There was the sound of an impact, of glass shattering and metal crushing. A jolt hit the luxury car as a force slammed into it from the side.
Elias, who was sitting in the passenger seat of Louis's car, blearily blinked away the drowsiness from his eyes. He'd fallen asleep a few minutes ago and was dozing off again when he was suddenly jerked awake in an instant. All he saw was a blinding light, felt a heavy jolt, and the force of someone throwing themselves in front of him as the airbags deployed.
It took Elias a few moments to register what had just happened. He looked around dazedly, trying to get his bearings. His blurry vision slowly focused to see Louis's body bent over him, shielding him from the crash.
He tried to sit up but felt a sharp pain, causing his head to fall back down.
A small grunt of pain escaped his lips. "L-Louis..."
Elias tried sitting up again, this time more slowly, and did his best to to ignore the pain shooting through his body. Now, he could make out what was happening. The airbag had deployed, and Louis had thrown himself forward to shield him, simultaneously putting himself in the way of the airbag. Oh no.
His eyes widened as he took in the sight of the torn airbag and Louis, both in a sorry state. The airbag was shredded, hanging in pieces over Louis's body. The impact had forced it toward Louis. It... It was worse than he'd expected. And it was all... his fault.
Even at the most critical moment, Louis had thought of throwing himself in front of Elias to shield him. Elias felt panic building as reality crashed down on him. Louis was hurt—badly.
And it was his fault.
"No. No, no, no. Louis, no! Damn it!"
His eyes darted around, trying to assess the damage before he began pulling desperately at Louis's seatbelt. Louis's body was bent at an unnatural angle, and Elias knew the first thing he needed to do was lay him down.
His heart thundered in his chest as he kept trying to get the seatbelt to loosen up, but it wouldn't budge. He was desperately tugging at it, but it wouldn't move. His chest felt tight as he panicked, trying again to release the seatbelt. He groaned, "Come on, come on, come on! Open, damn it!"
A sense of helplessness washed over him as the seatbelt just wouldn't come off. His mind reeled, the medical professional and adrenaline in him kicking in. His heart was beating rapidly, but his expression was calm. He was used to working under pressure. He could do this. He had to do this.
Okay, damage control first. He took a breath before searching for his phone. They were on a deserted street, and he couldn't wait for a passerby to call an ambulance.
He patted the pockets of his jeans and felt a wave of relief at the familiar shape, relatively unharmed. He quickly fished it out and searched his contacts for one in particular: Max.
"Come on, please pick up, damn you..."
His heart sped up as the call connected, and he spoke into it with a panicked voice.
"Max- listen. I need you."
"There's been an accident. I need you to send an ambulance here, right now," he was breathing heavily, but tried to make his words as clear as possible. "I have a person here with what I think is a punctured lung and broken ribs. Send the paramedics accordingly, and bring Jessica. the respiratory specialist. Yes, the blonde one."
He finished the call before desperately trying to locate the end of the seatbelt again. Now that he'd given out orders, the helplessness returned.
It was clear the seatbelt wasn't going to open the usual way anytime soon. His hands shook slightly as he struggled with it one last time. But to no avail.
Growing increasingly frustrated, he yanked at it again and again, but the belt wouldn't budge. At one point, he was just pulling at it helplessly, on the verge of tears.
A soft grunt of pain from Louis seemed to snap Elias out of it, clearing his mind a bit. He had to stay calm; feeling helpless wouldn't do anything.
Finally, he made a decision. It wouldn't be easy, but he had no other choice. He'd have to cut it.
Something sharp... He needed something sharp. With no other options, he extended a shaky hand to the broken windshield, pried off a shard of glass, and began sawing the seatbelt with its edge. A pained whimper escaped his lips as the sharp edges cut into his hand, but he gritted his teeth and continued. He had to do this.
He had to. For louis.
Elias didn't care about his own hands at the moment. He just wanted to get the damn seatbelt off.
The pain in his fingers was worse than he'd anticipated, but he pushed through it, ignoring it and keeping his hand steady. After what felt like an eternity, the seatbelt finally gave way.
He was in so much pain, but it didn't matter. Louis was unconscious, and Elias needed to help him first. He gently placed a hand on Louis's waist, careful not to jostle him, before slowly pulling him closer.
First things first, check the breathing, then look for a pneumothorax.
One deep breath later, he was ready. He was Elias Kang, damn it- he wouldn't feel helpless, in any situation. More than that, he was a doctor. If even he lost hope in this situation, who would take charge?
Elias's hand rested on Louis's chest, feeling for a rhythmic rise and fall. His breathing, at least somewhat okay. Next, check for a pneumothorax.
His eyes roamed over Louis's figure, searching for any signs of a punctured lung, and then he found it—the left lung.
His own ribs ached in sympathy at the sight, but he pushed the feeling aside. He needed to focus. He had to stabilize Louis at all costs. The ambulance was on its way, according to Max, but it would take a few minutes to arrive. His hands trembled, and he felt like he might pass out.
"H-Huh..." he breathed out shakily, prodding Louis' chest with trembling fingers. He was out of his element, and it showed. He was used to a controlled environment, with the best equipment, where he could control every aspect. He'd never worked in emergency, didn't like the panic and gore. But he had to do it. For Louis.
Elias slowly moved his hand to the injured lung, feeling around for any possible air leaks. There...a small hole in Louis's lung, leaking air into the chest cavity. His own heart nearly stopped at the realization.
Louis had a hole in his lung, and it was slowly deflating. He needed to prevent the lung from collapsing completely until help arrived. And the only way he could, in the middle of nowhere, was to improvise. He could do this. He had to.
"Something...anything.." he mumbled as he searched for something to prevent the lung from collapsing completely. Nothing useful was in sight.
Louis's lung was slowly but surely collapsing, and within minutes it would be fully deflated. Elias looked around again, hoping desperately for something to appear out of thin air. When there was still nothing, an idea struck him. It wasn't ideal, and his hand wasn't sterile or disinfected, but it would have to do.
After a deep breath and several attempts to suppress his panic, he began the process. He wasn't in a sterile environment, but right now he had to focus on Louis. Carefully, he repositioned Louis, laying him down on the seat so his chest faced up.
Elias placed his thumb over the hole in Louis's lung, blocking more air from escaping and causing further damage.
Now, he had to stay incredibly still. He felt the airflow lessening considerably, which was good. The adrenaline kept his hand steady, and he could feel the air slowly escaping from Louis's lung, though not as rapidly. He could hold on for a few minutes, which should be enough. He trusted Max to come through.
Something cold and wet seeped down his wrist and fingers, but he ignored the blood from his own wounds. Not now. He had to stay focused on Louis. Louis was still breathing, despite everything. Despite being unconscious, he was keeping a surprisingly steady rhythm- at least, as much as he could with an injured lung.