" I asked, a smile starting at the thought of the thrill we were all about to get.

A chorus "yeahs" and "hell yeahs" returned, and then we were off. All racing one another down the mountain. I couldn't see the others, who must have been a few metres behind me, but I knew they were there, and desperately wanted to turn to try and catch a glimpse of Shawn making his way down the mountain.

The wind was exhilarating! So fresh, and clean compared to life back in the city. I found my mind wondering slightly as I made my way further down the track, having already down it several times, I didn't feel like I needed to be as cautious. Boy was I wrong!

I was making my way around what I thought to be the final bend in the course, when I was faced with a massive pile of freshly placed snow. They had changed the course trajectory, and there was nothing I could do about it now. Rocketing as I was towards the freezing wall.

My body hit it with such force that the air was literally knocked out of me for a few seconds, but worse than that was the fact that my left leg went one way, and the rest of my body, the other, I heard the snap, before the pain consumed me. The next few minutes were a blur of fear and agony. I was too cold, and in too much shock and pain to even cry out for help, so when Connor finally came to a skidding holt beside me I was a blubbering mess.

"Ester, can you hear me honey?" he asked, taking my hand and pinching my thumb to try and elicit some sort of response. He let go when I groaned,just wanting him to make the pain go away. Not to cause more. And where was my brother? I was a barely twenty year old, stuck on a snow covered mountain, on my birthday severely injured. I needed Shawn.

Within a matter of minutes there were more hands on me, a flurry of activity and noise that I could hardly decipher. "What the hell happend?" Someone asked, Dave I think.

"I'm not entirely sure, but I came round the corner, and she was here, I haven't started vitals yet, but she did respond to pain stimuli which is a start." I could feel myself teetering on the edge as the two doctors spoke, but I wasn't going to give in. I didn't want to be unconscious in the middle of nowhere as my brother and his friends worked on me. Reaching my hand up I tried to feel for one of their hands, but when I felt nothing I began to get frustrated.

"Ester, can you hear me honey?" The same voice from before spoke. Definitely Dave. This was confirmed when I managed to open my eyes and found him smiling grimly back at me.

In that moment my head wasn't straight and before I'd even processed what my body was doing, I was moving. As I tried and failed to sit up, ignoring the intense pain that was coming from my shoulder and pelvic area, I managed to catch a glimpse of the ground surrounding the lower part of my body. It was red, red as if someone had obtained a can of red paint and discarded it carelessly into the snow. Shock took over as I realised the source of the vibrant liquid. Me. I suddenly felt very faint, and could feel my chest tightening.

"Ester, honey, you have to stay still. I'm pretty sure judging by the angle of your arm that your shoulder is dislocated. You'll only hurt yourself more. Let us look after you okay. Let us do our jobs." Connor half chastised, half begged me as he helped me to situate myself again.

"My leg, there so much blood!" I gasped feeling quezy at the sight of my mangelled limb.

"Sweets, don't watch okay, it'll just make it worse, you have to try and stay still okay? We don't know how much damage you've done until we can get you to the hospital." Connor explained grabbing my hand again in comfort.

I lay there not really aware of what was going on around me just wishing I could be anywhere but here. "Ester, baby?" Finally I broke out of my state and came to reality.

"Shawn?" I whispered, making eye contact with him as he lent over me.

"I'm right here, bug, I've got you. I'm going to unzip this jacket for a minute okay sweets, we need to see what other injuries you have." he explained, before carefully but quickly removing my only source of warmth, immediately earning a moan of protest.

"Shhhh, Just a minute okay, then we'll get you extra rugged up okay?" Brian spoke for the first time, removing the bag he had been carrying from his back and starting to remove blankets.

I had laughed at him earlier in the morning, remarking that it was as if he was going for a camp out in the snow, not for a mere ride on the trails, but now I couldn't help but feel extremely greatful.

"Right, Princess, you're  breathing way too fast at the moment. I know you're in pain, and you're probably scared. But I need you to try and slow it down." Brian spoke as he moved the last layer of clothing covering my stomach. There was no disguising the sharp intake of breath as he surveyed my mid-section. Everyone was silent for a minute as Brian examined me ever so gently. The others watching his every move. I couldn't help but feel slightly like a bug under a microscope, especially given the crowd that had started to form. It felt like every two minutes someone new was asking the guys if they had called for an ambulance. The answer to which each of them took in turns to patiently answer with a "yes", reassuring the by-standers that they were doctors, and knew what they were dealing with.

"Connor, I can't be sure, but I think she's got some broken ribs, her breathing is inhibited, and she's got some serious bruising forming, her left shoulder is well and truly dislocated too." Dave finally spoke, agreeing with Connor's theory, before starting to readjust my clothing, protecting me from the bitter cold.

" It's possible that it's internal bleeding or a bruised spleen." Brian put in as they all shared a little glance above my head.

