"Oh John sit still would you! You're going to make me smudge it!"
John sighed, fighting not to screw up his face as Charlotte came at him again.
"Who's silly idea was it to integrate the genders, that's what I wanna know."
"You've got a sister, you must have had your make-up done before"
"Yes and I vowed never again. Your incessant whining has made me break a vow that's at least a decade old."
"C'mon John! Little silly things like this are good for morale"
Mike did have a point and John had agreed to do this. He sighed again, more in amusement now than irritation, resigning himself to sitting still as Charlotte tickled his cheek with a brush. Make up felt kind of nice.
"Ouch!" he flinched away as Julia prodded his eye with a mascara wand. Well some make-up felt nice.
"Sorry" Julia was a lovely girl. Quiet, clumsy but lovely.
"You've got lovely colouring John" Charlotte was saying "Soft blonde and a deep tan. what I wouldn't give for some liquid gold eye-liner."
"Don't you dare! I hate eye-liner. It's not natural sticking a pencil in your eyelids."
"you don't stick it in your eye..."
"You do!"
The others giggled. Charlotte rolled her eyes. "You are such a boy John Watson"
"Yeah, I'm not sure I have as much faith in that fact as I used to" Mike smirked.
John was about to reply but Bethany beat him to it. "Just because you're not manly enough to pull off the desert look doesn't mean you have to bring John down"
"Yeah John don't listen to him. He's just jealous that he's too pale for any of the really sexy colours"
Mike scoffed to hide his blush and John waggled his eyebrows like the lothario he so wasn't.
"Yeah, yeah whatever."
"Don't you worry Mike. I'm sure they've got something for you" John suggested.
Mike paled watching how the girl's eyes lit up "No, no you can't. I'm, uh, I'm very allergic! I break out in a rash. A huge oozing rash"
"Don't be disgusting! And calm down. You look like we're about to jump you and ran lipstick down your throat."
John giggled, which was very difficult when you were trying to keep still.
"Almost done. Just a spot of something on your lips."
"No..."
"Oh please!"
John stifled a sign and acquiesced, pouting beautifully when asked. The girls all shrieked with laughter while Mike snickered and nudged him.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm gorgeous, I know."
Someone handed John a mirror and he couldn't help but break out in a grin. "Thanks girls. I look..."
Whatever acerbic comment he meant to make was smothered by the boot thuds of Christine Donovan barrelling into the tent.
"We've got a woman in labour and she's bleeding..."
John was on his feet "Haemorrhaging?"
"Seems to be. And she's been leaking fluid since she came in."
the whole crew was on their feet now, pouring out into the compound. John was the first to get to her and immediately began assessment. The woman was peaky and seemed to be in too much pain for the first stages of labour.
"Does she speak English?"
"I don't think so. Since she's been here she's been speaking only Pashto"
"Does she have any family with her?"
"Her brother and mother but they're much the same."
"Grab Abram"
Donovan complied and their translator hurried into pre-op.
"Ask her when she started to feel something was wrong"
Abram relayed the message before turning back to John "she says this morning or late last night."
John slipped his stethoscope into his ears and listened around for the foetal heartbeat. Baby didn't seem to be moving but the heart beat was there.
"is this her first baby?"
Abram asked, then shook his head "Her third"
"does she feel nauseous or light headed? Has she thrown up at all today?"
"Yes a little on the ambulance ride in. She has been feeling sick all day"
John palpitated the woman's stomach and she winced.
"Looks to be a placental abruption. Mike do a blood test and then prep transfusions."
Mike, in serious doctor mode now, nodded and drew the kit from his bag.
"Donovan, see what you can do about the vaginal bleeding. If she's experiencing disseminated intra-vascular coagulation she could go into hypovolemic shock or her kidneys could fail"
The woman gasped as another contraction rocked her body.
"John, her membrane's ruptured"
Fighting to stay calm he turned to the nurses. "Prep the OR for an emergency C section. If the placenta has separated this baby is becoming rapidly deprived of oxygen. Abram, explain what's about to happen and keep her calm. The last thing we need is for her blood pressure to spike."
As he assisted Mike in finding a vein for transfusions, John watched the emotions play across the woman's face. First confusion, then fear fragmented into panic then the one he was hoping for. She pursed her lips and steel glinted in her eyes. John had seen this look before. This was the face of a woman determined to save her child. If everyone did their jobs, this was going to turn out alright.
"John are you sure you should be working on this?"
"Bethany I am a doctor. This woman is a patient. I have assessed her and prepped her for treatment. Do you disagree with my diagnosis?"
"No.."
"Do I seem to be stressed or out of my depth in any way?"
"No..."
"Then I think that the best thing for all involved is to help this woman safely deliver a baby. Don't you agree?"
"Yes Doctor. Just checking."
"And I am grateful but now is not the time. Get her under! Mike scrub up, you're going to assist me. Someone monitor her vitals."
In no time John was scrubbed, donning gown, mask and gloves. A few tests revealed that the local anaesthetic had taken effect so he set to work.
