I tried to get this chapter out a little early than usual so that I did not leave you hanging for longer than absolutely necessary. Thanks again for all the great support.
Chapter 14 - And the chips fall…
I keep forgetting to say this, as it is pretty obvious, but I don't own Skins.
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Naomi
Oh my god. Oh god, there's so much blood.
Effy and I just got here. And… oh fuck. Cook and Emily are on the ground, Cook is sprawled across Emily. Neither one is moving. And the blood... It's everywhere. I can't… oh God. I can't…
"Naomi move! Fucking hell, get out of my way." Effy is shoving me, trying to get past me to where they are laying.
I feel Thomas grab my arm and pull me out of her way. I can't breathe. The run… I was so scared and I couldn't… I kept tripping and… I tried to go faster but… God, we are too late. We are too late. I can't… not again… I just…
"Thomas give her your rifle and get her over to JJ. She needs to help him before we get our fucking asses blown off!"
No! I can't leave. I can't leave them. They are just lying there. They aren't moving. I can't leave them!
"Thomas, get her to JJ, now! Then come back when you're done. I need you here."
I am losing my legs. I can't keep standing. I can't… What… I just… This can't be…
"Naomi, you must try to concentrate. You must get a hold of yourself." I can feel his hand gripping hard on my arms, shaking me.
"They are still shooting at us, Naomi. And JJ needs your help. He cannot fight them off alone. He needs your help." The intensity of Thomas' soft voice cuts through to me. I pry my eyes away from the place where my friends lay wounded and let him steer me over to where JJ is. At least there I can shoot back at the fucking bastards who did this. Oh yes, I'll help JJ. I'll help him blow those assholes straight to hell.
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X X X
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Emily
Everything is hazy, the sounds morphing in and out like I'm under water, like a record playing at the wrong speed. The first things I notice are that my head is pounding and my ribs feel like I was hit by a truck. What the fuck is going on? My mind scrambles to make sense of what I'm hearing and feeling. I've lost my goggles, so I'm lost in the darkness. My eyes are useless to me now. I can hear someone moving near me, though.
"Effy…?" It comes out as a croak, barely audible, but I feel her touch my shoulder.
"Stay still Ems. You're going to be okay, but I need you to stay still right now. Can you do that for me?" Her voice is measured, deliberately soothing, but it doesn't help.
"I can't move…"
"It's okay, Emily. It's because of Cook. He's lying across you, but we'll have him moved in a second. I just need you to stay still until we can do that, okay?"
Oh fuck… Cook.
Now I remember. He is what hit me. He dove into me and knocked me to the ground. He was yelling and then he dove right into me. I don't understand. Why? What's going on? Why won't he get up?
I start to struggle a bit, feeling claustrophobic because I can't move, but Effy is right there again. "Emily stop. Just stay still. I promise you will be okay. You hit your head on the ground, and you may have some broken ribs, but you're going to be alright. I just need you to trust me right now. I need to focus on Cook, so you need to stay still and let me do that."
I work hard to do as she asks, casting my mind back, trying to remember what happened. I remember Cook yelling my name. And… oh no. A gunshot. I remember a gunshot. Cook got shot. Cook got shot because of me. Oh, fucking hell!
"How is he? Is he going to be okay?" My voice is frantic, on the verge of out of control.
"Not now, Emily. Just lie there and let me work, for fuck's sake. I need to take care of Cook and I can't do that and worry about you too."
I can hear the panic in her voice now and that scares me more than anything else ever has. If Effy Stonem is scared it must be really bad. I close my eyes tight and shut up, every thought focused on hoping Cook will be alright.
I start to be aware of gunfire off to my right. There's a lot of it and I think it may have been going on for a while. I can hear JJ yelling but I can't make out what he's saying.
Thomas comes sprinting back and tells Effy that Naomi's with JJ. She seems to have shaken off the shock, and they're trying to hold off the Hornets.
"Good. Thomas, I need you to help me get Cook's vest off - but don't turn him. I don't want to move him any more than I have to until I can get a look at the wound."
