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Eventually, the surgeon came out of the O. R. He was still in his scrubs, covered in blood. Jack knew Ianto had to be dead if he lost that much more blood.
The surgeon smiled at Owen. "Doctor Harper That is one strong man in there. I do not have any earthly idea how he did it, but he survived the surgery. We removed all the shell fragments." He sighed and said, "I'll be honest and tell you, he nearly bled out. We finally got the bleeding stopped and the transfusions are now starting to restore him to a normal blood level. We have done all we can do medically. We'll keep him clean and give him medication for pain, but now it's all up to him."
He shook his head in what looked like wonderment, "I won't predict what his chances are. When I looked at his wound for the first time, I thought he had zero chance of surviving the surgery. He may still die. He's been through a terrible trauma. But, if he is strong enough to still be alive now. I'd say there is a slim chance that he might actually make it."
He looked at Jack and then Owen again, "After what I saw of him today on the news, I sincerely hope so."
Jack looked at the doctor. "When will you be able to move him?"
"I'd love to let him rest for 24 hours, but frankly, we need the O. R. for other patients. A Marine medical chopper is on its way. We're going to send him to a trauma centre in Miami." He looked at Owen and said, "You can go, too."
Jack asked, "What about his two kids?"
"Me and Tosh have them mate" Owen assured him "You go with Ianto … we will handle the bubs."
He turned to the doctor. "How long will it take you to get him ready?"
"Half an hour."
Jack turned to Owen and said, "I want to go up to the bridge and thank the Captain personally. I'll meet you at the chopper pad when it's time to go."
Owen nodded and patted his arm.
On the bridge, Captain Johnson filled him in on the situation. There were more than 400 cruise passengers who had been injured. The ones with minor injuries would be staying with the cruise ship.
Most of the rest were being transported to the military vessels. The most seriously wounded were being airlifted directly to trauma units in Miami and Tampa.
"Will the hospital be able to take him?" Jack asked with concern.
The captain smiled. "The cruise line has arranged for him to have a private suite. They are flying in gunshot specialists from around the country. They are pulling out all the stops to take care of him."
An officer wearing a headset turned and said, "Captain Harkness, they're ready for you on the pad."
He sprinted for the top deck of the ship, where the medivac helicopter sat with rotors already turning. He hopped into the seat next to the pilot. The aircraft lifted off before he had his seat belt fully fastened. There was a mirror on the visor. Ianto was on a stretcher in the back, looking like a mummy, completely swaddled in bandages and blankets. he was accompanied by a doctor and a nurse who never took their eyes off the monitors. He noticed that neither one of them touched Ianto or talked to him. That bothered him.
It was a long flight by helicopter to Miami. Eventually, they landed on a helipad atop the hospital. The medical team unloaded Ianto, while a woman from the cruise line greeted Jack and escorted him down an elevator. She identified herself as Heather Wilson, a customer relations specialist with the cruise line. She told him that she was completely at his service for as long as he was in Miami. A luxury suite had been arranged for Ianto at the nearby Hospital Hotel that included a separate bedroom for the children. She looked at Jack and said, "We will arrange a hotel room if you like or we'll set up another room in the hospital Hotel if you want to stay here."
The room was obviously one of those used for the ultra rich and/or celebrities. It was essentially a private intensive care unit, with an adjoining hotel room for guests that consisted of both a bedroom and a sitting room. There was food on the table in the sitting room.
Heather looked at him and said, "Captain, what do you need?"
"Um, my luggage is on the ship. If you can find it just send it here. In the meantime, I'd like a toothbrush, toothpaste and shaving gear. I showered but did not shave in the captain's quarters. Maybe a couple changes of underwear in case the luggage is hard to locate."
Heather blushed, "Briefs or boxers?"
He smiled and blushed a little, too, "Briefs."
Just before she walked out the door, Heather said, "I'll be back shortly. If you need anything in the meantime, dial double 00 on the room phone. The hospital staff has been instructed to give you the VIP treatment all the way."
Jack didn't care about any of that.
He just wanted to see Ianto.
