by Andy Coltart
The Head Teacher, sports teacher and Mr Willis stepped back out of the way as the helicopter blades started to rotate with increasing speed. The wind created from the take off nearly knocked the three members of staff over. The air ambulance rose and turned in the air before flying low over the school yard which was still full of kids.
The Head turned towards the yard. He could see hundreds of kids pressed up against the fence, watching what had been going on.
‘I’ll deal with this lot if you two head to the staff room,’ he said. ‘Oh, Mr Willis, can you call at the office and ask them to contact Riley and Casey’s parents for me please,’ he added.
‘Of course,’ replied Mr Willis as the three of them started to walk off the field.
A phone started to ring in the executives’ meeting. A number of them started to grumble. It was policy to turn phones off or at least silence them before the meeting. Alex’s father turned a bright shade of red as he realised it was his phone disrupting the meeting. He pulled it out of his pocket and was about to switch it off when he noticed it was Alex’s college calling.
‘Sorry,’ he said, ‘it’s my son’s college, I’d better take this.’ As he got up from his chair to leave the room he noticed a couple of heads shaking with disgust that he was prioritising anything over their precious meeting. He chose to ignore them and left the room anyway.
‘Hello,’ he said, as he answered the call.
‘Hello,’ said a voice on the other end, ‘is that Mr Manning?’
‘Yes, it is,’ replied Alex’s father.
‘Hello,’ said the voice again, ‘I’m calling from Jackson State College about your son Alex.’
‘Oh,’ said Alex’s father, ‘is everything okay?’ His voice gave away the fact that he was sounding worried. The college never called, so why now?
‘I’m afraid not,’ came the reply, ‘Alex has been in a serious accident.’ It may have been the word ‘serious’ or the word ‘accident’, but most likely the two together that caused Alex’s father to feel a sick empty feeling in the bottom of his stomach.
Finding a chair he sat down to listen to the college office as they explained what had happened during the last hour.
‘Where is he now?’ asked Alex’s father, his voice trembling with shock.
‘On his way to the county hospital,’ came the reply. ‘Thank you,’ said Alex’s father, ‘I’ll head straight there.’
‘I do hope he’s okay,’ said the college office clerk.
‘Thank you,’ said Alex’s father as he hung up the phone. Standing back up he felt a little wobbly on his feet. It’ll be the shock, he thought to himself as he walked back to the executives meeting. The men and women sat round the table stared at him coldly.
‘I’ve gotta go,’ he said, ‘my son has been in an accident.’ He didn’t wait for a reply, as he was sure he didn’t want to hear their flawed excuses for why he should stay. He called at his office to grab his coat and went as fast as he could to find his car.
The Head Teacher arrived at the school office.
‘Any joy getting through to the girls’ parents?’ he said. The administrator replied,
‘Just one, sir. Casey’s mother is on her way to the hospital. I can’t get hold of Riley’s mother though.’
‘Keep trying,’ said the Head, ‘I’m going to check on the staff and decide what we tell the rest of the school.’
‘Of course,’ said the administrator as she picked up the phone to dial again.
Chapter 5
ER
The first of the ambulances was now pulling into the hospital’s ER with Alex and his friend Will onboard. Alex was still unconscious. He’d been that way since the lightning strike and it was beginning to worry Will.
‘Don’t look so worried,’ said a paramedic to Will, ‘he’s in the best place now. We’ll sort him out.’ The words didn’t change how Will was feeling about the situation, but he tried to relax his face anyway.
The back of the ambulance opened, letting the dim daylight flood in.
‘Ready?’ said the paramedic to her colleague.
‘Yup, all ready to go,’ came the reply, as Alex was wheeled down the ramp with Will following on foot. They went through the doors into the ER.
‘Follow me,’ said one of the paramedics to Will as the other pushed Alex off down a corridor. Will watched as his friend disappeared through some double doors and out of sight. He started to follow the paramedic who led him to the main desk.
