Page 31 of Fierce Hearts

"Help! We need help!"

Of course something else was going to happen today. But I could certainly use any extra distractions.

We both jumped to our feet and ran toward the commotion. In the orchestra section, a cluster of workers surrounded a man on the floor, blood pooling beneath him.

The deep red liquid calmed whatever unease had been swirling through me. Ever since I'd taken my first life, I'd found blood oddly calming. Maybe it was something to do with my senses, how seeing it and smelling it helped anchor whatever anxiety or emotions were running amuck. It was grounding, and it made me focus.

"What happened?" Meredith asked, her face paling as we got closer.

"The saw kicked back," one of the workers explained, his hands pressed against his colleague's bloody arm. "Sliced right through his forearm."

I pushed forward, my heart steadying as I assessed the situation. "Let me through. I'm an ER nurse."

The injured man was conscious but in shock, his face ashen as he stared at the gash running the length of his forearm. Blood pulsed from the wound in a way that told me an artery had been nicked. Never a good thing, and made it a priority issue immediately. Time was not our friend.

"I need a belt or something to use as a tourniquet," I commanded, dropping to my knees beside him. Someone handed me a belt, and I quickly wrapped it around his upper arm, tightening it until the bleeding slowed.

"Call 911," I told Meredith, who was already on her phone.

I turned back to the injured worker, focusing on providing him with comfort and calm. "What's your name?"

"Mike," he managed through gritted teeth.

"Okay, Mike. I'm Sofia. I'm a nurse, and I'm going to take care of you until the ambulance gets here. You're going to be fine." I knew telling him he was going to be fine was never ideal, but right now, he needed to be calm. Panicking was only going to elevate his heart-rate, and that was not what we needed.

"Take deep breaths and stay calm. I'm here, more help is coming," I assured him as I examined the wound more carefully. The saw had cut deep, but hadn't severed any tendons completely from what I could see. Still, he'd need surgery and possibly microsurgery to repair the damage.

"Ambulance is five minutes out," Meredith reported after a moment on the phone.

I nodded, keeping pressure on the wound while monitoring Mike's pulse and breathing. Blood soaked through my sleeves and splattered across my jeans, but I barely noticed. This was my element—the place where everything else fell away and only the immediate crisis mattered.

By the time the paramedics arrived, I had the bleeding under control and had kept Mike stable and conscious. I gave them a quick rundown of his vitals and what I'd observed about the wound.

"Nice work," one of the paramedics said as they loaded Mike onto a stretcher. Mike reached out with his good arm as they began to carry him away, catching my arm.

"Thank you, Sofia," Mike said, and I nodded.

"Just doing my job. You're in good hands." I offered him a smile, which he did his best to return before they continued taking him away.

The workers dispersed, the supervisor having called for them to take the rest of the day off while a few remained to clean up.

I looked down at myself once the paramedics and Mike had left, the crowd around us now gone. So much blood covered my clothes and hands, staining my skin. And yet my heart still remained steady.

Meredith appeared at my side. "You were amazing."

I shrugged as I watched one of Mike's coworkers cleaning up the blood on the floor. "Just doing my job."

"Right...." She looked at my blood-soaked outfit uneasily. "You need to get cleaned up. I can get some clothes brought here?"

"I think I'd rather just go home and shower," I said as I headed to the theater bathrooms, which had the plumbing already sorted. I'd clean off as much blood as I could for now.

"Of course, we'll do that."

Meredith was quiet as I cleaned myself in the ladies washroom, only speaking when she offered me some paper towels once I'd gotten most of the blood off my skin.

A knock on the door had us both turning. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," I responded to the male voice.

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