Chapter Six: Slippery Snow Bridge Crevasses: Rescue Deliverance of Hypothermia!
By the time Ranma, reached the Blue Glacier, the light from his electronic tracker turned green. (So Kuno's on this glacier someplace.) Ranma kept on fallowing the Blue Glacier, not to mention his electronic tracker until he heard a voice.
"Ra-Ahh!" Ranma looked around when he finally found Kuno, on the snow bridge. "Kuno!"
Ranma tried calling out at him again. "Yo, Kuno!" And again.. "What are you doing up there?"
Tatewaki heard Ranma, quiet well, but he couldn't move. (One step, and I might be done for.)
This time Ranma, studied the situation rather oddly. (What's he doing up there?)
Tatewaki took a deep breath. (Then again..I could be wrong..) he slowly, slid his foot back on more secure, glacial ground when he finally slipped through the cracks falling through the snow bridge crevasses. "Ahh!"
Ranma's eyes almost dropped out of his sockets as he gasp; words were beyond him. "Uh- Oh my God, Kuno." Ranma quickly made the rest of his way down to the edge Blue Glacier when he saw Tatewaki, struggling to lift himself out of the water. Ranma stuck his hand out to him. "Here, grab on?"
Tatewaki's red, tired, ice-daggered, snake-like eyes handed Ranma, a bitter- icy-cold glare; he shivered like never before. He only snapped at him sulky, resentment before he pushed it away. "I don't want your hand, Saotome! I can save myself!"
Ranma's eyes grew huge; he couldn't believe what he just heard. (He did not just- I can't believe this.) Ranma, rolled his eyes aside with a sigh. "Oh, come on Kuno, don't be so stupid. Grab my hand, so I can pull you out before you freeze to death in there."
"I rather say in here, and freeze."
"How can you possibly say that!?"
"How can you possibly save me; you're not real!"
Ranma couldn't bear to hear anymore. (He's not serious!?) "Yes I am!"
"No you're not!"
"If you'll just let me prove it to you; if you just let me help you out!" Ranma shouted back over to him.
Tatewaki shook his head; he shivered so much he couldn't move. Weakened in his state Tatewaki, soon slipped off, and went down under.
Ranma's eyes expanded again. "No.. Kuno!" Ranma waited for a few seconds to see if he would've popped back up, but nothing. "No!" Ranma's eyes shook; now he was the one that couldn't move. "No..Kuno.." Tears streamed down his face as they hit the water, and glacial grounds beneath him. Kuno!" Ranma closed his eyes as he shook his head. (No! No! Okay, crying ain't gonna do me any good; there's gotta be some way to get him out of there. At least try. (But what can I possibly do?) Ranma studied the water, and then the snow bridged when some flashbacks dawned upon him.
***FLASHBACK***
Tatewaki, atomically went back to his sled, before he pulled out some hooks, ropes, and last but not least a harness. "I say we climb over it." Ranma, on the other hand atomically, snapped right up at Tatewaki. "Climb over it! What if we fall through it? There's nothing down here? Are you trying to get us killed!?" Tatewaki, sat everything up, and tied everything down; he turned right to Ranma. "You, first."
Ranma, turned to Tatewaki, in disbelief before he socked him . "Only in your dreams frosty head; you go first."
"Withal, who knows when we'll end up crossing another one. Consider as the challenge Saotome; this will be good practice." Ranma, eyed Tatewaki, in irritation, and suspicion. "Ugh.. alright I get your point; I'll go down first. It's not like it's a challenge trying to get it back from you anyway." Tatewaki, cleared his throat. "Good, not we're clear on things let's get started." Tatewaki, led Ranma, over with the rope, with safe communication calls along the way. "I'm over, you can stop now!" Ranma, called out.
"Very well then," Tatewaki, called back out.
***FLASHBACK END***
(That's it! If he can't grab onto the side.. then he can grab onto the rope, and I can pull him out that way.) Ranma stood up. "Hey, you! I'm not gonna just stand here, and watch you die on me; you understand that Kuno! You hear me Kuno!" This time Ranma, ran to his sled, pulled out his rope, and quickly tossed the rope up, and over into the water. "Come on Kuno.. come on.. grab the rope." (Come on you..) A few more seconds past. "Come on Kuno, you can do it..just reach the rope..the rope.." Ranma slowly, brought himself back to the glacial ground in more tears. "No. No. No. No. No. No." This time Ranma shouted out of nowhere. "Kuno!" Yet, once again, the only thing that was brought back to him was the lost echoes of Antarctica.
Ranma only lowed himself the glacial ground, once more, as huddled himself into a snowball. "No. No. No. No. No. No. No... No. No. No .No. No. No. No."