I feel them shift Cook just enough that they can cut the vest off of him. He's lying face down across my legs and abdomen. They split the vest at the seams and pull off the back piece and then cut his shirt open to reveal his upper back. I hear Thomas react with a soft, "Jesus, Marie et Joseph." I'm not religious, but even I know that can't be good.
"Okay," Effy says, "Rifle shot to the upper right scapula. "
Oh fuck.
"Bloody hell. It blew right through the armour. What fucking ammo are they using? Jesus. Okay. It's a through and through. Possible lung involvement. From the feel of it, there's probably at least one shattered rib. Airway's clear but breathing rapid and shallow. Shit. There's no breath sounds on the right. Losing blood rapidly."
I can tell that Effy is trying to be clinical, objective, but there's a shake in her voice that I've never heard before.
"Okay. CABC. We need to stop the blood flow and get his lung working. Thomas, put your hand here, right over the entry wound, and here under the exit wound. Press down when he breathes in and then release when he breathes out, okay. No matter what he does, you need to keep doing that until I know whether he has punctured his lung.
I hear Cook groan almost right away and feel him try to shift where he still lies across me. Then I hear Thomas' quiet, gentle voice talking to Cook, telling him he will be alright, and trying to calm him down. I don't think Cook is actually conscious, but he settles a bit at the sound of Thomas' words.
When I open my eyes I see that Effy is working now with a small headlamp. She can't see well enough with the night vision gear to do what she needs to do, so she's taking the risk that comes with using the light. I don't know whether I am grateful for that or not. I can see now, yes, but that just means that I can see Cook as he lies face down across my belly and legs. And if I crane my head forward, I can see the huge and growing blood stain that's spilling across his back. I can feel his blood dripping down my side as well from the exit wound in his chest. I think I'm going to be sick. Sweet Jesus.
As my head starts to clear I can hear how laboured his breathing is. Even to my ears it's obvious that something is wrong. He's fighting for every breath and I can hear the gurgle of him trying to breathe through the blood in his mouth and chest. It's terrifying.
"Okay Thomas, on my mark I want you to remove your hand that's on his back so I can apply the Celox. Ready? Go."
I feel Thomas shift and Effy move in. Within seconds, the Celox gauze is on, and I know that the clotting agent in it should help Cook's blood to clot and if we're lucky the blood flow will stop flowing from the back wound. If Effy can stop the bleeding then maybe, just maybe, he'll have a chance.
"Fuck. I still can't hear breath sounds on the right. His lung is definitely collapsed. Fucking, fucking hell. Okay. Alright. We can do this. Thomas I'm going to need your help. I need to inflate that bastard lung. Of course the idiot would come down with something I've never had to fix before. Fucking dick."
Effy's sifting through her medic's kit, trying to find what she needs and cursing under her breath. She's keeping it together, but there's definitely fear in her eyes. She loves Cook. And I know she'll never forgive herself if she can't pull him through. I know I'll never forgive myself either.
Effy pulls out a huge sterile needle along with some antiseptic swabs and a special bandage for chest wounds and starts lining them up in front of her.
"Thomas, I only know how to do this from the front, so I need you to turn him over and lay him flat on the ground on his back. Carefully. Don't twist his torso if you can help it. And open his shirt."
Once Thomas has managed to shift Cook, with a fair bit of grunting from him and moaning from Cook and from me, Effy moves in. She uses the swabs to clean an area below Cook's right collarbone. I watch her kneel back on her heels and then tear the protective wrapper off the needle. It's fucking huge.
I can hear her start to mutter, walking herself through the process. I'm amazed to see that her hands are rock steady, not even a tremble. This is the Effy that Naomi told me about. The wizard medic who heals everything. She's fucking incredible and I can't tear my eyes off her. She's kneeling down by Cook's side, needle in her gloved hands, eyes closed as she thinks about what she's going to do.
"Okay. Think. You know this, Effy. You can remember how this goes. 2nd intercostal space, right?. Midclavicular line. Yes. That's it. 2 to 3 finger widths below the middle of the collar bone." I can see her run her fingers down Cook's chest as she looks for the right spot.
"There. Right there. Okay. Just have to ease it in. 90 degree entry. I can do this."
