Motherhood is Murder(35)
I wanted desperately to hold her, but I was strapped down into mobile mode. The ambulance lurched forward. One of the EMTs remained in the back with us. He hovered over Laurie and smiled. Her color looks good. Her heart rate is steady. I think shes going to be fine.
His comments settled my nerves a bit, but I still felt tears spilling out of my eyes. The ride to the hospital was short, and somehow the fact that the driver hadnt put the sirens on did much to calm me.
We couldnt be in such bad shape if they didnt use the sirens, could we?
Wheres Celia? I asked.
The other team went on ahead of us, he said.
When we arrived at the hospital, Laurie was attended to first. A pediatrician conferred with one of the EMTs as they hovered over her crib. Jim suddenly appeared.
Jim! I practically screamed from the stretcher.
Honey! He rushed over to me and embraced me. What happened? How are you feeling?
Terrible. My stomach is killing me. I got sick, but theyre still going to have my stomach pumped! Celias in critical condition. Helene was poisoned
Shhh. Hold on, honey. Im having a hard time following. Who is Celia?
A nurse appeared at my side. Mrs. Connolly, Im going to take you in now.
Jim looked panicked. Wait, I
Stay with Laurie, please!
Jim nodded and looked solemn. Tears streamed down my cheeks.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Emergency
I was wheeled into another room. A team of doctors and nurses hovered over me. There were at least six people in the room with me.
A man dressed in scrubs stepped forward, Mrs. Connolly, Im Dr. Wong. As you know, were going to perform a gastric irrigation. You will experience minor discomfort. But the procedure is brief, after which youll be given activated charcoal to absorb any poison that might remain.
Good God! Charcoal! They are going to give me charcoal!
Like briquettes?
I must have nodded because Dr. Wong said, Good.
Wait, wait. My baby! Will she have to have charcoal? Irrigation?
Dr. Wong blinked at me. Dr. Monroe is attending to her now. Unless she starts to show severe symptoms, theyll wait for our findings before they proceed with a treatment plan.
Severe symptoms. What have I done!
A woman leaned over and touched my shoulder. Kate, Im Nancy. Ill be assisting Dr. Wong. Try to relax and turn over onto your left side. Well be inserting this tube through your mouth, into the esophagus, and down to your stomach.
Think happy thoughts. Beach thoughts. Dont focus on the tube. Im on the beach. The water is lapping against the sand. The air is refreshing. No. Not cold! Hot, its hot. I am on the beach in Hawaii. Dont think about the tube.
The nurse sprayed a numbing agent into my mouth and down my throat. Even though it smelled like spearmint, it tasted like tin. She inserted the tube into my mouth and I experienced the most horrendous feeling as she shoved it down my throat. Like when a long noodle gets stuck in your throat and you dont know if you need to swallow or try and hack it out.
My gag reflex kicked into high gear and I felt like I was somewhere between puking and suffocating.
This was worse than labor!
Nancy leaned in close. You are doing great. Dr. Wong is starting the irrigation now. This will only take about ten minutes.
Ten minutes! Oh God! I dont have enough beach thoughts for ten minutes.
Think healthy thoughts. Healthy me. Healthy Laurie. Everyone healthy, fine, pink, happy. There. At least one minute must have gone by. Right? Only nine left.
Dr. Wong semigrunted.
What did that mean?
He watched the fluid leaving my stomach. I glanced down, causing myself to go cross-eyed and only glimpsed some rose-colored liquid. The tube was connected to a bag but I couldnt make anything else out.
What was he grunting about?
Good, Kate. Everything is good, Nancy soothed.
Dr. Wong nodded.
Okay, relax. Maybe only eight minutes left.
How many seconds is that? Think 8 times 60 is . . . wait, okay 8 times 5 is 40. 40 plus 8 is 48. Good God, what had happened to my math skills? Take 48, add the 0, so 480 seconds. If I count to 480 slowly, the procedure will be done. And actually, it took me so long to do the math that probably one minute has already gone by. Oh . . . what is 7 times 60?
Nancy rubbed my arm. I tried to get back into my beach reverie, but Dr. Wong was up and moving around distracting me.
I had to swallow but with a tube in my throat, how was I supposed to do that?
Quick! Think about something else!
How many more seconds?
I watched Dr. Wong open a package and fiddle with the bag that was connected to the tube in my mouth.
Nancy squeezed my elbow. Were just completing the rinse and are preparing for the charcoal. More than halfway through now, honey. Youre doing fine.
Dr. Wong handed the bag to another physician, who was focused on a monitor. He took the bag and promptly left the room.