VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. _ Kirsten Bunker was not at the hospital when she realized it was about to face its gravest hours.
During a doctor's appointment on Independence Boulevard for her twin daughters, she got a phone call from their dad. He had been listening to the radio and learned a shooter was at the Municipal Center.
Bunker may have had trouble hearing him over what came next. Five or six sirens, one after the other, wailed from the road.
She didn't waste a moment before firing off a text message to Mark Day, trauma coordinator at Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital.
"Do you need extra help?" she asked.
"Yes, come."
Bunker hurried to the parking lot, put her two 6-year-olds in the car and drove.
"Mama's gonna go take care of some sick people," she said in an even tone.
They were there in 15 minutes.
Bunker, 34, had been an emergency medicine and trauma nurse for several years. But the long hours, day in and day out, had worn on her. About six months ago, she moved into an office job as a quality improvement coordinator.
Still, she couldn't turn her back on the emergency room and continued working a couple of shifts every six weeks. She's the sort who braces for any alert that may sound over the speakers. A pair of flats she keeps in her office is a testament to that.
An overhead page _ a couple of "alphas" _ signaled two patients, the sickest of the sick, would arrive in 10 minutes.
"Mass casualty contained to the ER" broadcast across the hospital.
That was her cue. Before dashing, she said goodbye to her girls and left them with a co-worker. Their dad would soon come to get them.
About 11 miles away, a 40-year-old engineer for the city's public utilities had entered the operations building, armed with two .45-caliber handguns and a silencer. The gunman opened fire, ultimately killing a dozen.
But following his rampage, a window _ a precious few hours _ left open the possibility of life for a handful of trauma victims. Five of the critically wounded, including the shooter, would go to the Virginia Beach General ER. Three victims would survive.
As Bunker arrived, Day handed her a protective gown. She threw it on over her clothes.
