Chris bit her lip in frustation as she tried once more to get the
stitches into a position where they would hold. They had managed to
resection the spleen but it seemed that every time that they thought they
had gotten the damaged artery repaired, it gave way once more and blood
started to spurt out like a faucet had been opened.
"Put more pressure there," Hook said softly, motioning for Chris to move her hand a bit as he reached in, carefully feeling for the torn blood vessel once more. He had definately forgotten how complicated a ruptured speen could be, especially given their lack of equipment. "Louis,
Elmer, how's she holding up?"
Louis reached out, gently feeling Lona's pulse before answering.
It was weak but... He started to pull his hand away but stopped and gently pressed his fingers against Lona's neck, once more. After a moment, he nodded. There was something, a faint irregularity that hadn't been there a few minutes before. "Hook, I think you better see about finishing what you're doing." Louis said quietly, trying to keep his tone even to avoid frightening Elmer too much.
Hook and Chris looked at each other, a bit nervously. Although Louis hadn't said as much, they knew things were starting to go downhill.
"One more time and then we go for the removal." Hook whispered to Chris as both of them reached in once more, trying to get the stubborn vessel safely tied off.
"Dad?" Elmer looked up at his father, worry fast becoming panic in his eyes. He recognized that tone his dad had used, the tone that said don't tell Elmer something because he's an idiot and will just make things worse. "Dad, please!"
"Elmer, it's going to be alright." Louis said firmly as he checked Lona's pulse once more. They were going to need another IV hooked up, and Lona definately needed some sort of drug therapy started but... He reached back to the crash cart, snagging another one of the IV setups and picking up Lona's left hand, turning it palm down so he could access the vein there. He could manage the IV without being able to see it but the drugs were going to be a problem. And how could he manage things without telling Elmer about his eyes? He knew that if his son realized that he was almost completely blind it would only make the situation worse. Lona needed their total focus to be centered on her at the moment if they were going to have any hope of saving her life.
"Go get a bag of saline and....' he paused for a moment, debating which drug would be appropriate. There were two different problems, her blood pressure steadily dropping and the cardiac irregularities. The only problem was that the drug to treat one problem could very well make the other problems worse. "Lidocaine. Get that for now." The cardiac problem definately needed to be addressed first. Hopefully if Hook and Chris could get that bleeding stopped, then they could treat the blood pressure problem with fluids.
Elmer didn't want to let go of Lona's hand but he forced himself to,
hurrying to the bright red cart and digging around inside as his father worked on getting the IV set up. He cringed inwardly as he noticed all of the equipment, seeming like he was seeing it for the first time. Lona was so sick. He knew that she could very well be needing all of the things on the cart soon and that frightened him to no end. He finally found the needed syringe of medicine and hurried back to Lona's side after nagging the saline as well.
Elmer watched anxiously as Louis adjusted the IV line in Lona's hand, getting the saline attached and running. There was something about his father, something that he knew he should be noticing but he couldn't for the life of him see. He shook his head, knowing he didn't have time to worry about whatever it was now. He held out the syringe to his father automatically, his eyes focused on Lona. She was so pale, paler than before and it looked like the blood was pouring out of her even faster. He bit his lip trying to keep from hyperventilating. She was dying. He knew she was dying and there was nothing that he could do, nothing he could do to help her!
"Elmer, you give it to her." Louis said firmly as he pressed the syringe back into his son's hand.
"What?" Elmer looked down at the syringe as if it was the first time that he had ever seen one. What in the world was his father thinking?
Lona's life was on the line here and certainly shouldn't be entrusted to HIM. What was his dad thinking?
"Elmer, you know how to do it." Louis said firmly. He thought he might be able to guess the right amount to inject but he didn't want to take that risk, not with Lona in this condition. He reached out, snagging another bog of blood and started to replace the almost empty one. "Do it!"
He ordered firmly.
Elmer looked down at the syringe once more, feeling himself starting to hyperventilate as he looked from it to Lona. He vaguely recalled learning about how to do this, it was true but he didn't trust himself, couldn't trust himself, not with Lona's life on the line. If he made a mistake.... There was no one else who could do it though. Chris and Hook were working on controlling the bleeding and his dad was trying to get more blood running. He had no choice. He hesitated a moment longer,
before reaching out and taking the IV tubing, carefully starting to inject the medication into one of the ports. He bit his lip, trying to control his breathing a bit. He had to do this perfectly, couldn't risk making a mistake. A tear slowly slipped down his cheek as he withdrew the syringe.
What if he had done something wrong?
