Page 47 of Dr. Alaska
“Okay,” she said in her muffled voice. She leaned forward. “Hang on. We might be able to clear his spine clinically.”
“Good idea.” He ran through the algorithm. Mechanism of injury was significant impact, which was a higher risk for spine injury. No loss of consciousness. He did have a distracting injury in the leg, which complicated the assessment.
“Have you been drinking?”
“No,” Nick said. “We were going to have some drinks afterward.”
“Any drug use?” he asked.
“Hey!” Randy snapped. “Why are you asking him those questions? It’s none of your business.”
Mav shouted back, “These questions are part of the paramedic injury assessment for complicating factors. If you’re not going to help me, then stand back.”
Lee’s head whipped up. He could imagine her eyes going wide. Mav rarely yelled at anyone.
She murmured something to Nick and slid her hand under each side of his neck.
“No pain,” he said.
“Can you move it on your own?” she asked.
He gingerly flexed, extended, and rotated his head without difficulty or pain.
“That’s good.” She patted him on the shoulder and sent Mav another thumbs-up. “C-spine cleared per criteria.”
Liability being what it was, he knew the ER doc would still scan everything from head to pelvis, out of an abundance of caution. Of course, they would keep movement to a minimum en route to the hospital.
Mav projected volume behind his words. “I need one of you to help us with this backboard.” Another guest moved forward as Randy took a step back. “When I tell you, slide the board underneath him and keep all of the straps free. One, two, three.”
As one, he and Lee rolled Nick. The guest pushed the board under, then they eased Nick onto the board. Lee pulled out a reflective emergency blanket and tucked it over Nick’s coat, then they quickly secured the straps.
With the other riders helping, they lifted Nick strapped to the backboard and set him in the sled’s cargo bed.
As Mav prepared to leave, he asked the guests, “Can one of you follow us and give her a ride to the hospital?”
Randy puffed out his chest. “Sure, I’ll do it.” He bent and handed her Nick’s discarded helmet.
Mav really didn’t like that her safety depended on a guy who wanted to sue him.
No other choice.
“Don’t follow too closely or you’ll spook the dogs,” he told Randy. “Guys, can the rest of you make your way back to the cabin? Or do you want to follow us to town?” They called out confidence in reaching the lodge, and he ensured they had trail maps and GPS coordinates set. The wind had died down over the past ten minutes, visibility improved.
He looked at his watch. 3:41. Not a bad rate of extraction, considering. From this location, they were about seven miles away from town. About a half hour run for the dogs.
Before leaving, he motioned Lee over and gave her the satellite phone. “Can you call the ahead for the trauma alert? A 911 operator may have done it when we first called, but they won’t know the latest details or timing to tell the hospital.”
“Sure thing.” She patted his upper arm and said with that muffled voice, “Good job dealing with this mess, by the way.” Walking away from the men, she held the phone to her ear.
Her voice faded to nothing as he drove his sled away.
Chapter Eighteen
About forty minuteslater, Lee dismounted at the ED entrance and handed the helmet back to Randy. Staff was already transferring Nick from the sled to a gurney.
Maverick’s shoulders drooped as he glanced her way. The sun had set and twilight cast his face in shadows. “I’m headed over to the ambulance garage to water the dogs.”
“I’ll see if folks need help in the ED,” she said, handing him the satellite phone.
