Title: A Helping Hand
Author: DockRock06
Rating: M
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.
Spoilers: Season 13's 'I Don't'
Content Warning: none
Summery: What if Ray had been brought to County instead, would the outcome of the accident been different with his friends working to save him?
A/N In this story Ray is not going to have left the bar until the next morning and NO construction work was going on at county, it is still up and running. Well here it is,
Chapter One: Prologue
Ray was sitting at the bar, still in shock at what had happened earlier that night, why the hell does she build my hopes up just to go running back to him? Ray looked up to the barman and placed his money on the bar. Looking at his watch Ray seen through blurred vision that it was just after five in the morning and he had been sitting in the bar for nearly three hours.
Standing off the stool Ray stumbled slightly, and grabbed his jacket. As he was walking away Ray heard a buzzing noise and looking back to the bar he realized that it was his phone vibrating and he quickly reached over and grabbed it, looking at the screen as he stumbled out the door, as he struggled to get his jacket on and as he stepped onto the street without looking he heard a loud beep and jumped back, glaring at the large truck that zoomed past him.
Shoving his jacket on Ray stepped onto the street once again and feeling his phone once again vibrating in his hand Ray flipped it open to see that the caller ID read, Neela Rasgotra, and laughing bitterly Ray thought, must want to toy with me more. Suddenly Rays grasped on his phone weakened and he watched as it fell to the ground. Bending over Ray reached down to get his phone.
Before Ray had any time to register what was happening he saw a pair of bright headlights straight ahead of him, and in his drunken state didn't react as quickly as he should.
Ray felt his body hit the ground and skid about five metres along the hard ground, his face and arms ripping as they connected. But the worst pain that Ray felt was in his legs, a crushing pain, and looking down through the dizziness Ray seen that the truck that had just hit him was still on him, pinning his legs.
Ray felt his vision blurring as his life drained out of him, and before he knew it everything had went black, the last thing he heard was the sound of someone telling him that he was going to be O.K.
Morris and Pratt where standing at the admit of the E.R, discussing the events that had went on earlier in the evening.
'So I told him to go home, his probably home right now sleeping it all off…won't be in for his shift this afternoon I bet'
Pratt said as he scanned through the chart in his hand. The truth was he had felt a little guilty after he had sent Ray home on his own and he couldn't help but think that maybe he should have made sure he had gotten in a cab. Morris broke Ray out of his musings as he said,
'Well, I'm just glad that someone finally said what we were all thinking to Gates…too bad that they had to use each other as a punching bag afterwards' Morris added with a smile, trying to lighten the mood.
Both doctors looked up when they saw the newly wedded Mr. and Mrs. Luka Kovac walking down the hall, hand in hand, both still having to work their scheduled shifts as no one had known about the secret wedding and so nobody had been able to offer to cover. Abby and Luka were happy though as it was a quiet night in the E.R so they had spent most of their time talking and planning what they were going to do on their two weeks off.
Suddenly the calmness of the usually hectic E.R was shattered with the sound of the EMT at the dispatch station listing off the injuries of an incoming trauma,
'28 year old male, crush injuries to both legs, ETA is 5 minutes' Chuny acknowledged the call as Luka began to shout orders to the doctors, and went out to the ambulance bay with Abby to wait.
'So much for a quiet night' Abby joked, looking up at her new husband. Not too long after an ambulance pulled up, its siren blaring at his pulled to a halt next to Abby and Luka, the back doors swinging open and the EMT jumping out.
As the gurney was pulled out, Abby stepped forward and gasped, drawing the attention of Luka and she said only the one word,
'Ray'
As soon as the shock had passed Abby ran over to the head of the gurney, looking down at Rays face with was already covered in bruises and blood. Both doctors began to push the gurney inside and as they passed the admit desk Luka shouted,
'Somebody call Rays next of Kin'
This drew the attention of all of the other doctors who had been waiting in the trauma room, units of blood and saline at the ready. Pratt ran out the door and felt guilt running through him as he looked at the face of his friend, lying on the gurney and couldn't help but feel responsible.
As soon as Ray was in the trauma room Luka again began to bark out orders, remembering the last time which he had worked on a co-worker, back when he had only started at county, and he wasn't going to let the same thing happen again.
'O.K on my count gently move him…one…two…three!' With that Abby, Luka, Pratt and Morris transferred Ray from one gurney to the next. Quickly Haleh was at the head of the bed, using the ampu bag to force airs into Ray weakened body.
Luka had moved to the end of the bed and after pulling of Ray's shoes and cutting up the legs of his pants he was trying to assess the damage that had been done. On both legs the tibia had ripped right through the skin, probably shredding a vein or an artery and that was why he was losing so much blood.
'Somebody call surgery now! And start another unit of blood!' Luka yelled.
At the other end of the bed Abby had ripped open Rays shirt, revealing a torso that was littered with bruises and cuts, most of his ribs probably cracked from the fall which he had no doubt taken when he was knocked down by whatever had crushed him.
'BP's dropping, 60/120' said Haleh as she stood at the top of the bed. And in a flash Morris had moved over, an intubation blade in his hand as he skillfully inserted the tube into Ray's mouth and down his throat, trying to give his broken body a better chance of survival.
Pratt was standing at the top of the bed beside Abby, using the X-Ray machine to see how much damage had been cause to both his torso and face, while Luka was still working on stopping the bleeding coming from Ray's legs, a sickening amount of gauze piling up on the floor.
Not soon enough Dr. Anspaugh, the hospitals longest working surgeon came walking through the doors, followed by a now sober Lucien Dubenko, who had thankfully left the party not long after he had told Neela he loved her and had slept it all off.
'I heard we had one of our own, wanted to make sure that he got the best care'
Both surgeons quickly walked over to the bed, assessing the damaging and planning what the best course of action was.
After a quick assessment, Donald Anspaugh turned to Luka and said in a sympathetic tone,
'The crush injuries are very severe, we'll do our best but I think that we might have to do an amputation'
Abby felt tears running down her face, the thought of that happening to one of her closet friends.
Luka looked down at Ray and turned to Donald as he said,
'You have to try Donald'
'I will, so come on, will you be assisting?' Anspaugh asked as Luka, Dubenko and himself unlocked the wheels of the gurney and began to wheel it to the elevator.
Standing in the trauma room, Pratt turned to Morris and Abby, and said to them in a shaky voice, not even trying to hold back his tears,
'I think I need to phone Neela'
A/N Well there you go Chapter 1! I hope that you don't hate me too much for the cliffy, but lots of nice reviews and I will update soon!