Hello there! I know, I know. You want to kill me because of the situation, BUT he is an update to relieve the pressure (sort of). I'll play hide and seek again after this but think about it: if you kill me, then you won't know what happened (or could happen).
Ok ok, I leave you with this chapter, and if you're wise with me, I will write and publish the next one before sunday, okay?
Have a good reading ;)
Chapter 4 : Comforting
Gabby just threw the content of her stomach in one of the toilets, coughing and crying while closing her eyes. She couldn't help but think and think again about what she had just seen and experienced. The man she loved has taken a bullet in the heart, could be considered dead, leaving her alone with Eliza. Of course, he wasn't officially dead yet, but a gun shot wound right in the heart was so bad, Matt had more chance to die than to pull through this. She should be prepared, especially the worst. She pulled the flush, got out of the water closet and stopped at the sink, looking his reflection in the mirror in front of her. Her face was pale despite her tanned skin, her eyes were red and swollen because of the tears, her lips were trembling just as her hands and legs. She could feel her heart beating realy fast in her chest and her breathing was shallow. She looked down, gazing at her shirt: it was covered of blood. She couldn't help but fall again into her sadness. It was stronger than her. She tried to pass her hand over her mouth but before she could, the smell of blood gave her another wave of nausea. She then ran her hands over her eyes, looking the palms, then the posterior part of her hands. They were as bloody as her clothes. She turned on the tap, rubbing her hands under the hot water to remove the blood. She took the soap, scratching harder and harder to remove all this red viscosity that was invading her and overwhelming her. She heard herslef scream, cry without stopping, but she continued, desperate. She didn't finish washing them, but her trembling legs couldn't support her own weight any longer. She slipped to the ground, passing her wet hands over her face, crying as never. She heard the door open, a few steps that stopped quickly. And a voice.
"Aw, Gabby..."
Those steps she heard quickened, she percieved something else; something slamming to the ground, then she felt enveloped by two thin and long arms. By the voice, she recognized Sylvie.
"Casey will pull through Gabby. I'm sure about this".
Although she was still crying, she raised her head, facing the gaze of her friend.
"I... I-I'm not fooled", she managed to say between two sobs. "Matt took a bullet in the heart, I-I know what it means".
Indeed, Gabby wasn't anybody. She had been a PIC and knew perfectly what a GSW meant.
"But there is still hope", Sylvie tried to reassure. "You have to keep this hope".
"And what do I have to tell Liz?! Uh?! I tell her her dad is almost dead but she has to keep hope too?! She's only five!"
Brett remained still, without adding anything to what Gabby just said. Because she knew that her best friend was right: how to tell this to a five year old daughter, her own daughter? Wanting to affirm her support, Brett placed her left hand on one of Gabby's shoulders.
"I'm here if you need any help. You know that. I will do anything for my goddaughter".
Gabby's crying decreased, and after a few minutes, there were just some slight sobs.
"I can't do this alone", she admitted, wiping her tears. "I can't tell this to Liz alone".
"Then I'll be there. And Kelly as well. We'll be there".
Gabby raised her head to cross her gaze and her small sad smile. She nodded before taking her into her arms for a few comforting seconds.
"Thank you", Gabby murmured into her ear.
Brett helped Gabby to get up and left the room to join Kelly in the waiting room. He had made a makeshift sling the time to know the progress of the surgery: he didn't want to be treated. He felt like he didn't deserve it, not yet.
"You should be treated", Brett insisted.
But Kelly refused again, shaking his head from side to side.
"Not before Matt comes out of there".
Brett had noticed earlier that the bullet he received hadn't fully crossed his body, but was still inside, somewhere. He needed surgery. He was even paler than Gabby, he was shivering. She was going into shock. Brett didn't have a chance to change his mind.
"Let me at least clean the wound. You won't hold long in this condition".
Kelly thought about it. On one hand, he didn't want to be treated because it meant he wouldn't know how was Matt and he also felt guilty. But on the other hand, he knew deep down that his own condition was deteriorating and he needed emergency care. He sighed, lowering his head and closing his eyes. Then he nodded very lightly. Brett stood up and looked at Chout who came back to them. She approached him and she asked him to follow her somewhere less noisy.
"We need to cure Kelly so that he can stay conscious and alert until the end of the operation".
"What?! Are you serious?!"
He looked her carefully, hoping to figure a joke from Brett, but she was very serious".
"He must be in shock, Casey bled out on him as he was losing blood himself".
Brett wanted to talk, but she stopped, thinking about something. She crossed her arms, frwoning.
"If... If their bloods mixed, then he should have gone into shock long time ago, right?"
Chout nodded.
"That's not the case?"
"No! He lost a lot of blood then yes he's at the edge of a hypovolemic shock, but not a septic one".
Brett and Chout hurried then on Kelly and Gabby.
"Gabby, do you know Matt's blood type and his rhesus?"
"Uh... He... I think he's B. Negative. Why?"
Chout then gazed at Kelly.
"Lieutenant? What's your blood type and your rhesus?"
"I... I don't understand".
"Just... Answer the question Kelly, please", Brett begged.
Kelly was on the verge to faint, but he answered before letting go and falling to the ground, unconscious.
"B. Negative..."
Brett, Chout and Gabby rushed on him, calling a doctor and some nurses.
"That's why he didn't go into septic shock: same blood type, same rhesus".
Sylvie removed his jacket then ripped his shirt. He had lost at least a liter of blood already, if not more. Dr. Choi arrived with two nurses beside him.