‘Just brought in a seventeen-year-old male, name of Alex Manning, he’s been struck by lightning,’ said the paramedic. ‘This is his friend, Will.’ The receptionist looked at Will, then at the paramedic.
‘Okay, leave him here and I’ll sort out the details,’ she said. The paramedic took one last look at Will and tried to reassure him. Then headed off in the direction Alex had been taken.
The air ambulance was coming into land on the roof of the hospital. There was an exchange of commands and responses between the pilot and the control centre. Finally control said, ‘all clear to land on pad A.’
‘Acknowledged,’ said the pilot and moments later he touched down on the hospital roof. The doors to the hospital landing pad opened and two porters came out with a bed. Riley was quickly transferred and the air ambulance doctor went with her and the porters into the hospital.
Outside Casey’s ambulance, and the empty one, had arrived together. As Casey was taken out of the ambulance her mum rushed over.
‘Slow down,’ said one of the paramedics, blocking her path.
‘I’m her mother!’ came the response.
‘Ah, okay,’ said the paramedic, ‘in that case, follow me.’ Casey’s mum followed as they were led through the doubled doors Alex and Will had been through only minutes before. Just like Alex and Will, Casey was taken off down the corridor and her mum was guided to the receptionist.
Will was still at the counter when Casey’s mum arrived. The paramedic with her spoke to the receptionist.
‘This is Casey Johnson’s mother. We’ve just brought the fifteen-year-old in after a lightning strike at her school.’
‘Another one!’ said the receptionist, sounding slightly alarmed.
‘There’s more?’ said Casey’s mum.
‘Yes,’ said Will, turning to face her, ‘my friend Alex was struck at the college about an hour ago.’
Before Casey’s mum had time to respond the air ambulance doctor arrived at the counter and handed the receptionist a sheet of paper.
‘Can you log this fifteen-year-old in for me please,’ he said.
‘Of course, doctor,’ replied the receptionist, ‘what’s happened to her?’
‘Lightning strike by the looks of it,’ said the doctor, as he turned and followed Riley’s bed down the corridor. The receptionist, Will and Casey’s mum all looked at each other in silence. None of them was quite sure what to say. Three teenagers, all struck by lightning, how was that even possible?
Casey’s mum turned to face the receptionist.
‘Excuse me does it say where the fifteen-year-old girl was from?’ she asked.
‘I’m not normally allowed to say but seeing as this is so unusual and your daughter is here for the same reason,’ said the receptionist looking at the sheet. ‘Samson County High School,’ she said.
‘Oh my,’ said Casey’s mum, ‘that’s where Casey goes.’ The receptionist’s jaw had dropped open but no words were coming out! The look of bewilderment on her face said it all though.
‘Can you tell me anything else?’ said Casey’s mum.
‘Not really,’ said the receptionist, ‘not without the girl’s mother here.’
The doctors were taking a close look at Riley. They’d removed her clothes and put a hospital gown on her.
‘Have you seen this mark?’ said one of the nurses, pointing to her right thigh. About half way between the hip and the knee was a mark on Riley’s skin. It was blue and red in colour, a bit like a bruise.
/> ‘It looks like a new injury rather than something she’s had for a while,’ said the doctor. He then asked the nurse to check Alex and Casey for similar marks.
‘Do you think this is from the lightning, doctor?’ asked the nurse.
‘It could be, but it’s not bleeding. It’s strange because it looks like it’s new but it looks like an old scar at the same time,’ he said.
The nurse went to check the others to see if they had anything similar. When she returned her face was pale.
‘What is it?’ asked the doctor.
‘Come and see for yourself,’ she replied. So the doctor followed her first to Casey and then to Alex.
‘That’s unbelievable,’ he said. ‘All three of them with the same mark in the same place.’
‘What does it mean?’ said the nurse.
‘I have no idea,’ the doctor replied.
Back at the school the Head Teacher had been talking with staff about the current situation.
‘We should really talk to all the pupils together,’ he said, ‘as I’m sure the rumours are already spreading.’
‘You’re right,’ said Mr Willis, ‘but what exactly are we going to tell them?’
