Sometimes, it really pays to go to work

[Sdiver]

I just have to share this, about something that happened at work last night.

My partner and I just cleared from a call we ran on the north end of town, and were told by our dispatch that we could go and post in an area in the central part of town. We get to this area, and I ask my partner if she needs to go anywhere while we're here. She tells me to hit this one 7-11 we normally go to. For those of you familiar with Denver, it's a 7-11 on the corner of Federal and W. 26th ave. ....... yeah.

So we pull into this 7-11, and my partner jumps out, runs inside, grabs something to drink and warms up her dinner. She's in there for about 5-6 minutes. She comes back out, jumps in the truck and I'm about to pull out, to head to another area we like to sit at. Just as I put the truck in gear, this POS white chevy pulls up in front of us.

I turn to partner and ask her, "Okay, what's wrong with this picture?" The car was being driven by a Hispanic female, NOT wearing her seat belt and talking on a cell phone. She had two small kids in the back seat, in what appeared to be no child seats, but I later found out they were in child seats. We just shake our heads and think.....some people.

So anyway, this woman stops her car in front of us and gets out. She makes eye contact with me and starts walking over. She was in her early 20's and at first glance...pregnant. So she does the Prego walk over to our rig and in a very soft voice asks me..."Excuse me, may I ask you a question?"

"Sure, go ahead." I respond, thinking she was just going to ask for directions.
She very softly says, "Um, I'm in labor and am having contractions."
Not only was she pregnant....she was VERY pregnant.
I look over at my partner Amber, and she looks at me and we both mouth...OH SHIT !!!
So both of us jump out and start in on the questions, as we're walking her to the back of the rig.
"How far along are you?"
"35 weeks" she says.
Oh Shit !!!
I reach down and start feeling her belly, and yes, the little guy has turned. He has hooked up, checked equipment and is standing in the door.
"Has your water broke?"
"I don't know, but I've been peeing like crazy." she responds.
OH SHIT !!!!
So we get 'ol pergo lady in the back of the rig, Amber hops in, breaks out our OB kit and I start getting mom-to-be ready. Covering her lower half with a sheet and helping her get her pants and underwear off. While I'm doing this, Amber is timing the contractions....50 seconds at 1 minute and 10 seconds apart.
OH SHIT !!!

I run back up front and get on the radio....
"210 with emergent traffic."
"210, go ahead."
"210, we're at the 7-11 on the corner of Federal and W. 26th, with a female that approached us, in labor and having contractions. We'll be transporting to Rose medical here momentarily. I also need PD here to take care of 2 small children the pt has in the back of her vehicle. We are unable to take them with us."
"210 copy."

Now the fun begins.....

One of the little girls in the back of the car is loosing her mind and bawling her head off, wondering where mommy went, and the other one is fast asleep. So I run over to the car to get the kids. But guess what, mom locked the doors when she got out of the car and left the keys in the ignition with the engine running. I run back to the ambulance and ask the pt if she has another set of keys. Of course she doesn't.
Oh shit !!!!
I'm on an ambulance that doesn't carry tools such as a crow bar, or Halligan tool, so my mind starts racing, thinking of what I can do to get these doors open. Of course breaking the glass to one of the windows is right up top. I try all four doors and yes, they're all locked or jammed in some way.
mean while, my dispatch is calling me on my radio....
"210....210"
"210 go a head."
"210, PD needs to know what type of vechile the pt is driving?"
WTF !!!!! The pt isn't driving any vehicle, she's in the back of our ambulance about to have a baby.....that's what I thought, NOT what I said.
"It's a white 4 door Chevy. Colorado License plate, 123-ABC. It's sitting in the parking lot of our location, engine running and doors locked, with 2 small children in the back."
"210, copy."