"What happened?"
"GSW just above the left collarbone twenty minutes ago, still inside and he lost a lot of blood. The bullet passed through Matt's chest before hitting him", Gabby stated.
"And he didn't go into septic shock before?!" Ethan said astonished.
"Same blood type, same rhesus".
"Bring a stretcher, four bags of O negative, twso bags of plasma, what to do a filling and monitor him. And call 1-0-1, we need to find the bullet and we have to stabilize him".
"Why not B negative?"
"Priority to Casey".
Quickly, the medical staff went to work and brought Kelly into trauma 2 where a nurse hooked him to a cardiac monitor and where a secodn nurse placed a non-rebreather mask on his face.
"Pulse at 113, BP at 8 over 5".
"Start the filling and put the bags of blood and plasma on the IV pole. Where is the protable x-ray?"
"En route doctor".
A few seconds later, x-ray was here and Ethan put it in place to x-ray his shoulder.
"There! Not deeply rooted".
"What does that mean?" Brett asked.
"We can remove it. The bullet just hit his muscles".
"B-but... Why he lost this amount of blood?"
"Shoulder muscles are sensitive. It's not rare to see this blood loss".
"Then what do we do now?"
"We'll stabilize him, and then we'll remove the bullet".
Brett, Chout and Gabby didn't nod, they were worry.
"Pressure is coming up, pulse is stabilizing".
"Ok, we'll remove it now. You paged a surgeon?"
"I'm here".
Thsi voice made everyone jump, and all looked toward the door.
"Excuse me", he threw to the people at the door.
The two paramedics and Gabby moved aside to let him in.
"What do we have?"
"GSW above the left collarbone, superficial, just hit muscles but heavy blood loss. Pulse at 90, BP at 10 over 6".
"Stable?"
"Pulse is stable, his pressure is coming up gradually and slowly".
"Alright, lidocaine".
Choi turned to the surgeon, frowning.
"You won't sedate him?"
"Locally. No need to sedate him and intubate him on this case. A local anesthesia will be sufficient".
In less then fifteen minutes, the surgery were finished and Kelly's arm was wrapped in a sling to immobilize his shoulder. Ethen removed the oxygen mask to place a nasal cannula, amply sufficient to supply the oxygen needed for Kelly. Then he approched the group.
"His pulse is stable, his pressure is coming up. He should regain consciousness in a few minutes", he assure with a slight smile.
"And... And Matt?"
His smile disappeared in no time, and he shook his head. He didn't have news.
"I need to talk to Liz. I... She has to know".
Gabby turned and left the hospital to pick up her daughter. She needed to see her. Arrived at the preschool, she entered but she was soon stopped by one of the staff members.
"Mrs. Casey? You weren't supposed to pick up Liz today, or this soon", the boss stated. "And you're covered of blood".
"There was an accident. I need to see Liz and take her".
"An accident?"
"Her father is in life-threatening surgery. Please".
A few seconds later, Liz was in front of her mom, both happy to see her and scared by this blood on her jacket.
"Mama, why do you have blood on you?" she asked.
"It's nothing Liz", she assured with a big smile. "Come with me, we're going somewhere".
"But where?"
Gabby sighed.
"Eliza please, do what I say".
This called upon Liz enough to do what her mother said: she called her Eliza if she did a bad thing or if something went wrong. Then she put her shoes on and followed her mother into the car. She said nothing during the trip, seeing that her mother were highly concerned about something serious. Five minutes later, Gabby parked the car behind the hospital.
"Mama, why we're at the hospital? Where's daddy?"
Gabby continued to say nothing, detaching Liz and putting her on the ground. Seeing her mother like this broke her heart.
"Mama, where is daddy?"
But Gabby didn't answer. Liz just saw her bite her lips and repress a sob. Then she stopped, crossing her arms and looking at her mother.
"Eliza, I'm not in a mood for your acting!"
"I won't move until you tell me what's going on".
Liz was firm, and she wasn't an idiot. She knew her mother was hiding something and she wanted to know what. Gabby sighed and turned, giving Eliza the chance to look her mother's face. She sat in a bench and tried to explain.
"Daddy... You know our job is dangerous, right?"
"Uh uh..."
"Well... Since a week, we're having many calls in a neighbourhood with a lot of bad guys who are shooting at each other".
Gabby looked her daughter. She seems so innocent with this gaze, it made her sick to have to see her face change in a second.
"About an hour ago, we had a call in this neighbourhood and these bad guys shot at each other. And we were in the middle of this".
"In the middle?! Of the shooting?"
Gabby nodded, bitting her lips and taking a deep breath.
"Uncle Kelly was going to be shot, so daddy jumped on him. And he's the one who took a bullet".
As expected, Liz's innocence fadded in no time, in just a few microseconds.
"Is he okay?"
"Unfortunately not. Daddy is badly injured and..."
She didn't continue further, unable to tell the truth to her daughter. She broke down. She began to cry in front of Liz. Understanding the situation, Eliza hugged her mother tenderly.
"Mama? Daddy is the strongest man in the world. He will live, don't worry".
This made Gabby laugh. She had to explain the situation to her daughter and comfort her, but her daughter was now comforting her.
"I was the one who was supposed to cheer you up", she admitted, wiping the tears streaming down her cheeks.
"We have to trust daddy", she reassured.
Although she didn't show it to her mom, Liz wanted to scream and cry. She knew it was bad, really bad, because her mother came to pick her up. It meant they had to fear the worst.