NOVEL FROG Chapter 15: First Aid
I tried to think, tried to remember what to do to stop the torrent of blood leaking out of this security guard who's name I didn't know. I took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and went to work.
My instructor from the police academy words came to me, as clearly as the day she had first said them. "You must press on the main artery above where it meets the joint. This will slow the flow of blood to the wound."
I reached over with my left hand and pressed my thumb hard into the hund's brachial artery just above the elbow on the inside of his arm.
"Then you should lay them down and elevate the wounded limb above their heart, this will reduce blood pressure and further slow the bleeding."
I leaned him back, keeping the arm pointed straight up, still pressing hard both on the wound and the artery. I didn't have time to think or panic, there was work to do.
"Finally, elevate their legs to prevent shock and keep their blood pressure from bottoming out."
I only had two hands so I did my best to slide the now unconscious hund feet first toward the wall. Then while still keeping pressure on the artery I grabbed his legs with my other hand and straightened them out so they were propped up against the wall.
With all I could do done I went back to holding onto the blood soaked bandage and hoping that help would arrive in time to save him. I watched the countdown timer tick down as his breaths became rapid and shallow. But he was still breathing as the helicopter touched down on the helipad.
A loud ding signaled the return of the elevator. Krieger turned the corner with a red medical bag in hand, freezing when he saw the black helicopter.
"Get the fucking door unlocked and let them in!" I shouted.
"Right!" He shouted back, running over and throwing the still rapidly color changing corpse out of the way so he could unlock the patio door. "He's in here!" Krieger shouted to the gray clad rapid response team. "He has lost a lot of blood!"
Two hunds wearing body armor charged in with their carbines drawn to make sure the location was secure before four more armored hunds with medical bags and pistols followed behind them.
There was a double tap from one of the carbine wielding hunds as he put two in the head of the supposedly dead intruder and confirmed the kill. Their adaptive camouflage suit faded to black, finally disabled. I set the apartment lights back to white and stopped the strobe effect.
One of the hunds grabbed the dead intruder by the arm and pulled them out onto the patio, away from my immediate view.
"What happened?" A young female hund with black fur asked as she moved in to replace the blood soaked towel with a rapid clotting bandage then taped it in place. Her name tag identified her as Nancy Reeves, medic. I held pressure on the artery for her as I explained what had gone down.
One of the medics took my place elevating the wound and holding pressure while another began to administer oxygen.
"You're lucky to be alive and so is he." Nancy said before calling over to the hund who shot the intruder in the head. "Hey, blood bag! I need a universal donor over here. Run me a line, will ya?"
The well-built, heavily muscled Döbian came over and gripped the dying security guard by his uninjured left wrist, squeezing tightly. Almost instantly the guard's breathing began to stabilize. It took me a moment to realize what was happening. Somehow the Döbian was doing a battlefield transfusion without any additional equipment.
"He's about three liters low." The Döbian said in a low voice like rocks breaking. "I can spare two."
One of the other hunds let out a whistle and a nod. "And Sparky can top him off before we transport." The Döbian finished.
I got up and walked over to the dead intruder on the patio. The hund called Sparky moved in to stop me. "That's not a good idea." He said.
"They came into my home and nearly killed one of my people. I want to see their face." I replied.
"Suit yourself, but keep your distance." Sparky reached down and pulled the black fabric mask off of the intruder.
***
I saw a young female black furred katzen with yellow eyes and a massive hole in the side of her head. I kneeled down, feeling the strange realization that the intruder's black stealth suit was similar to the one aunt GG wore earlier in the day.
"Check the skin underneath her eyes for any signs of tattooing." I said, leaning into my intuition in a desperate attempt to make up for a lack of skill or knowledge.
"What? Why?" The hund asked.
"Just do it." I snapped, losing my patience. My whole day had been a rollercoaster of emotions and whatever was going on wasn't helping me feel much better.
"Well fuck me." The hund said as he took a closer look. "She has survivor tats."
The Döbian blood donor came over to replace Sparky, his ears perking up at the mention of survivor tattoos. He got in close and inspected the markings. "Interesting." He said, "Very interesting."
"How so?" I asked.
The well-built Döbian looked around the apartment as if he wanted to make sure there weren't any more hidden katzen before he spoke. "It's new ink." He explained.
"Hey Rook!" Shouted Nancy. "We're ready to move him and begin transport to the hospital."
"Good. I have legal representation on the way, once they arrive I will notify the police. Sparky and I will stay behind to ensure she is safe and there are no more intruders."
"Sounds good." Nancy said as she and the three other medics each grabbed a corner of the portable stretcher and began to transfer the injured security guard to the helicopter. "We will stay in touch with the hospital and let you know when his condition changes. But I think he'll pull through."
I felt a wave of relief followed by a crushing feeling of guilt. He had gotten hurt because of me. It didn't matter if I saved him. He wouldn't have gotten hurt if I dealt with my own problems instead of calling for help like a scared little girl.
I tried to call Simon via wetware but there was no response. I tried again and got the same result. It wasn't like him to not answer. I hoped he was alright.