Chapter 87: In Only Two Minutes

Just as April began dialing Jackson's number, a loud banging sounded outside the room. Owen caught Kepner's eye, non-verbally communicating with an assured nod that the undercover Marine guards must have arrived. Following orders, Owen headed out to meet them. Just as Chief Ki-moon had explained, there were 4 men and they hassled Owen as planned. Without a fuss, fight, or resistance, Owen showed the men to the OR as they requested. He spoke calmly and answered each of their questions knowledgeably and briefly.

Meanwhile, April was speaking to Jackson with her back to the OR. She wore a Bluetooth over one ear so that she was the only one who could hear Jackson. Risa was near entrance of the OR and the other two staff, Antoine and Colette, had stepped into another area to retrieve some supplies. Everyone was stellar at going through the motions as if this was any other day. Owen was proud of them.

When the leader of the group asked Owen if he was working with UNAMID, Owen had no reason to answer otherwise. He confirmed the affiliation and found himself knocked violently to the ground with a large military boot resting on his head. Immediately, Owen realized he had not seen the visual signal from the leader of the group. These soldiers were Sudanese and highly opposed to UNAMID's ongoing presence. The soldier yelled angrily that UNAMID personnel had been ordered out of Darfur and the surrounding area months ago. He bellowed, "Why are you here?! This is not your country!"

Owen was flat on his stomach, with his hands lying flat on the ground on either side of his ears. His ears began to ring immediately. He was just aware enough to realize he was dazed and lightheaded. It was as if Every day Owen was stuck inside the wounded one.

One of the Sudanese soldiers walked over to Risa and caressed her. She had been standing frozen, watching the men interact with Owen. Owen, even though he was in a precarious position, yelled, "Step away from my personnel!" In response, the leader removed his foot from Owen's head and kicked him repeatedly in the side as Owen writhed in pain. One of the other soldiers shot at Owen multiple times and hit him. All of this activity, from Owen being thrown down to the gunshots, took place in less 30 seconds. Jackson witnessed it all as April held her phone up while FaceTiming him.

Very slowly and quietly, Jackson told April, "April…I love you. Listen to me and don't say anything. Someone just shot Owen. Leave your phone on so I can listen but put it down as if we're done. Do whatever the soldiers tell you. Move slowly, April. Don't try to be a hero, just stay safe." Back in the States, Jackson grabbed his iPod and began recording the noise from the phone call.

Without skipping a beat, April casually pretended to say goodbye and set her phone face down on a nearby counter. She turned around and held her hands up, attempting to slide out of sight. With prayers ascending, April hoped the peacekeepers were still onsite. Unfortunately, they had vacated the area about 30 minutes prior because they had been notified that the Marines were minutes away.

As April moved gradually, she made eye contact with Antoine and Colette. They had heard the shots and were approaching Owen, Risa, and the Sudanese soldiers imperceptibly. Their guns were drawn. The Marines had arrived and heard the chaos taking place in the OR. Behind the Sudanese soldiers, the undercover Marines were stealth as they slipped into a SWAT position. The lead Marine caught the eye of Colette and nodded subtly.

In scrubs, April was obviously some sort of medical staff. One of the Sudanese saw her and beckoned her over to Owen with contempt in his voice, sneering, "Come look and see if he will die!" April walked deliberately toward Owen. Immediately, April noted that Owen's eyes were lackluster and his breathing was shallow but steady. As she touched Owen to listen for his heartbeat and to examine him, his skin was cool and clammy despite the arid weather around them. He was heading toward shock and was experiencing tremendous pain.

After assessing his general state, April sought to fine and examine the gunshot wounds. There was a great deal of blood pooling on the floor around Owen, which concerned her. She was able to determine that the blood was coming from his abdominal area and his leg. She ripped open his shirt and saw an entrance and exit wound on his abdomen. While she would have to examine the area more extensively later, she hypothesized that the bullet had basically grazed the muscles surrounding the abdomen. This type of penetration was bloody but not life threatening. She packed the wounds as best she could with what she could reach, trying mightily not to cause Owen further pain. After assessing the area and predicting that the bullet did not enter Owen's abdominal cavity, April looked at Owen's bloody leg. She grabbed a scalpel and cut open his pants from the hip down. Once able to visualize the area, April noted that his leg had been shot in two places. Entrance wounds were readily obvious at Owen's knee and upper leg. The shot on his knee was grizzly and obviously extensive. Without an x-ray, however, April could not fully assess the damage.