As silent as a fish, Ranma, never seen it coming, but finally felt it..defiantly felt it; the tug on the rope. Ranma, looked up with anxious hope."Huh?" A hand popped out in the fallowing; one that was very well attached to the rope. Ranma's eyes widened. (There's no way he's-) The thought came as soon as it left. It didn't even take less than a second for Ranma, to react. Ranma, automatically grabbed his left hand, and the rope with his right, and soon pulled Tatewaki up, and out of the water.
{AN: Now that's what I call out of the roam of extreme possibility.}
The moment Tatewaki got out he bent over on his knees, and coughed up water to no end. Ranma, at first watched him get it all out before he patted his back trying help him relax. After that, Ranma, atomically brought Tatewaki, right into his arms holding him in close for warmth. A good thirty minutes went by while tears streamed down their faces as they in each other arms. Once, Ranma, got a hold of things again he pulled out. He brought his hands, and his wet face up by Kuno's. Ranma, looked deep into those sad- lifeless eyes before he finally spoke. "We're gonna get you back, okay? We're going get whatevers in those damn ice crystals, and then get the hell on out of here; okay Kuno?"
Tatewaki nodded, but the minute he looked back up at Ranma, his trembling words took a different tune. "No..."
Ranma handed him an off look. "What? Huh? Did you just say no?"
Tatewaki brought his arms back to himself as he held himself, and trembled. "We- can't."
"What do you mean we can't!?" Ranma snapped out in exclamation.
"We won't make it like this," Tatewaki's voiced lowered, and softened.
"And why the hell not!?" Ranma stormed out in questionable expression.
Tatewaki shuddered trialing on his explanation. "It's too far.." Tatewaki, looked down aside into deep, hallow shadows; he started to lose his voice. "You'll have to go on without me..for I fear I won't make it."
Ranma pulled Tatewaki, in again; holding him closer, and tighter. He, pulled himself slightly away again as he brought one hand to the side of his face another time. "No, Kuno, we're going to make. You're going make it; you hear me?"
Tatewaki nodded in extreme doubt before he felt Ranma shake him this time. "We're going to make it. I promise."
Tatewaki slightly, turned his head away. (Maybe it would've been if I just let myself drown.) Along with that his hoarse voice had spoken."Don't make promises you can't keep."
Ranma forced Tatewaki, towards him this time in serious demanded. "I promise." Ranma, slipped his other hand back on the other side of his face.
"I can't be out here for much longer," Tatewaki added in a husky tone.
Ranma turned around with his hands out. "Come on you let's wormed up." Tatewaki pulled himself half-way on Ranma, when Ranma, finished helping him on his back. (He's soaking wet.)
{Yeah, Ranma, doesn't change; I'm letting it slide this time; cause after all this work, and after all the extra editing I had to do...I just don't care.}
"Man, we really need to get you out of those clothes," Ranma pulled a look towards the exhausted, depressed, shivering boy. "Where is your sled at buddy, humph?"
"At the edge of the snow bridge," Tatewaki answered back the best he could.
Ranma's eyes widened back at Tatewaki. "Seriously!?" Tatewaki simply nodded. "And how are we suppose to get that?"
Tatewaki shook his head. "We don't."
"But what about the ice cores?"
"Forget the ice cores."
"Are you kidding me? Isn't that why you're risking everything, if not your life in the first place to find those ice cores?"
Tatewaki grew tired, very tired as he simply nodded again.
"Look, Kuno, after I put up my tent, and get you settled I can come back for them. Just tell me what I need to do?"
"Just forget about them. Contact Dr. Keisuke, he'll fill you out- on the- rest," Tatewaki's eyes were nearly closing. Ranma noticed the sudden silence, and eyed near behind him to see that he was more than ready to pass out.
"Hey, don't you faint on me now," Ranma, implied on demanded.
"Um.."
Ranma tried to shake him awake. "Try staying awake okay, Kuno."
No comment.
"Please Kuno?"
No answer.
"For me, Kuno."
"Um..um.." Tatewaki's eyes finally came to a close, and had finally passed out.
Ranma didn't even have to look behind to see that Tatewaki, had passed out. The bodyweight of Tatewaki's body said it all. (Shit..how out all the times for him to pass- out on me.) Ranma wasn't sure what to do, expected one thing, and one thing alone. Ranma, dug through his Antarctic coat pocket, yet again, to contact Dr. Keisuke. "Dr. Keisuke.. Dr. Keisuke..
Another voice came through the other end; one that wasn't horse or scratchy in any way. "You sound troubled, what's wrong?"
"Kuno fell through a snow bridge, and he just fainted on me, and so now I'm not sure what to do?"
"The first thing is to do is to get him out of the cold, wind, and rain; the sooner the better."
"I'm heading up to my sled now; will he be fine in a tent though?"
