Poem: "A Very Clear Mind"
Nov. 21st, 2021 05:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem is spillover from the August 17, 2021 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by an anonymous prompt. It also fills the "first aid" square in my 8-2-21 card for the August Intimacies: Time Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by edorfaus. It belongs to the Broken Angels thread of the Polychrome Heroics series. It comes after "Who Puts Their Life on the Line," "Becomes the Saving Grace," and "One Act of Pure Love" so read those first or this won't make much sense.
"A Very Clear Mind"
[Evening of Wednesday, March 8, 2016]
Cas was still trying to act like
everything was normal when
Boss Blaster cornered him
in the family room downstairs.
"I'm not the best at subtlety, so I'll
just be blunt," the boss said. "You're
still rattled by what happened earlier."
"I had my hands in a friend's chest,"
Cas said through his teeth. "I think
I'm entitled to be a little upset."
Not to mention the teleport to Italy,
meeting the Mob, finding out he had
a bond with Ned now, people insisting
that he had superpowers, and, and --
Warm hands closed over his shoulders.
"You back with me now?" Boss Blaster said,
looking worried. "I'm not angry, just concerned."
Cas sighed. "Sorry," he said. "I'm not tracking
things very well today. That's why I sent Hali
to Edie's again. She doesn't need to see this."
"Well, that's convenient," said Boss Blaster.
"I think you're more bothered by your role
in the situation than by the firefight itself,
so I invited Molly and Dave over to talk with
you about how to handle bad emergencies."
Cas dragged his brain around to think
about that. He'd gotten some help in Italy,
but more might be wise. "Yeah, good idea,"
he said. "A lot of what freaked me out is
I didn't really know what to do, and I
didn't have anything useful in my hip kit.
If anyone knows how to deal with
emergencies like that, it'll be them."
"Molly and Dave will get here in
half an hour," said Boss Blaster.
"You've got time to wrap up anything
that needs it. Don't worry about supper,
they're bringing something to throw in
the oven, so that's already covered."
"Okay," Cas said. "Thanks, boss."
"Anytime," Boss Blaster said,
patting him on the shoulder.
Cas quit frittering around
the family room and went
to finish the load of laundry
that he'd put in earlier.
He was folding the last
of that when he heard
Zipper's familiar sound.
"Hey guys," Cas said
"Rough time, huh?"
Molly said. "Would
a hug help some?"
"Yeah," Cas said,
stepping into reach.
She was sturdy and
warm. It helped a little.
Dave patted Cas too. "We
heard about what happened.
I hope that we can help."
"Your boss asked us to talk
with you about emergency care
and equipment," Molly said. "Can
you tell us what bothered you most?"
Cas flopped onto the gray futon. Dave
took a seat at the far end of it. Molly
swung a chair out from the dining table.
"When we got ambushed, all I had
with me was my booboo kit, which
was no help at all," Cas said. "None
of my first aid classes had covered
anything like a gang fight, either."
"Teachers try to avoid scaring people
in the basic classes," Molly said. "Okay,
what first aid training have you taken?"
"You already know the stuff your family
has been teaching here," said Cas.
"Then Babysitting Safety and First Aid,
Basic First Aid, Parenting First Aid,
Wilderness First Aid. Those were
last year. I wanted to do more, but
things have been crazy this year."
"Well, you kept your head in a crisis,"
Molly said. "The rest of it is just
education and equipment. I'm sure
your boss will cover those. You've
got a good start toward EMT training
if you're interested in going that far."
Cas squeaked in surprise, and
then couldn't get enough air.
Dave thumped him on the back
to get him breathing again.
"Molly, ease up a little,
I think that you're starting
to overwhelm him," Dave said.
"Sorry," said Molly. "I had
to tune out the previous upset,
Cas, and that makes it harder
to spot emotional variations."
"Not your fault I'm a mess,"
Cas muttered, looking down.
"No, but I should have taken
more care with your feelings,"
said Molly. "I know better."
"Yeah, but you also get focused
on practicalities, things you can fix,"
said Dave. "We were invited here
to fix things, so that makes sense."
"I appreciate the effort," said Cas.
"I'm just kind of rattled, still, and it's
harder for me to keep my balance."
"That's normal," Dave assured him.
"Molly, why don't you tag out for a bit
and let me try? I'm a little mellower."
"Sure, I'll go check the patch room,"
Molly said, heading toward the door.
"Thanks for the rescue," Cas said.
"I usually handle stuff better than this."
"You'll be fine, you just need some time
to process," Dave said. "Let's take
this in small parts. Can you describe
the injuries you were dealing with?"
Cas tried, really he did, but
his own descriptions were
too simple and he kept
stumbling over things that
he'd heard the healers and
the doctors saying later.
"That's enough for now,"
Dave said, patting the air.
"You've got a basic grasp,
just missing the fine details."
"I can't do the longer words,"
Cas said. "That's not good."
"No, but it's easy to fix,"
Dave said. "There are
classes on medical terms,
available as an adjunct to
more advanced first aid, for
recognition and pronunciation."
"I didn't know that," Cas said.
"That sounds like it could be
really useful in the future."
Dave made a note on
his phone. "I've logged
your interest, so we can
find you a class later."
"Thanks," Cas said.
"I need to know so much
more than I actually do."
"Well, you already know
the most important part,"
Dave pointed out.
"What's that?" Cas said.
"If you don't have it, don't
give up. Improvise, adapt,
overcome, and then call
for backup," Dave said.
"That's what you did."
"Boss Blaster called
the backup," Cas said.
"You had your hands full,
that's what a partner is for,"
said Dave. "That's why
EMTs don't work alone."
"I'm the only patcher
we have," Cas argued.
"Boss Blaster and Pug
both know some first aid,
enough to know when to call
more help," said Dave. "Some
of the sex workers know more,
because they need that for kink."
"Oh yeah, right," said Cas. "I
remember them getting lessons."
"So you've got extra hands if
you need them," Dave said.
"You also need better control
over your own mental state."
"I thought I needed to learn
more first aid," Cas said.
"To appropriately respond
to an emergency requires
a very clear mind, to coolly
analyze what the observations
are and how to fix it," Dave said.
"Consider things like yoga or
meditation for this purpose."
"Oh, no," Cas groaned. "I
hate that stupid woo-woo shit."
"It's not stupid if it works and it
keeps people alive," Dave said.