"Please, Lona. you have to be okay," He whispered softly in her ear. If he lost her, he didn't know how he would ever live with himself.
"Put more pressure there," Hook said softly, motioning for Chris to move her hand a bit as he reached in, carefully feeling for the torn blood vessel once more. He had definately forgotten how complicated a ruptured speen could be, especially given their lack of equipment. "Louis,
Elmer, how's she holding up?"
Louis reached out, gently feeling Lona's pulse before answering.
It was weak but... He started to pull his hand away but stopped and gently pressed his fingers against Lona's neck, once more. After a moment, he nodded. There was something, a faint irregularity that hadn't been there a few minutes before. "Hook, I think you better see about finishing what you're doing." Louis said quietly, trying to keep his tone even to avoid frightening Elmer too much.
Hook and Chris looked at each other, a bit nervously. Although Louis hadn't said as much, they knew things were starting to go downhill.
"One more time and then we go for the removal." Hook whispered to Chris as both of them reached in once more, trying to get the stubborn vessel safely tied off.
"Dad?" Elmer looked up at his father, worry fast becoming panic in his eyes. He recognized that tone his dad had used, the tone that said don't tell Elmer something because he's an idiot and will just make things worse. "Dad, please!"
"Elmer, it's going to be alright." Louis said firmly as he checked Lona's pulse once more. They were going to need another IV hooked up, and Lona definately needed some sort of drug therapy started but... He reached back to the crash cart, snagging another one of the IV setups and picking up Lona's left hand, turning it palm down so he could access the vein there. He could manage the IV without being able to see it but the drugs were going to be a problem. And how could he manage things without telling Elmer about his eyes? He knew that if his son realized that he was almost completely blind it would only make the situation worse. Lona needed their total focus to be centered on her at the moment if they were going to have any hope of saving her life.
"Go get a bag of saline and....' he paused for a moment, debating which drug would be appropriate. There were two different problems, her blood pressure steadily dropping and the cardiac irregularities. The only problem was that the drug to treat one problem could very well make the other problems worse. "Lidocaine. Get that for now." The cardiac problem definately needed to be addressed first. Hopefully if Hook and Chris could get that bleeding stopped, then they could treat the blood pressure problem with fluids.
Elmer didn't want to let go of Lona's hand but he forced himself to,
hurrying to the bright red cart and digging around inside as his father worked on getting the IV set up. He cringed inwardly as he noticed all of the equipment, seeming like he was seeing it for the first time. Lona was so sick. He knew that she could very well be needing all of the things on the cart soon and that frightened him to no end. He finally found the needed syringe of medicine and hurried back to Lona's side after nagging the saline as well.
Elmer watched anxiously as Louis adjusted the IV line in Lona's hand, getting the saline attached and running. There was something about his father, something that he knew he should be noticing but he couldn't for the life of him see. He shook his head, knowing he didn't have time to worry about whatever it was now. He held out the syringe to his father automatically, his eyes focused on Lona. She was so pale, paler than before and it looked like the blood was pouring out of her even faster. He bit his lip trying to keep from hyperventilating. She was dying. He knew she was dying and there was nothing that he could do, nothing he could do to help her!
"Elmer, you give it to her." Louis said firmly as he pressed the syringe back into his son's hand.
"What?" Elmer looked down at the syringe as if it was the first time that he had ever seen one. What in the world was his father thinking?
Lona's life was on the line here and certainly shouldn't be entrusted to HIM. What was his dad thinking?
"Elmer, you know how to do it." Louis said firmly. He thought he might be able to guess the right amount to inject but he didn't want to take that risk, not with Lona in this condition. He reached out, snagging another bog of blood and started to replace the almost empty one. "Do it!"
He ordered firmly.
Elmer looked down at the syringe once more, feeling himself starting to hyperventilate as he looked from it to Lona. He vaguely recalled learning about how to do this, it was true but he didn't trust himself, couldn't trust himself, not with Lona's life on the line. If he made a mistake.... There was no one else who could do it though. Chris and Hook were working on controlling the bleeding and his dad was trying to get more blood running. He had no choice. He hesitated a moment longer,
before reaching out and taking the IV tubing, carefully starting to inject the medication into one of the ports. He bit his lip, trying to control his breathing a bit. He had to do this perfectly, couldn't risk making a mistake. A tear slowly slipped down his cheek as he withdrew the syringe.
What if he had done something wrong?
"Please, Lona. you have to be okay," He whispered softly in her ear. If he lost her, he didn't know how he would ever live with himself.