"He should be fine as long as you keep him as dry as possible; which means you're going to have remove all his clothes, and put dry ones on him."
Ranma paused for a minute. "Wait a minute..everything?" Ranma bit on his lip.
"Everything," Dr. Keisuke, toned in all seriousness. "If he wakes up..if he wakes up keep him awake, and keep him from getting any colder; during then I'll send a rescue team down for you two, okay. Whatever you do stay there.
(Well that's gonna be a bit awkward, but I guess I'm not gonna have much of a choice.)
"Okay, but there's another problem, Kuno's sled is at the edge snow bridge where collapse at, and the other two ice cores are in there."
"The rescue them will retrieve anything missing," Dr. Keisuke, answered at last. "I'm calling the search team up now; if there's anything else you need let me know."
"All right," Ranma put his transceiver away before he let out a long sigh. (I warned him that he could get seriously hurt out here. If he only he wasn't being so stubborn, and had let me pull him out. He wouldn't be this bad off right now.) After that, another thought came flying at him. (Huh..never thought I'd see the day where I had to fish him out anything before...especially in Antarctica, of all places.)
A few minutes later, Ranma, finally arrived at his sled, and quickly pulled everything off; he placed Tatewaki, on it with an extra blanket thrown upon him. Ranma soon pulled out his tent, and sat it up. Afterwards, once Ranma, was done fixing everything up he went to bring Tatewaki, next. Carrying him like before, Ranma, entered the tent, and placed him on the extra blanket that was just over him before. (Okay, now that I got him out of the cold, I have to, now, get these wet clothes off of him.) After the thought retraced back in Ranma's mind, an odd look arose up in Ranma as he cringed. (I thought this would be easier then what it actually is..but If I don't do this he might die.) Ranma anxiously swallowed. (Okay then.) Then he took a deep breath as he cracked his knuckles. (Here goes nothing.)
Finally, with the removal of Tatewaki's wet clothing, Ranma, finally grabbed the set of dry clothes that was next to him, and started dressing him back up. The next thing Ranma, grabbed was one of his under-layered shirts. He paused for a minute as he studied the boy in front of him. Once when he realized he couldn't control the blush on his face, he squeezed his eyes shut, and shook his head. The moment he reopened them he automatically looked at the shirt he had held within in hand. (Okay, on you go.) Afterwards, Tatewaki, was soon placed his sleeping bag. Ranma, simply sat next to it, studying the hypothermic man. A sad frown took over his face; he simply looked down, and away to the side. (All of this mess, over some stupid file. Too bad his file was at the broken end of that snow bridge.) Ranma simply shook his head. (No, it would've been wrong for me to be sneaking into any of his stuff right now.) He closed his eyes for a minute as he sighed. (If only I knew.)
Just then Ranma noticed a piece of photographic paper that had been at the edge of the sleeping bag. (Huh? I wonder when I lost this.. or whenever Kuno, took from me?) Ranma studied the picture for a moment, comparing it to the hypothermic boy. (How did it ever come to this?) Ranma closed his eyes once more before he let out a short sigh.
He reopened his eyes as he studied the motionless body, yet, again. (Um...I guess I better check his temperature.) Ranma slowly, lifted his hand as he felt Tatewaki's forehead. (He's still freezing cold.) His expression clearly, dropped. (I don't know what else I can possibly do?) By this point, Ranma, simply lowered himself down to Tatewaki, as he laid there next to him. Melancholic, hopelessness froze to him; he placed his hand over Tatewaki's sleeping-bag covered chest as he rubbed it back, and forth; tears soon streamed down his face once again. Conversely, Ranma, was comfortable, and worm; his eyes began to shut when the rescue team had just flown in.
At Submarine Lab
Ranma stood starting at the door that Tatewaki, was on the other side of. He watched it filled with worry, concern, and anxiousness. The apprehensiveness was agonizing him to the end. When Ranma, couldn't take it anymore he turned to Dr. Keisuke, who at the time, seemed too preoccupied with his experiments. "Kuno, is over there with doctors doing who knows what to him, and you're messin' around with a bunch of stupid ice cores. Aren't they suppose to be taking him to a hospital, or somethin'?"
Dr. Keisuke turned to Ranma. "I am concerned for Tatewaki's well being; the least I can do is carry out his wishes. I say it's best to let them do their job for now, and once they're done we can go in, and visit him."
Ranma's eyes drifted from Dr. Keisuke, back to the door.
Behind it, Tatewaki's was in a worm bath while the rescue team's doctors, and surgeons were monitoring him around the clock. When the time came, the two doctors where both on the account for arterial, blood gases, blood count, prothrombin time. Glucose, electrolytes, blood urea, nitrogen, serum creatinine, amylase, liver function, ECG, chest radiograph, and last but not least urinalysis test.
