The Hand

I’ve been a Paramedic for a few years, now. I’ve seen worse calls, but this one was the one that has stuck with me like an old friend through the years.

A young woman was run off the road by a tractor trailer, she was just trying to get home to her family. Everyone on scene did an excellent job- they had her just about ready for transport when I got there. They didn’t take the time for pleasantries with her, she had a rather mangled hand that just wasn’t bandaged. The funny thing is, it wasn’t bleeding. She was grey and not entirely conscious.

We jumped right in the ambulance and took off for the hospital, I got my first set of vitals at what felt like warp speed. She was shocky- very shocky. After dumping (probably too much) fluid into her, she started to become less grey, and her wounds started to bleed again. She even started to speak, even though I couldn’t understand what he was saying. I’d repeatedly ask her for her name, and I’d realize about 10 minutes later that she’s been repeatedly telling me her name, but so faintly that I didn’t understand.

So we get to the hospital, and before we could get to the OR, her pressure bottoms out and she codes. She was just trying to get home to her family. It’s been years, now. Sometimes when I’m alone in the car, my mind will wander back to that mangled hand.