I couldn't help the groan that left my mouth as this new information sunk in. They thought I was bleeding from the inside out?

"Ester, I need you to tell me where it hurts honey," Shawn spoke, holding my hand in silent comfort. When I didn't respond Connor took my hand and pinched my finger once again.

"Ow!" I glared up at him, earning a smile.

"Good to see the princess is still as feisty as ever!" This caused everyone to laugh. Even me, but the fun was short-lived, as my body was once again bathed in pain.

"Make it stop!" I begged, squirming around uncomfortably.

"Just stay still baby." Shawn tried to sooth me while also trying to help Dave.

"But it hurts and I'm cold." my teeth chartered as if agreeing with what I just said.

"I know you are princess," Brian spoke softly.  I sighed before starting to close my eyes.  All I wanted to do was sleep.  "Hey, follow my finger okay," he called, trying to get my attention. Begrudgingly I opened my eyes again, and was met by glare that immediately made me squint. I did as asked though, before I heard him answer a question I hadn't heard be asked.

"Definate concussion, pupils unequal and slow to respond, though it's hard to tell the full extent here without the proper equipment. Keep her talking Shawn."  Brian muttered, moving around my body to help Dave with whatever he was doing.

"Wow," I heard him let out a low whistle, my heart rate spiking in response.

"Brian!" Dave groaned,  seeing the panic that had begun to set in.  "Would you keep it down.  The poor kid's heart is already racing,  and you're not making it any better.  You're terrifying her," he spoke.  Stopping whatever he was doing to look up.  "Ester, can you feel this honey?" he asked, before I felt an odd sensation on my foot. Nonetheless I could feel it,  so I nodded causing all four of the doctors to such in relief.

"That's good news Princess.  It means your leg isn't as bad as we first thought! " Connor looked much more excited than I felt, but I smiled back as convincingly as I could in my haze. I tuned out for a few minutes, but soon what they were saying caught my attention. Well some of it. Something about having to "apply pressure to my leg" to stop the bleeding, and sedation. That was all it took before I started to panic again.

"Just take nice deep, slow breathes Princess, you can do it, here give me your hand, " Shawn spoke, noticing my obvious terror and changed breathing. I couldn't believe how calm he was as he took my hand gently in his own again , and laid it against his chest. "Copy me. In, out, in out, that's it," he praised as I finally managed to follow his lead. "They won't hurt you bug." I wasn't sure I trusted him,  but the sincerity and intensity with which he met my gaze won me over.

"Oh-okay," I spoke in barely a whisper. My head was starting to hurt from the noise.  The crowd, the guys conversing with one another.  "But my leg," I whimpered as another round of panic hit me.

"Look at me bug," Shawn commanded,leaning over me, blocking out the surrounding crowd that had previously filled my peripheral vision.  "I won't let them hurt you. Hell, they'd rather die than hurt you.  We're not going to do anything until help gets here okay? We can't, it wouldn't be safe." he added as if to try and make his point even clearer.

-Shawn-

10 minutes later

As I stood waiting for the stupid satellite phone we had been given by the service people at the bottom of the run, I couldn't quite believe what I was seeing. There was my baby sister, who was meant to be celebrating her 20th birthday, laying in the snow, half- conscious with a flood of blood coming from a gash on  her left leg along with what looked like a probable fibia fracture, another open wound on her head,  and bruises so bad after only a few minutes that she looked more like a blueberry and less like a person.

Finally the phone connected and I was put through to the Emergency Department. This is doctor Shawn Mendes  head of Emergency Response. We have an incoming pediatric trauma with an eta of 45 minutes possibly an hour."

After going though the motions all the while being consumed with worry and guilt,  I made my way back over to Ester. Connor who had taken over comforting her for me, looked up, his expression bleak, and somewhat pained.

"It's not great mate, Brian's pretty sure she's got air in her lungs, and she's about to pass out."

I felt my own heart rate rise as I took in my sister's form. Shaking my head slightly to try and clear my mind I nodded "Helicopter is about 2 minutes out. The hospital just got a GPS location on it."

"Ester look at me," I called moving to lean over her again so she could see me without moving. "I need you to stay awake okay? Can you do that honey?"

She made the smallest noise to indicate "yes", before going quiet again.  Whether it was the shock or she was simply in so much pain she didn't know how to process it, the silence was concerning, and as a doctor, my biggest concern was to keep her talking.

"Tell me what else hurts okay," Connor chimed in, seeing what I was trying to do, and that I may need some help.

"My other knee, and like it's kinda going down into my private area." She blushed at having to tell four males, and basically a crowd of strangers this piece of information.

"Just there? Or the whole area?" Dave called from down by her leg.

"Whole area," she whispered clearly terrified.

"Okay,I can't really see a whole lot with all these layers in the way, but when the help arrives we'll take a look," he explained moving up towards her head slightly so he could talk to her more easily.