One doctor injected him warm intravenous fluids of solution of saltwater (saline) into one of his veins to help worm the blood; approximately fifteen to twenty- two ml/hr.
{AN: If I got that right.}
The second doctor provided him with humidified oxygen that came with a mask connected to a nasal tube, so that they could worm his airways, and raise temperature in the rest of his body.
The other four rescue- team members were setting up his bed, and setting up heating blanks, chemical hot packs, on the stand nearby. For whatever test couldn't have been done at the time; it would've taken care of once Tatewaki, was out of the tub. Sadly enough, Tatewaki, wasn't anywhere close.
Ranma paced back, and forth obviously more worried about Tatewaki, then he'd like to admit. Ranma dug his hand in his pocket when he pulled out Tatewaki' s picture. Ranma, notice Dr. Keisuke, watching in curiosity. Ranma, shrugged aside. "He found it, you know;" Ranma turned back to the picture before another notion made him vein. "He also found his tin cylinder, and kept it to himself; that's how this whole mess began in the first place."
"You didn't look his file while he was out?" Dr. Keisuke, asked, questioning Ranma's methods.
"Na, I saw too worried about him to think about anything else-" Ranma quickly covered his mouth. (What did I just say? What did I just say? I didn't just say that? Did I?) Ranma read the looks Dr. Keisuke, gave him. Ranma, stepped back. "I meant, it was on the edge of that bridge with the rest of his stuff, and I couldn't get to it." Ranma scowled, and threw a mean narrow at Dr. Keisuke."Don't you dear tell him I just said that."
"I think you could've if you wanted it bad enough," Dr. Keisuke added in cleverly, but that didn't necessarily make him wrong.
Ranma expression never changed. "What's that suppose to mean?"
"You come all the way down here just to bring him back; and when you ended up stuck on this adventure with him you saved his life. You could've just let him die, and went for his file instead..but you didn't. It means you care." Dr. Keisuke attached on in explanation.
Ranma flushed, and snapped back at him. "Hey, that's enough of that. Besides, if you think I care oh so much then I think I should finally know what's in that file of his!"
"Sorry, I can't do that to Kuno; and you can't expect me to," Dr. Keisuke, pressed in, in all honesty.
"At least tell me what the document was about?"
"It was about the legend: Ice Crystals of Mixed Seas," Dr. Keisuke, answered in a obvious tone.
Ranma closed his eyes frustrated. (Okay, let's try this another way.) "What's in that water? And what does this have to do with me?"
Dr. Keisuke looked up from his lab, to Ranma."Did Tatewaki, say that you had anything to do with this?"
"Well..erm..no, I just- it seems you guys are keeping secrets from me, about me. I just don't see what I have to do with a bunch of legendary ice crystals."
"You don't have anything to do with these ice crystals," Dr. Keisuke, cut in short. (At least, not practically the ice crystals themselves.)
Ranma went over to the lab table, and leaned over to towards Dr. Keisuke. What's in that water, huh doc?
"Something-"
"Oh let me guess, rare, legendary, scarce ..heard it all doc."
"It's something you'll have to discuss with Tatewaki," Dr. Keisuke cleverly messing with Ranma, this time; but even that didn't necessarily make it not true.
Ranma clenched his fist together. "Tell me now before I beat it out of you, you ol' man!"
Suddenly a surgeon came in, followed by the main doctor. Dr. Keisuke poked his head up at Ranma, hinting to him that they had visitors. Ranma, turned around to face the two, and had finally walked up to them; Dr. Keisuke simply fallowed behind him.
"How's he doing?" Ranma asked in concerned, demanding wonderment.
The surgeon, and doctor exchanged looks.
"He's in a coma?" The surgeon slowly, stated.
Ranma's eyes expanded before he stepped back. "He's what!?"
Ranma stepped forward to them this time. "He's what!?"
"Please calm down," The doctor ordered for Tatewaki's piece.
"How the hell did he get into a coma," Ranma started to make his way past them. "I wanna see him!"
Yet, there were two other people, from the rescue team, who had held him back.
"From his Hypothermia, so settle down," the doctor declared again.
Ranma pushed harder trying to escape their grasp. "No, I wanna see him."
Just then Dr. Keisuke, walked in front of him. "Now- now there's no need to get all worked up;" Dr. Keisuke turned to the rest. "For how long?"
The doctor, and surgeon, exchanged more looks.
Ranma shouted out at them this time. "How long!?"
"It's a coma; it could be hours, days, weeks, months, years, who knows," the doctor started up.
"According to his condition, it should take up to only six hours.. maybe more. A coma at this state is only comatose, but it could change. Now his hypothermia, is moderate to severe; he came in at thirty-two degrees, but now he's at thirty-six. It's good, but it's slower then what we usually monitor," the surgeon explained.
