CHAPTER 21
The nurse guided the gurney into the empty hospital room and with the help of another orderly moved the unconscious man from the gurney onto the bed and set up an antibacterial IV drip.
"Doctors did a pretty good job on him, didn't they?" the younger woman idly commented as she stuck him with the needle in the right arm.
"They better have. Did you see how close that piece of shrapnel was to his spinal cord? Any closer and it would've sawed it right in half." She shook her head at the memory of them bringing him in. "You wouldn't believe some of the ones Amira brings in, but this is the worst I've seen for quite a while."
"Does she usually drop them and run like that though?"
"She's already gone?" the slightly plump older nurse asked in surprise. "I've never seen her leave before a surgery was over."
"Yeah, she and some redhead practically ran out the door a little while ago."
"That's strange, wonder what all the hurry is about."
"I don't know," the brunette answered as she finished setting up the IV. "That's all set. Will he be awake by the time we make dinner rounds?"
"He should be I think. I just don't know if he'll be up to it after that surgery. Something like that has to be a pretty big shock on the systems."
"I'll come by and check on him later then, best let him get his rest for now."
"How is your other new patient doing? I think he had an infection or something?"
"From a gunshot wound a few days old that wasn't kept up properly, got a bunch of sand in it or some such."
"Sand? Around here?" the other remarked sarcastically. "Never."
"It's true… actually, he's right there," she said, pointing to a sandy haired patient with an IV stand wandering the halls.
"Shouldn't he be…"
"Yeah, he should." She had only taken a step toward him when he took a hold of her shoulder, face pale. "Sir," she addressed.
"Sinj," he mumbled absently, still scanning the corridors.
"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to come with me back to your room."
"No, Chance. I have to find Chance or Cait'll kill me."
"Nobody's going to be killing anybody, please come with me," she said, taking hold of his hand and guiding him back down the way he had just come.
"String," Saint John said, an idea suddenly coming to him. "Stringfellow Hawke - what room is he in?"
"You've got a terrible fever, absolutely burning up, you need to go back to your room."
"No, I have to find String."
"I think he's delusional," she told her counterpart, "could you help me-"
"I don't need any help. I'm just fine," Saint John insisted, wrenching himself free from her grip. "Stringfellow - which room?"
"I don't-"
"You don't forget a name like Stringfellow Hawke! Now which room is he in?!"
\A/
"That's him directly ahead."
"Load a small canon. It's-"
"Got it."
That was fast, Caitlin though to herself, she'd have to watch out or she'd have some competition for her spot on the team.
She fired the canon in front of the vehicle, forcing them off the road.
"You missed," Amira pointed out.
"The goal isn't to kill them, at least not until they give us reason to make that our goal."
"A stickler for technicalities, I see. I've got a Maverick loaded for when they start throwing things at us and we are allowed to blow them up.
"Which I'd say would be right about now. Rocket on your six."
Caitlin banked left to avoid the shoulder launched rocket and came around for a second pass.
"Blow them away already."
Dodging another rocket, Caitlin fired the Maverick. The missile imploded with the car, shattering glass and erupting into a larger fire as the unused ammunition inside caught fire.
"Now let's get out of here."
\A/
All was quiet again and thankfully with him calming down and doing as she told him, the nurse had been persuaded not to give him any tranquilizers. Now she was gone and he could continue his hunt for the missing child and his brother.
He had a feeling that if he found one, he would find both, but he couldn't exactly go door to door until he found his brother's room, especially considering he might or might not be conscious yet after the anesthesia. And there was still the issue of avoiding the nurses he had to content with.
It wasn't that big of a hospital though, and he had to be around somewhere. Somewhere - now that was terribly helpful.
The nurses that had stopped him had been coming from the far end of the hall and sounded like they were talking about a new patient. It wasn't for sure, but it was possible, and at least it gave him somewhere to start.
Taking his antibiotic drip bag in his left hand and sitting up carefully as to avoid further agitating the dull achy feeling he had in his shoulder and ribs, he peered out of the room to make sure the coast was clear then shuffled down the hall in search of his brother and nephew.