"No don't touch it! Dave! Please!" she begged hysterically, tears once again running down her face. He was quick to notice the change in her demenor, and acted quickly to try and calm the situation again.

"I'm not going to hurt you honey, but I need to have a look so we can assess how bad your injuries are." The look of pity and sympathy on his face was one I saw was shared with the two other guys as I looked to each of them.

The pain she was describing was consistent with sciatic pain.  If what we were all thinking was correct,  then she was doing a great job at hiding her discomfort.

We all shared a knowing look. On the one hand it was good that she could feel her legs and pelvic area.  But sciatic pain was excruciating at the best of times, and now was not that.

We spent the remaining time trying to keep her calm, and alert.  Both of which were proving difficult, especially as the initial shock wore off and the gravity of the situation she was set in. This was compounded when she somehow overheard Brian and Dave discussing the fact that they would need to remove the clothing on the bottom half of her body to stem the bleeding and stabilise her legs.

"No please!" She begged again, it was clear from the way her voice shook as she spoke that not only was she done,  but she was terrified. But she couldn't give up yet, she needed to fight. We needed her to fight, it was proven that patients who believed in their recovery were much more likely to live a full life after experiencing trauma. I sat next to her for a minute trying not to cry myself, as I watched Connor try to calm her. Then it came to me.

"Sweetheart listen to me," I spoke looking her right in the eye. "Right now the most important thing is that we get you to the hospital  in the most stable condition possible.  We think you've got a fractured fibia,  and you definitely have a dislocated knee and potential ciatic damage. Trust me when I say the least of your problems is being slightly exposed in front of your brother and his friends. We're all doctors. We've seen it all before princess. Nothing's going to happen,”I promised.

"But what if they can't fix me?" she whispered so quietly that I almost didn't catch it. I was slightly taken aback by the question. Luckily Brian had stood moments before reaching for the pocket knife that he always kept in his backpack when she voiced the fear, and so he was the one to answer.

"You listen to me Poppet," he started in a gentle yet commanding voice.  "You're going to be just fine. You've got four of the best doctors in the area working on you right now."

"Im just scared," she responded, small tears rolling down her face and mixing with the blood that had started to dry from the laceration on her head.

"Ester your brother here is the head of the Emergency Response team, Connor's the head of PEDs, Dave's the head of Ortho and I'm of the Cardiovascular Department.  You are completely safe okay. I know it may not seen like it right now, but you will be okay." His tone softened slighty when he saw that she seemed to be taking on board what he was saying. "You're doing great Poppet," he added, gently stroking the side of her face, as she looked up at him.

"Tell me everything?" she asked some uncertainty still evident from the way she was gripping my hand like a vice.

" Of course, Princess you're in charge!" he agreed before saluting her jokingly. This seemed to lift her spirits a bit, as a small smile graced her face. " I'll even make you a deal. You let us do what we need to do and I'll make sure you have all the chocolate you can eat when you're discharged."

"Thanks Bri," I whispered when she wasn't paying attention. 

" Don't sweat it! Just doing my bit.”

Third person

5 minutes later

None of the four young doctors could admit it, but they were all beyond relieved when the helicopter landed, and two paramedics stepped out, bringing with them all the gear they might need. “Who do we have here?” One of them asked as he knelt next to Ester.

“This is Ester, she’s my little sister. Twenty. We're not exactly sure what happened, but basically blunt trauma.” Shawn filled the new medics in as the three other doctors went about unpacking the several bags of medical supplies, getting ready to begin more in-depth observations and stabilisation before transfer to the hospital. “We've started some basic observations, but we were limited till you got here.Possible bruised spleen, broken ribs and collapsed lung with bruising, severe concussion, dislocated left shoulder, air in chest cavity. Possible spinal, elevated hr 135, increased breath sounds, unequal, left side diminished somewhat, deep laceration to the left leg, and severe fracture to the fibia, lacerations on the face, abdominal/thoracic, dislocated right knee and suspected sciatic nerve damage.”

As Shawn rattled off the long list of injuries that they had found just from the initial observations the gravity of the situation started to hit him and he found himself having to actively calm himself so that he was able to concentrate on helping his sister. He felt like a duck, sailing smoothly on top of the pond, and paddling furiously underneath. Luckily for him his friends were better at keeping their emotions in check than he was… at least in this situation.

Brian wasted no time,taking a stethoscope that one of the paramedics handed him and listening to Ester’s chest. “Yep, there’s definitely a collapsed lung. I can hear the air. I’m going to need to put a tube in.” he grimaced as he stepped back, allowing Shawn, who had come to a little more when the other medic had handed him the penlight he had been using and asked him to check that he was correct.

"Pupils are fixed and dialated, we need to get her off this mountain now. Someone hand me a knife and Connor, can you get a line in mate? Standard of saline and pain meds please."

