Скачать книгу

trying to scramble into her arms. Lia lifted the toddler and turned to find Marnie watching, her arms folded over her ample chest.

      ‘Can you look after Joni, please, Marnie? I need to examine Sefina.’

      ‘No-o-o...’ Sefina struggled to sit up but fell back with a cry of pain.

      The hesitation and then grudging compliance from the nurse was enough to anger Lia. Whatever the village had against this young girl, it was not acceptable to be taking it out on an innocent child. By the time Jack returned, Lia was tight-lipped. She met him in the waiting room.

      ‘We have to get Sefina back to the hospital. Her abdomen’s rigid and I suspect she’s bleeding from a ruptured spleen. On top of that she’s got a head injury and there’s no way of telling how serious it is. She needs a CT scan to rule out a brain bleed.’

      Jack was nodding. ‘Let’s go, then.’

      ‘There’s another thing,’ Lia snapped. ‘I’m not leaving her baby here. I think there’s a high chance these injuries weren’t accidental. There’s no way I’m letting that little boy go back to his father and I’m getting the feeling that no one else around here wants to take care of him.’

      ‘Louis isn’t his father,’ Jack told her.

      Lia blinked. Was that what the problem was? Had Sefina cheated on her husband and everyone knew that? Did her low-life husband think it gave him an excuse to beat her up to within an inch of her life?

      ‘All the more reason to take Joni with us, then.’

      ‘It’ll be a rough flight.’

      ‘So we’ll strap him in. Or I’ll hold him. There’s not much I can do for Sefina en route, anyway. I’ll give her some pain relief and get some fluids up and then what we need to do is get her to hospital as soon as possible. Hopefully before this weather gets any worse.’

      * * *

      Sam, Hettie and Anahera were waiting in the emergency department of Wildfire Island’s hospital, having been alerted to the incoming trauma patient via radio.

      Jack and Manu, the hospital porter, were wheeling the stretcher. Lia had her arms full with a very frightened-looking small child. Sam had heard of the child, of course. Everybody in this community had. But he’d never seen him. Or his mother, for that matter. Good grief, she looked so young...

      ‘Let’s get her onto the bed.’ Sam positioned himself at the head. ‘On the count of three. One, two...three...’

      Sefina was transferred smoothly from the stretcher to the bed. Lia moved closer to Sam but still had to raise her voice over the crying of the child she was holding.

      ‘This is Sefina Dason,’ Lia said. ‘She’s sustained head and abdominal trauma. GCS is down at fourteen. Repetitive speech and vomiting. Her abdo’s rigid and her blood pressure is low at one hundred over forty. Up from ninety over forty after a litre of saline. She’s in sinus rhythm and tachycardic at one-three-five, and has a resp rate of thirty. Her oxygen saturation was ninety-five per cent. It’s come up to ninety-eight on oxygen. She’s had ten milligrams of morphine. Provisional diagnosis is a ruptured spleen and concussion.’

