Page 4 of Phoenix

“No. It’s all hands on deck. A child is hurt. We all need to help,” I say, then head toward the trauma units.

This is a routine we all know too well, though I’m sure we wish we didn’t.

We prep the room for everything we think we will need to assess and help the incoming patient.

Fluids, cannulas, breathing tubes, meds, dressings, and so many things it’s hard to even keep track in the chaos.

I have to stay focused on the task at hand to keep any and all anxiety at bay.

Dealing with burns, especially this kind, has never been easy. It’s never been something I relish doing.

“Breathe, Nora. You can do this.” Trina squeezes my arm reassuringly.

She knows what happened to Marco and me. She knows how hard it is to be around things like this. She’s always willing to step in when I can’t handle it. She’s been my saving grace many times.

“It’s harder when it’s a child, Trina.”

“It’s always harder when it’s a little one, but we have to do our jobs without emotional attachment. It’s the only way. It’s how lives are saved.”

I simply nod. “I can do it. I have to.”

“Don’t let the memories win, Nora. Battle them and let’s save this baby’s life.”

No sooner does she finish her sentence and the doors from the ambulance entrance burst inward.

Paramedics wheel the patient through the doors, rattling off the information we need to know: they share the boy’s name and age first, Brendon—ten years old—followed by his vitals en route, the circumstances surrounding how they found him, and the treatment they provided on the way. Nothing is left out as we get him into the trauma bay and transferred from their gurney to ours.

Then we begin.

Brendon is alert and speaking right now, and the cries leaving him over the amount of pain he’s in are loud and heartbreaking.

Trina and I work quickly to get him hooked up to our monitors, securing his pulse oximeter over his right index finger, connecting his oxygen tube to our machines, and I secure an additional IV line to run fluids and pain meds through.

I step up so I can look down on his face and introduce myself to him, explaining everything that’s been happening and that’s going to happen next, and trying to comfort him as best as I can.

I listen as the EMTs pass information along one of the nurses, and I hear the words I never I want to in these situations.

Alone. Parents haven’t been recovered.

“Sweetie,” I look down at his face and his eyes meet mine, wide in terror and confusion. “My name is Nora. Can you tell me your name?” I want to keep him alert.

His bottom lip begins to tremble, but he softly gives me his name, “B-Brendon.”

“Hi, Brendon.” I watch his breathing closely to make sure it’s steady. “I’m here with my friend, Trina,” I say, nodding her way, “and we are going to help you feel better, okay? But to do that, we need to cut these clothes off of you so we can see if you need help anywhere else on your body. It’s going to be a little scary, but I promise, you’re in good hands.”

I am fighting every trigger inside of me that’s telling me to cry, to break down into hysterics, and run away from the reminders, but seeing his scared face...I have to do my job.

“I’m...I’m scared. It hurts. I want my mommy.” His voice is scratchy and deep, no doubt from the smoke he has inhaled.

“I know you’re scared, but we are here for you and will do all we can to help you.”

“Am I going to die? I don’t want to die. Please...please...I don’t want to die.” He begins to hysterically sob now.

My hands begin to shake as my heart shatters into a million pieces. I know his pain. I know his terror. I know what he feels.

“Brendon...” I touch his head and then say the one thing we are never allowed to say to a patient, “I promise you...I won’t let you die.”

While I’m talking to him, Trina works to cut his clothes off. This part is always tricky. If the clothes are burned to his skin, it’s going to be very painful, excruciating, but we must do it. It gives us better access to him and lets us evaluate his condition. We need to see how much of him is burned and how severe it is to determine what sort of fluid resuscitation he will need.

---