"It's so cold in here," Elmer said softly as he reached under the
blankets covering Lona, gently taking her hand and covering it with his.
Even under the warm blankets, she still felt cold, much too cold. "Did Dr.
James cut building maintance or something again? She's freezing." He wished he could gather Lona into his arms. He was sure if he could hold her snuggled against him for just a little while that he could get her nice and toasty warm once more. He didn't dare risk moving her, though, not with that injured lung and the fresh incision.
"It is cold." Chris said softly as she moved over to join Hook.
She shivered a little and he automatically shrugged off his lab coat and draped it around her shoulders. "Hook, tell me that Stegman isn't insane enough to try to cut the heat down here to make sure that we die." This last part she spoke in a soft tone so that Elmer wouldn't overhear her.
"Who knows what Steg's capable of." Hook said just as quietly as he drew Chris into his arms to keep her warm. When he got out of here,
Steg was going to pay for this one, he would make sure of it.
"How's she doing?" Louis asked as he rejoined Elmer, reaching out and patting his son's shoulder to try to comfort him as he did so. He might not be able to see but you didn't exactly need vision to read Elmer at the moment.
"She's breathing okay, but her pulse is really slow," Elmer said quietly as he pressed his fingers against Lona's neck for a moment. They had the respirator out now but he thought with a shudder that they might need to put her back on it soon if they couldn't get out of here. "Dad..."
"We're not going to lose her." Louis said firmly as he reached out and felt Lona's pulse himself. She was definitely starting to slip once more. They had to get more blood into her somehow. Lona was fighting to stay with them but without more blood to get oxygen around her body, there was just no way she could win.
"Hook," Louis waved, motioning for the other two doctors to come over and join them.
"She's worse?" Hook asked as he came over with Chris right at his side. He knew that the benefit from the saline solution wouldn't last long but he had hoped it might keep Lona going until help could get to them.
"She needs blood." Louis said with a slow nod.
As his father and Hook talked and looked at each other with serious expressions, Elmer felt himself starting to hyperventilate slightly. He knew that they have exhausted the morgue's blood supply and unless he was very mistaken, there wasn't another area down in the basement that would have more blood. If Lona needed blood and couldn't get it.... No, he couldn't lose her! He felt himself shooting a suddenly resentful look at Chris and Hook, all snuggled together. Why were they able to be happy and snuggle together when Lona was lying there slowly dying and he couldn't even risk holding her? It wasn't fair! He loved her just as much as Hook loved Chris! Why did he have to lose her and Hook got to keep....
"Calm down, Elmer." Louis said firmly. He could hear his son's breathing getting more rapid and knew he was getting upset about something,
most likely Lona's condition. "I said we aren't going to lose her and I mean it. Hook's going to get another gurney. I need you to lay down,
okay?"
Elmer stared at his father in shock. Here Lona was maybe dying and his dad was wanting him to lay down and rest? What was he thinking? He wasn't going to lay down when Lona needed him. "No, I...."
"Elmer, she needs blood and we're going to get it for her, okay?"
Louis smiled slightly as he reached out and patted his son's shoulder once more. "Is it okay with you if we borrow a bit of yours now?"
What?" Okay, Elmer hand seen transfusions done like that, direct from one person to another on television before but he didn't think it could actually work in real life! "Can you even do that?" He asked with a frown. If they could, Lona was more than welcome to his blood, all of it that she might need.
Louis nodded and Elmer let out a slight sigh of relief. "Take it.
Take whatever she needs." He looked over at Lona, barely able to keep from sobbing at the fight of her laying there so pale and still. "You're sure that it will help her?" He felt a sudden rush of fear as he thought about it. How could his father be so sure that his blood would work for Lona?
"I made the mistake of walking past Dr. James's office when he was looking for someone to run the blood drive a couple of years ago. Trust me, this will work." Louis said as he patted his son's shoulder once more,
trying to reassure him. "No, just lay down on the gurney and let us get this set up, okay?"
Elmer nodded although he was still frightened, not for himself of course but for Lona. "Dad, please, just promise that you'll take care of her, okay? Take whatever you have to, whatever blood she needs. Just don't let anything happen to her."
"We're going to fix this, I promise." Louis said with a nod as Elmer climbed onto the gurney and laid down. Okay, he knew that he probably shouldn't promise Elmer something that he couldn't guarantee but.... No,
they weren't going to lose Lona, not now, not if there was anything at all that he could do to prevent it. "We're going to fix this."