Ranma blinked before he asked another question."What's the normal temperature?"
"Ninety-eight to a hundred," the doctor answered back.
Ranma snapped at them again. "And he's only at thirty- six!?"
"You have to give him time," the surgeon said in a composed voice.
"Isn't there anything else that you can do?" Ranma asked him.
"We took all the necessary procedures we need to in order to treat him for now; if he doesn't have half of his body heat within the next thirty minutes there are few more things we can try."
"Why can't you just go in there, and do it now!?" Ranma threw in aggressively.
"If we precede too fast it'll kill him!" the doctor exclaimed in a demanding tone.
Ranma handed them looks he had never given anymore before. He didn't wanna hear that; he didn't wanna hear it at all. "He wasn't under the water for that long."
"He's had hypothermia long before he fell through the snow bridge; the water he had fell into only made his condition worse," the doctor cleared out. Ranma blinked in an unexpected surprise.
"He did?"
"We suspect about a week ago," the doctor eyed his watch before he nodded the surgeon back into the other room.
Dr. Keisuke turned to Ranma. "He never mentioned anything to you."
Ranma shook his head. "He may not have notice, especially if he ended up delirious from being here for so long."
It didn't take even less than half of a second for the words to reach Ranma's ears. "He is delirious; he's hallucinating a fake me; he thinks I'm not real!"
"Are you sure he's not just highly delusional?" the doctor asked in reassurance.
"If he were, he wouldn't be acting as if Ranma, where there," Dr. Keisuke, answered at last.
"Has he been lost in himself lately? Lost in the world? Too far for anyone to reach?"
"Lost in-" Ranma, thought back. "Well I know that he isn't acting like himself." (Well I guess that would explain what he's doing all the way in Antarctica.)"Humph..it's almost as if they replaced the guy for someone else who looks just like him."
"It's the weather around here; it had thrown them off track before," Dr. Keisuke, cutted in.
"Has he shown any signs of in behavioral, or mood changes?"
"Well if you're asking if he's been depressed for the past few days.. I've never seen him like this before."
"Has he been experiencing any other hallucinations; what about paranoia?"
"Well I know he was paranoid about me taking his stupid file, so he switched them out back at some other crevasse; we wouldn't be in all this mess right now if he hadn't," Ranma, explained in a small bitter tone.
"Do you know why he's here?" The doctor asked farther on.
Ranma scowled in vein."I have no idea! Why won't you try asking him, or that old prune over there yourself; cause I'm the only one around here whose not getting any answers to anything!?"
Dr. Keisuke just then walked up to answer his question. "Oh.." The doctor's eyes shot open, and replied. "Well that sure explains a lot." He handed Ranma, a look.
Ranma looked at the doctor, back to scientist, back to the doctor again. "What?" Then he aimed his eyes at Dr. Keisuke. "What'd you tell him?"
"It's Doctor-Patient confidentiality."
"What? That makes no sense; cause that's only suppose to be between doctor, and patient."
"I'm the exception, because of everything that Tatewaki, had told me," Dr. Keisuke pressed in.
Ranma eyed the two with nothing but suspicion. "So, I am in this after all, huh?"
Just then the doctor switched the topic trying to throw Ranma off himself. "Has he have any sleep disturbances?"
Ranma eyed him with an off look. "Sometimes."
Another doctor came out. "His temperature just went up a few."
The doctor that was with Dr. Keisuke, and Ranma, turned to the one that was standing by the door."To what?"
"To forty- two."
"That's good, but not good enough," the surgeon expressed in seriousness.
"Well you can say that again!" Ranma pointed out disappointed once again.
The doctor turned to Ranma, for a minute before the other doctor, and the surgeon finally left back in the room.
Ranma watched the door closed with gloom written all over his . Keisuke, went back to the table he was working on when he noticed Ranma, still standing there motionless. "He'll be fine."
Ranma jerked a bit before he turned to the scientist. He slowly, walked on over to see what he was experimenting on. His eyes continued to scan the table to see lab equipment, and chemicals spread throughout. That's a lot of stuff."
Dr. Keisuke looked up from one of the chemical bottles he was holding. "There's more of it in the next room with the S.C.U.B.A gear.
Ranma blinked without a clue of what was going on. "So, what kind of experiment are you working on exactly, again?"
"I have to find the perfect balance throughout these chemicals, and the ice cores you two brought down." Ranma narrowed while the next question came to him in disbelief. "And Kuno, wanted you to do this?"
Dr. Keisuke shrugged before he replied back in response. "I'm the only one who can."
Ranma folded in his arms before he aimed his narrowed eyes at Dr. Keisuke. "So, what'd he pay you?"
