Saved by Strangers（2/2）

陌生人的搭救

By John Pekkanen

约翰·皮砍恩

Gonzalez radioed for an ambulance, then waded through the tall grass toward Herring’s car.
冈萨雷斯用无线电叫救护车，自己趟进高高的草丛，朝海岭的汽车走去。
 “This woman’s critically injured,” Corcoran said. “She needs to be airlifted.”
“这个妇女伤得很严重，”科科伦说。“她需要用直升飞机送往医院。”
  “My God!” Gonzalez said when he saw the wound. “We have a life-threatening situation here,” he shouted into his radio. “We need AirLife!”
“我的上帝！”冈萨雷斯看到伤口时说。“我们这里形势严峻，有人生命垂危，”他对着无线电大喊。“我们需要直升飞机来抢救！”
Moments later an ambulance arrived. Paramedic Conrad Gonzales quickly examined Herring. After putting in the call to dispatch AirLife, which was on standby, Gonzales motioned to the others. “Let’s get her out of the car,” he shouted.
不一会儿，一辆救护车到了。医护师康拉德•冈萨雷斯迅速检查了海岭。当冈萨雷斯得知派遣直升飞机抢救的消息已发送出去，直升机听候调遣之后，他转向其他人“我们把她从车里抬出来”，他大声说。
Before moving Herring, Gonzales immobilized her head, neck and spine with a cervical collar. As he did, she again regained consciousness. “My daughter. Where’s my daughter?” Herring asked before losing consciousness once more. Although her speech was disoriented, Gonzales was amazed that in spite of the seriousness of her injury, she was actually talking to him. In his 15 years of helping accident victims, he’d never seen a case like this.
在移动海岭之前，冈萨雷斯用颈环把她的头部、脖子和脊柱固定住。这个时候，她又恢复了意识。“我的女儿。我的女儿在哪儿？”海岭再次失去意识前问道。虽然她的话让人听起来不知所云，冈萨雷斯还是非常吃惊，因为她确实是在跟他讲话，尽管伤得很严重。在他15年帮助事故遇难者的经历中，他从未遇见过这样的情况。
Corcoran and McAllister helped maneuver a backboard through the driver’s-side door. As they lifted Herring onto the board, though, she again became combative, flailing her arms and legs. They restrained her and angled her through the car door. Setting her down on a wheeled stretcher, they heard the distant throb of the AirLife helicopter.
科科伦和麦克阿里斯特设法把一块托板从司机侧门放进车里。当他们把海岭抬到托板上的时候，她开始大脑失控地挥动着手脚乱踢乱打。他们稳住她并转好位置把她抬了出来。他们把她放在一个带轮子的担架上，这时听到远处传来救援的直升飞机的震动声。
Corcoran looked at Herring. Now she was turning grayish-blue. We’ve losing her, he thought.
科科伦看着海岭。此刻，她的脸色渐渐变成灰蓝。我们要失去她了，他想。
Gonzales grabbed his radio. “Get the succs ready,” he said to flight paramedic Jim Kadric. Succinylcholine was a drug that would temporarily paralyze Herring so paramedics could put a tube down her throat and into her lungs. This would bring life-giving oxygen to her brain.
冈萨雷斯紧紧攥着无线电。“把琥珀酰胆碱准备好，”他对航空医护师吉姆•卡德里奇说。琥珀酰胆碱是一种药物，它可以使海岭暂时麻痹，这样就可以从她喉咙里插一根管子到肺部。这会给她的大脑补充生命所需的氧气。
At 5:27, 21 minutes after the accident, the helicopter touched down. Jim Kadric and flight nurse Diana Montez rushed to Herring. After the succinylcholine was injected. Montez held Herring’s head steady and Kadric slid the breathing tube down her throat.
5点27分，在事发21分钟后，直升飞机降落了。吉姆•卡德里奇和航空护士黛安娜•蒙丹冲向海岭。在给海岭注射过琥珀酰胆碱之后，蒙丹用手稳住她的头部，卡德里奇把呼吸管插入她的喉咙。
As oxygen flooded into Herring’s lungs, her color returned. Then she was loaded onto the helicopter and flown to nearby Wilford Hall Medical Centre, the nation’s premier Air Force hospital.
