20. Living
Scout had been just nodding off when he heard Saanvi cursing inside the medibay. It wasn't loud, but it was forceful; in a way where he knew something had gone wrong .
" Shit, what happened?" He yelled, bursting into the medibay. The sight that greeted him was not promising.
Saanvi stood over Miss Pauling, holding a large glass syringe in one hand and the other feeling around Miss Pauling's neck, like she was checking for a pulse. Beakers and test tubes were strewn across lab tables, various chemicals scout couldn't recognize the names of rolling about in childproofed containers. The area looked like the very essence of science itself had spewed a disorganized mess of lab junk in every corner it could reach.
Saanvi's hand movements grew more frantic. " Shit. Fuck. Hell. Asshole. Holy shit." Her voice rose, and she quickly tossed the syringe over her shoulder and it shattered against a wall. The pieces clattered to floor almost musically.
" What the hell did you do?" Scout demanded. Saanvi wasn't listening, she had frantically started performing CPR, her hands pounding over Miss Pauling's chest.
" Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck." She swore, almost in a rhythm that kept time with her chest pumps. " Her heart's stopped!"
Scout couldn't move.
" You killed her!" He spat, rage beginning to bubble in his gut. Saanvi had done something to Miss Pauling and now she was dead.
" I'M TRYING TO SAVE HER YOU INBRED!"
" YOU KILLED HER!" The scout roared, anger making him feel as if he'd been set on fire. He rushed at Saanvi, with the intent to tackle her but she slapped him hard across the face.
" Think with you head, not your heart. I know it's difficult to pull it out of you ass for longer than a few goddamn seconds, but fucking help me!" She turned back to Miss Pauling, pumping her chest frantically. Shaking his head to try and clear his thoughts, he stared blankly.
" W-what do I do?" He stammered.
" Get. The. God. Damn. Defibrillator." Each word punctuated her motion.
Where the fuck would that be? Scout dashed around the room, flinging open cabinets, searching under tables.
" You're taking too long!"
" I know!" There it was! He hauled the kit out from under a counter, and lurched it toward Saanvi.
" Take over while I set this up." She shoved him over Miss Pauling and began to hurriedly unpack the kit. Scout started pumping his hands in ways he'd seen EMT's doing back home. He pumped, and he prayed, and he swore.
" Fucking stay with me." He prayed as Saanvi shoved him aside and began trying to electrify life back into Miss Pauling.
" Stay with me." He said, almost a frantic prayer as the minutes ticked by. He saw Saanvi lower her defibrillator paddles.
" STAY WITH ME!" He shouted, his voice cracking into a sob. Saanvi had put down the kit, and was restraining him from grabbing Miss Pauling and trying to shake her awake. He fought, kicking and screaming like a toddler being sent to time out.
" It's all we could do scout!"
" You killed her!" Scout bawled. He felt Saanvi's arms go slack suddenly, and when he broke away her face looked like the haggard face of an old woman.
" I know. I tried to save her- I thought I was..." Was all she whispered, the words barely crossing her lips. " I know."
They stood, in silence, confused, hurt silence. Until, that is, they heard a groan from another spot in the lab.
" Is someone else dead, because this body count is already too high for my liking." They whirled and saw a bloodstained Miss Pauling sitting up on a lab table, and pealing bandages off a wound that already had already formed a new layer of bright pink skin.
" Also, what the hell happened in here?"
