Just ducky

It's a relatively normal morning. We get our first call before coffee. She's a regular chest pain patient; an uncontrolled angina. Oxygen, IV, monitor; 12-lead ECG and nitroglycerin. The only hitch is with the aspirin. She doesn't like the taste and refuses to swallow it. The early morning traffic is light, and we make easy… Continue reading Just ducky

Muerte

A sunny Sunday morning. A crowded neighborhood; the closest thing we have to tenements, filled to the brim with people seeking the American dream and finding everything but. Paramedic 9's diesel screams at the curb, nose to nose with a fire engine in the tiny one way street. They will have to back out. We… Continue reading Muerte

Normandy

He sits in his hospital chair, staring out past an uneaten breakfast at the city skyline beyond. Frank starts slightly as we enter the room, then turns and smiles. Our routine has begun for the day. He's a slight wisp of a man, now. Twice my age and half my size, time and disease have… Continue reading Normandy

Bert

The door rolls up as I approach, and I hear the Powerstroke cough to life. I'm not on the clock for another ten minutes, but I'll do the right thing and relieve the overnight crew. Regular Partner arrives as I take the reins, and we are off into the crisp fall morning. "Medic 9, be… Continue reading Bert

Tired

 "Medic 9, respond for the unresponsive male. . ." A BLS ambulance arrives before us and begins doing their thing. He has a pulse but isn't breathing. Oxygen and a BVM will take care of that for the moment. His environment suggests heroin overdose; his pinpoint pupils and track marks scream it. The Narcan performs its… Continue reading Tired

Intermission

Two police cruisers idle in the cul-de-sac, lights off, projecting calm authority. Nothing to see here. Move along. An apologetic looking sergeant steps from his air conditioned refuge as we arrive. "She's off her medications again," he tells us. "I've spoken to her doctor, and the paperwork is on its way."But of course it isn't… Continue reading Intermission