"If you hate the idea of meditation,
then ask Dr. G for help. He has
whole bookcases of coping skills,
including mindfulness and breathing."
"I guess that doesn't suck as much,"
Cas admitted. "His stuff tends to work."
"I suggest that you start with coping skills,
or if you don't feel like you can wait, take
those concurrently with a first aid class
on serious trauma care," Dave said.
"I can't wait," said Cas. "I've gotten
caught in two gang fights already, and
the boss can't fix Lincoln instantly, no
matter how he tries. I have to take
what classes I can, and just hope
I don't panic in the next crisis."
"That's what first aid classes
are for," Dave said. "The more
moments you learn to fill with action,
the fewer you have left to panic."
Cas gave a rueful chuckle.
"I just hope that works."
"If you don't find it enough,
there are also lessons in
handling emergencies, fear,
and adrenaline," Dave said.
"I will not offer you those until
you've learned coping skills."
"So it's like a skill tree," Cas said.
"My basic classes talked about that,
what later classes we could take.
The babysitting class came before
the parenting class, for instance."
"Exactly," said Dave. "You need
basic coping skills before you
can handle something like
a major panic attack, and then
intermediate ones before trying
to ride an adrenaline rush."
"Can you make a note that
I'd like to learn those later skills,
though?" Cas asked him. "I'm
likely to need them eventually."
Dave made a note. "Done,"
he said. "Next, let's explore
what kinds of serious injuries are
likely to happen on your watch, and
what kind of backup is available."
"We have backup," Cas said.
"There's the patch room, so I
don't need to carry everything.
There are ambulances, and
Lincoln has hospitals. If that's
not enough, we can call a healer."
"Okay, that's great," said Dave.
"That means you only need to learn
how to keep people alive briefly, and
then let someone else finish the job."
"Yeah, it's different from the classes
I took in wilderness first aid, where
we planned on not always having
more help available," Cas said. "But
some stuff was still like, 'Plug the leak
and call medevac,' not always useful."
"What kind of problems do you
expect to face?" Dave asked.
"What comes up in street fights?"
"Guns this time, but Boss Blaster
says that's not common," Cas began.
"Knives are much more popular.
Superpowers can do anything,
though -- that's hard to predict."
Dave nodded. "You can't plan for
everything, but you can account
for the most likely injuries."
"Boss told me that speedsters
get a lot of leg and foot injuries
if they're interrupted," Cas said.
"Not life-threatening, so don't
worry about it," Dave said. "If
he breaks a leg, somebody else
can take care of that later."
"That's ... kind of cold,"
Cas said, glaring at him.
"That's triage," Dave said.
"If you can't get the hang of it,
you need to find a partner who
can handle that part for you.
Your job is to keep people
alive, or treat minor stuff.
Major repairs aren't yours."
"I'll have to think about that,"
Cas said. "Some classes have
touched on it, but not a lot yet."
"There are triage classes, but
that's more often covered in
mass-casualty training. You
might consider that for later,"
Dave said. "It's a bit much now."
"Yeah, I've already got a lot of
stuff to think about," Cas said.
"Let's start with heavy bleeding,
the easiest life-threatening problem
to solve with simple first aid," Dave said.
Throw in open chest wounds because
you had to deal with that, and one of
its quick-fixes is not much harder."
"That sounds like stuff I could
learn to do," Cas said. "We
covered heavy bleeding in
some of my first aid classes."
"Did they teach you about
tourniquets?" Dave asked.
"That's the high end for
uncontrolled bleeding."
"Not really, until I got into
the wilderness first aid classes,"
Cas said. "The others mentioned
that but claimed it usually wasn't
needed and was too risky."
Dave waffled a hand in the air.
"Depends on the circumstances,"
he said. "When it's needed, it's
really needed. With blood spurting,
you don't have time to fool around
with other methods first, you
have to control that fast."
"One wilderness teacher said
it's better to loose a limb than
a life," Cas quoted. "People
looked at him funny, but I
think that he was right."
"Definitely," said Dave.
"Did the class talk about
real medical tourniquets,
or only improvised ones?"
"Mostly improvised, well, that's
what we practiced with," Cas said.
"They mentioned medical ones
but said those are too expensive
for most people to carry."
"Don't worry about the cost,"
said Dave. "Boss Blaster
told us that he'll cover any
necessary education or
supplies for the patcher,
and you need the real thing.
Two would be even better."
"Why two?" Cas wondered.
"Isn't the first one good enough?"
"First, because you might have
more than one injury to treat,"
Dave said. "Second, because
my favorite backup tourniquet
has a bunch of other uses."
"That ... doesn't sound right,"
Cas said with a frown.
"Okay, I've got pictures,"
Dave said. "There are
a couple different designs
of windlass tourniquets that do
only that. This one's different."
"It looks like a giant rubber band,"
Cas said. "That's all? Really?"
"That's basically what it is,"
Dave said. "Because of that,
you can use it as a tourniquet,
but also a pressure bandage,
splint wrap, or other support --
for any body type or species."
"I want one," Cas said instantly.
"Those uses, I'll need more often,
and soups have different shapes."
"You can always get extras to put
in the patch room if you like using
versatile supplies," Dave said. "Hmm,
you might want to add a class in thinking
outside of the box later -- imagination
hasn't exactly been your best skill."
"Yeah well, I had a little too much
imagination all around me when I
was growing up," Cas grumbled.
"I don't want to talk about that."
"Okay. It's up to you," Dave said.
"Anyway, a dedicated tourniquet
and a versatile one. Some sort of
quick-clotting bandage. Chest seals.
Trauma shears and nitrile gloves.
That about covers the essentials."
He jotted a list on his phone.
"That sounds useful, but I'm
not confident about using
all of that yet," said Cas.
"You will be," Dave said.
"There are classes in
intermediate first aid that
cover serious trauma."
"That's only intermediate?"
Cas said, staring at him.
"Trust me, it really is,"
Dave said. "If you get
through that all right, then
you might consider going
for EMT training. It's useful.
It just gets a lot messier."
"How are you guys doing?"
Molly said as she came back.
"A little less wobbly," Cas said.
"Dave helped me break things
into smaller pieces so that
they were easier to manage."
"He's good at that," Molly said.
"I'm sorry for missing your signals
earlier, Cas. Sometimes I get
too fixated on the practical steps
and lose track of current impact."
