Chapter Eleven: Surgery

Dr Gibran felt strangely as if he had returned to his intern days as he took the place of assistant beside Dr Bashir. He wished now that he had insisted on being the main surgeon himself; how much did he really know about this young doctor, anyway? Yes, he had saved Bedru's life, and everyone on the station seemed to regard his skill highly. But he wasn't a cardiologist; he was a xenologist — someone who attempted to "specialize" in treating every condition of every species, and so truly mastered none.

But he didn't voice his misgivings, and as he watched Bashir's slender fingers dance deftly over the instruments, he found the doubts vanishing. Dr Gibran had performed dozens of heart transplants himself; in his younger days had assisted at dozens more, but never had he seen anyone operate with the cool, calm efficiency of this doctor. "Are you sure you've never done a heart transplant before?" he couldn't help asking.

"Heart transplant, no," Bashir said absently, concentrating on connecting the delicate network of blood vessels that surrounded the heart, supplying it with oxygenated blood from the oxal heart. "Open-heart surgery, yes."

Dr Gibran merely shook his head, wondering if Bashir truly needed an assistant at all.

oOo

At last Bashir competed the final minute nerve connection. "Now filling heart," he announced quietly, releasing the clamps that allowed glittering golden blood to flow into the new heart. "Bypass on standby," he ordered.

Dr Gibran found himself holding his breath, watching the oxal heart monitor for the exact moment Bashir would shock the new heart to life.

"Normal rhythm and holding," Bashir said with satisfaction.

"It never ceases to amaze me," Dr Gibran murmured, watching the newly-beating heart with awe.

Bashir merely glanced at him, but Dr Gibran fancied he saw some of the same wonder in the younger doctor's eyes.

"Take him off bypass," Bashir ordered quietly. "Dr Gibran, will you do the honor of closing?"

Dr Gibran hesitated, then shook his head. "The honor should be all yours, Dr Bashir; carry on."

Bashir smiled and took the regenerator the nurse handed him to begin closing the incision. Seven hours after beginning the operation, he laid down the instrument and checked Bedru one more time before giving the nurse instructions for his care and beckoning Dr Gibran from the room.

"So, how does it feel to have completed your first successful heart transplant?"

Bashir ginned. "You can stop sounding like I'm an intern you just finished training; putting that heart in was easier than some of the operations I've done to patch them up. And some of it was field surgery, without the benefit of bypass."

"You're joking," Dr Gibran said flatly.

"Not at all."

"Well, I'm glad you told me after I'd seen you work, then, or I might have thought you were crazy."

"And now?"

"Now all I can say is you're one of the best surgeons I've ever seen, and this station is very fortunate to have you."

Final chapter coming next week!

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Please note that I have internet access only once a week, and may not have time to respond to all reviews/messages. If you have questions regarding my Deep Space Nine alternate history, check my profile first to see if they're answered there. (I also have a chronological list of my stories, so you can see where they fall on my timeline.) Thanks for your understanding! Barbie