"Princess can I have you're hand. I'm going to give you some stuff to make you a bit more comfortable," Connor explained as he went about gathering the necessary equipment, before locating a vein and cleaning the area. " Sharp scratch bubs," he warned before the metal broke the skin, causing her eyes to water slightly. "All done, you should start to feel a little more comfy in a minute," he smiled encouragingly as Ester lifted her hand and gave a thumbs up before taking his hand in hers.

"Ester we need to remove these pants so we can stop the bleeding and splint your knee and leg," Shawn spoke earning a groan.   "I know lovely," he agreed, feeling sorry for his sister.  It had to be humiliating to be exposed like this. "You're okay sweets," he added as she cried out when the doctors moved her limbs into place to gain better access to the effected areas.

" Here, can you suck on this for me?" he asked as he handed her the green whistle, a device that held pain medication, and often sent patients a little loopy. "It only works if you keep using it honey. Focus on breathing it in okay," Shawn spoke trying to keep his sister's attention anywhere but Dave and her legs.

"This is going to hurt like hell,"  Dave whispered. As he moved around to help Shawn start to maneuver her right leg. "Look at the knee cap. She's really done a number on herself."

"I know feel horrible. I'm her brother. I don't want to see her like this," Shawn knew he wasn't technically meant to be treating her, but right now it was exactly that,a technicality. He would be damned if he would let his sister suffer. 

It was only a matter of seconds before she was begging them to stop, but they all knew that it would be more painful to stop the process half way through so continued despite the increasingly desperate sobs of their patient."Ester listen to the sound of my voice Princess," Brian spoke when they had finished, both legs satisfactorily taken care of for the time being.

Once he had gotten her a little more calm he broke the next lot of bad news.

"I need to put a chest tube in, and I need you to be brave okay."

"No," she answered immediately trying to shake her head that was now restricted by a spinal collar.

" Listen to me," he continued, " Right now your lung has a hole in it, and air is building up in the wrong spot and stopping it from inflating properly."

No more was said as they all went about numbing her up,  but once the first incision was made they felt terrible.  None of them could understand how someone that was in so much pain hadn't passed out. Ordinarily they would have put her under, but with unknown injuries it was far from safe.

" And we've got it, " Connor spoke as he checked for breath sounds.

From there everything was much more smooth sailing. They finished hooking her up to the necessary equipment- blood pressure (low at 90/50),  heart rate 160 beats per minute, oximeter and oxygen. 

When they were finally ready to leave the surrounding crowd clapped for them, and yelled out well wishes for Ester,  though she didn't hear many as she was now so loopy from the green whistle that she was trying to tell Connor that she loved the way the sunlight lit his hair, and that he should think about going into modelling. When they all started laughing she looked around very indignantly (well as best as she could)  and told them to ' not even talk' which only caused them to laugh harder.

- 35 minutes later-

They arrived at the hospital and the whole process was started again.  CT scans, x-rays, ultrasounds and surgery the list went on.

"I honestly don't know how she didn't pass out." Brian sighed as he and Connor stood just outside the door to the room in the intensive care unit she had been assigned.

" Shock," Connor answered.

The conversation was cut short however when they heard her voice " No, just leave me alone!"

"But Ester, I need to check your obs. I need to make sure your temp has come up," Dave tried to reason as he and Shawn stood beside the bed looking dismayed. "You've done so well so far!"

-Ester-

There was so much going on, that even now in my own room, nurses were in and out of my room, doctors trying to ask questions, I couldn't catch a break, I hadn't even been able to pass out. What a way to spend your birthday.  As if on cue, Dave walked in, my chart in hand.

"No," I cried, "just let me sleep!"

"What's going on?" I heard Connor ask as he came to stand by my bed with Shawn (who hadn't left my side) and Dave.

" She won't let me do her obs,"  Dave sighed causing me to glare.

" I just want to sleep!"

"Come here bug, Shawn spoke opening his arms wide, knowing that above anything else I needed love.

"Can Dave finish checking your vitals now?"

"Fine." I conceded snuggling in to Shawn's side. Feeling the most comfortable I had all day. Little did I know, but that was the start of a very long recovery  One that had ups and downs. No matter how down hearted I got though the guys never gave up. They were my heroes, and I made sure to tell them  After Brian had gotten me my chocolate as he promised of course.

[pinkpeonyprincessblog]

My Heroes

-Ester-

“Are you sure you want to do this?" Shawn asked, looking down the snow covered mountain and back at me. He looked petrified. Something which I found hilarious considering he regularly went into dangerous situations, putting his own life at risk to help others. He was an Emergency Response Doctor and worked both in the hospital and out in the field, quite often in highly dangerous and ‘touch and go’ situations.

