"Dad?" Elmer called anxiously for his father as he looked over at
Lona. There was a tubing setup connecting them together, his blood running
into her arm somehow but was it helping her? He wanted to believe
desperately that it would but at the same time, he was so afraid. What if
his blood was as useless as he was?
"It's okay." Louis said quietly as he gently patted Elmer's shoulder. If he could just see, he knew he would be of more help medically but at the same time he knew that talking to Elmer and trying to keep him from panic might help more than anything medical that he could try.
"Is it working?" Elmer looked from Lona up into his father's eyes,
praying for some sort of comfort, for reassurance that Lona would be fine.
"Her pulse is up a little." Hook called from Lona's other side where he was monitoring the transfusion and her vitals. Okay, the idea of using a direct transfusion definitely did seem to be working. Lona was starting to respond slightly to their efforts now. The only problem was that he wasn't sure if it would be enough to pull her through.
"It isn't enough, is it?" Elmer could barely keep from crying as he spoke. He could tell from the way everyone kept looking at Lona and the things that they weren't saying that she wasn't out of danger despite the new transfusion, that he could still lose her. "How much more blood does she need? Take whatever you have to! I don't care! Just help her."
Although he had fought hard against it, he felt a tear slipping down his cheek. "Please, just help her."
Louis didn't speak for a moment as his eyes moved from Lona to Elmer, trying to picture the situation in his head although he couldn't physically see it. They had almost taken the normal amount that was taken during a blood donation. Anymore blood loss could be detrimental to his son's wellbeing but then wasn't Elmer's wellbeing connected to Lona's? If something happened to her and Elmer felt like he could have prevented it somehow, Louis knew that Elmer would be destroyed. And his son was young and in good health. Although donating excess blood would weaken him, the odds that it would do any sort of lasting harm were extremely small. And a bit more blood might with any luck be what Lona needed to get the situation turned around.
"Let me talk to him." Louis said softly as he heard Hook approaching to see about undoing the transfusion hookup.
"Elmer?" Louis bent over his son, whispered into his ear so that Hook and Chris wouldn't here. "You know that if you give Lona much more blood it won't be good for you, right?" he asked quietly. "Are you willing to risk that?
"I can't do anything else for her." Elmer said softly as he looked over at Lona once more. She needed Hook, Chris and his dad to tend her injuries and see about getting them out of here. He was basically just and extra body trying not to get in the way. If his blood could help Lona,
though.... "Please, dad, I know what giving more blood to her will do but...." He could barely keep from sobbing as he thought about it. "Dad,
please, just help her. I can't lose her now. I'll be fine. Just please,
please help her!"
"Okay." Louis said as he patted Elmer once more. He couldn't believe that he was actually agreeing for Elmer to take any sort of risk with his health and there was a slim chance his life but he understood his son's motivations all too well. And wasn't a slight risk to save a life automatically worth it?
"Hook?" he called as he stood up once more.
"We need to get that out now." Hook said as he came over, looking a bit concerned as his eyes fell on the tubing. At this point, Elmer had given definitely more than the recommended amount of blood for donations and he wanted to end things before the younger doctor could suffer any sort of harm.
"We're going to let it run a little longer, see if it makes any sort of difference," Louis said firmly and as he sensed that Hook was about to argue with him, he continued. "He knows the risks and he's willing to take them." And Elmer really did love Lona, he was definitely realizing. Wasn't any risk worth it if it might save the person that you loved? If he could have saved Emma....
Hook frowned, concern apparent on his face at this. Okay, he didn't want anything to happen to Lona but they didn't need two sick people on their hands and if they took too much blood, Elmer would definitely be out of it. "Elmer?"
"Please, just do it, okay? I know what could happen and I don't care. Just help her." Elmer said once more, forcing his tone to be firm this time as he spoke, something that Hook couldn't argue with.
"Louis, are you okay with this?" Hook asked softly as he led Louis away from Lona and Elmer for a moment.
"It's what he wants." Louis said slowly, pausing for a few moments as he considered the situation. "He's young and healthy, Hook. There's no reason to think that losing a bit more blood would affect him unduly. If we have to, we could give him more blood once we get out of here. And maybe a bit more might be enough to get Lona stabilized."
Hook couldn't really argue with that although he wanted to, hated to see Elmer taking a chance. Lona might be able to hold out, based on the blood Elmer had already donated. At the same time, he also realized that she could easily go the other way as well.
He moved back to Elmer's side with Louis, reaching out and patting the younger doctor's shoulder in the hopes of comforting him as he watched more blood flow through the tubing. Suddenly, he focused on Lona once more, gazing intently at her as if he was trying to drink in every bit of her essence. "Chris?" he called.
"Her color's getting better." Chris said with a slight smile as she looked over at Hook. "And her pulse is stronger."
"Dad?" Elmer could hear them talking, of course, but a dizzy, sick feeling was making it hard to understand what they were saying.
"She's starting to respond." Louis said softly as he patted Elmer's shoulder, a bit of a hardier pat now that some of his worried for Lona were starting to fade.
Elmer couldn't really speak but he just smiled slightly, turning his head to look at Lona as she laid still on the table next to his gurney.
"Why don't you try to get some sleep now? We'll take the IV out in a little bit." Louis said gently. "She's going to be fine, Son, I promise you."
"Don't want to sleep," Elmer muttered even though it was apparent that sleep was already trying to claim him. "Lona might need...."