"But you're an empath?" Cas said.
Molly sighed. "That's part of why
it happened, actually," she said.
"I can explain it, but you might
not want an audience for that."
"We've already talked about
some pretty serious stuff,"
Cas replied with a shrug.
"When a person's emotions
are already --" Molly laced
her fingers together. "-- in
layers, tangled up, then it's
hard to separate current from
past feelings. Something is
destabilizing your emotions.
Whatever it is, it's big, but it
doesn't look life-threatening."
"Oh. Yeah." Empath: of course
she could see the giant mess that
Evie's death had made of him.
"I don't -- I can't talk about that,"
Cas said. "Please don't ask me."
"Okay," Molly said. "As long as
it's not an emergency, it's up to you.
Just know that we're here for you if
you decide that you need some help."
"I'll try," Cas said. "Best I can do."
"That's all I ask," Molly said. "So,
would you like a hand, or should
I get out of your hair some more?"
"We're onto first aid kits," Dave said,
then turned to Cas. "Molly knows
the shopping sites better than I do."
"Bargain hunting is a family pastime,"
Molly said with a grin. "Even without
needing to worry about spending limits,
I still know the best places to shop."
"Boss Blaster didn't set a limit?"
Cas squeaked, eyes going wide.
"He didn't need to for a few supplies,"
Molly said. "Don't worry about it."
"Yeah," said Cas. "I think this
will go a lot better if I don't
have to look at the prices."
"Agreed," said Molly. "I can
handle that part for you. I'll
just note the selections for
when you need to restock."
"Ffff ... what next?" said Cas.
"Dave wrote down stuff earlier."
"Okay, the first rule of first aid kits
is to carry what you need and
know how to use," Dave said.
"That makes sense," said Cas.
"What's the second rule?"
"Don't be a toolbag,"
Dave said. "Equipment
is important, but your mind
is more important. You won't
always have exactly what you
need, so learn how to use what
you have to do what you need."
"Like my shirts," Cas said thoughtfully.
"I used my sweatshirt and T-shirt
to plug up the chest wounds."
"Exactly," said Dave. "I've
done that too, by the way.
Most first responders have,
and after we've been caught
once without good gear, we
pick an everyday carry kit."
"So you want something
small and light, but stocked
with what you'll need most,"
said Molly. "Dave, show me
that list you made earlier."
Dave showed her the list,
and Molly put it on her phone.
"Meanwhile, I'll start looking
for local classes," Dave said.
Cas leaned back against
the cushion and tried to calm
himself as best he could.
The last thing he needed
was to worry or distract
Molly while she was trying
to find stuff for him to use.
"Here, take a look at these,"
Molly said. "I found you
some different options,
depending what size and
shape you want to carry."
"Not so much that I'll
hesitate to carry it daily,"
Cas said as he sat up.
"Don't worry, they're
all mini-kits," Molly said.
Cas looked at the options.
Some were longer, others
wider. Most were missing
something from his list, until
he came to a familiar name.
"Oh hey, Mountain Man Medical,"
he said. "I remember this from
my wilderness first aid class. I
though it was all for hiking though."
"Most of it is, but it turns out they also
team up with other groups to make kits
with different themes," Molly explained.
The Yellowstone Trauma Kit includes
everything on your list, with room to add
a few other tidbits if you wish. It's not
the smallest available, but I thought you'd
want more than just a tourniquet holder."
"Definitely," Cas said. "Dave suggested
carrying two tourniquets, one dedicated
and one flexible. Can this kit do that?"
"Yes, there's an option to double up
like that, with the more packable of
the dedicated brands," Molly said.
Something in the "also viewed" line
snagged his attention. "What's this?"
"They also sell medication sets for
common complaints encountered
in the wilderness," said Molly. "Why?"
"That would be so useful to add to
my booboo kit, and that's the stuff
I use every day," said Cas. "I think I
could fit those little packets in there."
"Good idea," Molly said. "I'll add one
of these to the order. Try it and see if
the combination works for you. Then
we'll know what to order in bulk."
"It's actually the single-dose packets
that I want," Cas said. "I've got several
of these in big bottles in the patch room,
but supervillains like sealed stuff better."
Molly nodded. "It's an important custom,"
she said. "We can get a big box of those."
"Okay," Cas said. "I'll keep track of what
people like or want to try something else."
"Cas, come look at this," Dave said. "I
found a class in emergency trauma care
next month," said Dave. "Although this is
open to the general public, it's also the one
the police have to take. Are you okay with
that, or should I look for another class?"
"I don't know, maybe?" Cas said.
"That twitch is hard to predict."
"Would you feel safer if
you had a friend taking it
with you?" Molly asked.
"Yeah, definitely," Cas said.
"Then check with Ned about
when his certification expires,"
said Molly. "Most cops have
to recertify every year or two."
"I didn't know that," Cas said.
"I'll ask him. If the firefight didn't
make him twedgy about all of it,
he'll probably want the refresher."
"I sure did after my first gang fight,"
Molly muttered. "What a fucking mess."
Cas decided that he really didn't want
to know, and hastily redirected attention
back to training. "So that's a trauma class,
and I'll ask Dr. G about coping skills. Dave
said I couldn't do the fear or adrenaline rush
lessons until after coping skills. What's left?"
"Thinking outside the box, which you can
do any time; and medical terminology,
which will probably be more use to you
after the trauma class," Dave said,
looking at the notes on his phone.
"Look up local classes first, and
see how the dates fit together,"
Molly said. "We can fill in anything
from that list not available locally, but
some imagination classes are really fun.
Cas could sure use something light-hearted
in the mix. Though honestly, for thinking
outside the box, you can't beat Simon."
"Yeah, if I want him to wipe the mat
with me," Cas said, shaking his head.
"He started teaching all of us when we
were babies, not just self-defense, but
creative thinking," Molly said. "Simon
knows plenty of ways to customize
lessons for his current audience."
"Not everyone thinks the same way,
and that's okay -- that's a good thing,"
said Dave. "Go ahead and experiment
with different classes, see what you
like. Simon's not your only option,
but I think he'd make a great bet."
"Then I'll ask him too," Cas decided.
"I need all the help I can get, it's just
hard sorting out what to do first and
how much I can actually handle."
"Hence the need for lighter stuff
so you don't overload," said Molly.
"Yeah," Cas said. "That's a goal.
I don't know how well I'm doing at it."
