Off The Clock, Never Off Duty (Open)

[Corey Spencer]

Corey was never fully off duty.  It came from years spent in the military and the long months downrange.  He'd tried damn near everything over time to find a way to 'shut off' the switch in his mind that kept him constantly on edge to the point of near paranoia.  Most days it wore on him, eating away at his focus until he found it unbearable and he retreated into himself.  This afternoon, though, he had decided to go out alone and he ended up wandering the streets of Kalispell.  The ever present nervousness and sense of dread that something terrible could be waiting around every corner had come in handy when the massive truck ran a red light and slammed into the side of a dark blue SUV.

The off-duty paramedic was on edge, as always, and he immediately snapped into action before most of those who had witnessed the crash could even react.  He darted out into the intersection with reckless abandon, quickly drawing closer to the mangled wreckage of the SUV after it had come to a stop, still resting on its wheels.  His heart raced even though his practiced eye caused him to assess the situation with a calm, deliberate manner.  He paused only long enough to withdraw his phone and place a short call just in case no one else had before he got to work.  

The driver was still strapped into the seat, unconscious and bleeding profusely.  His instincts told him not to try and move the young man but Corey didn't dare wait and let the victim bleed out while waiting for the on duty paramedics to arrive.  Carefully the big man extracted the victim and rested him on the concrete by the SUV.  Corey felt a presence move up beside him.  "The leg, right here."  He commanded whoever it was that had gotten close enough to now be involved in the scene.  "Put pressure on it."

[Jason Campbell]

Jason had just finished paying at the gas station and was about to climb back in his SUV when he heard the impact. He did what everyone else in the area did: he looked up and tried to find the source of the noise. He did something not all did however, he went to look. He didn't hear a lot of accidents in his life but he recognized the sound of brakes being pressed on in a hurry, tires losing their grip on the road, metal hitting metal. Alright, maybe he did not recognize it, but his brain was more than able to imagine it all from the sound he heard and connect what he heard with what he would likely see.

Jason did not think as he moved quickly to the scene of the accident. His brain was countered by the adrenaline. He needed to see, to make sure he could do something and, if that was the case, that he could do it now. He wouldn’t be the first doctor not helping someone when not at the hospital. He probably should have called for an ambulance or at least the police to look at it but there were many other people around who could do it Not as many could properly help the drivers and possible passengers like he could.

When he arrived, someone had beaten him. He saw the bulky figure, one he already knew of, take the driver out of the SUV as delicately as possible. He moved by the man’s side. Before he could say anything, Corey already proved he was who Jason thought he was, the paramedic he knew, as he told him what to do. He kneeled by the leg and put appropriate pressure on the wound. “Someone call an ambulance,” he said loud enough to the crowd that gathered. “Can you make a tourniquet? I don’t think I can use my power here and now,” he added, this time softly, for Corey alone.

[Corey Spencer]

Corey took his eyes off the young man just long enough to cast a glance at Jason. He gave the doctor a thankful nod before turning his attention back to the task at hand comforted by the knowledge that he was being aided by a professional. Corey knew of Dr. Campbell more than he actually knew him. The two men's career paths veered dangerously close many times and had yet to cross. Ironic that it happened here.

A quick assessment of the situation yielded few options for methods to stem the blood flow beyond applying pressure. He knew it was crucial to at least take care of the most visible wound order to free them up to conduct a search of any other injuries the victim may have. Without hesitation the big man reached and reached up to tear his own shirt from his chest as if it was made of tissue paper. He tore a long, thick strip from the cloth and used it to tightly bind the victim's injured leg. "I'll look after this." He said once he'd tied off the makeshift tourniquet. His hands moved to take over putting pressure on the wound to help stem the flow of blood. "You check for any other injuries."

[Jason Campbell]

The man was indeed lucky to have the two of them. At least they would know what to do and, most importantly, what not to do. People always meant to help but they sometimes made things worse. For now however, Jason forgot about the crowd or at least did his best to forget about it and focus on the man lying on the pavement. He was the one who needed his attention. He was simply sorry for him that he may not be able to properly heal him without anyone to see.

At the sound of fabric tearing up, Jason looked at saw with how much ease the man seemed to be destroying his own shirt. It certainly was not Jason who could do that. Then again, Jason was far from having those muscles and he did not envy the work it must require to get to that level. He even managed to forget it was time to eat or sleep, he didn’t want to think what he’d look like if he attempted to get that kind of training.

