Elmer glanced over at his father and Hook, wondering for a moment
why Hook was looking so worried before turning his focus back to Lona
again. He knew the moment that he looked at her that something was wrong.
He laid one hand on her chest as he felt for a pulse. Panic washed over him momentarily before he found a faint, unsteady beat and felt her chest trembling slightly with weak breathing. Something wasn't right, though.
Her breathing, it felt like each breath could be her last, like something was running down inside of her. "Hook? Dad? One of you get over here now!" He called, panic in his voice. No, they were so close to being able to help her. They couldn't lose her now. He reached out, rubbing her hand between both of his, trying to stimulate some sort of response.
"Chris, we need that blood and the IV setup now!" Hook called as he crossed the room, Louis just a bit behind him. He dropped to the ground by Lona, gently feeling her pulse and breathing. He forced the fear back at the feel of that rapidly weakening beat, converting it into anger instead. No, they were not going to lose Lona now! He reached out, taking the IV setup as Chris hurried over.
"We'll handle that," Louis said in a firm tone as he reached up and took the blood. They didn't have much time and even if he couldn't see, he could insert an IV line by feel alone, he was sure. He looked up once more in Chris's general direction. "There's a supply closet down the hall that Johnny's never bothered to clear out. They should have a respirator in there. Old fashioned but it ought to still work."
Hook paused for a moment as Chris hurried away, knowing that he should get moving and get things set up but at the same time reluctant to allow Louis to carry out any medical tasks with his vision so impaired.
"Hook, I can do this." Louis said firmly. "I think I did them in my sleep a few times. I can manage now. Get things ready."
As Hook moved away, he looked over at his son, the fear in Elmer's eyes almost breaking his heart. No, vision messed up or not, he wasn't going to let anything happen to Lona, wasn't going to let Elmer go through the pain he had with Emma, seeing someone you loved dying and being helpless to aid them.
"Hold her arm steady for me. This might be a little tricky if her veins have started collapsing." He ordered Elmer as he gently felt of Lona's arm for a moment before tying the piece of rubber right above her elbow. "You didn't get hurt during the quake?"
"I'm fine but Lona...." Elmer watched his father carefully as he went about starting the IV. He was moving much slower than Elmer would have liked, given how despirately he knew that Lona needed that blood,
gently prodding Lona's arm again and again before slowly inserting the needle and beginning to work the IV hookup into place.
"Here, Hold this," Louis said as he attached the bag of blood to the tubing and then thrust it into Elmer's hands. "Keep it up and try to apply some pressure if you can. We need to get that in as fast as possible." As he talked, he gently felt Lona's chest, checking for any injuries that might have been missed. Suddenly, his fingers brushed the tubing in her side and he stopped with a puzzled frown. "What in the world?"
"Her lung collapsed, " Elmer said slowly, knowing that he was about to get yelled at for what he had done. Okay, so Hook had praised him but did that really mean anything? Hook was probably just being nice and now his dad would point out all of his shortcomings.
Louis gently felt around the tubing before speaking. "You got this from a stethoscope, right? Clever, very clever," He said as he reached out for a moment and gently patted his son's shoulder.
Clever? Did his father just actually praise him? Elmer shook his head slightly not really sure he had just heard what he thought he did just as Chris came in the door dragging an old style respirator. Hook looked at it for a moment before nodding his approval and returning to Lona's side once more.
"Let's get her on the table." He said as he reached down and between him, Elmer and Louis, gently lifted her up, making sure not to pull the chest tube. "Elmer, get the rest of her blouse off. We don't want that in the way when we're cutting." he said softly ash he started to check the instruments that were now sitting out on tables nearby. It was definately less than he was used to working with but it would have to do.
"What about an anesthetic?" Elmer demanded as Hook finished checking the supplies and crossed to the lab sink with Chris to get ready.
"You have to give her something!"
"We can give her something through the IV to make her woozy if she starts to wake up but we just don't have the equipment to put her under totally." Hook said as he pulled on a pair of gloves.
"You're going to operate without any pain killers?" Elmer said,
shock and horror in his voice. How could they just.... Wasn't that against some sort of basic human principle? He looked down at Lona,
conflicted. He knew that she needed the surgery, was going to die without it, but the idea of her being cut open without some sort of pain killer....
"We can use locals as we cut," Hook said gently before issuing more orders. Best to give Elmer something to do even if he didn't look the steadiest at the moment. "Elmer, help your father get a breathing tube in and get her hooked up to that respirator." Luckily there was a connection to the hospital's oxygen tanks in there. He watched for a moment as Elmer and Louis worked before reaching out and picking up one of the scalpels. He looked carefully at the injured area, planning what he would need to do until he heard the steady hiss of the respirator as it started to run.
"Okay, we go in and get that bleeding stopped as fast as we can.
In and out quickly. This isn't exactly set up for people who are still alive and we don't want to risk having an open incision here for too long.
Elmer, Louis, keep an eye on the respirator, her pulse and those blood bags. Let me know if her vitals drop too much. Chris, you're assisting me."
Elmer couldn't even bring himself to look as Hook made the first cut into her abdomen. He leaned down, barely able to hold back hi tears as he pressed a gentle kiss against her forehead. "It's going to be alright,"
he whispered softly. "Just hold on, please."
