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Code Blue
The ambulance jolted through dark streets, sirens clearing the way. Inside, the cramped cabin was all precision. Medics bent over Matt’s battered, unresponsive body as the doctor took control.
“BP’s dropping. Push another 500cc of saline. Monitor his O2—we’re not out of the woods yet.”
One checked the ventilator tubing, quick and clean. Matt’s right leg, a ruin of muscle and bone, jostled against the splint. Blood seeped through the dressings, spreading into the blanket.
“SpO2 holding at 86.”
“Still too low. If the lung decompresses again, we’ll lose him. Keep an eye on it.”
A gash above his brow had been hastily stitched, dried blood crusted at his hairline. The face was pale and strained.
“Captain Rosfield, huh? I’ve heard stories. He’s the one who never lost a firefighter on his watch, right?”
They all knew his name. Most of them had heard the stories—some had worked with him, or knew someone who had.
“Yeah. When things got bad, he was the one they called. Now it’s on us to bring him through this.”
The monitor shrilled, sharp and erratic.
“Heart rate’s spiking—140 and climbing!”
“He’s decompensating. Push epi—now!”
A medic plunged the syringe into the line. Monitors spiked—loud and insistent.
Then the line went flat.
“V-fib! Start compressions! Charge the paddles!”
Another climbed onto the bench, hands locked over Matt’s chest. Compressions landed hard and fast. The defibrillator powered on. Paddles lifted.
“Clear!”
He arched, then dropped. No one reacted. The line held—then jumped.
“Sinus rhythm returning. It’s faint, but it’s there.”
“Fluids, now. High-flow oxygen. That leg’s bleeding through again—watch it.”
They pressed on, adjusting lines, tracking vitals. From the monitor came a beep—intervals too long, signal too weak.
The doctor looked down at Matt, voice lower. “He’s borderline. Keep him in range until we hit the doors.”
As the ambulance rolled over a bump, the stretcher rocked. His chest rose and fell—slow and uneven.
“He’s pulled so many people through,” someone muttered. “Not losing him today.”
“Then let’s do our job and get him there.”
Sirens wailed as they sped toward the hospital.
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The Long Night