‘The truth,’ said the sports teacher. ‘Two children have been struck by lightning and until we know what is happening to them we would appreciate if pupils didn’t create stories that aren’t true about all this.’
‘Agreed,’ said Mr Willis.
‘Very well,’ said the Head, ‘I’d like all pupils in the main hall at 1.00 p.m. as soon as the lunch break ends.’
‘I’ll organise that with other staff,’ said Mr Willis. ‘Thank you,’ said the Head.
A call went out over the hospital tannoy system.
‘Can Doctor Wu, the Head of Neurology, please report to examination area three. Doctor Wu to examination area three, thank you.’ A few minutes later a Chinese man in a long white coat walked into the examination area.
‘Ah, there you are, sir,’ said one of the doctors. ‘I’ve got three unusual cases for you,’ the doctor went on.
‘Go on,’ said Doctor Wu. The doctor pulled back the curtain on the first cubicle to reveal Alex lying unconscious on a bed. He was hooked up to a drip, a heart monitor, oxygen and a blood pressure monitor.
‘All signs are stable at the moment,’ said the doctor, ‘but we can’t work out if the brain’s electrical impulses are functioning.’
‘That’s not possible,’ said Doctor Wu, ‘if the impulses weren’t working she wouldn’t show stable life signs.’
‘I know,’ said the doctor, ‘and what’s more I have two other teenagers just like him.’ He pulled back the curtains to Casey’s and Riley’s cubicles.
‘What’s the situation with this one?’ said Doctor Wu, pointing at Riley. She had more monitors than the others and more staff with her.
‘Oh, she’s had a number of seizures since the accident,’ said the doctor.
‘So more electrical activity than the others then?’ said Doctor Wu.
‘Yes, sir,’ said the doctor.
‘Well I want all three to have MRI and EEG scans. Can you then arrange for them to be moved to the Neuro ICU on level 10?’ said Doctor Wu.
‘Of course, sir,’ said the doctor.
Will and Casey’s mum were sat in the waiting area hoping that someone would tell them something and soon. They could hear the receptionist from where they were sat. She was talking to a man in a suit at the counter.
‘Yes, sir, your son is here in the examination room,’ said the receptionist.
‘Can I see him?’ said the man.
‘Someone will come through soon if you’d like to take a seat.’
Alex’s father came over and sat opposite Will. Will looked at him for a minute. His face was just like his son’s, well an older version.
‘Excuse me,’ said Will, ‘but are you Alex’s dad?’
‘Yes,’ came the reply, ‘who are you?’
‘I’m his friend Will, I was with him when the accident happened.’
‘Finally,’ said Alex’s father, ‘someone who can tell me what’s happened.’ Will explained everything to Mr Manning. Casey’s mother listened in as she could only assume her daughter had been through the same.
When he’d finished speaking Will paused then asked,
‘He’s gonna be okay though, isn’t he?’
Alex’s father, not really knowing the answer, but seeing Will’s concern replied, ‘I’m sure he will be. He’s in the best place now.’
A nurse came over to speak to them all.
‘Are you Mr Manning and Mrs Johnson?’ she said.
‘We are,’ replied Casey’s mum.
‘Can you follow me please, I’ve been asked to take you through to your children,’ said the nurse. They both got up, Will too.
‘Oh, it’s just family,’ said the nurse.
‘It’s okay,’ said Alex’s father, ‘he’s with me.’
‘Very well,’ said the nurse, ‘if you’ll all come this way please.’
As they walked along the corridor Casey’s mum asked ‘Are they okay?’
‘That’ll be for the doctor to explain,’ said the nurse. Casey’s mother looked at Will and Mr Manning her face full or worry. Moments later they entered examination area three.
Mrs Bennett took her phone out of her bag. She opened the pink leather case and put her thumb on the screen. As it lit up she saw twelve missed calls from Riley’s school.
‘Oh my goodness, what has that girl been up to now!’ she said. She tapped the return call feature on the phone and held it to her ear. The voice gave a series of instructions for late pupils, finance office and eventually school administration. She pressed the button and the school administrator answered.