The other guys laughed at his uncertainty. “We'll be fine Shawn,” Connor, one of my brother’s friends, and a fellow doctor spoke.  They had all taken me for a ski getaway for an early birthday present.They all work as doctors, Connor in PEDs, Dave in Orthopedics and Brian as a heart surgeon.

“We’ve done this route about ten times already,” Brian added.

"Yeah, you have,” My brother spoke, emphasising the fact that he had not be present on previous occasions.

"Just shut up!" I commanded, sighing. "I'm going. Who's with me?" I asked, a smile starting at the thought of the thrill we were all about to get.

A chorus "yeahs" and "hell yeahs" returned, and then we were off. All racing one another down the mountain. I couldn't see the others, who must have been a few metres behind me, but I knew they were there, and desperately wanted to turn to try and catch a glimpse of Shawn making his way down the mountain.

The wind was exhilarating! So fresh, and clean compared to life back in the city. I found my mind wondering slightly as I made my way further down the track, having already down it several times, I didn't feel like I needed to be as cautious. Boy was I wrong!

I was making my way around what I thought to be the final bend in the course, when I was faced with a massive pile of freshly placed snow. They had changed the course trajectory, and there was nothing I could do about it now. Rocketing as I was towards the freezing wall.

My body hit it with such force that the air was literally knocked out of me for a few seconds, but worse than that was the fact that my left leg went one way, and the rest of my body, the other, I heard the snap, before the pain consumed me. The next few minutes were a blur of fear and agony. I was too cold, and in too much shock and pain to even cry out for help, so when Connor finally came to a skidding holt beside me I was a blubbering mess.

"Ester, can you hear me honey?" he asked, taking my hand and pinching my thumb to try and elicit some sort of response. He let go when I groaned,just wanting him to make the pain go away. Not to cause more. And where was my brother? I was a barely twenty year old, stuck on a snow covered mountain, on my birthday severely injured. I needed Shawn.

Within a matter of minutes there were more hands on me, a flurry of activity and noise that I could hardly decipher. "What the hell happend?" Someone asked, Dave I think.

"I'm not entirely sure, but I came round the corner, and she was here, I haven't started vitals yet, but she did respond to pain stimuli which is a start." I could feel myself teetering on the edge as the two doctors spoke, but I wasn't going to give in. I didn't want to be unconscious in the middle of nowhere as my brother and his friends worked on me. Reaching my hand up I tried to feel for one of their hands, but when I felt nothing I began to get frustrated.

"Ester, can you hear me honey?" The same voice from before spoke. Definitely Dave. This was confirmed when I managed to open my eyes and found him smiling grimly back at me.

In that moment my head wasn't straight and before I'd even processed what my body was doing, I was moving. As I tried and failed to sit up, ignoring the intense pain that was coming from my shoulder and pelvic area, I managed to catch a glimpse of the ground surrounding the lower part of my body. It was red, red as if someone had obtained a can of red paint and discarded it carelessly into the snow. Shock took over as I realised the source of the vibrant liquid. Me. I suddenly felt very faint, and could feel my chest tightening.

"Ester, honey, you have to stay still. I'm pretty sure judging by the angle of your arm that your shoulder is dislocated. You'll only hurt yourself more. Let us look after you okay. Let us do our jobs." Connor half chastised, half begged me as he helped me to situate myself again.

"My leg, there so much blood!" I gasped feeling quezy at the sight of my mangelled limb.

"Sweets, don't watch okay, it'll just make it worse, you have to try and stay still okay? We don't know how much damage you've done until we can get you to the hospital." Connor explained grabbing my hand again in comfort.

I lay there not really aware of what was going on around me just wishing I could be anywhere but here. "Ester, baby?" Finally I broke out of my state and came to reality.

"Shawn?" I whispered, making eye contact with him as he lent over me.

"I'm right here, bug, I've got you. I'm going to unzip this jacket for a minute okay sweets, we need to see what other injuries you have." he explained, before carefully but quickly removing my only source of warmth, immediately earning a moan of protest.

"Shhhh, Just a minute okay, then we'll get you extra rugged up okay?" Brian spoke for the first time, removing the bag he had been carrying from his back and starting to remove blankets.

I had laughed at him earlier in the morning, remarking that it was as if he was going for a camp out in the snow, not for a mere ride on the trails, but now I couldn't help but feel extremely greatful.

"Right, Princess, you're  breathing way too fast at the moment. I know you're in pain, and you're probably scared. But I need you to try and slow it down." Brian spoke as he moved the last layer of clothing covering my stomach. There was no disguising the sharp intake of breath as he surveyed my mid-section. Everyone was silent for a minute as Brian examined me ever so gently. The others watching his every move. I couldn't help but feel slightly like a bug under a microscope, especially given the crowd that had started to form. It felt like every two minutes someone new was asking the guys if they had called for an ambulance. The answer to which each of them took in turns to patiently answer with a "yes", reassuring the by-standers that they were doctors, and knew what they were dealing with.