Effy rubs her arm across her forehead to wipe the sweat that has accumulated there.
"Here we go. Thomas, you need to make absolutely sure he doesn't move an inch."
Thomas resets himself, bracing his weight against Cook's shoulders with hands, and placing his knees on each of Cook's hips. It is an awkward position to hold without getting in Effy's way, but he somehow manages. When he's set, he nods to Effy. With that, she slowly starts inserting the needle and after what feels like forever I hear a small whoosh as the air releases from Cook's lung cavity. Then he takes the deepest breath I've heard him take since he was shot.
"Oh, thank fuck." The small sob at the end of her words is the only real indication of how scared Effy was. She makes a few small adjustments, and is just pulling the needle from Cook's chest and placing the 3-way bandage over the bullet's exit wound when I hear someone walking towards us.
"How is he?" Naomi. Naomi's here. She's safe. Oh thank god, she's safe.
"It's okay. They left. They must have been called to help chase Charlie squad. Whatever the reason, they're gone. But they may not stay gone, so we need to get moving. Can we move them, Effy?"
"Yeah, I think so. I need a minute to wrap his chest and back. And I want to give him some morphine. I need to check Emily, too. I think all the blood is his, but I'm not sure."
"I'll do it. I'll check Emily."
The next thing I know Naomi's face is in front of mine as she kneels down at my side.
"Hey Ems. I'm here. I'm right here." I feel her take my hand and I squeeze as hard as I can. I am so relieved to see her in one piece.
"I'm just going to check you out for a second, okay?"
I feel her hands gently undo my armoured vest and pull up my shirt. Her hands dust gently across my ribs checking me for wounds. It's only then that I feel a burning across my side.
"Effy, she's got a flesh wound across her left side, just under the vest line. Not too deep, but it's pretty long. And she's already bruising across her chest, I guess from where Cook landed on her."
"Okay. The bullet probably went through Cook and then grazed her, too. Put a dressing on the flesh wound, and wrap her ribs. Any head wound? She was out cold when we arrived."
Naomi reaches out and gently runs her hands behind my head. But not gently enough. I jump when she hits a spot directly behind my left eye.
"Ah! Fuck that hurts!"
"Sorry, Ems. Ef, there is a bump but no bleeding."
I see Effy move over to me and lean in so that I can see her.
"How many fingers?"
"Three."
"Where are we?"
"Um… Weymouth?"
"Okay. Good enough for me. Nai, help her get on her feet, okay. I need to prep Cook for transport. Someone should let the Alpha site know that we're coming in hurt and hot."
"I'll do that," I say. "Just get me on my feet and I'll take care of it."
I reach out for Naomi and grab her forearm as she braces herself to lift me up. I stagger a bit when I get on my feet, leaning into Naomi for balance, my side and head screaming at me from the movement.
"You sure that you are okay?" Naomi's voice is tight, haunted by all the fears that she has faced tonight, that she is still facing.
"I'm fine. At least I will be. Go help with Cook. I'm fine, really."
I can tell that she doesn't want to leave me, but she loves Cook with all her heart and she knows that he needs her more. Once she moves away I head to my gear and call in to the Alpha site. I bring them up to speed and ask for whatever help they can give us. They're going to call ahead to HQ for support and try to meet us part way.
When I move over to update Naomi, I see that Cook's now lying on a make-shift litter Effy has put together from a couple of ponchos with a rifle on either side inserted through the torso and sleeves. It isn't much. Cook's legs are hanging off the end. But it's something. And there's no way we could carry him the distance back to the Rovers without some kind of rig. He's too heavy and it's too bloody far.
"Thomas, JJ, I need you to carry the litter. Keep him as still as you can. I don't want those ribs or his shoulder jostled. Naomi, it would be better if you can help carry him, too. We have a long way to go."
Naomi turns to me. "Can you take point, Ems? Is your head clear enough for that? The way should be clear with everyone chasing Charlie Squad, but we can't assume that."
