Thread: Therapy of the Mind (Closed for Crystalia)

Charlie had followed the family to the game in his own car with the expectation that their parents would be heading directly home after either the game or post-game meal. His car also contained the large first response kit he carried with him almost regardless of where he went. There was nothing worse than being an EMT and not having the tools available to save someones life when the opportunity presented itself whether on or off duty. He had saved a number of lives, never at any of Kari's games thankfully, but even down at the bar or during his commute the bag itself had proved immensely invaluable in saving a few lives. Having had advanced training within the EMT program Charlie was even able to carry controlled drugs with him, but those too had aided him in saving one or two lives before the actual ambulance could arrive. The school both he and his sister had attended was wealthy enough to hire ambulances for their sporting events, but unfortunately the city they were in did not typically have enough of the ambulances to spare for the less physical sports. Of course, he knew that was utter bullshit, football was of course the only one that got ambulances because high school football far and above all the other sports, was the most glamorous and the one that got all the attention. Still, at least the school paid for him to be on scene with his bag. Not that anything had ever really required it. The worst was always torn ligaments or concussions, but even most of these were not seriously critical thanks to the fact that all high school students were just coming into their peak of physical prowess as opposed to being perfectly tuned athlete's. They simply could not muster the forces required to actually do damage, thankfully. He had been enjoying the game, Kari was playing especially well, and combined with a superb effort from the rest of her team had them up by a few points. Admittedly Charlie had forgotten a few of the rules in lacrosse, it had been awhile since he last played, but he understood the majority of what was going on. On this occasion he found himself out of touch far more than usual, and Charlie thought he knew why. It had been everything that passed between him and Kari earlier, and the decision to perhaps focus a bit more seriously on his love life. For some reason, and this was the part that kept him drifting off especially when Kari was on the bench, his sister somehow attracted most of his attention when he tried to think about how he might go about dating more seriously. The facts were pretty simple he could not date Kari, she was his sister, but she was really had every quality he wanted in a serious relationship. It was not just her cute flirting, and sexy body, or even the innocence that meshed her spirit and looks together. She really was incredibly thoughtful, intelligent, emotionally stable, and independent, but willing to let others help. Charlie was not a throwback in terms of what he wanted in a woman, he wanted someone who could do just fine for herself, but wanted a companion to share in everything and anything that life threw at him or her. He did not want the clingy, practically child like woman who couldn't think or act for herself. Of course he also did not want the feminist who believed it was her God given right to basically become a man in terms of controlling his every action or thought. It clicked then, just as Kari was put back in the game, he wanted a partner. It was really that simple. All of those thoughts were squashed, vanished, or otherwise disappeared the moment he saw the collision between Kari and the opposing team's players. He knew, somewhere deep inside of him, that it was a bad hit. The angle was bad, and the two opposing players even grimaced a bit as they got back to their feet. Of course the official blew the play dead, and Charlie had picked up his bag and was about to head out onto the field when Kari rose to her feet aided by a teammate. He let out a breath that he had not known he was holding, before suddenly inhaling the air sharply as he watched his little sister plummet back to the ground. In a flash his training took over, had it not, he would have stood dumbly on the sidelines. Rushing over to the gathering circle he pointed directly toward the official as he dropped his bag next to Kari's prone body. Tossing his phone to the zebra, he commanded, Call an ambulance! Thankfully, again to his training, his voice was well in control. Stay back! He commanded to the rest of the players, a few of which turned and pushed their teammates away. Moving with swift, skilled, and precise experience Charlie placed the collar over Kari's head and immobilized her head. Sometimes neck injuries took a moment to present themselves, but normally the ones that hid themselves weren't too bad so long as they were not acerbated with clumsy handling. Next, he checked her breathing and pulse, both of which were strong and present. He immediately felt relief flood through his body, his little sister was going to be okay. Standing he announced this to the growing crowd, which also included their parents, We need to take her to the hospital to make sure of course, but I think she will be alright. He would not say that he thought it was only a concussion, because he was not a doctor thus not qualified to diagnose it officially, but he knew he was right. If it had been a stroke or anything else there would have been other signs. The only question now was how bad, and if it had caused any sort of brain bleed. Taking the phone from the official he talked to the station and reported what he knew, so the oncoming EMT's would know what to expect, and so would the emergency ward. Turning to their parents he gave a small smile, She's going to be okay. I have to stay here for the finish of the game, but one of you can go in the ambulance, and the other should bring the car. I'll be over as soon as I can. - The game had almost been over, and not a half-hour after the ambulance had left Charlie departed the field and another fifteen minutes later arrived at the hospital. He joined his parents in the waiting room as the doctors ran their tests, it was a tense few moments because of course that was when all of the doubts came rushing over and he knew better than both of his parents. It was a double edge sword really, he knew it could be the things that either one of them were thinking about, but he knew it could be one of a plethora of under lying causes or more dangerous emergencies. Thankfully the doctor saw them within the hour, which meant it was at least mildly good news, which it was. A rather bad concussion, one of the higher levels, and aside from a rather long recovery there should not be any permanent side effects though Kari may be susceptible to migraines or headaches for a very long time, and there was also the fact that she would be much more likely to suffer more concussions in any more head trauma. Of course his mother immediately swore she would never play a sport again the rest of her life, but his father and Charlie both knew there would be no way to keep that from happening. Yet, they also knew better than to argue with her. Finally, nearly four hours after arriving at the hospital they were allowed to visit. Both of his parents had gone out to eat, as Charlie had earlier, and he was the only one to be there to greet Kari as she woke up. Hey Kar-bear, He whispered softly, as he stood next to the dimly lit room. Gently, he stroked her arm, How you feeling?