Owen looked at April and mumbled that the pain was nearly intolerable. He held April's upper arm and begged for some sort of relief, "Kepner, please. Something for the pain now. Anything."

April was concerned because Owen's blood pressure was very high due to the pain levels he was experiencing. She assured him that she would inject meds as soon as possible. "Owen," Kepner whispered as she bore her eyes into his. She seldom called Owen by first name. "I'll get you something as soon as I can. I promise. Hang in there, deep and slow breaths." Needing some form of relief, Owen grabbed the sheet from the hospital bed above him. He crumpled a part of it together and bit down on it.

As April's movements and examination caught the Sudanese soldiers' attention, the lead Marine sent to protect the medical staff gave the signal and bullets began to fly everywhere. Risa, who had assisted earlier with the surgery on the little boy, fell to the ground. April flung herself on top of Owen and reassured him that she would protect him and take care of him, "You're in my hands, Chief. I've got you. You're going to be fine."

Slowly, Owen nodded as he began to feel increasingly lightheaded and nauseous. He self-diagnosed his state of shock. He whispered to April, "My pack. If we leave, keep hold of my pack." April nodded and said softly, "I promise. Now just hold on. Stay as calm and still as you can. You'll be ok, Owen."

The bullets stopped as quickly as they began. All four Sudanese were dead. One of the Marines sent to rescue the group called for the chopper, "We have two down, status unknown. Three others. All staff accounted for. Get us out of here pronto." Within seconds, the rotors could be heard.

The lead Marine began issuing orders, "Locals or other soldiers who heard that firing may be heading toward us. We're vacating the second the chopper lands. Grab what you need. Keep your weapons."

"How are they?" one of the Marines asked referring to Owen and Risa. Antoine, the male nurse, shook his head slowly. Risa had been shot in the head and abdomen at close range. Antoine began to wrap her wounds as best he could so they could transfer her body home. Once Risa's body was prepared for transport, Antoine ran to collect the backpacks. From the time April set down her phone to the discovery that Ria was dead, approximately two minutes had passed. Everything had happened so quickly.

April quickly began tending to Owen, stabilizing his bleeding leg wounds as best as she could. He screamed when she touched the areas, but she kept focusing on stabilization despite his pain. She was able to confirm her hunches and determined that the blood from his abdomen was likely from a bullet that passed through his muscles and avoided his abdominal cavity – a difference of less than a few centimeters that saved his life. At that point, she began an IV and administered oxycodone and fentanyl for his pain.

Two of the Marines assisted April in placing Owen onto a litter, a portable fabric gurney with metal poles on either side of it. Owen howled out in pain as they moved him. His pain meds had not taken full effect. Two of the Marines were ready to lift Owen into the chopper. April ran to the counter and gathered any medications she could fit in an empty duffel bag. She figured it was better to have useless medicine along with antibiotics and pain relief than nothing at all, especially since she had no idea what medical supplies she would find on the chopper. Seeing her phone on the same counter, April grabbed it and slipped it into her pocket.

Within three minutes from the moment it was summoned, the chopper loaded all five-hospital staff and the four undercover Marines. They vacated the area in the blink of an eye. April continued to monitor Owen's sats as they flew. Owen, in tremendous pain, grasped Kepner's hand as he groaned and called out. April hollered at him, "Chief! Listen! If you want me to be able to help you and operate on your leg when we touch the ground, you need to stop squeezing my hand so I will be able to actually perform surgery. You!" April called to one of the Marines, "Let him hold your hand. His pain makes passing a kidney stone or giving birth feel like a papercut."

April turned to the pilots and asked sharply, "How quickly will we be near a proper facility?"

"Ma'am, we're just about to land at Al Fashir. There's a well equipped C-130 waiting to transport him to the Expeditionary Medical Facility at Camp Lemmonier in Djibouti. It has its own OR, Critical Care Unit, and ICU," the co-pilot explained.

"How long will that flight take?" April demanded, adding more pain relief and an anti-nausea med into Owen's IV.

"A little over two hours. We're descending into Al Fashir now," the co-pilot responded.

The chopper landed very close to the C-130. A crew ran toward the chopper and began helping the nurses and April off. Two soldiers arrived with a wheeled gurney to move Owen's litter. April hollered summary bullets to the men and promised she'd be right over. Two more soldiers placed the litter holding Risa's body onto another gurney. April was amazed at the organization, precision, and speed. Before running to board the C-130, she profusely thanked the Marines, insisting on hugging each one and asking for their names so she could keep them in her prayers.