We know what to do. As the helicopter returns to the hospital, additional team members help transfer the patient to a wheeled gurney. They take him to the emergency room, where gowned and gloved physicians wait. Then it's back upstairs to the helicopter, to disinfect equipment, restock supplies and complete paperwork. The intensity of the trauma over, the crew unwinds.
Someone reads an e-mail with a slightly bawdy joke.
Some team members go to the cafeteria for lunch, careful to put their food in foam to-go containers. Because of their long shifts, team members spend lots of time together. They know all about arguments with spouses and sick kids. They function like a family, members say. Everyone here knows how that feels.