‘Samson County High, how can I help you?’
‘Yes, hello, it’s Riley Bennett’s mother here. I have a large number of missed calls from you.’
‘Oh hello,’ said the administrator, ‘yes we’ve been desperately trying to reach you.’
‘Why desperately?’ said Riley’s mum, sounding rather worried.
The administrator took a deep breath.
‘Well, Mrs Bennett, there has been an accident. Your daughter is in the county hospital.’ Riley’s mum grabbed a nearby railing on the sidewalk to stop herself from falling over. ‘What sort of accident?’ she asked.
‘Your daughter was playing hockey and was struck by lightning,’ came the reply.
‘Excuse me?’ said Riley’s mum. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
The administrator explained the morning’s events to her and ended by saying ‘You really should get to the hospital.’ Once she was off the phone Mrs Bennett ran back towards the car park to get her car and head to the hospital.
The Head of Neurology and one of the doctors came over to speak with Casey’s mum and Alex’s father.
‘First off, let me reassure you we are doing everything we can for your children. We are going to conduct some brain scans to try and work out if the lightning has caused any damage,’ said Doctor Wu.
‘Don’t worry though,’ said the other doctor, ‘it’s standard practice to check for injuries in this way. Your children are alive and they are stable which is incredible after what they’ve been through.’ Casey’s mum had to take a seat as she was feeling light-headed from the shock.
‘Can we see them?’ she asked.
‘Of course,’ said the doctor, ‘come this way.’
Riley’s mum burst through the swing doors at the hospital main entrance.
‘Watch it, lady!’ shouted someone as she ran down the corridor to the ER. Arriving at the reception she had to pause a minute before she could speak. Holding the counter with one hand she was leaning over trying to catch her breath.
‘Are you okay, dear?’ asked the receptionist. Riley’s mum straightened up.
‘Yes, thank you, just out of breath,’ she replied.
‘How can I help?’ asked the rec
eptionist.
‘My daughter, Riley Bennett, I believe she’s here,’ said Riley’s mum.
‘Yes,’ replied the receptionist, ‘take a seat and I’ll get someone to take you to her.’
‘Thank you,’ said Riley’s mum, collapsing into the nearest chair.
Chapter 6
What the Scan Didn’t Show
Three hospital porters had arrived to collect Riley, Casey and Alex for their scans.
‘Where are these three heading?’ said one of the porters to the doctor.
‘All off to MRI please and when they’re finished there take them for more brain scans and an EEG,’ replied the doctor.
The Head of Neurology came over to the porters and added, ‘Once they’re all done please bring them to level 10. I want them all in the Neuro ICU where I can monitor them.’
‘Will do,’ said one of the porters. ‘Come on, lads.’ The other porters with him each took a bed and the three set off towards the lifts with Riley, Casey and Alex.
‘I’d better go and inform the parents,’ said the doctor. Alex’s father, Will and Casey’s mum, once informed by the doctor, followed the porters to the MRI department. Just as their lift doors closed Riley’s mum arrived in the examination area.
‘Can I help you?’ said the doctor.
‘I hope so, I’m Mrs Bennett, Riley’s mother. Where is she please?’
‘Oh,’ said the doctor, ‘you’ve just missed them. They’re on their way to level 8 for MRI scans.’
‘They?’ said Riley’s mum, sounding a little confused.
‘Yes,’ said the doctor, ‘we have three teenagers with injuries from a lightning strike. Riley is just one of them.’ Riley’s mum looked completely stunned.
‘How is that even possible?’ she said.
‘We don’t know?’ said the doctor.
‘Can you direct me to level 8 please?’ asked Riley’s mum.
‘Yes, it’s this way,’ said the doctor.
Mrs Bennett made her way to the lifts and followed the signs on level 8 to the MRI department. When she arrived Alex’s father, Will and Casey’s mum were all sat in the waiting area. Riley’s mum went to the desk and explained who she was.
