The Cemetary

“What’s your name, son?”

The kid gurgled, his eyes flying in several directions before replying. “E-evan.”

“Okay, Evan,” the paramedic said. “My name’s Jon. I need you to focus on me. I mean really focus. Can you do that?”

Evan did his best impression of a nod and locked his faltering gaze onto Jon’s face. Jon looked over his shoulder and waved.

“Charlie! The board! Now!”

Charlie looked away from the wreck and ran to the back of the ambulance, grabbing the backboard and snuffing his cigarette on his way over. He slapped the board down next to Evan and immediately moved to the boy’s feet. Jon nodded and moved above Evan’s head, careful not to look away from Evan’s face for too long.

“We’re going to move you now, Evan. We need you to hold very, very still.” Evan did not respond, but he did not look away. Jon took that as assent and nodded again. Charlie motioned a three-count, then both he and Jon lifted Evan onto the board.
Evan did not make a sound.

Lashing the kid to the board, Jon cursed silently inside his mouth. He and Charlie lifted and placed Evan onto the collapsed stretcher in the back of the ambulance, then slammed the doors. Jon turned to Charlie. “How’s the other?”

Charlie shook his head. “Fubbed.” Jon paused for a moment.

“How long until the police get here?”

“Maybe three minutes, max,” Charlie replied.

“Any word on backup from Central?” Jon asked.

“Tapped out.”

Jon swore, then turned to the side doors of the ambulance. “Least there’s only one, then,” he muttered. “You’ve got maybe twenty minutes to go fifteen miles.”

“Shock?” Charlie asked. Jon just looked at him. Charlie nodded, then dashed for the driver’s side door and darted in with one quick open-close motion. Jon slid in through the passenger’s side and moved to the rear of the ambulance with Evan. Evan was, thankfully, still conscious. As Charlie slammed the ambulance into gear and threw the sirens on, Jon sat down on the stretcher opposite Evan.

“Okay Evan, glad to see you’re still with us. I need you to answer a couple of questions. Don’t look away from me!” Evan’s eyes snapped back onto Jon’s. “I need to know a bit about what I can give you. Easy. Don’t respond at all if the answer’s no. Widen your eyes twice if the answer’s yes. I’ll play a guessing game on the yes’s. You understand?”

Evan’s eyes widened and shrunk twice.

“Great. You’re doing great, kid. Okay, do you know where you are?”

Evan’s eyes widened again. Jon pulled a pen light out of his shirt pocket and shone it into Evan’s eyes.

“No concussion. There’s a bit of luck.”

Evan’s steady gaze did not indicate he appreciated Jon’s levity. Jon swallowed and continued.

“Are you taking any medications?”

Evan didn’t respond.

“Are you allergic to any medications?

Again, Evan did not respond. Jon glanced down, towards Evan’s feet.

“Okay, Evan. You’re doing fine. I need to load a transfusion into you. You’ve lost a good bit of blood. Do you know what your blood type is?”

To Jon’s amazement, Evan’s eyes widened twice. When he was that age, Jon could barely remember the day of the week.

“Can you still speak at all? Can you tell me what it is?”

Evan formed his lips into a ring, giving him the look of a ghastly fish. His skin was almost chalk-white.

“O?”

Evan’s eyes widened twice.

“Positive?”

Evan didn’t respond. Jon whirled around and opened the mini-fridge and removed a packet of blood. He stripped open two heating pads and sandwiched the packet in between.

“Needs to warm first, kid. I need you to hold still right now and do your best to stay awake. Are you in a lot of pain?”

Evan did not respond. Jon went into the medical supply trunk and started unpacking large swabs of gauze.

“Evan, I also need you to do me a favor. Don’t look down.”

Evan’s eyes widened twice.

Jon set about layering the gauze on Evan’s stomach. The blare of the sirens was giving him a profound headache. He always hated riding in the back. As the gauze soaked up more blood, Jon ripped into more packages and kept pressing them down. A few times, Evan’s eyelids fluttered. When they did, Jon made loud noises and snapped his fingers rapidly, bringing Evan’s attention to him.

Once ready, Jon set about prepping an IV rig for the blood.

“How long we got, Charlie?” he shouted over the din.

“Four minutes.”

“You’re lucky you didn’t get us killed, driving that fast! Radio Central, tell them we’re coming in red fuckin’ hot!”

Charlie laughed. “Way ahead of you.”

Jon smiled and looked back at Evan. Evan’s eyes were wide and his face much clammier than before. He was staring down, directly at his feet. He was staring at a two and a half foot piece of jagged metal rammed at an odd angle through his stomach. The wound was covered with bright red gauze that had already saturated and was delicately dripping across his ashen skin, sliding noiselessly to the floor. He opened his mouth to speak, to scream, to say anything, but Jon placed a hand on his forehead and pushed him back down.

“I told you not to look down, kid,” Jon said, his voice heavy. “Just stay with me a bit longer. It looks worse than it is.” Jon looked away as he jammed the IV needle into Evan’s arm. The kid’s eyes were getting to him. Too big. Too bright.

“You’re going to feel a bit warm and light-headed as this stuff makes its way into your system. Just stay awake. Two minutes, that’s all I’m asking. Then we’ve got you in safe, and you’ll be all right. Just two minutes."

Though his lids and lips were trembling, his pupils beginning to dilate, Evan managed to widen his eyes twice. Jon smiled.

“‘Atta boy.” Jon finished attaching the IV rig to the stretcher, then threaded the tube through his thumb and forefinger to make sure everything was flowing all right. He felt a sharp jolt and heard squealing tires; Charlie’s signature arrival. Charlie leapt out and ran to the back as Jon opened the rear doors. They lowered the stretcher, extending the wheels, then ran Evan towards the emergency room doors. Several nurses rushed to meet them.

“What’ve we got?” one of them, Sarah, asked.

“Car crash. Steering column. Initial shock fourteen minutes ago. Severe hemorrhaging, O+ IV inserted three minutes ago. No allergies or anything noted.”

Sarah nodded, then wheeled him away towards surgery. Jon and Charlie wound down to a light jog, then stopped moving altogether. They stood, panting for a few seconds. Another of the attending nurses approached them.

“Anyone else?” she asked.

“One passenger, will be DOA. She’s still at the scene.”

“You left one?” the nurse asked, incredulity creeping into her voice.

“Already dead,” Jon replied, no hint of emotion in his voice. “No other ambulances, needed to get this one here. We’ll go back and get her to the Despard morgue.”

“Should probably bring her here,” the attending said.

“Local matter,” Charlie replied. His face mirrored Jon’s voice.

“She from Despard?”

Charlie nodded as Jon turned to look at him.

“Neighbor’s daughter.”