Il Dottore had helped him cope with
the aftermath of the gang fight, but there
was only so much even a telepath could do.
Cas would have to find his own ways of
coming to terms with what had happened,
and especially how to move forward.
"You are a lot steadier now than you
were when we started," Molly said.
"Look at it this way," Dave said.
"No matter how shook up you
still feel, you've got a plan now.
You have new supplies on order
and at least one class to take.
All that you have to do is follow
the plan with a very clear mind,
and you'll be more prepared for
the next emergency that you face."
"Thanks," Cas said. "I'll do my best."
* * *
Notes:
This poem is long, so its notes appear elsewhere.
edorfaus. It belongs to the Broken Angels thread of the Polychrome Heroics series. It comes after "Who Puts Their Life on the Line," "Becomes the Saving Grace," and "One Act of Pure Love" so read those first or this won't make much sense."A Very Clear Mind"
[Evening of Wednesday, March 8, 2016]
Cas was still trying to act like
everything was normal when
Boss Blaster cornered him
in the family room downstairs.
"I'm not the best at subtlety, so I'll
just be blunt," the boss said. "You're
still rattled by what happened earlier."
"I had my hands in a friend's chest,"
Cas said through his teeth. "I think
I'm entitled to be a little upset."
Not to mention the teleport to Italy,
meeting the Mob, finding out he had
a bond with Ned now, people insisting
that he had superpowers, and, and --
Warm hands closed over his shoulders.
"You back with me now?" Boss Blaster said,
looking worried. "I'm not angry, just concerned."
Cas sighed. "Sorry," he said. "I'm not tracking
things very well today. That's why I sent Hali
to Edie's again. She doesn't need to see this."
"Well, that's convenient," said Boss Blaster.
"I think you're more bothered by your role
in the situation than by the firefight itself,
so I invited Molly and Dave over to talk with
you about how to handle bad emergencies."
Cas dragged his brain around to think
about that. He'd gotten some help in Italy,
but more might be wise. "Yeah, good idea,"
he said. "A lot of what freaked me out is
I didn't really know what to do, and I
didn't have anything useful in my hip kit.
If anyone knows how to deal with
emergencies like that, it'll be them."
"Molly and Dave will get here in
half an hour," said Boss Blaster.
"You've got time to wrap up anything
that needs it. Don't worry about supper,
they're bringing something to throw in
the oven, so that's already covered."
"Okay," Cas said. "Thanks, boss."
"Anytime," Boss Blaster said,
patting him on the shoulder.
Cas quit frittering around
the family room and went
to finish the load of laundry
that he'd put in earlier.
He was folding the last
of that when he heard
Zipper's familiar sound.
"Hey guys," Cas said
"Rough time, huh?"
Molly said. "Would
a hug help some?"
"Yeah," Cas said,
stepping into reach.
She was sturdy and
warm. It helped a little.
Dave patted Cas too. "We
heard about what happened.
I hope that we can help."
"Your boss asked us to talk
with you about emergency care
and equipment," Molly said. "Can
you tell us what bothered you most?"
Cas flopped onto the gray futon. Dave
took a seat at the far end of it. Molly
swung a chair out from the dining table.
"When we got ambushed, all I had
with me was my booboo kit, which
was no help at all," Cas said. "None
of my first aid classes had covered
anything like a gang fight, either."
"Teachers try to avoid scaring people
in the basic classes," Molly said. "Okay,
what first aid training have you taken?"
"You already know the stuff your family
has been teaching here," said Cas.
"Then Babysitting Safety and First Aid,
Basic First Aid, Parenting First Aid,
Wilderness First Aid. Those were
last year. I wanted to do more, but
things have been crazy this year."
"Well, you kept your head in a crisis,"
Molly said. "The rest of it is just
education and equipment. I'm sure
your boss will cover those. You've
got a good start toward EMT training
if you're interested in going that far."
Cas squeaked in surprise, and
then couldn't get enough air.
Dave thumped him on the back
to get him breathing again.
"Molly, ease up a little,
I think that you're starting
to overwhelm him," Dave said.
"Sorry," said Molly. "I had
to tune out the previous upset,
Cas, and that makes it harder
to spot emotional variations."
"Not your fault I'm a mess,"
Cas muttered, looking down.
"No, but I should have taken
more care with your feelings,"
said Molly. "I know better."
"Yeah, but you also get focused
on practicalities, things you can fix,"
said Dave. "We were invited here
to fix things, so that makes sense."
"I appreciate the effort," said Cas.
"I'm just kind of rattled, still, and it's
harder for me to keep my balance."
"That's normal," Dave assured him.
"Molly, why don't you tag out for a bit
and let me try? I'm a little mellower."
"Sure, I'll go check the patch room,"
Molly said, heading toward the door.
"Thanks for the rescue," Cas said.
"I usually handle stuff better than this."
"You'll be fine, you just need some time
to process," Dave said. "Let's take
this in small parts. Can you describe
the injuries you were dealing with?"
Cas tried, really he did, but
his own descriptions were
too simple and he kept
stumbling over things that
he'd heard the healers and
the doctors saying later.
"That's enough for now,"
Dave said, patting the air.
"You've got a basic grasp,
just missing the fine details."
"I can't do the longer words,"
Cas said. "That's not good."
"No, but it's easy to fix,"
Dave said. "There are
classes on medical terms,
available as an adjunct to
more advanced first aid, for
recognition and pronunciation."
"I didn't know that," Cas said.
"That sounds like it could be
really useful in the future."
Dave made a note on
his phone. "I've logged
your interest, so we can
find you a class later."
"Thanks," Cas said.
"I need to know so much
more than I actually do."
"Well, you already know
the most important part,"
Dave pointed out.
"What's that?" Cas said.
"If you don't have it, don't
give up. Improvise, adapt,
overcome, and then call
for backup," Dave said.
"That's what you did."
"Boss Blaster called
the backup," Cas said.
"You had your hands full,
that's what a partner is for,"
said Dave. "That's why
EMTs don't work alone."
"I'm the only patcher
we have," Cas argued.
"Boss Blaster and Pug
both know some first aid,
enough to know when to call
more help," said Dave. "Some
of the sex workers know more,
because they need that for kink."
"Oh yeah, right," said Cas. "I
remember them getting lessons."
"So you've got extra hands if
you need them," Dave said.
"You also need better control
over your own mental state."
