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Sep. 5th, 2008 09:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
guppy_sandhuGuppy walks slowly back towards the hospital from the ambulance bay. It's nice to see one of his patients being discharged to home, for once, instead of a lifetime in care. He's learned over the last few months that pulling strings and sweet-talking people is an important part of getting his rehabilitated stroke victims anywhere at all.
He nearly jumps out of his skin when the young nurse from his ward dashes up behind him and grabs his arm.
"Pat! What's the matter?"
"That ambulance we put Mr Hadley in, there was a gun..."
"Slow down, what?"
"A gun, the driver had one, I saw it in the wingmirror just as he pulled away. He was pointing it inside and making the paramedic come to the front to drive."
"You're absolutely sure it wasn't a radio, or a phone?" Guppy makes a move towards his car in any case. Pat is close to tears by now.
"Yes! I saw it, he was holding it to her head. And his jacket was the wrong colour for a paramedic."
Guppy unlocks his car and gets in.
"I'll follow them at a safe distance in case anyone gets hurt, you go inside, tell Cassie, call the police, and tell Frogspawn I won't go near it unless I see the gunman leave or it crashes, okay?"
As she rushes inside, he starts up, pulls out and stalls. Glaring at the car for letting his lack of practice affect him, he starts up again and pulls out. The ambulance in question has had to stop at traffic lights. Guppy supposes that the hijacker doesn't want to attract too much attention by putting the sirens on yet. He manages to get to two cars behind, then follows at a steady pace.
He fumbles for his phone as it rings, ramming it into the hands-free kit before he answers it.
"What's happening Guppy?" The voice of his ward sister enters the car through little speakers.
"The ambulance is driving somewhat erratically but not at dangerous speed yet." Guppy says, indicating to follow it onto the main road. "Wait, it just swerved... no it's okay. Please tell me you've called the police."
"Yes, they're on the other line, what's your location?"
"The ambulance is heading towards the docks, I'd advise they don't let him know he's being followed, looks like the driver is already under a lot of pressure."
Guppy eases off for a moment, then follows the ambulance on the road towards the docks, his mind racing. If Pat was correct, and judging from the completely wrong direction the ambulance is going, she was, he's loaded a patient into the hands of a gunman. Then, as he sees a police car suddenly pull out, he groans slightly as the ambulance swerves violently.
"What is it?" Cassie on the phone asks anxiously.
"Police just buggered it up..." Guppy says, easing off a little more as the two vehicles engage a war of sirens and appalling driving. He's even more glad he eased off when the violent swerving results in the ambulance smashing into a brick wall, and the police car smashing into the ambulance. He brakes sharply, grabs his phone and gets out.
"The ambulance has crashed, I repeat crashed, and the police car went into it. I need you to alert control, I'm going to proceed with caution."
"Don't do anything dangerous, wait for the emergency services if you can't do it safely."
Guppy hangs up the phone and runs forward. The ambulance has crashed, he has every right to have seen it as a bystander. The fact that he knows one of the passengers has a gun doesn't matter; if he's threatened, he can just back off. At least that's what he tells himself, as his mind traitorously reminds him of Teja's hints of his cowardice the other day.
"I'm a doctor, can anyone hear me?" he yells as he gets closer. He checks the policeman first, who is trapped by the foot but not crushed, and otherwise appears okay. He climbs up onto the ambulance cautiously, and peers inside.
He can see the gun, on the floor below the paramedic's feet. He pretends not to have noticed it as he looks at the unconscious paramedic and now hysterical hijacker. His patient appears to be alive and all right, thanks to being strapped onto the trolley.
"Please you have to help me, I'm stuck!" the hijacker wails. On closer inspection, Guppy can tell he's no more than fifteen, and injured enough that he could take him on if necessary. He climbs into the cabin, accidentally on purpose knocking the gun outside out of the way.
"It's okay, I'm a doctor, I'm going to help all of you." he says, checking the pulse of the unconscious paramedic, which is steady. He then climbs into the back with the kid, giving a discreet nod to the patient.
"Is this your grandad?" he asks the kid, giving him the cover so that he won't do anything silly. The kid hesitates, then nods. Guppy gets the back door open after a few good kicks, and wheels the trolley out.
"What's your name?" he asks, as he climbs back in to support the neck of the paramedic.
"Tom." the kid replies. "I need to get out, please!"
"The paramedic in front of you is in more urgent need, I'm afraid."
"No, we all have to get out, can't you smell the petrol?!"
Guppy swears. He puts a collar on the paramedic, then moves down to free the kid's foot.
"Don't try and walk on it, I'll carry you out." he says, hoping the kid doesn't have a knife. Fortunately since the ankle is clearly broken, he doesn't protest, and Guppy puts him gently down outside in view of the police car before going back for the paramedic.