"Connor, I can't be sure, but I think she's got some broken ribs, her breathing is inhibited, and she's got some serious bruising forming, her left shoulder is well and truly dislocated too." Dave finally spoke, agreeing with Connor's theory, before starting to readjust my clothing, protecting me from the bitter cold.

" It's possible that it's internal bleeding or a bruised spleen." Brian put in as they all shared a little glance above my head.

I couldn't help the groan that left my mouth as this new information sunk in. They thought I was bleeding from the inside out?

"Ester, I need you to tell me where it hurts honey," Shawn spoke, holding my hand in silent comfort. When I didn't respond Connor took my hand and pinched my finger once again.

"Ow!" I glared up at him, earning a smile.

"Good to see the princess is still as feisty as ever!" This caused everyone to laugh. Even me, but the fun was short-lived, as my body was once again bathed in pain.

"Make it stop!" I begged, squirming around uncomfortably.

"Just stay still baby." Shawn tried to sooth me while also trying to help Dave.

"But it hurts and I'm cold." my teeth chartered as if agreeing with what I just said.

"I know you are princess," Brian spoke softly.  I sighed before starting to close my eyes.  All I wanted to do was sleep.  "Hey, follow my finger okay," he called, trying to get my attention. Begrudgingly I opened my eyes again, and was met by glare that immediately made me squint. I did as asked though, before I heard him answer a question I hadn't heard be asked.

"Definate concussion, pupils unequal and slow to respond, though it's hard to tell the full extent here without the proper equipment. Keep her talking Shawn."  Brian muttered, moving around my body to help Dave with whatever he was doing.

"Wow," I heard him let out a low whistle, my heart rate spiking in response.

"Brian!" Dave groaned,  seeing the panic that had begun to set in.  "Would you keep it down.  The poor kid's heart is already racing,  and you're not making it any better.  You're terrifying her," he spoke.  Stopping whatever he was doing to look up.  "Ester, can you feel this honey?" he asked, before I felt an odd sensation on my foot. Nonetheless I could feel it,  so I nodded causing all four of the doctors to such in relief.

"That's good news Princess.  It means your leg isn't as bad as we first thought! " Connor looked much more excited than I felt, but I smiled back as convincingly as I could in my haze. I tuned out for a few minutes, but soon what they were saying caught my attention. Well some of it. Something about having to "apply pressure to my leg" to stop the bleeding, and sedation. That was all it took before I started to panic again.

"Just take nice deep, slow breathes Princess, you can do it, here give me your hand, " Shawn spoke, noticing my obvious terror and changed breathing. I couldn't believe how calm he was as he took my hand gently in his own again , and laid it against his chest. "Copy me. In, out, in out, that's it," he praised as I finally managed to follow his lead. "They won't hurt you bug." I wasn't sure I trusted him,  but the sincerity and intensity with which he met my gaze won me over.

"Oh-okay," I spoke in barely a whisper. My head was starting to hurt from the noise.  The crowd, the guys conversing with one another.  "But my leg," I whimpered as another round of panic hit me.

"Look at me bug," Shawn commanded,leaning over me, blocking out the surrounding crowd that had previously filled my peripheral vision.  "I won't let them hurt you. Hell, they'd rather die than hurt you.  We're not going to do anything until help gets here okay? We can't, it wouldn't be safe." he added as if to try and make his point even clearer.

-Shawn-

10 minutes later

As I stood waiting for the stupid satellite phone we had been given by the service people at the bottom of the run, I couldn't quite believe what I was seeing. There was my baby sister, who was meant to be celebrating her 20th birthday, laying in the snow, half- conscious with a flood of blood coming from a gash on  her left leg along with what looked like a probable fibia fracture, another open wound on her head,  and bruises so bad after only a few minutes that she looked more like a blueberry and less like a person.

Finally the phone connected and I was put through to the Emergency Department. This is doctor Shawn Mendes  head of Emergency Response. We have an incoming pediatric trauma with an eta of 45 minutes possibly an hour."

After going though the motions all the while being consumed with worry and guilt,  I made my way back over to Ester. Connor who had taken over comforting her for me, looked up, his expression bleak, and somewhat pained.

"It's not great mate, Brian's pretty sure she's got air in her lungs, and she's about to pass out."

I felt my own heart rate rise as I took in my sister's form. Shaking my head slightly to try and clear my mind I nodded "Helicopter is about 2 minutes out. The hospital just got a GPS location on it."

"Ester look at me," I called moving to lean over her again so she could see me without moving. "I need you to stay awake okay? Can you do that honey?"

She made the smallest noise to indicate "yes", before going quiet again.  Whether it was the shock or she was simply in so much pain she didn't know how to process it, the silence was concerning, and as a doctor, my biggest concern was to keep her talking.

