oh, elusive somnolence

It's been a blustery week on the coast. E and I were on shift for that horrendous storm that came through the pacific northwest last thursday. Interestingly enough, none of our 11 patients had storm- related issues, but the weather made for interesting commutes and transports. It's hard keeping your santa hat on in 80 mph wind!
That night, we did have three transfers to our closest big city. The first, in the middle of the day, wasn't so bad, but then the winds hit. Our second out of town transport was code 1 for appendicitis; E and I were in our usual state of wacky hijinks, and the patient looked at us and said, "you guys are married, aren't you?" Which made both E and I pause and made the nurse start convulsing with laughter before she assured the patient that no, we were just partners. We got on our way just a bit after dark, with highway 20 the only road out, and even it was touch and go. There were trees everywhere, uprooted, broken, and the scent of pine got into everything. 10 miles out of town, a tree had fallen across the whole road. Suddenly, several men with chain saws appeared out of nowhere, and I hopped in the back of the ambulance with the patient while E jumped out and dragged tree limbs off the road so we could pass. We were about 30 miles out, and I'm already white knuckle driving through torrential rain and wind at the wild speed of 40 (unheard of for me and my lead foot) when E sticks his head through the partition and says in his most pleasant, conversational tone, "our patient's blood pressure just bottomed out at 60, and her heart rate shot up to 150." And he smiled and batted his eyes at me. And I, quick thinking maven that I am, realized what a baaaaaaaaad thing that was. I was quite comfortable driving at 40, thank you very much, but flipped on the lights and siren, and squeaked, "well, I guess we're going code 3 then, aren't we?" By the time we got to the hospital, my arms were frozen in the 10 and 2 position, my back scoliosed from peering through windshield, and my accelerator foot had a cramp in it from keeping the damn pedal to the floor all the way to Big City. The drive back was a little less stressful, although I tried to slalom through some orange road cones and a very large tree top that slapped the ambulance from bumper to box. I may have shrieked, although I'm not sure. E congratulated me on my spectacular maneuvering, and thanked me for the choice opportunity of near impalement by, as he put it, a very large splinter. I had to ask him later if I had imagined the deer standing by the side of the road, just watching us go by. We made it back and got moved up north to a pitch black town that was eerie in its silence. Downed wires swung across intersections, and the only sign of life was two police officers coffeeklatsching in a parking lot. I was definitely hallucinating by the time we took our third transport to Big City, and thank god E drove us home after a side trip for a triple Americano.
Yesterday's shift was very, very quiet until about 2330, when all hell broke loose. The cops tazered some guy after he wrecked his car and ran, and when we got there the blood from his head ran in rivulets toward the gutters. Initially the guy was completely unresponsive, but when I started talking to him, he opened his eyes and smiled beatifically (or drunkenly, I'm not sure which), and E got a 14 g IV needle (go big or go home!) in the tenth of a mile it took to go to the hospital. We were preparing to take the guy out to Big City when Way Down South erupted in a flurry of activity, and we headed down that way for a medical call. We'd no sooner gotten back to town when we were toned out for a transport to Biggest City from the hospital up north. We headed out from that at 0305 this a.m., and I still have the marks on my forearm where I pinched myself to stay awake on the long drive. Again, E drove back, and we were so exhausted by 0630 that our usual chatter was tempered down to the occasional burst of song. I was even too tired to dance to keep warm while we were fueling, and just stood there, sleeping with my eyes open while E picked absentmindedly at the coating of ice on our side mirrors.
Three kids wanting my attention when I got home, and the roommate suggested a trip to the movie theatre-- a great way to catch some z's while the kids are otherwise occupied. But the movie was "Charlotte's Web," which was one of my very, very favorite books growing up, and I forgot how tired I was. I cried, how I cried when Charlotte died. I am once again reminded of how very much animals can teach us about unconditional love and friendship.
So, tonight is a celebration, girls' night out for C and M and I. If I can stay awake that long. . .no, officer, I haven't had anything to drink. . .I'm just an angel sleepwalking in a sparkly red santa hat.