Keeping her as spinally secure as he can, and hoping backup will arrive soon, he gets the young woman out and lying down a safe distance away. By this point the smell of petrol is much stronger, and he finds himself hesitating as he looks at the stranded policeman.
One minute later, the ambulance and police car explode.
He nearly jumps out of his skin when the young nurse from his ward dashes up behind him and grabs his arm.
"Pat! What's the matter?"
"That ambulance we put Mr Hadley in, there was a gun..."
"Slow down, what?"
"A gun, the driver had one, I saw it in the wingmirror just as he pulled away. He was pointing it inside and making the paramedic come to the front to drive."
"You're absolutely sure it wasn't a radio, or a phone?" Guppy makes a move towards his car in any case. Pat is close to tears by now.
"Yes! I saw it, he was holding it to her head. And his jacket was the wrong colour for a paramedic."
Guppy unlocks his car and gets in.
"I'll follow them at a safe distance in case anyone gets hurt, you go inside, tell Cassie, call the police, and tell Frogspawn I won't go near it unless I see the gunman leave or it crashes, okay?"
As she rushes inside, he starts up, pulls out and stalls. Glaring at the car for letting his lack of practice affect him, he starts up again and pulls out. The ambulance in question has had to stop at traffic lights. Guppy supposes that the hijacker doesn't want to attract too much attention by putting the sirens on yet. He manages to get to two cars behind, then follows at a steady pace.
He fumbles for his phone as it rings, ramming it into the hands-free kit before he answers it.
"What's happening Guppy?" The voice of his ward sister enters the car through little speakers.
"The ambulance is driving somewhat erratically but not at dangerous speed yet." Guppy says, indicating to follow it onto the main road. "Wait, it just swerved... no it's okay. Please tell me you've called the police."
"Yes, they're on the other line, what's your location?"
"The ambulance is heading towards the docks, I'd advise they don't let him know he's being followed, looks like the driver is already under a lot of pressure."
Guppy eases off for a moment, then follows the ambulance on the road towards the docks, his mind racing. If Pat was correct, and judging from the completely wrong direction the ambulance is going, she was, he's loaded a patient into the hands of a gunman. Then, as he sees a police car suddenly pull out, he groans slightly as the ambulance swerves violently.
"What is it?" Cassie on the phone asks anxiously.
"Police just buggered it up..." Guppy says, easing off a little more as the two vehicles engage a war of sirens and appalling driving. He's even more glad he eased off when the violent swerving results in the ambulance smashing into a brick wall, and the police car smashing into the ambulance. He brakes sharply, grabs his phone and gets out.
"The ambulance has crashed, I repeat crashed, and the police car went into it. I need you to alert control, I'm going to proceed with caution."
"Don't do anything dangerous, wait for the emergency services if you can't do it safely."
Guppy hangs up the phone and runs forward. The ambulance has crashed, he has every right to have seen it as a bystander. The fact that he knows one of the passengers has a gun doesn't matter; if he's threatened, he can just back off. At least that's what he tells himself, as his mind traitorously reminds him of Teja's hints of his cowardice the other day.
"I'm a doctor, can anyone hear me?" he yells as he gets closer. He checks the policeman first, who is trapped by the foot but not crushed, and otherwise appears okay. He climbs up onto the ambulance cautiously, and peers inside.
He can see the gun, on the floor below the paramedic's feet. He pretends not to have noticed it as he looks at the unconscious paramedic and now hysterical hijacker. His patient appears to be alive and all right, thanks to being strapped onto the trolley.
"Please you have to help me, I'm stuck!" the hijacker wails. On closer inspection, Guppy can tell he's no more than fifteen, and injured enough that he could take him on if necessary. He climbs into the cabin, accidentally on purpose knocking the gun outside out of the way.
"It's okay, I'm a doctor, I'm going to help all of you." he says, checking the pulse of the unconscious paramedic, which is steady. He then climbs into the back with the kid, giving a discreet nod to the patient.
"Is this your grandad?" he asks the kid, giving him the cover so that he won't do anything silly. The kid hesitates, then nods. Guppy gets the back door open after a few good kicks, and wheels the trolley out.
"What's your name?" he asks, as he climbs back in to support the neck of the paramedic.
"Tom." the kid replies. "I need to get out, please!"
"The paramedic in front of you is in more urgent need, I'm afraid."
"No, we all have to get out, can't you smell the petrol?!"
Guppy swears. He puts a collar on the paramedic, then moves down to free the kid's foot.
"Don't try and walk on it, I'll carry you out." he says, hoping the kid doesn't have a knife. Fortunately since the ankle is clearly broken, he doesn't protest, and Guppy puts him gently down outside in view of the police car before going back for the paramedic.
Keeping her as spinally secure as he can, and hoping backup will arrive soon, he gets the young woman out and lying down a safe distance away. By this point the smell of petrol is much stronger, and he finds himself hesitating as he looks at the stranded policeman.
One minute later, the ambulance and police car explode.