"Tell me what else hurts okay," Connor chimed in, seeing what I was trying to do, and that I may need some help.

"My other knee, and like it's kinda going down into my private area." She blushed at having to tell four males, and basically a crowd of strangers this piece of information.

"Just there? Or the whole area?" Dave called from down by her leg.

"Whole area," she whispered clearly terrified.

"Okay,I can't really see a whole lot with all these layers in the way, but when the help arrives we'll take a look," he explained moving up towards her head slightly so he could talk to her more easily.

"No don't touch it! Dave! Please!" she begged hysterically, tears once again running down her face. He was quick to notice the change in her demenor, and acted quickly to try and calm the situation again.

"I'm not going to hurt you honey, but I need to have a look so we can assess how bad your injuries are." The look of pity and sympathy on his face was one I saw was shared with the two other guys as I looked to each of them.

The pain she was describing was consistent with sciatic pain.  If what we were all thinking was correct,  then she was doing a great job at hiding her discomfort.

We all shared a knowing look. On the one hand it was good that she could feel her legs and pelvic area.  But sciatic pain was excruciating at the best of times, and now was not that.

We spent the remaining time trying to keep her calm, and alert.  Both of which were proving difficult, especially as the initial shock wore off and the gravity of the situation she was set in. This was compounded when she somehow overheard Brian and Dave discussing the fact that they would need to remove the clothing on the bottom half of her body to stem the bleeding and stabilise her legs.

"No please!" She begged again, it was clear from the way her voice shook as she spoke that not only was she done,  but she was terrified. But she couldn't give up yet, she needed to fight. We needed her to fight, it was proven that patients who believed in their recovery were much more likely to live a full life after experiencing trauma. I sat next to her for a minute trying not to cry myself, as I watched Connor try to calm her. Then it came to me.

"Sweetheart listen to me," I spoke looking her right in the eye. "Right now the most important thing is that we get you to the hospital  in the most stable condition possible.  We think you've got a fractured fibia,  and you definitely have a dislocated knee and potential ciatic damage. Trust me when I say the least of your problems is being slightly exposed in front of your brother and his friends. We're all doctors. We've seen it all before princess. Nothing's going to happen,”I promised.

"But what if they can't fix me?" she whispered so quietly that I almost didn't catch it. I was slightly taken aback by the question. Luckily Brian had stood moments before reaching for the pocket knife that he always kept in his backpack when she voiced the fear, and so he was the one to answer.

"You listen to me Poppet," he started in a gentle yet commanding voice.  "You're going to be just fine. You've got four of the best doctors in the area working on you right now."

"Im just scared," she responded, small tears rolling down her face and mixing with the blood that had started to dry from the laceration on her head.

"Ester your brother here is the head of the Emergency Response team, Connor's the head of PEDs, Dave's the head of Ortho and I'm of the Cardiovascular Department.  You are completely safe okay. I know it may not seen like it right now, but you will be okay." His tone softened slighty when he saw that she seemed to be taking on board what he was saying. "You're doing great Poppet," he added, gently stroking the side of her face, as she looked up at him.

"Tell me everything?" she asked some uncertainty still evident from the way she was gripping my hand like a vice.

" Of course, Princess you're in charge!" he agreed before saluting her jokingly. This seemed to lift her spirits a bit, as a small smile graced her face. " I'll even make you a deal. You let us do what we need to do and I'll make sure you have all the chocolate you can eat when you're discharged."

"Thanks Bri," I whispered when she wasn't paying attention. 

" Don't sweat it! Just doing my bit.”

Third person

5 minutes later

None of the four young doctors could admit it, but they were all beyond relieved when the helicopter landed, and two paramedics stepped out, bringing with them all the gear they might need. “Who do we have here?” One of them asked as he knelt next to Ester.

“This is Ester, she’s my little sister. Twenty. We're not exactly sure what happened, but basically blunt trauma.” Shawn filled the new medics in as the three other doctors went about unpacking the several bags of medical supplies, getting ready to begin more in-depth observations and stabilisation before transfer to the hospital. “We've started some basic observations, but we were limited till you got here.Possible bruised spleen, broken ribs and collapsed lung with bruising, severe concussion, dislocated left shoulder, air in chest cavity. Possible spinal, elevated hr 135, increased breath sounds, unequal, left side diminished somewhat, deep laceration to the left leg, and severe fracture to the fibia, lacerations on the face, abdominal/thoracic, dislocated right knee and suspected sciatic nerve damage.”

As Shawn rattled off the long list of injuries that they had found just from the initial observations the gravity of the situation started to hit him and he found himself having to actively calm himself so that he was able to concentrate on helping his sister. He felt like a duck, sailing smoothly on top of the pond, and paddling furiously underneath. Luckily for him his friends were better at keeping their emotions in check than he was… at least in this situation.