"I thought I needed to learn
more first aid," Cas said.
"To appropriately respond
to an emergency requires
a very clear mind, to coolly
analyze what the observations
are and how to fix it," Dave said.
"Consider things like yoga or
meditation for this purpose."
"Oh, no," Cas groaned. "I
hate that stupid woo-woo shit."
"It's not stupid if it works and it
keeps people alive," Dave said.
"If you hate the idea of meditation,
then ask Dr. G for help. He has
whole bookcases of coping skills,
including mindfulness and breathing."
"I guess that doesn't suck as much,"
Cas admitted. "His stuff tends to work."
"I suggest that you start with coping skills,
or if you don't feel like you can wait, take
those concurrently with a first aid class
on serious trauma care," Dave said.
"I can't wait," said Cas. "I've gotten
caught in two gang fights already, and
the boss can't fix Lincoln instantly, no
matter how he tries. I have to take
what classes I can, and just hope
I don't panic in the next crisis."
"That's what first aid classes
are for," Dave said. "The more
moments you learn to fill with action,
the fewer you have left to panic."
Cas gave a rueful chuckle.
"I just hope that works."
"If you don't find it enough,
there are also lessons in
handling emergencies, fear,
and adrenaline," Dave said.
"I will not offer you those until
you've learned coping skills."
"So it's like a skill tree," Cas said.
"My basic classes talked about that,
what later classes we could take.
The babysitting class came before
the parenting class, for instance."
"Exactly," said Dave. "You need
basic coping skills before you
can handle something like
a major panic attack, and then
intermediate ones before trying
to ride an adrenaline rush."
"Can you make a note that
I'd like to learn those later skills,
though?" Cas asked him. "I'm
likely to need them eventually."
Dave made a note. "Done,"
he said. "Next, let's explore
what kinds of serious injuries are
likely to happen on your watch, and
what kind of backup is available."
"We have backup," Cas said.
"There's the patch room, so I
don't need to carry everything.
There are ambulances, and
Lincoln has hospitals. If that's
not enough, we can call a healer."
"Okay, that's great," said Dave.
"That means you only need to learn
how to keep people alive briefly, and
then let someone else finish the job."
"Yeah, it's different from the classes
I took in wilderness first aid, where
we planned on not always having
more help available," Cas said. "But
some stuff was still like, 'Plug the leak
and call medevac,' not always useful."
"What kind of problems do you
expect to face?" Dave asked.
"What comes up in street fights?"
"Guns this time, but Boss Blaster
says that's not common," Cas began.
"Knives are much more popular.
Superpowers can do anything,
though -- that's hard to predict."
Dave nodded. "You can't plan for
everything, but you can account
for the most likely injuries."
"Boss told me that speedsters
get a lot of leg and foot injuries
if they're interrupted," Cas said.
"Not life-threatening, so don't
worry about it," Dave said. "If
he breaks a leg, somebody else
can take care of that later."
"That's ... kind of cold,"
Cas said, glaring at him.
"That's triage," Dave said.
"If you can't get the hang of it,
you need to find a partner who
can handle that part for you.
Your job is to keep people
alive, or treat minor stuff.
Major repairs aren't yours."
"I'll have to think about that,"
Cas said. "Some classes have
touched on it, but not a lot yet."
"There are triage classes, but
that's more often covered in
mass-casualty training. You
might consider that for later,"
Dave said. "It's a bit much now."
"Yeah, I've already got a lot of
stuff to think about," Cas said.
"Let's start with heavy bleeding,
the easiest life-threatening problem
to solve with simple first aid," Dave said.
Throw in open chest wounds because
you had to deal with that, and one of
its quick-fixes is not much harder."
"That sounds like stuff I could
learn to do," Cas said. "We
covered heavy bleeding in
some of my first aid classes."
"Did they teach you about
tourniquets?" Dave asked.
"That's the high end for
uncontrolled bleeding."
"Not really, until I got into
the wilderness first aid classes,"
Cas said. "The others mentioned
that but claimed it usually wasn't
needed and was too risky."
Dave waffled a hand in the air.
"Depends on the circumstances,"
he said. "When it's needed, it's
really needed. With blood spurting,
you don't have time to fool around
with other methods first, you
have to control that fast."
"One wilderness teacher said
it's better to loose a limb than
a life," Cas quoted. "People
looked at him funny, but I
think that he was right."
"Definitely," said Dave.
"Did the class talk about
real medical tourniquets,
or only improvised ones?"
"Mostly improvised, well, that's
what we practiced with," Cas said.
"They mentioned medical ones
but said those are too expensive
for most people to carry."
"Don't worry about the cost,"
said Dave. "Boss Blaster
told us that he'll cover any
necessary education or
supplies for the patcher,
and you need the real thing.
Two would be even better."
"Why two?" Cas wondered.
"Isn't the first one good enough?"
"First, because you might have
more than one injury to treat,"
Dave said. "Second, because
my favorite backup tourniquet
has a bunch of other uses."
"That ... doesn't sound right,"
Cas said with a frown.
"Okay, I've got pictures,"
Dave said. "There are
a couple different designs
of windlass tourniquets that do
only that. This one's different."
"It looks like a giant rubber band,"
Cas said. "That's all? Really?"
"That's basically what it is,"
Dave said. "Because of that,
you can use it as a tourniquet,
but also a pressure bandage,
splint wrap, or other support --
for any body type or species."
"I want one," Cas said instantly.
"Those uses, I'll need more often,
and soups have different shapes."
"You can always get extras to put
in the patch room if you like using
versatile supplies," Dave said. "Hmm,
you might want to add a class in thinking
outside of the box later -- imagination
hasn't exactly been your best skill."
"Yeah well, I had a little too much
imagination all around me when I
was growing up," Cas grumbled.
"I don't want to talk about that."
"Okay. It's up to you," Dave said.
"Anyway, a dedicated tourniquet
and a versatile one. Some sort of
quick-clotting bandage. Chest seals.
Trauma shears and nitrile gloves.
That about covers the essentials."
He jotted a list on his phone.
"That sounds useful, but I'm
not confident about using
all of that yet," said Cas.
"You will be," Dave said.
"There are classes in
intermediate first aid that
cover serious trauma."
"That's only intermediate?"
Cas said, staring at him.
"Trust me, it really is,"
Dave said. "If you get
through that all right, then
you might consider going
for EMT training. It's useful.