当氧气输入海岭的肺部时，她的脸色渐趋正常。接着，她被抬入直升飞机，飞往附近的威尔福特大楼医疗中心，这是全国一流的空军医院。
JOHN SCHNEIDER, a 33-year-old neurosurgeon, sat patiently in a shoe store as his eight-month-old daughter Shannon squirmed in his arms. His wife Michelle was trying a new pair of shoes on their 11/2-year-old son Brandon. At 5:40 p.m. his pager sounded.
33岁的神经外科医生约翰•施奈德耐心地坐在一家鞋店，8个月的女儿珊农在他怀里扭动。妻子米歇儿在给他们1岁半的儿子布兰登试穿新鞋子。下午5：40，他的寻呼机响了。
 “We have a major head trauma,” the dispatcher said. “AirLife has an ETA of 5:45.”
“我们有一例严重的头部外伤，”调度员说。“救援直升飞机预估的到达时间为5点45分。”
Schneider handed Shannon to his wife. “I’ve got an emergency.”
施奈德把珊农交给妻子。“我有急诊。”
Schneider made the ten-mile drive through rush-hour traffic in just over ten minutes. In the emergency room he immediately noticed Herring’s uniform. One of our own, he thought.
在车流高峰的时段里，施奈德只用了10分钟出头就驶过了10英里的路程。在抢救室，他立即看到了海岭的制服。我们中的一个，他想。
The hospital’s CAT scanner showed that two jagged pieces of Herring’s skull had been driven deep into the left temporal lobe of her brain. Equally alarming: there was a blood clot in her brain. This clot, combined with the swelling of the injured brain tissue, was cutting away the fragile thread that kept Herring alive.
医院计算机化X射线轴向分层造影（CAT）扫描器显示海岭颅骨的两个有缺口的部分被挤向大脑的左颞叶。同样惊人的是：她的大脑里有一个血块。这个血块和正在肿胀的受伤的脑组织一起发生作用，就会切断维系海岭生命的细脉。
As Herring was wheeled toward the operating room, her blood pressure suddenly rose. She’s herniating down into her brain stem, Schneider realized. The brain stem is the control center for the body’s most vital functions: blood pressure, heart rate and breathing. She could die in minutes. Then Herring’s heartbeat slowed. No time to scrub, Schneider thought, pulling on surgical gloves. There wasn’t even time for making a surgical entry into Herring’s brain. He’d have to go the fastest way possible: through the injury itself.
当海岭被推往手术室的时候，她的血压突然上升了。她的伤势已经突出伸向脑干了，施奈德意识到。脑干是控制全身重要功能的中心：血压，心率和呼吸。她可能几分钟后就会死亡。接着，海岭的心跳减慢。来不及消毒了，施奈德想，并带上医用手套。甚至来不及在海岭的脑部做一个进行外科手术的通道。他必须用可行的最快的办法：通过伤口本身。
Deep inside Herring’s brain, Schneider located the blood clot. As he suctioned it out, her heart rate and blood pressure slowly returned to normal.
施奈德找到在海岭大脑深处的血块。当他把这个血块吸出，她的心率和血压慢慢恢复了正常。
With Herring stabilized, Schneider walked to the scrub sink. Now comes the real challenge, he thought.
海岭的病情稳住后，施奈德走向擦洗水槽。真正的挑战来了，他在想。
MIKE HERRING was getting annoyed. It was 6 p.m., and Margaret was late. Just as he finished dinner, the phone rang.
迈克•海岭烦躁不安。已经是晚上6点了，玛格丽特还没回来。他刚刚吃完饭，电话响了。
The caller was Joe Corcoran, “I just stopped to help at an accident on 1604. The woman was wearing military fatigues and driving a blue Honda. Her name was Margaret Herring. Has anyone told you about this?”
打电话的是乔•科科伦，“我碰巧停下车，帮助了1604号公路发生的事故。那个妇女穿着军服，开的车是蓝色本田。她的名字是玛格丽特•海岭。有人告诉你这些吗？”
 “No,” Mike said in a tight voice. “How badly is she hurt?”
