She looked over at Sam. “Significant intra-abdominal injury and penetrating abdominal trauma. We need immediate transport to a trauma facility.”
Sam nodded and she did a further visual assessment. It wasn’t looking good. Blood had soaked through the victim’s clothing. His eyes remained open, though, and he seemed somewhat alert, biting into his fist either for self-control or in an attempt to stay silent.
“Did you move him here?”
Gray spoke from behind her. “Yes. He was hit halfway down the road to the resort.”
“I need to know how much blood he’s lost.” That was probably a lost cause, but if Gray or one of the other SEALs could quantify how much blood her patient had lost, it would be helpful.
She listened while Sam finished running through the ABCs of triage, giving her an assessment of disability and exposure. Stripping the man down so she could examine him from head to toe was ideal, but this wasn’t a good venue. The hospital could assess more closely.
“Have you checked his back?” It was highly likely they were dealing with more than one injury.
Sam nodded. “Clear. The main injury is to his abdomen.”
She pressed her hand against the victim’s shoulder, letting him know she was there. “We’re going to take care of you.”
She didn’t recognize him and it didn’t matter. This was someone’s son, husband, Saturday-morning soccer date. Or he wasn’t. It didn’t matter. He was the guy she was going to save.
“Is it okay if I take a closer look?”
Her patient nodded then groaned.
Close range, she decided, although it was hard to tell in the near dark. “Give me a light,” she snapped and someone did. Lifting the pads off his abdomen, she eased off on the direct pressure and got her first good look. No arterial pumping, thank God, but she definitely had a major vascular injury on her hands. Frankly, she was amazed he was still conscious. “How are you doing?”
His eyes fluttered closed. “I hope Uncle Sam bought trip insurance for my vacation.”
She did, too. “You got a name for me, soldier?”
“Remy.” He mumbled something else, but then he passed out.
“He needs surgery. Belize City is probably the closest facility.” There was only so much she could do out here on an island. She needed a sonogram and an emergency department, an operating room and a full team.
Gray returned and crouched down beside her. “The medevac is inbound.”
“ETA?” Remy was almost out of time.
“Two minutes. If I could get it here faster, I would.” Team first. That truth was written all over his face.
When the chopper landed, Gray bent over Remy, shielding the man from the rotor wash blasting past the barrier of the jeep. Five minutes later Remy was on a stretcher, headed for the bird. She kept up the pressure on his abdomen, forcing the Medevac’s personnel to lift around her.
“I’ll ride with him,” she said.
Gray hesitated, and she had no idea what was going through his head. Typical. She’d bet he was the kind of guy who stoically provided rank and number only in the hands of an enemy. “If I don’t, he’ll bleed out.”
He nodded as if he’d come to some sort of decision—when hello, doctor here, she knew what she was doing—and cupped her elbows with his hands, lifting her with Remy and guiding her to a seat in the chopper.
She focused on Remy and keeping the vein pinched shut. This wasn’t how she’d planned on finishing her vacation, but she was grateful she could help. Ashley would pack her suitcase and send it on, or the resort would do it. She’d need her passport and her purse at the very least, but these were people who made things happen. She’d be okay.
And, once she’d safely handed Remy off, Stockton waited for her. Stockton wasn’t her first choice, or even her second, third or fourth, but she knew she was lucky to have a job. Better yet, she’d still be working as a trauma surgeon, which was one more thing to be thankful for. She’d ride with Remy to the closest hospital, hand him over to the resident surgeon there and then head back to real life. She’d be back in the chute, running an emergency department, before the end of the week.
Going back didn’t worry her. Not anymore. Now she was worried about this desire she had to stay. Gray had been her fantasy, a sexy dream of a man, but now it was time to wake up. So what if this wasn’t the way she’d planned their goodbye? She’d miss him, and not just in bed, although the hot sex was part of it. She’d miss the everyday, real Gray—his sweet tooth, the gleam he got in his eye when he thought she was being funny, the way he tackled life head-on and got the job done. He was the strong pair of arms holding her at night and the steady heartbeat beneath her cheek, an emotional anchor she hadn’t realized she’d come to count on. Even more, she’d miss all the things she hadn’t had a chance to learn about him yet and now never would.