Off I go to try the doors again. I found that one of the doors in the back was somewhat ajar and I was able to get my handy, dandy, trusty leatherman between the door and the frame. I don't know how I did it, but I was able to dislodge the door for the locking mechanism and get the door open.
The one crying her head of was screaming, "Where's mommy !!!! Where's mommy !!!!"
"It's okay sweetie. She's okay. She's in the back of our ambulance, about to have a baby."
Like a light switch, she stops crying and a BIG smile pops up on her face, "You mean my little brother is coming????"
"Yeeeessssssss." I say "You're going to come with me, while we wait for the policemen to help us, okay?"
"Okay !!!!...my little brother is coming....my little brother is coming" she starts singing.
So I undo the seat belt from the one closest to me, the one that has been asleep through the whole deal so far. She wakes up, a little, as I start to pull her out and she just looks at me with big sleepy brown eyes and mumbles, "Hiiiii".
So I run her back to the rig and place her in the front seat, mean while, the radio has been calling us....
"210......210......210...."
I grab the mic...."210, go"
"210, PD wants to know how old the children are?"
You've got to fucking kidding me....You could have knocked me over with a feather.
I don't know. They're little kids. Infants. So I look at the one that I just brought over, "Sweetie, how old are you?" hoping to God that she understands English.
She looks at me and holds up 2 fingers.
"Okay, you're 2??? How old is your sister?"
She looks down at her hand and manipulates and then holds up 3 fingers.
"Okay, and your sister is 3, right...."
In a little bird voice she says, "yes...."
While this is going on, mom is in the back screaming in pain, my medic is yelling at me, "Shawn....we've got to get going....NOW !!!!!", the radio is calling me...."210......210.....210.....", and I still have one more kid left to get in the car.
So I take a deep breath and say, "Amber I'm working on it, I know we need to get going....Mom, you're doing great....Sweetie, I'll be over to get you in a sec", to the little girl in the car, I key the mic, "210, the children's ages are 2 and 3 years old."
"210, copy."

I run back to the car to get the other little girl, who is just having a grand 'ol time singing, "My little brother is coming....my little brother is coming...." So I grab her and her car seat, run her back and place her in the front seat next to her sister....meanwhile....
Amber: "Shawn....we need to get GOING !!!!!"
Me: "Yes dear....working on it dear."
Amber: "Find out what the ETA for PD is"
Me: "210"
Dispatch: "210, go ahead."
Me: "What's the ETA for PD?"
Dispatch: "They said they were kinda busy. They have a unit at 13th and King that could be to you, in whatever drive time is."
(13th and King, drive time would be about 7-10 minutes )
Me: "210, well call them back and tell them to expedite. If that doesn't work, roll one of our units to us."
Dispatch: "We don't have anyone to spare."
Me: "Well....get on the phone and tell PD to MOVE IT !!!! Or call DG and have them send one of their units, or call Fire and wake the guys up across the street at Station 12 to come over here....anybody....WE NEED TO GET MOVING NOWWWWWWW !!!!!!", I said through clenched teeth while actually growling....
Amber: "What'd they say???!!!!"
Me: "Someone is on the way. 5 minutes tops."
Amber: "We haven't got 5 minutes !!!!"
Me: (taking a deeep breath) "Yes dear...working on it."

You know how they say, you should never take your eyes off a child for more than 30 seconds......well the 3 year old, who I had put in the passenger seat, just thought this was the neatest thing in the world being in the front seat of an ambulance. She had reached down and had picked up one of the other mics, to another radio that we have, that is tuned into a different freq, that just so happened to be the Golden Fire freq, for which we run backup. MY OTHER DEPT !!!!!, and she has KEYED....THE.....MIC.....holding it in the air saying, "What is this...this is neat.....", while mom is screaming through her current contraction pain in the background.
"Here honey," I politely say, "Give that to me. That's not a toy."
Then I hear from THAT radio.....

Dispatch II: "Last unit calling....please repeat...."
Me: (closing my eyes and taking a deep breath) "Headquarters, ambulance 210, please disregard that last transmission. I'll explain later."
Dispatch II: "Ambulance 210....copy.", she said with a slight little chuckle in her voice, seeing that they know who I am.
Than I hear, coming over that net, before I could get it turned off.....
Voice: "Headquarters, Chief 1"
Me thinking to myself....OH SHIT ....OH SHIT .....OH SHIT......OH SHIT....
Dispatch II: "Chief 1, go ahead."
Chief 1: "Ahh yeah....what was that last transmission about?"
Dispatch II: "Chief 1, you can disregard that last. They'll be an explanation later.", again she was saying this time with a little chuckle, almost a giggle, in her voice.
Chief 1: "Copy. I can't wait for this explanation.", he said with a slight giggle in his voice too......thank God.
I reach over and turn off the radio.......