Even under the warm blankets, she still felt cold, much too cold. "Did Dr.
James cut building maintance or something again? She's freezing." He wished he could gather Lona into his arms. He was sure if he could hold her snuggled against him for just a little while that he could get her nice and toasty warm once more. He didn't dare risk moving her, though, not with that injured lung and the fresh incision.
"It is cold." Chris said softly as she moved over to join Hook.
She shivered a little and he automatically shrugged off his lab coat and draped it around her shoulders. "Hook, tell me that Stegman isn't insane enough to try to cut the heat down here to make sure that we die." This last part she spoke in a soft tone so that Elmer wouldn't overhear her.
"Who knows what Steg's capable of." Hook said just as quietly as he drew Chris into his arms to keep her warm. When he got out of here,
Steg was going to pay for this one, he would make sure of it.
"How's she doing?" Louis asked as he rejoined Elmer, reaching out and patting his son's shoulder to try to comfort him as he did so. He might not be able to see but you didn't exactly need vision to read Elmer at the moment.
"She's breathing okay, but her pulse is really slow," Elmer said quietly as he pressed his fingers against Lona's neck for a moment. They had the respirator out now but he thought with a shudder that they might need to put her back on it soon if they couldn't get out of here. "Dad..."
"We're not going to lose her." Louis said firmly as he reached out and felt Lona's pulse himself. She was definitely starting to slip once more. They had to get more blood into her somehow. Lona was fighting to stay with them but without more blood to get oxygen around her body, there was just no way she could win.
"Hook," Louis waved, motioning for the other two doctors to come over and join them.
"She's worse?" Hook asked as he came over with Chris right at his side. He knew that the benefit from the saline solution wouldn't last long but he had hoped it might keep Lona going until help could get to them.
"She needs blood." Louis said with a slow nod.
As his father and Hook talked and looked at each other with serious expressions, Elmer felt himself starting to hyperventilate slightly. He knew that they have exhausted the morgue's blood supply and unless he was very mistaken, there wasn't another area down in the basement that would have more blood. If Lona needed blood and couldn't get it.... No, he couldn't lose her! He felt himself shooting a suddenly resentful look at Chris and Hook, all snuggled together. Why were they able to be happy and snuggle together when Lona was lying there slowly dying and he couldn't even risk holding her? It wasn't fair! He loved her just as much as Hook loved Chris! Why did he have to lose her and Hook got to keep....
"Calm down, Elmer." Louis said firmly. He could hear his son's breathing getting more rapid and knew he was getting upset about something,
most likely Lona's condition. "I said we aren't going to lose her and I mean it. Hook's going to get another gurney. I need you to lay down,
okay?"
Elmer stared at his father in shock. Here Lona was maybe dying and his dad was wanting him to lay down and rest? What was he thinking? He wasn't going to lay down when Lona needed him. "No, I...."
"Elmer, she needs blood and we're going to get it for her, okay?"
Louis smiled slightly as he reached out and patted his son's shoulder once more. "Is it okay with you if we borrow a bit of yours now?"
What?" Okay, Elmer hand seen transfusions done like that, direct from one person to another on television before but he didn't think it could actually work in real life! "Can you even do that?" He asked with a frown. If they could, Lona was more than welcome to his blood, all of it that she might need.
Louis nodded and Elmer let out a slight sigh of relief. "Take it.
Take whatever she needs." He looked over at Lona, barely able to keep from sobbing at the fight of her laying there so pale and still. "You're sure that it will help her?" He felt a sudden rush of fear as he thought about it. How could his father be so sure that his blood would work for Lona?
"I made the mistake of walking past Dr. James's office when he was looking for someone to run the blood drive a couple of years ago. Trust me, this will work." Louis said as he patted his son's shoulder once more,
trying to reassure him. "No, just lay down on the gurney and let us get this set up, okay?"
Elmer nodded although he was still frightened, not for himself of course but for Lona. "Dad, please, just promise that you'll take care of her, okay? Take whatever you have to, whatever blood she needs. Just don't let anything happen to her."
"We're going to fix this, I promise." Louis said with a nod as Elmer climbed onto the gurney and laid down. Okay, he knew that he probably shouldn't promise Elmer something that he couldn't guarantee but.... No,
they weren't going to lose Lona, not now, not if there was anything at all that he could do to prevent it. "We're going to fix this."