“Alright,” Jason said, abandoning the leg to Corey as he moved to the head. He tried to have the man talking but he kept losing consciousness, making it hard for Jason to even look at the man’s eyes. That did not stop him of course to look for injuries both on the head and neck. “Was there any passenger?” he asked Corey while his gaze remained on the man. With the two of them, once they’d make sure this one should live until the ambulance arrived, they could easily check the cars and tend to the others involved.

[Corey Spencer]

Even though the winter air was still cool Corey would rather freeze himself than waste the time looking around for proper materials to use as a makeshift tourniquet. He hadn't given sacrificing his shirt a second thought as he wrapped the fabric around the victim's leg and tied it tightly. Another strip of the big man's shirt went around the wound itself to help keep it clean and free of debris. It wasn't pretty or ideal but it would work until crews with the right equipment could arrive.

Thankfully there had only been the once victim. The driver of the truck that had demolished the car was unharmed and no one else had been inside either vehicle. The paramedics had made good time even if it hadn't felt as such to the two tending to the casualty of the accident. When they arrived Corey obediently backed away. The instinct to remain in control of the scene was difficult to suppress but it was necessary to let the guys who were actually on duty perform their jobs. With a sharp exhale of breath he shrugged his jacket on over his bare chest and zipped it up. There was no need to walk around shirtless in the snow.

"What a way to formally meet, Doctor Campbell." Corey said with a mirthless chuckle. They'd been offered a jug of water and hand sanitizer by the fire crew that showed up to rid themselves of the victim's blood on their hands. Corey and Jason traveled in much the same circles as members of the medical community as well as their ties to the Academy but never seemed to get the chance to actually meet. "Looks like even when we're off the clock we're never truly off duty." He mused dryly, his eyes shifting to look over the scene around them.

[Jason Campbell]

While Jason would have wished to spend what little time in his life he did not devote to medical care or research doing something else, he could not simply ignore what just happened and let Corey take care of everything, being nothing but yet another random passerby who could not stop watching the scene. Maybe it came with the job, it made you have to do it no matter what. Or maybe it was just the person he was. After all, wasn’t he doing a real big effort to concentrate on his medical knowledge right now so that he would not end up simply healing the man? He had to, because he knew how his power tended to react on its own again ever since the SPRITE.

The ambulance seemed to be taking forever but Jason knew it was the adrenaline speaking. The two of them were doing all they could for the man with what they had at hand, which wasn’t much. Jason did his best not to think whether or not that man did not have internal bleeding or anything of the like. Without certainty of this, trying to heal something that might not be there would only result in him healing anything else he’d find, including the leg. While it may save his life, it would also raise questions. It frustrated him not to be allowed to do all that he could but that could not be helped. People may know about mutants now but that did not mean they were any more tolerant of them.

Jason might have needed a bit more force to get away from the man than it too Corey. He was still concerned about what else he could have done. Still, he understood the paramedics needed to do their job if he wanted the driver to have any chance to get out of this. So he stood up and gave them the room they needed. Anyway, Corey started to talk to him. He turned his gazed towards the bulky man. Could two people be more physically opposites of one another? He washed his hands, just like Corey did, not caring much if blood might have been on his clothes as well. The sight of it was not exactly something that shook Jason. A light smile curled up the corner of his lips. “I’m sure we could have found worse. Corey, right? Or Spencer? No, it’s both...” he said, pretty certain he had this conversation before with a fiery acquaintance of theirs. “Jason works fine when I don’t wear a white coat,” he added, his smile a teensy bit bigger at his words.

Jason’s gaze followed Corey’s as he nodded in agreement. “I don’t think I could have reacted any other way though. Well, maybe work a little more magic but this was not exactly the best place to do that,” he said, eyes falling of the small crowd slowly walking away now that the whole thing was done.

[Corey Spencer]

Corey glanced to Dr. Campbell and gave a short shrug of his broad shoulders. His name had been some point of contention for a while. Eventually his time among civilians had broken him of the nasty habit of going almost primarily by his last name. "Corey is fine, on the clock or off." He said before giving a light chuckle.

Whatever Corey had planned for the rest of the day had suddenly grown much less important even now that the rush of handling the accident was beginning to fade. His dark eyes drifted about the scene as police investigators poked around, gathering whatever information they could. They'd already spoken to both the paramedic and the doctor leaving the two free to leave now that they were cleaned up. It may have seemed strange but a thought had suddenly struck Corey. His brow furrowed and he glanced in the doctor's direction. "Were you headed anywhere when this happened?" He asked. "How about I buy you a beer?"