He laid one hand on her chest as he felt for a pulse. Panic washed over him momentarily before he found a faint, unsteady beat and felt her chest trembling slightly with weak breathing. Something wasn't right, though.
Her breathing, it felt like each breath could be her last, like something was running down inside of her. "Hook? Dad? One of you get over here now!" He called, panic in his voice. No, they were so close to being able to help her. They couldn't lose her now. He reached out, rubbing her hand between both of his, trying to stimulate some sort of response.
"Chris, we need that blood and the IV setup now!" Hook called as he crossed the room, Louis just a bit behind him. He dropped to the ground by Lona, gently feeling her pulse and breathing. He forced the fear back at the feel of that rapidly weakening beat, converting it into anger instead. No, they were not going to lose Lona now! He reached out, taking the IV setup as Chris hurried over.
"We'll handle that," Louis said in a firm tone as he reached up and took the blood. They didn't have much time and even if he couldn't see, he could insert an IV line by feel alone, he was sure. He looked up once more in Chris's general direction. "There's a supply closet down the hall that Johnny's never bothered to clear out. They should have a respirator in there. Old fashioned but it ought to still work."
Hook paused for a moment as Chris hurried away, knowing that he should get moving and get things set up but at the same time reluctant to allow Louis to carry out any medical tasks with his vision so impaired.
"Hook, I can do this." Louis said firmly. "I think I did them in my sleep a few times. I can manage now. Get things ready."
As Hook moved away, he looked over at his son, the fear in Elmer's eyes almost breaking his heart. No, vision messed up or not, he wasn't going to let anything happen to Lona, wasn't going to let Elmer go through the pain he had with Emma, seeing someone you loved dying and being helpless to aid them.
"Hold her arm steady for me. This might be a little tricky if her veins have started collapsing." He ordered Elmer as he gently felt of Lona's arm for a moment before tying the piece of rubber right above her elbow. "You didn't get hurt during the quake?"
"I'm fine but Lona...." Elmer watched his father carefully as he went about starting the IV. He was moving much slower than Elmer would have liked, given how despirately he knew that Lona needed that blood,
gently prodding Lona's arm again and again before slowly inserting the needle and beginning to work the IV hookup into place.
"Here, Hold this," Louis said as he attached the bag of blood to the tubing and then thrust it into Elmer's hands. "Keep it up and try to apply some pressure if you can. We need to get that in as fast as possible." As he talked, he gently felt Lona's chest, checking for any injuries that might have been missed. Suddenly, his fingers brushed the tubing in her side and he stopped with a puzzled frown. "What in the world?"
"Her lung collapsed, " Elmer said slowly, knowing that he was about to get yelled at for what he had done. Okay, so Hook had praised him but did that really mean anything? Hook was probably just being nice and now his dad would point out all of his shortcomings.
Louis gently felt around the tubing before speaking. "You got this from a stethoscope, right? Clever, very clever," He said as he reached out for a moment and gently patted his son's shoulder.
Clever? Did his father just actually praise him? Elmer shook his head slightly not really sure he had just heard what he thought he did just as Chris came in the door dragging an old style respirator. Hook looked at it for a moment before nodding his approval and returning to Lona's side once more.
"Let's get her on the table." He said as he reached down and between him, Elmer and Louis, gently lifted her up, making sure not to pull the chest tube. "Elmer, get the rest of her blouse off. We don't want that in the way when we're cutting." he said softly ash he started to check the instruments that were now sitting out on tables nearby. It was definately less than he was used to working with but it would have to do.
"What about an anesthetic?" Elmer demanded as Hook finished checking the supplies and crossed to the lab sink with Chris to get ready.
"You have to give her something!"
"We can give her something through the IV to make her woozy if she starts to wake up but we just don't have the equipment to put her under totally." Hook said as he pulled on a pair of gloves.
"You're going to operate without any pain killers?" Elmer said,
shock and horror in his voice. How could they just.... Wasn't that against some sort of basic human principle? He looked down at Lona,
conflicted. He knew that she needed the surgery, was going to die without it, but the idea of her being cut open without some sort of pain killer....
"We can use locals as we cut," Hook said gently before issuing more orders. Best to give Elmer something to do even if he didn't look the steadiest at the moment. "Elmer, help your father get a breathing tube in and get her hooked up to that respirator." Luckily there was a connection to the hospital's oxygen tanks in there. He watched for a moment as Elmer and Louis worked before reaching out and picking up one of the scalpels. He looked carefully at the injured area, planning what he would need to do until he heard the steady hiss of the respirator as it started to run.
"Okay, we go in and get that bleeding stopped as fast as we can.
In and out quickly. This isn't exactly set up for people who are still alive and we don't want to risk having an open incision here for too long.
Elmer, Louis, keep an eye on the respirator, her pulse and those blood bags. Let me know if her vitals drop too much. Chris, you're assisting me."
Elmer couldn't even bring himself to look as Hook made the first cut into her abdomen. He leaned down, barely able to hold back hi tears as he pressed a gentle kiss against her forehead. "It's going to be alright,"
he whispered softly. "Just hold on, please."