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Trauma Builds Character
Danny had the family area to himself. On the PSP, a Rajang was giving him trouble. From the kitchen, his cousin was also being a problem.
“Alright, Josh. Arterial bleed, open tibia fracture. What’s your move?”
He dodged an electric blast and tried not to listen.
“Direct pressure on the bleed, tourniquet above the site if it’s not enough, stabilize the fracture, and prep for transport.”
“Good. Now imagine the scene’s a mess. Bone sticking out, blood pooling, and your partner just slipped in it. What’s next?”
“Tourniquet’s going on. Reapply pressure, stabilize, and avoid slipping myself.”
“Nice. But don’t forget the cleanup. That much blood ruins a good pair of boots.”
Danny bonked the Rajang in the head. Again and again.
“Do you have to describe it like that?”
“What? It’s a real scenario. Happened to me.”
“I know it happened to you. But do you have to keep saying it like it’s a fun fact?”
“Open tibia fracture, Danny. Bone sticking out, blood everywhere. Textbook stuff. I’d tell you what it feels like, but I still don’t know.”
“I can’t believe you talk about this like it’s normal.”
“It was normal. For me. Now it’s normal for Josh, too. Right, kid?”
“Right. Totally normal,” Josh said.
The Rajang staggered. Danny charged the superpound and smashed it into the floor.
“How are you okay with this? He just said ‘bone sticking out.’ Out loud. In a kitchen. Twice.”
“You get used to it. Or you don’t, and he wins.”
“Cool. Love that for me.”
“Next question. Tibia fracture’s stable, but the bleeding’s not under control. What’s your move?”
“Reassess the tourniquet, elevate the leg, monitor for shock, and prepare for transport.”
“See? You’re finally sounding like someone I’d let near a fracture like that.”
The second Rajang entered the arena. It was bigger than the first one.
“Next. Burns. Patient grabs a hot pipe, full palm contact—”
“That’s it. I’m telling Dad.”
“Come on, Danny. Trauma builds character.”
“Yeah right, look at what it did to you!”
Josh laughed.
“You know,” Matt said, “for someone who can’t handle blood, you really spend a lot of time killing monsters.”
“That’s why I use a hammer. Less blood.”
The phone rang while he was winding down.
“How’d he do?” Ben asked.
“He’s ready.” Matt put him on speaker. “Ran him through the worst stuff I’ve got. Arterial bleeds, open fractures, the whole mess. Kept adding pressure to see where he’d crack.”
“And?”
“Danny cracked first. Went upstairs after the burn scenario. He’s not eating steak for a while.”
“You’re going to get a call from his mother.”
“His mother loves me. Anyway, Josh didn’t flinch. Sequencing was clean, priorities were right. He caught the full-thickness call without me prompting it.”
“That was the one he kept missing.”
“Three weeks ago, yeah. Today he nailed it. Then I put them in an enclosed room and he called the inhalation risk before I had to.”
“God, I love that kid.”
“I didn’t need to hear that,” he joked.
“Think he’ll pass?”
“If he doesn’t, I’m taking it personally.”
“So yes.”
“Yeah.”
The kitchen was quiet. Josh had wiped down the table before he left, which Matt hadn’t asked him to do.
“Kid doesn’t do the thing,” Matt said.
“What thing?”
“…Everyone else is either impressed or sorry for me. Sometimes both at the same time. You can see them trying to figure out which one they’re supposed to be.”
“Yeah.”
“Josh doesn’t have any of that. He just asks whatever’s on his mind and moves on. It’s… nice. To him, I’m just the guy scaring the shit out of him from a wheelchair.”
“He only knows you as you are.”
“That’s why it works.”
Neither of them said anything for a second. Matt almost left it there. But it was Ben, so he didn’t.
“One more session after this. Then we’re done.”
“And then what?”
“Then I’m back to staring at the walls.”
“Come on.”
“I’m serious. This is the closest I’ve felt to doing my job since—” He cut himself off. Tried again. “I forgot what it felt like. Having someone need what I actually trained for.”
“Told you it was good for you.”
He could see Ben grinning.
“Yeah. Wasn’t terrible.”
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