Dr. Keisuke glanced from another bottle to Ranma. "The truth." Dr. Keisuke, put thebottle down before he walked through the room he mentioned before. He came as soon as he left; with an X- ray machine, and transparent plate; that came with decently, sized large light.
"What's that for?"
"X- rays."
"Don't people usually have to leave the room before they take X- rays?"
"That won't be necessary, but you will need some protection." Dr. Keisuke, pulled out two iron vest- like jackets, and handed it to Ranma. "Here ..all you need is to be exposed without any protection."
{AN: You know, kind of like what the dentist do.}
Ranma looked down at his vest with an awaked look on his face. "Uh..thanks."
Dr. Keisuke eventually had everything hooked up; he took as many X- rays he needed with each ice core, and then started the stratigraphy. One at a time, he placed core on the transparent tray. It was atomically scanned; and then shown on an old- fashion monitor he had. After all that Dr. Keisuke, went to release the iron vest off of Ranma, and went to put the vest, and everything else back; everything else except for the monitor. During this time, it took a few minutes before Dr. Keisuke, came back. This time he came back with another old fashion machine. He measure each temperature of the ice cores, to the previous ones in the past; the ones that were on the charts. Once he was done he checked the chart to see if snowfall had took place; then he searched for patterns of wind speed, direction, and strength. At last, he tested for or radioisotopes; measuring them on the electronic balancer he had.
Suspicions, inpatients, and soon control had all left Ranma. "What the hell does this have to do with Kuno?"
"It has nothing to do with Kuno."
"Look, old man, this has nothing to do with me."
"I never said it did." Ranma dropped his head before he let out a exhausted sigh. "I give up."
The doctor, and surgeon walked out with more problems. The two exchanged looks when Ranma caught on clearly, reading the expression on their faces.
"What's wrong?"
He's wormer, but not as much as we expected. He's only at forty- two now, when he should've- well..been to at least by sixty-five by now," The doctor let out first.
"We tried to clean out his system by using cavity lavage; we were expecting to bring the blood back up to normal speed, but he's not getting much from it."
"There is one last thing we can do, and it's risky procedure, but we might just save him," the surgeon explained.
"What procedure?" Ranma question off wanting to know more on what was going on. Yet, before anymore of his queries have been answered, the door from the patient's room opened; the perfusionist came out.
"It isn't enough, his body temperature just went back down to thirty- nine. We're going to have to go with our last option, and do a cardiopulmonary bypass."
"Huh? Do Cardio what?" Ranma asked as he try to resound the word in his head.
"Cardiopulmonary bypass," Dr. Keisuke repeated for him.
Ranma demanded on information. "Well, what is that?"
"It's a surgical procedure, to-" the perfusionist was about to go on father explanation before Ranma, had cut him off.
"Surgery!? What's he gonna need surgery for ?" Ranma interrogated under pressure, alarmed.
"In order to re-worm his blood," the perfusionist answered back. "In order to do that we're going to draw his blood, warm it up, and have it recalculated back into his body. And in order to do that we're going to cut a selection of his blood vessels to create a pathway, so we can hook for the two cannulas to them. The two cannulas are connected to a machine that basically pumps like human heart. The pump will be filled with worm oxygen. One of the cannulas, collects blood that would return to his heart, and the rest to his lungs. The second one, feeds the oxygenated blood back into the body."
Ranma, wore an odd, twisted face hearing about Tatewaki's blood being wormed, and returned to him. No less, he only caught on half of what the perfusionist said. "So you guys are going to connect Kuno, to some kind of machine, to bump worm blood back into his body?"
"More, or less." Dr. Keisuke, cleared his throat, when the doctors turned to him.
The three exchanged looks clearly, knowing what was on Dr. Keisuke's mind.
"Now what is it?" Ranma pushed in worked up.
The three exchanged looks once again.
Ranma clenched his hands to his sides."Tell me what it is!?"
"This isn't your ordinary surgery," the doctor began. Ranma, pressed on his interrogation. "What do you mean not ordinary!?"
"It' s a surgical bypass," the surgeon gave out little by little.
Ranma looked at them obtaining a really bad feeling himself. "What's a bypass?"
"It means we're going to have stop his heart - during the procedure- through the use of chemicals." the perfusionist explained at last.
Everything grew silent for that minute. Everyone saw the reaction on Ranma's face. Ranma never looked so unsettled, so upset in his life. Panic jolt him, anxiety stressed him, nerves stained him, and anxiousness pushed him over the vexed edge "Stop his heart!? I thought you guys were suppose to cure him, not kill him." He, came up closer to the perfusionist. "Can't you think of anything else!?"
"Look the only way we're going to save your friend-"
The doctor cleared his throat before he went on over, and whispered the same thing Dr. Keisuke, said, to the perfusionist, and the surgeon.
"Oh/Ohh.." The two turned to Ranma, in surprised.