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4QAYRXhpZgAASUkqAAgAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP/sABFEdWNreQABAAQAAABQAAD/4QO6aHR0cDov L25zLmFkb2JlLmNvbS94YXAvMS4wLwA8P3hwYWNrZXQgYmVnaW49Iu+7vyIgaWQ9Ilc1TTBNcENl aGlIenJlU3pOVGN6a2M5ZCI/PiA8eDp4bXBtZXRhIHhtbG5zOng9ImFkb2JlOm5zOm1ldGEvIiB4 OnhtcHRrPSJBZG9iZSBYTVAgQ29yZSA1LjAtYzA2MSA2NC4xNDA5NDksIDIwMTAvMTIvMDctMTA6 NTc6MDEgICAgICAgICI+IDxyZGY6UkRGIHhtbG5zOnJkZj0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMTk5 OS8wMi8yMi1yZGYtc3ludGF4LW5zIyI+IDxyZGY6RGVzY3JpcHRpb24gcmRmOmFib3V0PSIiIHht bG5zOnhtcFJpZ2h0cz0iaHR0cDovL25zLmFkb2JlLmNvbS94YXAvMS4wL3JpZ2h0cy8iIHhtbG5z OnhtcE1NPSJodHRwOi8vbnMuYWRvYmUuY29tL3hhcC8xLjAvbW0vIiB4bWxuczpzdFJlZj0iaHR0 cDovL25zLmFkb2JlLmNvbS94YXAvMS4wL3NUeXBlL1Jlc291cmNlUmVmIyIgeG1sbnM6eG1wPSJo dHRwOi8vbnMuYWRvYmUuY29tL3hhcC8xLjAvIiB4bXBSaWdodHM6TWFya2VkPSJGYWxzZSIgeG1w TU06T3JpZ2luYWxEb2N1bWVudElEPSJ1dWlkOkI4NTI3RDRDRkJENUU1MTFCNDU5ODM1NDBCNkNF NUYxIiB4bXBNTTpEb2N1bWVudElEPSJ4bXAuZGlkOkRGN0E5N0I1RkU5OTExRTVCMjIwRDhCMkJF RTE5QTA1IiB4bXBNTTpJbnN0YW5jZUlEPSJ4bXAuaWlkOkRGN0E5N0I0RkU5OTExRTVCMjIwRDhC MkJFRTE5QTA1IiB4bXA6Q3JlYXRvclRvb2w9IkFkb2JlIFBob3Rvc2hvcCBDUzUuMSBNYWNpbnRv c2giPiA8eG1wTU06RGVyaXZlZEZyb20gc3RSZWY6aW5zdGFuY2VJRD0ieG1wLmlpZDpCQzc0Q0M5 MEUxMjA2ODExQUY4Qzk1QkY0NTk1NzA3NSIgc3RSZWY6ZG9jdW1lbnRJRD0idXVpZDpCODUyN0Q0 Q0ZCRDVFNTExQjQ1OTgzNTQwQjZDRTVGMSIvPiA8L3JkZjpEZXNjcmlwdGlvbj4gPC9yZGY6UkRG PiA8L3g6eG1wbWV0YT4gPD94cGFja2V0IGVuZD0iciI/Pv/iDFhJQ0NfUFJPRklMRQABAQAADEhM aW5vAhAAAG1udHJSR0IgWFlaIAfOAAIACQAGADEAAGFjc3BNU0ZUAAAAAElFQyBzUkdCAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAD21gABAAAAANMtSFAgIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEWNwcnQAAAFQAAAAM2Rlc2MAAAGEAAAAbHd0cHQAAAHwAAAAFGJrcHQAAAIE AAAAFHJYWVoAAAIYAAAAFGdYWVoAAAIsAAAAFGJYWVoAAAJAAAAAFGRtbmQAAAJUAAAAcGRtZGQA AALEAAAAiHZ1ZWQAAANMAAAAhnZpZXcAAAPUAAAAJGx1bWkAAAP4AAAAFG1lYXMAAAQMAAAAJHRl Y2gAAAQwAAAADHJUUkMAAAQ8AAAIDGdUUkMAAAQ8AAAIDGJUUkMAAAQ8AAAIDHRleHQAAAAAQ29w eXJpZ2h0IChjKSAxOTk4IEhld2xldHQtUGFja2FyZCBDb21wYW55AABkZXNjAAAAAAAAABJzUkdC IElFQzYxOTY2LTIuMQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEnNSR0IgSUVDNjE5NjYtMi4xAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABYWVogAAAAAAAA81EAAQAAAAEWzFhZ WiAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWFlaIAAAAAAAAG+iAAA49QAAA5BYWVogAAAAAAAAYpkAALeFAAAY 2lhZWiAAAAAAAAAkoAAAD4QAALbPZGVzYwAAAAAAAAAWSUVDIGh0dHA6Ly93d3cuaWVjLmNoAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAWSUVDIGh0dHA6Ly93d3cuaWVjLmNoAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Скачать книгу