'We'll take care of Lona. You just rest." As Louis spoke, he reached out and lifted Lona's hand a bit, reaching out and tucking it firmly into his son's grasp. Just sleep. Everything is going to be fine.
"It's okay." Louis said quietly as he gently patted Elmer's shoulder. If he could just see, he knew he would be of more help medically but at the same time he knew that talking to Elmer and trying to keep him from panic might help more than anything medical that he could try.
"Is it working?" Elmer looked from Lona up into his father's eyes,
praying for some sort of comfort, for reassurance that Lona would be fine.
"Her pulse is up a little." Hook called from Lona's other side where he was monitoring the transfusion and her vitals. Okay, the idea of using a direct transfusion definitely did seem to be working. Lona was starting to respond slightly to their efforts now. The only problem was that he wasn't sure if it would be enough to pull her through.
"It isn't enough, is it?" Elmer could barely keep from crying as he spoke. He could tell from the way everyone kept looking at Lona and the things that they weren't saying that she wasn't out of danger despite the new transfusion, that he could still lose her. "How much more blood does she need? Take whatever you have to! I don't care! Just help her."
Although he had fought hard against it, he felt a tear slipping down his cheek. "Please, just help her."
Louis didn't speak for a moment as his eyes moved from Lona to Elmer, trying to picture the situation in his head although he couldn't physically see it. They had almost taken the normal amount that was taken during a blood donation. Anymore blood loss could be detrimental to his son's wellbeing but then wasn't Elmer's wellbeing connected to Lona's? If something happened to her and Elmer felt like he could have prevented it somehow, Louis knew that Elmer would be destroyed. And his son was young and in good health. Although donating excess blood would weaken him, the odds that it would do any sort of lasting harm were extremely small. And a bit more blood might with any luck be what Lona needed to get the situation turned around.
"Let me talk to him." Louis said softly as he heard Hook approaching to see about undoing the transfusion hookup.
"Elmer?" Louis bent over his son, whispered into his ear so that Hook and Chris wouldn't here. "You know that if you give Lona much more blood it won't be good for you, right?" he asked quietly. "Are you willing to risk that?
"I can't do anything else for her." Elmer said softly as he looked over at Lona once more. She needed Hook, Chris and his dad to tend her injuries and see about getting them out of here. He was basically just and extra body trying not to get in the way. If his blood could help Lona,
though.... "Please, dad, I know what giving more blood to her will do but...." He could barely keep from sobbing as he thought about it. "Dad,
please, just help her. I can't lose her now. I'll be fine. Just please,
please help her!"
"Okay." Louis said as he patted Elmer once more. He couldn't believe that he was actually agreeing for Elmer to take any sort of risk with his health and there was a slim chance his life but he understood his son's motivations all too well. And wasn't a slight risk to save a life automatically worth it?
"Hook?" he called as he stood up once more.
"We need to get that out now." Hook said as he came over, looking a bit concerned as his eyes fell on the tubing. At this point, Elmer had given definitely more than the recommended amount of blood for donations and he wanted to end things before the younger doctor could suffer any sort of harm.
"We're going to let it run a little longer, see if it makes any sort of difference," Louis said firmly and as he sensed that Hook was about to argue with him, he continued. "He knows the risks and he's willing to take them." And Elmer really did love Lona, he was definitely realizing. Wasn't any risk worth it if it might save the person that you loved? If he could have saved Emma....
Hook frowned, concern apparent on his face at this. Okay, he didn't want anything to happen to Lona but they didn't need two sick people on their hands and if they took too much blood, Elmer would definitely be out of it. "Elmer?"
"Please, just do it, okay? I know what could happen and I don't care. Just help her." Elmer said once more, forcing his tone to be firm this time as he spoke, something that Hook couldn't argue with.
"Louis, are you okay with this?" Hook asked softly as he led Louis away from Lona and Elmer for a moment.
"It's what he wants." Louis said slowly, pausing for a few moments as he considered the situation. "He's young and healthy, Hook. There's no reason to think that losing a bit more blood would affect him unduly. If we have to, we could give him more blood once we get out of here. And maybe a bit more might be enough to get Lona stabilized."
Hook couldn't really argue with that although he wanted to, hated to see Elmer taking a chance. Lona might be able to hold out, based on the blood Elmer had already donated. At the same time, he also realized that she could easily go the other way as well.
He moved back to Elmer's side with Louis, reaching out and patting the younger doctor's shoulder in the hopes of comforting him as he watched more blood flow through the tubing. Suddenly, he focused on Lona once more, gazing intently at her as if he was trying to drink in every bit of her essence. "Chris?" he called.
"Her color's getting better." Chris said with a slight smile as she looked over at Hook. "And her pulse is stronger."
"Dad?" Elmer could hear them talking, of course, but a dizzy, sick feeling was making it hard to understand what they were saying.
"She's starting to respond." Louis said softly as he patted Elmer's shoulder, a bit of a hardier pat now that some of his worried for Lona were starting to fade.
Elmer couldn't really speak but he just smiled slightly, turning his head to look at Lona as she laid still on the table next to his gurney.
"Why don't you try to get some sleep now? We'll take the IV out in a little bit." Louis said gently. "She's going to be fine, Son, I promise you."
"Don't want to sleep," Elmer muttered even though it was apparent that sleep was already trying to claim him. "Lona might need...."
'We'll take care of Lona. You just rest." As Louis spoke, he reached out and lifted Lona's hand a bit, reaching out and tucking it firmly into his son's grasp. Just sleep. Everything is going to be fine.