“没有，”迈克紧张地说。“她伤得如何？”
 “It could be serious. I think they took her to Wilford Hall.”
“可能很严重。我想他们把她送到威尔福特大楼了。”
 “Oh, God!” Mike gasped.
“噢，上帝！”迈克倒吸了一口凉气。
After dropping off Cammie and Mack with a neighbor, Mike raced his car along 1604 toward the hospital. Less than ten minutes from home, he saw Margaret’s Honda off the side of the road. He pulled over and ran to it, glancing quickly at the broken windshield and blood-splattered interior. Then he noticed Margaret’s smashed glasses on the front seat. A chill swept over him.
在把开米和麦克安顿给邻居照看后，迈克开着车沿着1604号公路开往医院。从家里出来不足10分钟，他就看到玛格丽特的蓝色本田停在路边。他把车停到路边，跑过去，并快速地看了看破岁的挡风玻璃和溅满鲜血的汽车内部。这时，他在前座椅上发现了玛格丽特那已经粉碎的眼镜。这一切看得他脊梁骨发凉。
Back in his car, Mike raced toward Wilford Hall. One thought echoed through his mind: I can’t lose Margaret.
回到自己的车里，迈克向威尔福特大楼飞奔。一个声音在他耳边萦绕：我不能失去玛格丽特。
 THE LEFT SIDE of Margaret Herring’s skull looked like a potato chip crushed by a hammer. Bone fragments, gravel and dirt were scattered through the injury. At its center was a hole more than three inches in diameter that opened to her brain.
玛格丽特•海岭颅骨的左半边看起来像被锤子压扁的土豆片。骨头碎片，碎石子和泥土都散在伤口处。伤口的中心是个直径3英尺多的洞，洞口伸向大脑。
 Of most concern to Dr. Schneider, however, was her left temporal lobe. Besides the two chunks of skull embedded there, a blackened, prune-size area had been destroyed. This was where language, face recognition and memory were mainly based.
 施奈德医生最担心的是她的左颞叶。除了有两个大块的颅骨嵌在那里之外，一个黑色的、李子大小的区域被损坏了。这里主要是控制语言、人脸识别、以及记忆的区域。
 Moving with utmost delicacy, Schneider enlarged the hole in Herring’s skull. He carefully plucked out bone fragments and gravel, and cut away destroyed brain tissue. He cringed at the damage. She may never talk again, he thought.
    施奈德的手万分精细地移动，他扩大了海岭颅骨上的洞，小心地取出骨头碎片和碎石子，并切除已经损坏的脑组织。他的手在受伤处抖缩。她可能永远不会讲话了，他想。
 Schneider collected more than 50 bone fragments. However, only 22 were large enough to use in reconstructing her skull.
施奈德挑出了50多块骨头碎片。但是，其中只有22块较大的可以用于给她重新接合颅骨。
 The orbital bone around Herring’s left eye had been completely shattered. He couldn’t find orbital bone fragments big enough to rebuild the socket, so he took a fragment from her skull. It proved a good fit.
    海岭的左眼眶骨已经被完全撞碎了。他找不到足够大的眼眶骨碎片来接合眼窝。于是，他从颅骨碎片中挑出了一块。结果很合适。
 Like assembling a jigsaw puzzle, Schneider matched bone fragments to the jagged gaps in her skull. Once he had these in place, he attached them to one another with titanium plates and screws.
就像在组合拼图玩具，施奈德把骨头碎片配在她颅骨有缺口的缝隙。在他把这些碎片放到位之后，他就用钛板和螺钉来把他们一个个相互连接起来。
 There weren’t enough bone fragments to cover the hole in Herring’s skull, so he tapped a chisel-like instrument against undamaged areas of her skull. This shaved off small segments of bone. He could do this safely because the skull had two hard surfaces, with a softer core in between. He removed the shavings only from the outer surface. Piece by piece, he repaired the last remaining openings in the skull.
 没有足够的骨头碎片来覆盖海岭颅骨上的洞，因此，他用一个凿子似的工具在她颅骨没有受损的地方轻轻敲击。这样可以刮到小的骨头碎片。他这样做是安全的，因为颅骨有两层坚硬的表层，中间是较为柔软的核心。他只是从外面一层刮掉碎片。他就这样一块一块地把颅骨最后的裂口缝合好了。
 At 1 a.m., six hours after surgery began, Margaret was wheeled to the intensive care unit. Moments later Schneider faced Mike Herring in the waiting room. “We’ve reconstructed her skull,” the surgeon said. “But she’s suffered a serious brain injury.”