"I can do it." I know that Cook is too heavy for JJ and Thomas to carry him back to the Rovers by themselves. They'll need all the help they can get from Naomi and from Effy. My head is still pounding and I'm a little queasy, but my vision is clear and I can walk. I need to do this. I grab my rifle and night vision goggles and move to the front.
"Okay, let's get moving."
Thomas and Naomi are at Cook's head, with JJ taking his feet. Effy's walking by the side of the litter, keeping an eye on Cook's vital signs and checking to see that his lung doesn't collapse again or his wounds start bleeding.
We start the long walk, each of us lost in our own thoughts, promising anything we can think of in trade for Cook surviving this journey.
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X X X
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Naomi
"Emily… Em…"
It is Cook again. He sounds so weak. He started calling for Emily a while ago, muttering her name over and over. He isn't conscious, not really. He is feverish and restless, and yet he still has only one thing on his mind: Saving Emily. Stubborn fucking asshole of a hero. Throwing himself in front of bullets. Who does that? And yet, where would I be if he hadn't? He has to pull through this. He just has to.
I hear Effy's soft voice trying to sooth him, telling him over and over that Emily is okay, that he saved her. But he is still restless. It is hard to keep him on the litter. We had to strap him onto it a kilometre or so back when he first started moving around. But every time his weight shifts we struggle to adjust.
Just as I think my arms are going to fall off from the strain of carrying him, I see the dark shape of the Rovers come into sight. A few hundred yards and one more hedgerow to navigate and we will be there.
We cover that last distance without incident, and lay Cook carefully across the back seat of Rover 2. Effy immediately climbs in with him, checking vital signs and talking endlessly to him as she buckles him in tightly.
"JJ, you need to drive. You need to take the lead, too, because you are the only one who knows the route. Thomas, I want you on the gun on Rover 2. But if Effy needs help, you give it. Ems, you're with me. JJ, try to take the smoothest route you can, but we need to get to the Alpha site ASAP, before the bogeys come back to find us. Let's go. Mount up."
Everyone starts heading to their assigned spot, with no one questioning any of the changes. Except Emily. She has not moved. I move over to her side. I know that she took a hard knock, and the hike back here cannot have been easy for her.
"Emily, we need to get in the truck."
She hesitates before looking up at me. It is surreal to see her do that while wearing the night vision goggles. She looks like Emily, but not Emily.
"But, Cook…"
"I know Emily. But Effy is taking care of him, and the best thing we can do for him now is get him to help as fast as we can. So I need you to get in the truck, okay?"
She still does not move. She is completely exhausted, and I worry that she is slipping into shock.
"Come on, Ems. Come with me."
I lead her to the passenger side of Rover 1, and help her climb in. When I get to the driver's seat she hasn't moved, so I reach across to buckle her in, and then I head after JJ as fast as I can.
"Emily, do you think you can call in to Alpha? Can you do that, Ems?"
Again there is a hesitation, but this time she snaps out of it and starts to adjust the settings on her radio.
She makes contact and lets them know that we are on wheels and moving towards them. If we do not run into trouble, we should be there within 10 minutes.
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X X X
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Emily
"Sit right here, Emily, okay? Don't move. We need to take care of Cook. Just sit here and don't move. I'll come back when I can."
I know we're on the landing craft and we're heading back to HQ. But everything is fuzzy, my hearing fading in and out. I put my head between my knees and try to stay awake. I…
"He's lost a lot of blood!"
…
"BP's dropping fast."
…
"Type AB, stat, push as fast as you can…"
…
"Okay, fluids on board…"
…
"Skin is cool and clammy, showing signs of shock..."
…
"…bone fragments…"
…
"…muscle is torn through…"
…
"…need to drain the lung cavity…"
…
"Scalpel…"
…
"… boat is moving too much, I can't…"
…
"… he's crashing…"
…
I feel the world tilting as my eyes roll back in my head, and then I hit the deck of the boat.
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X X X
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Naomi
"Emily. Emily, can you hear me? Emily, can you try to wake up for me?"
The doctor is leaning over Emily, trying to get her to wake up. She has been unconscious for almost a full day now. The best guess is that she hit her head on a rock when Cook landed on her. Whatever the cause, she has a Grade 3 concussion. I honestly don't know how she managed the walk back to the Rovers. She has so much fucking heart. But she needs to wake up now. It has been too long. I really need her to wake up.