It just gets a lot messier."
"How are you guys doing?"
Molly said as she came back.
"A little less wobbly," Cas said.
"Dave helped me break things
into smaller pieces so that
they were easier to manage."
"He's good at that," Molly said.
"I'm sorry for missing your signals
earlier, Cas. Sometimes I get
too fixated on the practical steps
and lose track of current impact."
"But you're an empath?" Cas said.
Molly sighed. "That's part of why
it happened, actually," she said.
"I can explain it, but you might
not want an audience for that."
"We've already talked about
some pretty serious stuff,"
Cas replied with a shrug.
"When a person's emotions
are already --" Molly laced
her fingers together. "-- in
layers, tangled up, then it's
hard to separate current from
past feelings. Something is
destabilizing your emotions.
Whatever it is, it's big, but it
doesn't look life-threatening."
"Oh. Yeah." Empath: of course
she could see the giant mess that
Evie's death had made of him.
"I don't -- I can't talk about that,"
Cas said. "Please don't ask me."
"Okay," Molly said. "As long as
it's not an emergency, it's up to you.
Just know that we're here for you if
you decide that you need some help."
"I'll try," Cas said. "Best I can do."
"That's all I ask," Molly said. "So,
would you like a hand, or should
I get out of your hair some more?"
"We're onto first aid kits," Dave said,
then turned to Cas. "Molly knows
the shopping sites better than I do."
"Bargain hunting is a family pastime,"
Molly said with a grin. "Even without
needing to worry about spending limits,
I still know the best places to shop."
"Boss Blaster didn't set a limit?"
Cas squeaked, eyes going wide.
"He didn't need to for a few supplies,"
Molly said. "Don't worry about it."
"Yeah," said Cas. "I think this
will go a lot better if I don't
have to look at the prices."
"Agreed," said Molly. "I can
handle that part for you. I'll
just note the selections for
when you need to restock."
"Ffff ... what next?" said Cas.
"Dave wrote down stuff earlier."
"Okay, the first rule of first aid kits
is to carry what you need and
know how to use," Dave said.
"That makes sense," said Cas.
"What's the second rule?"
"Don't be a toolbag,"
Dave said. "Equipment
is important, but your mind
is more important. You won't
always have exactly what you
need, so learn how to use what
you have to do what you need."
"Like my shirts," Cas said thoughtfully.
"I used my sweatshirt and T-shirt
to plug up the chest wounds."
"Exactly," said Dave. "I've
done that too, by the way.
Most first responders have,
and after we've been caught
once without good gear, we
pick an everyday carry kit."
"So you want something
small and light, but stocked
with what you'll need most,"
said Molly. "Dave, show me
that list you made earlier."
Dave showed her the list,
and Molly put it on her phone.
"Meanwhile, I'll start looking
for local classes," Dave said.
Cas leaned back against
the cushion and tried to calm
himself as best he could.
The last thing he needed
was to worry or distract
Molly while she was trying
to find stuff for him to use.
"Here, take a look at these,"
Molly said. "I found you
some different options,
depending what size and
shape you want to carry."
"Not so much that I'll
hesitate to carry it daily,"
Cas said as he sat up.
"Don't worry, they're
all mini-kits," Molly said.
Cas looked at the options.
Some were longer, others
wider. Most were missing
something from his list, until
he came to a familiar name.
"Oh hey, Mountain Man Medical,"
he said. "I remember this from
my wilderness first aid class. I
though it was all for hiking though."
"Most of it is, but it turns out they also
team up with other groups to make kits
with different themes," Molly explained.
The Yellowstone Trauma Kit includes
everything on your list, with room to add
a few other tidbits if you wish. It's not
the smallest available, but I thought you'd
want more than just a tourniquet holder."
"Definitely," Cas said. "Dave suggested
carrying two tourniquets, one dedicated
and one flexible. Can this kit do that?"
"Yes, there's an option to double up
like that, with the more packable of
the dedicated brands," Molly said.
Something in the "also viewed" line
snagged his attention. "What's this?"
"They also sell medication sets for
common complaints encountered
in the wilderness," said Molly. "Why?"
"That would be so useful to add to
my booboo kit, and that's the stuff
I use every day," said Cas. "I think I
could fit those little packets in there."
"Good idea," Molly said. "I'll add one
of these to the order. Try it and see if
the combination works for you. Then
we'll know what to order in bulk."
"It's actually the single-dose packets
that I want," Cas said. "I've got several
of these in big bottles in the patch room,
but supervillains like sealed stuff better."
Molly nodded. "It's an important custom,"
she said. "We can get a big box of those."
"Okay," Cas said. "I'll keep track of what
people like or want to try something else."
"Cas, come look at this," Dave said. "I
found a class in emergency trauma care
next month," said Dave. "Although this is
open to the general public, it's also the one
the police have to take. Are you okay with
that, or should I look for another class?"
"I don't know, maybe?" Cas said.
"That twitch is hard to predict."
"Would you feel safer if
you had a friend taking it
with you?" Molly asked.
"Yeah, definitely," Cas said.
"Then check with Ned about
when his certification expires,"
said Molly. "Most cops have
to recertify every year or two."
"I didn't know that," Cas said.
"I'll ask him. If the firefight didn't
make him twedgy about all of it,
he'll probably want the refresher."
"I sure did after my first gang fight,"
Molly muttered. "What a fucking mess."
Cas decided that he really didn't want
to know, and hastily redirected attention
back to training. "So that's a trauma class,
and I'll ask Dr. G about coping skills. Dave
said I couldn't do the fear or adrenaline rush
lessons until after coping skills. What's left?"
"Thinking outside the box, which you can
do any time; and medical terminology,
which will probably be more use to you
after the trauma class," Dave said,
looking at the notes on his phone.
"Look up local classes first, and
see how the dates fit together,"
Molly said. "We can fill in anything
from that list not available locally, but
some imagination classes are really fun.
Cas could sure use something light-hearted
in the mix. Though honestly, for thinking
outside the box, you can't beat Simon."
"Yeah, if I want him to wipe the mat
with me," Cas said, shaking his head.
"He started teaching all of us when we
were babies, not just self-defense, but
creative thinking," Molly said. "Simon
knows plenty of ways to customize
lessons for his current audience."