    凌晨1点，在手术进行6个小时后，玛格丽特被推往特别护理病房。过了一会儿，施奈德在候诊室见到迈克•海岭。“我们已经重新接合好她的颅骨，”这位外科医生说。“但是她患的是严重的脑外伤。”
 “How serious?” Mike asked.
“有多严重？”迈克问道。
 “Only time will tell.”
“只有时间可以回答。”
 To Mike, the fact that Margaret was alive was miracle enough. He thanked Schneider, then walked to the ICU. Leaning over his wife’s bed, Mike gently squeezed her hand. “I love you,” he said. Margaret showed no glimmer of recognition. Please come back to me, Margaret, Mike pleaded.
对于迈克来说，玛格丽特还活着已经是奇迹了。他谢过施奈德，来到特别护理病房。迈克倚向妻子的病床，温柔地握着她的手。“我爱你，”他说。玛格丽特没有露出认出他的迹象。请回到我身边，玛格丽特，迈克恳求着。
ON FRIDAY, the day after her accident, Margaret stirred for the first time. Dr. Schneider watched her closely. Would she be able to move her arms and legs? When she did, he breathed a sigh of relief.
星期五这天，即事故过后的第二天，玛格丽特第一次微微动了动。施奈德医生密切观察着她。她的手脚能够活动吗？当她手脚也能活动的时候，他欣慰地舒了口气。
The joy that he and others felt, however, was muted by the looming possibility of irreversible brain damage. One question haunted Mike as he stood vigil at her bedside. Will Margaret still be Margaret?
然而，他和别人感到的这种快乐正笼罩在难以修复的脑外伤的阴影之下。当迈克在她床边守夜，一个问题总是困扰着他。玛格丽特还是原来的玛格丽特吗？
On Saturday she made signs that she was trying to communicate. “Do you want something to write on?” Mike asked. Margaret blinked.
一个星期六，她看起来似乎想要努力说些什么。“你想要写下来吗？”迈克问她。玛格丽特眨眨眼睛。
Mike held up a clipboard and handed her a pen. The letters were shaky, but her message was clear: “ Where’s Mom and Dad?”
迈克举起一块写字板，并给她一支笔。字母歪歪扭扭的，但是她的意思很明白：“爸爸妈妈在哪儿？”
Tears of relief flooded Mike’s eyes. “They went out to eat,” he said. “They’ll be back in a few minutes.”
欣慰的泪水充满了迈克的眼睛。“他们出去吃东西了，”他说。“马上就回来。”
Margaret blinked again, and Mike held the clipboard for her. “Aren’t you going to give me a kiss?” she wrote.
玛格丽特又眨了眨眼睛，迈克给她举起写字板。“你难道不打算吻我一下吗？”她写道。
Mike felt a wave of joy as he leaned over and kissed his wife.
当迈克弯下身亲吻他的妻子时，他感觉到一阵兴奋。
BY THE END of August, less than four mouths after the accident, Margaret Herring resumed her full-time duties at Kelly Air Force Base. Her recovery stunned her doctors.
8月底，事故过后不到4个月，玛格丽特•海岭重新开始了她在凯利空军基地的工作。她的恢复速度让医生非常惊讶。
 Even so, Herring still could not recall any details of the accident. The more she heard about it, however, the more she came to appreciate the skill and courage of the strangers who’d helped her.
    尽管如此，海岭还是记不起事故的细节。可是，她听说的越多，越是敬佩那些帮助她的陌生人的技术和勇气。
 “Something terrible happened to you that day,” Dr. Schneider told her. Then he thought of the trained people who, by extraordinary coincidence, were driving that road and stopped to help. “But something miraculous happened too.”
“那天你发生了可怕的事情，”施奈德对她说。然后他想到，训练有素的人碰巧正好开车从那条路经过，并停下来帮助她。想到这，他又说：“但是，奇迹也发生了。”