Ranma stared at the two rather perplexed. "What?"
The surgeon smirked; the perfusionist, on the other hand, answered in a way he knew Ranma, wouldn't understand. "Don't worry..he's gonna be just fine."
Ranma eyed at the three in animosity. "So which one of you lunatics are going to be stopping his heart, huh?"
"That would be us," the surgeon, replied referring to him, and perfusionist.
Ranma jumped right up by the two, and snapped out of the tense fear, and stress. "You better not let him die; you hear me!?"
Everyone answered back to Ranma. "He's going to be just fine!"
Ranma stood there at a halt, looking rather surprised; he then stepped back before he mumbled along. "He better be."
The doctor, sergeant, and perfusionist finally, left back into Tatewaki's room.
The surgeon, and the perfusionist gather the surgical equipment together, before the doctor called out to the other. "We need to take him out of the tub."
The two doctors finally got together when they removed Tatewaki, from the tub, and placed him onto the table. The head doctor hooked him up to more IV's before the surgeon, and perfusionist started on his cardiopulmonary surgical bypass.
It was a new world, a different world, a fantastic world, This mystic land was quiet exotic, dream- like. Well of course it was, it had to be; it was a dream after all. The place was untouched, pure, and serene. Calm, tranquil, and peaceful; not to mention quiet relaxing. The place looked empty; the sounds, ambient vibes, and interruptions where all dissimilar. Dissimilar in a way it was way past beyond the roam of extreme possibility.
The environment was like bizarre; the impressions gave off a twilight- video- game zone; set at all sorts of different dimensions. The light blue sky, and cool breeze past Tatewaki, as he stood there on the slick smooth ice. The blazing sun shined down on it, and the snowy white sawtooth mountains, and stood out oddly in the background. Not to mention the dry cave up ahead; compared to the dry grounds at Lake Fryxell. There was a lake there filled with dark blue icy-cold water. It had an broken iceberg in the middle of it, with a super- dolly-zoom sized penguin in the middle of in. There were other penguins around on the same ice Tatewaki, was on; they were smaller, much smaller. The place enclosed on Tatewaki, as he felt trapped in a giant glacial box, with penguins all around him.
Tatewaki was still; his eyes hung open in disbelief. (Jin?) Tatewaki slowly, looked up to the top where the penguins head casting a block between the intense, vivid sun. In spite of this, the penguin kept moving; making Tatewaki, squint at the sun; the one that practically blind him. The penguin started to squawk out something to him, but Tatewaki, couldn't hear him, and he couldn't understand. It was as if he were the penguin this time. Tatewaki tried to ask what was going on, but he couldn't even hear his own voice; he didn't even know he couldn't hear his own voice. The dream grew in, and pulled Tatewaki, deeper, and deeper into it; vanishing into a black hole; as of now he couldn't see anything.
Dr. Keisuke, simply, went on ahead to the second part of his experiment. This time he was comparing, and matching chemicals; through a sub-type of active, and passive transport; seeing which elements would weigh more, less, and/or fall evenly. The more even, and stable, the better chances of Ranma's cure.
"Are you still going to continue this-" Ranma glanced at the door back the scientist. "-if he doesn't make it?"
Dr. Keisuke paused for a moment, and then gazed up at him. "Yes; I would. I don't see any reason not to."
This atomically lead Ranma, to his next question. "Would I be able to look at his file then?"
Dr. Keisuke nodded. "Absolutely."
Ranma stepped back surprised. "Really?"
Dr. Keisuke nodded along once again. "He would've wanted me to."
"So you're saying the only way I'm going to find out what's in that file, is if Kuno, dies?" Ranma's toned in seriously.
"Not at all. All I'm saying is that if Tatewaki, somehow doesn't make it, that I would be the only one to give it to you, because I'm the only other person who knows everything Tatewaki, isn't telling you." Dr. Keisuke, stacked some papers together before he added to his explanation. "No matter what, you'll find out one way, or the other."
"Why can't you just tell me now then?"
"Because, Tatewaki's is technically still alive," Dr. Keisuke answered before he added on more explanation. "And in this case, it's only up to him to show you what's in his file." At last, Dr. Keisuke, gathered his chemical substance he called: Ross Sea, Yellow River, Lake Fryxell, and ice cores as Jusenkyo's waters. (There at least has to be one of these elements that would be even, and stable enough in Jusenkyo's waters to cure him.)
Papers that contained information of an estimate of Ranma's height, weight, different diameters, lengths, and widths to see how much his other half needed to be cured. It also contained the amount in the Lake Fryxell's water in the ice crystal, and also the amount of Jusenkyo's waters within them. In addition, to the amount of the waters of the Ross Sea, Yellow River, Lake Fryxell, McMurdo sound, of the older samples he took before. Not to mention their mass, and other chemical variables inside the chemicals.