"Not everyone thinks the same way,
and that's okay -- that's a good thing,"
said Dave. "Go ahead and experiment
with different classes, see what you
like. Simon's not your only option,
but I think he'd make a great bet."
"Then I'll ask him too," Cas decided.
"I need all the help I can get, it's just
hard sorting out what to do first and
how much I can actually handle."
"Hence the need for lighter stuff
so you don't overload," said Molly.
"Yeah," Cas said. "That's a goal.
I don't know how well I'm doing at it."
Il Dottore had helped him cope with
the aftermath of the gang fight, but there
was only so much even a telepath could do.
Cas would have to find his own ways of
coming to terms with what had happened,
and especially how to move forward.
"You are a lot steadier now than you
were when we started," Molly said.
"Look at it this way," Dave said.
"No matter how shook up you
still feel, you've got a plan now.
You have new supplies on order
and at least one class to take.
All that you have to do is follow
the plan with a very clear mind,
and you'll be more prepared for
the next emergency that you face."
"Thanks," Cas said. "I'll do my best."
* * *
Notes:
This poem is long, so its notes appear elsewhere.
(no subject)
Date: 2021-11-22 01:42 am (UTC)>>"I can't do the longer words,"
Cas said. "That's not good."<
If you need the terminology, for training or whatever else, you can learn. From a practical standpoint, until you learn, most people can do just as well with a description of the problem.
And strictly speaking, you don't need a fancy class, you mostly just need a list of terminology and a teacher who can explain it. (I've run through medical stuff and explained words to people before. Not doctor-level, but first aid.)
>>"If you hate the idea of meditation,
then ask Dr. G for help. He has
whole bookcases of coping skills,
including mindfulness and breathing."<<
Mindfulness has some spiritual backing and some scientific benefit, but someone should really suggest box breathing. The explanation I got, first time I heard of it, was using breathing (which is the only body function on both the 'voluntary' and 'involuntary' subdivisions of the nervous system to make the involuntary stuff chillax.)
>>There are ambulances, and
Lincoln has hospitals. If that's
not enough, we can call a healer."<<
I don't know if there are any friendly hotzone teleporters affiliated with the gang, but that would be another backup option.
>>"That's ... kind of cold,"
Cas said, glaring at him.<<
Terramagne is much nicer than here, if an ex-street kid is that optimistic. O.O
>>"If you can't get the hang of it,
you need to find a partner who
can handle that part for you.<<
We need kind hearts and we need pragmatists.
>>"I want one," Cas said instantly.
"Those uses, I'll need more often,
and soups have different shapes."<<
Think of improvising supplies as poorskillz. Also, he might want to take an animal first aid course sometime. Wasn't the farm in Bluehill going to do a soup first aid course for the centaurs?
>>"That's only intermediate?"
Cas said, staring at him.<<
Things can always get worse.
>>"-- in
layers, tangled up, then it's
hard to separate current from
past feelings.<<
Like matted hair on a cat, everything just sticks together in a big, felted lump.
>>"Boss Blaster didn't set a limit?"
Cas squeaked, eyes going wide.<<
I think I might be jealous, if my emotions weren't felted at the moment. (I once had to design a first aid kit where the icepack doubled as dinner, and this was after running a crisis.)
>>"Not so much that I'll
hesitate to carry it daily,"
Cas said as he sat up.<<
Does Cas habitually carry a tote, diaper bag or purse?
>>You have new supplies on order
and at least one class to take.
All that you have to do is follow
the plan with a very clear mind,
and you'll be more prepared for
the next emergency that you face."<<
With CPR I once had it explained to me as: "They are already dead. You cannot make them more dead."
Thoughts
Date: 2021-11-22 03:00 am (UTC)Yay!
>> Sorry if they're a bit glum, I'm kinda stressed today. <<
Bummer. Hugs offered.
>> If you need the terminology, for training or whatever else, you can learn. From a practical standpoint, until you learn, most people can do just as well with a description of the problem.<<
Generally true.
>> And strictly speaking, you don't need a fancy class, you mostly just need a list of terminology and a teacher who can explain it. (I've run through medical stuff and explained words to people before. Not doctor-level, but first aid.) <<
It's not what I'd call a fancy class. It just has the benefit of people to practice with and a teacher who knows how to pronounce and define the words. I suspect Cas will wind up in a catchall class where the teacher will just ask today's students what their training is and what they want to learn, then choose vocabulary to suit. I'm sure a college class on medical terminology would be more formal.
>> Mindfulness has some spiritual backing and some scientific benefit, <<
That is true.
>> but someone should really suggest box breathing. The explanation I got, first time I heard of it, was using breathing <<
Dr. G will suggest a variety of breathing techniques. It turns out that Cas does best with methods grounded in his physical body. The purely abstract stuff is harder for him because he pulls away from it.
>> (which is the only body function on both the 'voluntary' and 'involuntary' subdivisions of the nervous system to make the involuntary stuff chillax.) <<
Blinking is another.
>> I don't know if there are any friendly hotzone teleporters affiliated with the gang, but that would be another backup option. <<
Not directly with the gang, but they do have the Italians for backup. I agree that a hotzone teleporter for the gang would be a great addition. Bear in mind, though, that human ambulance is a separate and pretty elite skill. Not everyone's style of teleporting is compatible at all, and not many have enough finesse to move injured people without making it worse.
>> Terramagne is much nicer than here, <<
It is.
>> if an ex-street kid is that optimistic. O.O <<
Cas isn't really a street kid. He grew up in bohemia. He's been knocked around a bit, but nowhere near the systemic abuse that Shiv survived. Also, Cas is just generally warm-hearted. Shiv has a tendency to view people as wallets with feet.
>> We need kind hearts and we need pragmatists.<<
Very true.
A key difference between T-American first aid and here is that they sequence things, but they don't leave off the later steps. Here, paramedics don't care if their behavior gives someone PTSD that turns lethal 6 months later. It won't reflect on them and they won't be punished for it. They're as slovenly with mental wounds as if they didn't bother washing physical ones. The results are appalling.
T-America tends to treat problems in the order they would threaten life or limb. Stop the heavy bleeding first, get the victim stable and in an ambulance, then if there's time check for emotional or psychological injuries. If you pull a live person out a car with a dead person in it, you can bet on emotional injuries and you write that on the tag. Someone at the hospital will follow up by offering mental care. They don't wait until someone's life is already falling apart before considering it time to offer help.