[Sdiver]

cont.

Just then, Denver PD rolls up......thank God.....thank God.....thank God......
I grab the closest kid, and her car seat and walk up to the officer.
Me: "Boy....am I glad to see you."
(now please understand....I hold the HIGHEST respect for all Police Officers. It's a tough and sometimes thankless job. Hell, I worked as one for awhile myself, and almost went down that road earlier, but.....)

Keystone Cop I: "Sooooo....what's going on here?", he says after getting out of his car and adjusting his crime fighter utility belt, while walking up to me.
Me: (again taking a deep breath), "Lady rolled up to us in this vehicle, came walking up to us, saying she was in labor and having contractions. So far we've timed them at 55 sec and 1 minute 10 sec apart. Officer....she's about to deliver, and we need someone to take her two kids off our hands, we have no place to put them for a transportation."
Keystone Cop I: "Okay....can she speak English?"
Me: WTF !!!!!....breath....."Yes, she speaks English very well."
Keystone Cop I: "Well what are we going to do with them. We don't have car seats."
Me: "She has car seats for her kids already.", as I'm holding one up in my other hand.
Meanwhile.....Keystone Cop II had rolled up....
Keystone Cop II: "Soooooo....what's going on here ????"
Me: Just rolling my eyes and looking skyward hoping that the Flying Spaghetti Monster would beam me back aboard his space ship......anyway....I tell him what I just told the other guy.
Keystone Cop I and II decide that they just have to see for themselves, so they amble on back to the rear doors and take a look inside.
Meanwhile, your intrepid hero is standing up front with a little girl in one hand, another one in the front seat that likes picking up microphones and talking on Fire nets, Mom is screaming in the back and my Medic is yelling at me that we NEED TO GET GOING !!!!!!, all the while wondering if I'm still in bed hoping...nay nay...praying that this is nothing more than a dream.

Keystone Cop I: "So where are you going to be taking her?"
Me: "Rose Medical Center."
Keystone Cop I: "Why not take her to DG?"
Me: "Yes that is an option, but we'd like to get her to the hospital that her OB and midwives are at. Someplace that knows her."
Keystone Cop I: "Okay, I guess we'll just follow you then."
Me: "That's great."
Meanwhile Keystone Cop II has walked back to us.
Keystone Cop II: "The mom was able to get ahold of her husband, and he said that he'll meet us here."
Me: "That's even better."
Keystone Cop II walks to the back of the rig, for what I don't know, and I'm able to hand over little girl number 1 to Keystone Cop I.
I run around and grab little girl number 2, hoping to God that she hasn't flipped any switches, hit and buttons, turned any knobs or worst of all, gotten back on another Fire net and dispatched several trucks to someplace. I grab her and her car seat and head back to where her sister and Keystone Cop I are.
Just then, Keystone Cop II comes back to us, eyes as big as saucers and says to me.....
Keystone Cop II: "Um....your partner says you need to get moving now."
Me: "Gotcha", (thinking to myself...thanks for the news flash Sherlock)
I hand over little girl number 2 to Keystone Cop II and jump in the truck.

Me: "Okay Amber, we're off."
Amber: "Drive like you've never driven before...."
Me: "You got it." Picking up the mic...."210, PD is on scene and they have the children. We are Code 3 to Rose, with one on board. Beginning miles 789"
Dispatch: "210, copy. Oh and don't worry about that other thing. We made a phone call, (they monitor the Golden Fire freq too), "But you will need to make a phone call to someone later.", she said with a chuckle in her voice.
Me: "Yeah copy....I kinda figured."

I wish I could say that this was the end of the hilarity, but nooooooooo......