{AN: Gotta watch out for those variables now.)
And, so, with the chemically crushed/shaved ice, thermometer's, Bunsen burners, hot plates, heat, flasks', condensers, filers, beakers', test tubes', vials', and the dropper, Dr. Keisuke, finally began the next part of his experiment.
First, he filled each bottom half of the four beakers with Jusenkyo's crushed/shaved ice; all within the same measurement. Secondly, he pour the first beaker into one out of the four flask he had. He placed it near over the hot plate; the one that sat within distance of the Bunsen burner. Using the heat at a decent temperature, it slowly melted the Jusenkyo's crushed/shaved ice into cursed hydrogen oxide, dihydrogen monoxide, Hydrogen monoxide, Hydrogen hydroxide..and whatever other names you can come up with water.
{AN: Dihydrogen Monoxide- read it again; cause I don't any messages about it.}
After he melted the water, he used a condenser to cool it, and used his filter to filter it into the flask, and then back into the beaker once again. In the following, Dr. Keisuke, took his dropper, and obtain a small sample of it, and then placed it in a separate vial from the rest he had for further study.
Ranma kept a close watch on what he was doing while trying to figure out what it had to do with Tatewaki's file.
Dr. Keisuke did the same for all four beakers before he moved onto the chemicals. Fallowing along the route of the legend, he started with the waters from the Yellow River first. Since it was just water, instead of crushed/shaved ice from the ice core, Dr. Keisuke, simply wormed the water to same temperature; then using the condenser again, he cooled it, and filtered it into another flask before the water finally hit the top of the water from Jusenkyo, within the first beaker.
Ranma continued to watch lost in continuous question.
Dr. Keisuke did the same with the rest of the chemicals, until all four beakers were full. Taking a sample from each, Dr. Keisuke, placed each sample into the test tubes. After that he took one test tube at a time, and filled up each vial at a time until all four vials were full. Onwards, he placed them in all in the freezer for further study. Carefully, observing the beakers he watched the chemicals slowly react with each. It took a good few minute, but what Dr. Keisuke, was looking for he found. "I found it."
Ranma oddly, eyed the beakers."Found what?" He leaned over to take a closer look. "So Kuno, was willing to put himself through all this mess..just for that?"
Dr. Keisuke turned to Ranma. "It was an accident."
Ranma looked away with his eyes shut. "Seemed he wanted to drown to me. Then he turned to Dr. Keisuke. "I tried rescuing him, but he wouldn't let me...man if only he weren't so stubborn."
"If I were in his shoes I would've just drowned.. if I weren't to be able to handle what was ahead for me."
Ranma eyed the beakers on the table. "So, what exactly did you find?"
"Well-" Dr. Keisuke began. "This beaker that shows the water from the Ross Sea, are too salty." He pulled out the next beaker."This beaker shows the waters from McMurdo Sound, are too crystalline from the sea ice." After that, he pulled out the next marked beaker. "Now this beaker shows waters from the Yellow River-"
"Hey! You never mentioned anything about a yellow river."
"It was one of the rivers mentioned in the legend."
"So, I guess this means you two didn't want to me know about this yellow river; well am I right, or what?"
"That's only because of where it's located," Dr. Keisuke said, bringing himself back on topic. "With the waters from the ice crystals, along with the waters of the Yellow River, they're too dense by their molecules to spread out evenly."
Ranma tossed his eyes aside in annoyance. "They all look the same to me."
Dr. Keisuke pulled out the last one."The waters from Lake Fryxell seems to be the winner; the water molecules between Lake Fryxell, and the ice crystals seem to be even, and stable.
Suddenly, the main doctor come out to tell them the good news. "He's at seven- five."
Then the surgeon came out."Eighty."
Then, after the surgeon, and the perfusionist came out."Eighty-five."
After that, the main doctor called out again."Ninety."
Then the surgeon again. "Ninety-seven."
At last, the perfusionist. "Ninety- eight-point- nine."
The doctors high-fived.
Ranma stood straight out of the seat he was in with tears his eyes "Really!?"
"He's sleeping it off, but his Hypothermia, and coma, have ended," the surgeon said in reply.
More tears dripped down his eyes before he wiped them away with his sleeve; he smiled with a light blush. "When I can see him?"
"When he wakes up," the doctor answered in the end.
This time, Tatewaki, was finally given the gift the hear, talk, and see. This time, he didn't know why, but he could understand this wise enormous penguin. It spoke down to him.
"You're missing something; something important?"
"You're not done yet, Tachi."
"You must live."
"You can't stay here."
"You must go."
"Go carry out what you have to do."
"For your purpose; this purpose chose you."
{AN: Tacky, but you get my picture.}