Consider how the Italians responded. They scraped up both Ned and Cas, handed off Ned to the healers -- and made sure someone was there to catch Cas, because they expected him to need care after a case like that.
>> Think of improvising supplies as poorskillz.<<
Absolutely.
>> Also, he might want to take an animal first aid course sometime.<<
That's an excellent idea. Come to think of it, the gang has a veterinarian in the loop, who is also part of their medical backup. I'm sure he could teach a class.
>> Wasn't the farm in Bluehill going to do a soup first aid course for the centaurs? <<
They did indeed.
>> Things can always get worse. <<
One of my favorite quotes is from Suzette Haden Elgin: "No problem is bad that panic can't make it a lot worse."
>>Like matted hair on a cat, everything just sticks together in a big, felted lump.<<
Yep. You have to find the mat and carefully pull the other hairs away from it to get it loose.
>> I think I might be jealous, if my emotions weren't felted at the moment. <<
Yeah, me too. Boss Blaster is running with real estate levels of finance, and can afford to stock a whole patch room. Cas is only months from begging and stealing to survive. This is a stretch for him.
>> (I once had to design a first aid kit where the icepack doubled as dinner, and this was after running a crisis.) <<
They have the Green Beans of Healing in the freezer, because one batch of free food had awful green beans. After tasting one batch, the other bag had a red cross drawn on it. Can't say as I blame them.
>> Does Cas habitually carry a tote, diaper bag or purse? <<
Not habitually, no, although he presumably has a diaper bag for Hali. I don't think I've ever seen him carrying one.
>> With CPR I once had it explained to me as: "They are already dead. You cannot make them more dead." <<
Mostly true, or at least, close enough to be worth using. It is possible to change someone from revivifiable to nonrevivifiable, but there's only about 4 minutes of oxygen before the brain starts dying. It's better to do CPR than not, even if you're inept.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2021-11-22 04:13 am (UTC)Thanks.
Life sucks, emotional drama, society is a dystopia, and the guv'ment has done two stupid things in as many days that I really should yell at somebody about. They've probably done more. And I have no energy. :( And they probably won't listen to me anyway. >:( And I'm sick of being responsible for everyone and everyone else's emotional labor, and helpy people who tell me and everyone to do impossible things to solve problems. :|
We are living in interesting times, and I'm sure all of this will be either absolutely fascinating or totally irrelevant once we've thrown another couple decades at it, but right now it's a royal pain.
Thanks for the empathy. :)
>>It's not what I'd call a fancy class.<<
Last time I did anything like that I was skimming a first aid book and teaching medical terminology (stroke, rash, antihistamine...that sort of thing.) I have First Aid training, but am not a certified teacher - I was teaching the vocabulary so my student* could take a certifying class.
So, yeah, "fancy class" to me means "teacher with training/certifications and curriculum and possibly requiring fees" instead of "let's learn the English words for car parts with this picture dictionary!" or randomly teaching your friend to "Never ever say that again!" Yeah, I done both of those. And carpentry jargon...and janitorial stuff...and listing thigs for a baby wishlist. (Not a carpenter, parent, or janitor either FYI.)
*Funny story: were going over symptoms, one of which is common but not commonly discussed in casual conversation, so my student (who has small children) says "Oh! That's the word for it!" (I also explained the etiquette for discussing such symptoms.)
Hey, if nothing else, visits to the pediatrician will now be slightly easier, right?
>>Blinking is another.<<
Hunh. I may have to look into that.
>>Bear in mind, though, that human ambulance is a separate and pretty elite skill.<<
Fair enough - I bet a lot of them get recruited to big-city hospitals. I still think Reuben might make a good 'teleportwagon' ambulance driver. And he's a veteran, so if a couple of hotzone nary paramedics could be found, that might be an option for somewhere.
>>They're as slovenly with mental wounds as if they didn't bother washing physical ones.<<
Not just paramedics.
"I think there's a problem here-"
"No there isn't, stop being a wuss."
And it's even worse when it's coached as any version of "I'm trying to help you and you need to..." Argh!
>>...because they expected him to need care after a case like that.<<
One day Imma write more of my story where one of the groups has the same response to emotional damage as we to to "Look Bob, I cut off my thumb!" Namely, "Okay, let's go find you a [cultural equivalent to doctor]."
>>That's an excellent idea. Come to think of it, the gang has a veterinarian in the loop, who is also part of their medical backup. I'm sure he could teach a class.<<
Have the vet offer to help with the class, ask teleport allies to help transport students, and you could get a decent-sized class. I think some of the Native tribes in the area might have some folk who would be interested in the offerings; ditto for Ashley's folk down South.
And I think the reaction of the centaurs meeting Hali would be fascinating - I bet the girls would adore her, and I think meeting, whatshername, Ariel?, might be the first time Hali has met anyone else with visible wings.
I forget - do Primals see it as an insult to visit a vet? An unpleasant necessity? Preferable? It varies depending on the person and/or quality of the vet?
>>One of my favorite quotes is from Suzette Haden Elgin: "No problem is bad that panic can't make it a lot worse."<<
Or stupidity.
>>After tasting one batch, the other bag had a red cross drawn on it.<<
These were the frozen peas of We Can't Afford This, But We Need It Anyway.
Actually, in retrospect, it was damn lucky that it happened when I was there with spoons and a first aid kit and a car to drive to the store. Small miracles, I guess?
>>Mostly true, or at least, close enough to be worth using.<<
We are the smart people who can argue "Water isn't wet because I submerged this duck and he's dry now," thereby amusing ourselves and confusing everyone else.
>>It is possible to change someone from revivifiable to nonrevivifiable, but there's only about 4 minutes of oxygen before the brain starts dying. It's better to do CPR than not, even if you're inept.<<
I think that was a rule of thumb to be used to get over the hurdle of "I can't break his ribs; that'll really hurt!"
Furthermore, I remember reading that they only started teaching CPR to the public after paramedics kept showing up and finding first responders trying to do CPR they'd learned from TV.
broken link?
Date: 2021-11-24 03:09 am (UTC)there isn't a link for one act of pure love, and it's the poem right before this one, so the previous poems won't have links for it either. any chance I can get a link to one act of pure love?
Re: broken link?
Date: 2021-11-24 03:18 am (UTC)https://ysabetwordsmith.dreamwidth.org/13012072.html
The earlier ones actually do have the link already.