You must realize, it's a Saturday night, about 10:30ish, almost 11:00pm and where I need to go from where I'm at....I need to take Speer blvd to Colfax Ave. Colfax Ave to Colorado blvd. Colorado blvd south 7 blocks to the hospital entrance.
This is through the HEART of DOWNTOWN Denver.....on a Saturday night.....at 2300 hours.....annnnnnndddddddddddd they're off......
Lights flashing, siren wailing, mom screaming, Medic yelling, nobody getting out of my way, me dodging all the Sat night party goers.......oh yeah....good times.
At one point, Amber calls up to me...."Shawn, if you don't drive faster, we're going to be pulling over up here and YOU'RE coming back here to help !!!!!"

You know that scene in Star Wars where Han Solo jumps the Millenium Falcon into hyper space, and the stars turn into those loooong white streaks.....well, that's what I was seeing as I was driving. The lights from the buildings and cars around us, turned into those long white streaks.

So I get to Rose M.C., pull into the ambulance bay and hop out. Waiting for us by the door was an on call OB/GYN, a Med Tech and a couple of RN's. I open the doors to the back of the rig and the OB comes over sticks his head in says "Hi", lifts up the sheet that's over the mom-to-be and mumbles...."Okay, let's get her upstairs now."
The RN asks if we should move her over onto one of their beds?
He says, "No, this'll do....let's MOVE."
So we go racing through the ER, down a hallway, telling people to please move aside, and onto some elevators to head up to the 4th floor where Labor and Delivery is.
As we're on the elevator I hear a snap, like someone has put on a rubber glove and see one of the RN's has one on with KY jelly over the finger tips.
"I just want to check your Cervix.", she says while lifting up the sheet to the pt. "Okayyyy....she's fully dilated."
DING.....doors open, and off we go. Somewhere in one of the hallways, mom lets out a scream...."It's coming !!!!!!"
Myself, My Medic, The Med Tech, the OB doc and the 3 RN's (where we picked up the 3rd one I'll never know) all yell out her......

NO !!!!!!!! DON'T PUSH NOW !!!!!!!!

So in we go into the delivery room. We wheel our stretcher up next to the table and get mom over onto it. Then in walks Dr. Baby-Delivery-Dude. He's got the little hat on, the gown that goes on backwards, the little booties on the feet and comes walking over to us....
Dr. Baby-Delivery-Dude: "Sooooooowhat's going on here????" (I swear to God, I almost strangled him when he said that.) "Is someone having a baby????" He lifts up the sheet over the mom's legs and from underneath it I hear....."Yep....we're having a baby."

The OB that came up with us, just looks at us and says, "Thanks guys."

Amber and I just say thanks, and wheel our cot outside, and just stand there kind of numb, not really saying anything. We just look at each other, give each other a little smile and a high five and go on our way.

We walk back out to our ambulance and Amber started in on her report, while I started in on, cleaning up the back. We sat out there for awhile just kinda decompressing, when one of the ER RN's came out to us and knocked on our window. I roll it down and she asks, "Are you the guys that brought in the pregnant mother?"
Amber and I: "Yes we are."
She smiles at us and hands us a piece of paper, "Here ya go, good jobs guys."

On the paper was written......




Miguel Trujillo Garcia II came into this world at 11:36 pm. He weighs 7lbs, 8oz and is 23 inches long. Both mom and baby are doing fine.

[Gypsy]

LOL! Nice AAR...glad mom and baby are doing well.

[vsvo]

LOL. Excellent!

[bandycpa]

Multi-tasking at its finest!

Helluva job, Sdiver. Good to hear that mommy and baby are a-ok.


Bandy

[CoLawman]

You da man! You need to give up your day job and start putting pen to paper!

[The Reaper]

So, what do we have going on here?

Good story.

TR

[spectre919]

Now that's funny....I don't care who you are! It would appear the same "Keystone Cops" respond to fire calls too.

[NousDefionsDoc]

Well done.

[Jack Moroney (RIP)]

Outstanding

[Goggles Pizano]

Good job Shawn, despite my thick headed brethren! LOL!!!!

[incommin]

Great story...keep on writing!

Jim

[Kyobanim]

So, how did the talk with the boss go?

Great story!

[CRad]

That was great. Thank you

[AF IDMT]

Awesome work, Sdiver. Great story, too. It's stories like these that make me miss the streets.