"Naoms?" She is so groggy, barely awake.
"I'm here, Ems. I'm right here." I take her hand in mind, and almost cry from relief when she squeezes it back. It is weak, barely there, but she is definitely squeezing back.
"Cook? What… Where's Cook?" She is struggling to sit up, trying to flick off the tubes and wires connected to her.
"It's alright, Ems. It's alright. Relax. You need to relax, okay?"
"Naoms? What happened? Where's Cook, Naoms. Is he…?"
"He's here, Ems. He's at the hospital. He's in rough shape, but he's alive."
I think Emily's relief almost rivals my own when she finally understands what I am telling her. She falls back against the pillows with tears immediately streaming from her eyes.
I am about to explain more when the door bursts open.
"Emily? Emily… they said she was… oh thank god! Emily!" Katie has tears streaming down her face as well as she almost climbs on top of Emily on the bed. She is pulling her to her so tightly that Emily groans.
"Oh fuck. I'm sorry, Ems. I'm sorry. I'm just, fucking hell I'm just so glad that you're alright. I've been taking turns with you and Cook, and when they said you were awake… God Emily, you scared the hell out of me!"
I know these two need some time together now. Katie was almost destroyed when we came in with both Cook and Emily on stretchers. The keening sound she made would have curdled the hardiest blood, and she sobbed so hard for so long that I thought she would collapse. She has just barely been holding on, and I think she needs this moment more than I do right now. I will have another chance later when Emily is more awake. Plus, now that I know that Emily is out of the woods, I want to go check on Cook again. So I slip quietly out of the room, after whispering in Emily's ear that I will be back soon and dusting a kiss across her forehead.
I travel the short distance up the hospital hallway to the ICU wing where Cook is. It is bright, uncomfortably bright, and there is an incessant sound of beeping. Different pitches and rhythms, but constant, endless beeping that grates on your nerves. It is maddening. The nurses are bustling around between the rooms, checking charts and adjusting drips. When I enter Cook's room, the first thing I see is Effy. She looks so small. She is curled up in chair by his bed, her legs tucked under her, one arm wrapped around her knees holding them close. She has not left Cook's side since we first got to him on the hill. As far as I know she has not slept or eaten either. She has stayed with him, holding his good hand, staring at him as though her eyes were the only things keeping him alive; as though if she dropped her gaze for even a moment, he would die.
I lightly squeeze her shoulder to let her know that it is me.
"Emily is awake."
"… Oh, that's good, Nai. I'm glad." Her eyes never leave Cook. Her gaze never wavers.
He is so pale. And there are so many wires and tubes going in and out of him. They cleaned off some of the blood, but he is still a mess. It is so hard to see him like this, so broken.
"He will wake up, too, Eff. I know he will."
"You can't know that, Nai. He lost so much blood, he… You can't know that."
There is nothing I can say to that. She knows better than I do how bad this is. So I do the only thing I know to do to try to make it better for her. I sit down beside her, take her other hand in mine, and hand her Pato. I think right now, other than Cook waking up, the power of Pato is the only thing on earth that might help.
She takes the giraffe and nestles him closely between her shoulder and chin, relaxing ever so slightly as she draws on the calm that he brings her.
And then we wait. And we hope. And we pray for a miracle.
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XXX
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I know that at least some of you thought that it was Emily who was shot, but if you check the last paragraph of the last chapter, you will see the ultimate hint that it was Cook. There were a few other breadcrumbs along the way, but that was the big one.
Major thanks to Miss Maurauder for helping with some of the medical stuff in this chapter. I have essentially no background with such things, so I have relied heavily on Google to try to make it at least somewhat believable. Any screw ups are mine alone, and hopefully did not distract too much from the story.
FYI – I am heading out on vacation at the end of the week (YAY!), so the next installment with take a little longer to post than usual.
Let me know what you think of this chapter, or the story as a whole. I really appreciate getting reviews so that I can get a sense of what you think works. And besides that, they kind of make my day when they show up in my inbox :D