Brian wasted no time,taking a stethoscope that one of the paramedics handed him and listening to Ester’s chest. “Yep, there’s definitely a collapsed lung. I can hear the air. I’m going to need to put a tube in.” he grimaced as he stepped back, allowing Shawn, who had come to a little more when the other medic had handed him the penlight he had been using and asked him to check that he was correct.

"Pupils are fixed and dialated, we need to get her off this mountain now. Someone hand me a knife and Connor, can you get a line in mate? Standard of saline and pain meds please."

"Princess can I have you're hand. I'm going to give you some stuff to make you a bit more comfortable," Connor explained as he went about gathering the necessary equipment, before locating a vein and cleaning the area. " Sharp scratch bubs," he warned before the metal broke the skin, causing her eyes to water slightly. " All done, you should start to feel a little more comfy in a minute," he smiled encouragingly as Ester lifted her hand and gave a thumbs up before taking his hand in hers.

"Ester we need to remove these pants so we can stop the bleeding and splint your knee and leg," Shawn spoke earning a groan.   "I know lovely," he agreed, feeling sorry for his sister.  It had to be humiliating to be exposed like this. "You're okay sweets," he added as she cried out when the doctors moved her limbs into place to gain better access to the effected areas.

" Here, can you suck on this for me?" he asked as he handed her the green whistle, a device that held pain medication, and often sent patients a little loopy. "It only works if you keep using it honey. Focus on breathing it in okay," Shawm spoke trying to keep his sister's attention anywhere but Dave and her legs.

"This is going to hurt like hell,"  Dave whispered. As he moved around to help Shawn start to maneuver her right leg. "Look at the knee cap. She's really done a number on herself."

"I know feel horrible. I'm her brother. I don't want to see her like this," Shawn knew he wasn't technically meant to be treating her, but right now it was exactly that,a technicality. He would be damned if he would let his sister suffer. 

It was only a matter of seconds before she was begging them to stop, but they all knew that it would be more painful to stop the process half way through so continued despite the increasingly desperate sobs of their patient."Ester listen to the sound of my voice Princess," Brian spoke when they had finished, both legs satisfactorily taken care of for the time being.

Once he had gotten her a little more calm he broke the next lot of bad news.

"I need to put a chest tube in, and I need you to be brave okay."

"No," she answered immediately trying to shake her head that was now restricted by a spinal collar.

" Listen to me," he continued, " Right now your lung has a hole in it, and air is building up in the wrong spot and stopping it from inflating properly."

No more was said as they all went about numbing her up,  but once the first incision was made they felt terrible.  None of them could understand how someone that was in so much pain hadn't passed out. Ordinarily they would have put her under, but with unknown injuries it was far from safe.

" And we've got it, " Connor spoke as he checked for breath sounds.

From there everything was much more smooth sailing. They finished hooking her up to the necessary equipment- blood pressure (low at 90/50),  heart rate 160 beats per minute, oximeter and oxygen. 

When they were finally ready to leave the surrounding crowd clapped for them, and yelled out well wishes for Ester,  though she didn't hear many as she was now so loopy from the green whistle that she was trying to tell Connor that she loved the way the sunlight lit his hair, and that he should think about going into modelling. When they all started laughing she looked around very indignantly (well as best as she could)  and told them to ' not even talk' which only caused them to laugh harder.

- 35 minutes later-

They arrived at the hospital and the whole process was started again.  CT scans, x-rays, ultrasounds and surgery the list went on.

"I honestly don't know how she didn't pass out." Brian sighed as he and Connor stood just outside the door to the room in the intensive care unit she had been assigned.

" Shock," Connor answered.

The conversation was cut short however when they heard her voice " No, just leave me alone!"

"But Ester, I need to check your obs. I need to make sure your temp has come up," Dave tried to reason as he and Shawn stood beside the bed looking dismayed. "You've done so well so far!"

-Ester-

There was so much going on, that even now in my own room, nurses were in and out of my room, doctors trying to ask questions, I couldn't catch a break, I hadn't even been able to pass out. What a way to spend your birthday.  As if on cue, Dave walked in, my chart in hand.

"No," I cried, "just let me sleep!"

"What's going on?" I heard Connor ask as he came to stand by my bed with Shawn (who hadn't left my side) and Dave.

" She won't let me do her obs,"  Dave sighed causing me to glare.

" I just want to sleep!"

"Come here bug, Shawn spoke opening his arms wide, knowing that above anything else I needed love.

"Can Dave finish checking your vitals now?"

"Fine." I conceded snuggling in to Shawn's side. Feeling the most comfortable I had all day. Little did I know, but that was the start of a very long recovery  One that had ups and downs. No matter how down hearted I got though the guys never gave up. They were my heroes, and I made sure to tell them  After Brian had gotten me my chocolate as he promised of course.