Chapter Three: Surgery
Speed lay flat on her back in the hospital bed, counting the dots on the suspended ceiling. Not five feet from her, Dimak and Freedman were deep in conversation, though Speed had no idea of this.
"Face it doctor, you screwed up." Dimak was saying, "You'll be lucky if you don't face a court martial at the end of this."
"I'm telling you I can fix it." Freedman responded, looking over her charts.
"You had your chance." Dimak snapped, "You knew the girl was a Third, hell that's why she's here. You're dismissed."
"Yes sir." Freedman stood and left the room somewhat sulkily.
Speed saw her leave and turned to see Dimak on the videophone, she couldn't read what his lips were saying but it sounded like Dimak was trying to arrange for another doctor to repair the damage. He hung up the phone and turned to Speed.
"What's going on Dimak?" Her mouth said, her ears didn't hear. Dimak scribbled something down on a scrap piece of paper and handed it to her.
"There were complications with the medication. We've found another doctor to come attempt to repair it but there are no guarantees." It said.
"Can I still go to Battle School?" Speed asked, passing the paper back to the captain.
"Only if we can repair your hearing." He wrote, "In the mean time, we'll get you started on medication for your ADD."
Speed nodded and turned her attention back to the ceiling. Half an hour later, a nurse brought in some books for her to read and handed her some pills. Speed swallowed them and started flipping through the first book. It was a cutesy book about some ponies that get lost, and Speed put it down after a few pages. The second book was slightly more interesting, but still very childish. The young girl put the books away and settled in for a long nap. She watched out the window as doctors and nurses went about their daily lives. She couldn't believe it, she had been so close to getting out of her miserable existence and now she was going back. She wanted to cry, but no tears came. She would never show weakness in front of someone, no matter how much she wanted to. It was another two days before the doctor arrived to perform Speed's surgery. By the time he did, Speed was completely fluent in sign language but was still very estranged from the other patients. The International Fleet kept her deliberately apart and it wasn't that much of a change. She had never had any friends at home. Dimak had told her the next launch was in several months. If she hadn't recovered within a year or two they would have to send her home. That just wasn't acceptable to Speed, as far as she was concerned, they could sign her up for the next launch. On the morning of, Speed was wheeled down the hallway feeling slightly dazed from the ADD medication. They brought her into the operating room and she lay down on the table, her tiny body quivering with anticipation. The mask was slipped over her face and she was unconscious in seconds. Doctor O'Donnell was performing the surgery. The goal was to open up the ear and insert a tiny computer that would transfer the sounds for her failed eardrum. The left ear went smoothly and was completed in three hours. Stitching the incision carefully shut, the Doctor turned to one of the nurses. "We're going to attempt the second ear as well today." He said. "Are you sure Doctor?" The nurse looked skeptical. "Yes I'm sure." The doctor replied. The nurses exchanged glances and slowly rotated Speed so she was lying on her other side. The doctor's scalpel cut just behind the ear and the surgery began. Carefully peeling back pieces of muscle and skull, the doctor placed the computer in the child's earlobe and replaced all he had moved. Stitching the skin flap back over the opening, he rolled the child onto her back and dropped the scalpel in the disinfectant. "Clean her up, get her to recovery." He said, and with that, he left the room.
When Speed woke up from the anesthetic, it was to pain like she had never experianced before. Her head felt like it was going to split. She started screaming, and a nurse came running. "What's wrong?" He signed to Speed. Speeds reply was a careless and hurried "It hurts!" The nurse nodded and moved to the side of the bed, sliding a bag of morphine into the I.V. tray and pressing a button. "It'll get better soon," He signed, "I promise." It hurt too much to nod acknowledgement, She watched as the morphine slid along the tubes toward her arm. She stared at the heart monitor, which was still erratic and slowly drifted into a fitful sleep.
"So, how did it go?"
"As well as can be expected. She's a strong girl."
"This isn't news."
"I know, but I like to state the obvious."
"What's your assessment?"
"She's pretty amazing, but I don't think she'll be ready in six months."
"Never say never doctor."
Speed lay flat on her back in the hospital bed, counting the dots on the suspended ceiling. Not five feet from her, Dimak and Freedman were deep in conversation, though Speed had no idea of this.
"Face it doctor, you screwed up." Dimak was saying, "You'll be lucky if you don't face a court martial at the end of this."
"I'm telling you I can fix it." Freedman responded, looking over her charts.
"You had your chance." Dimak snapped, "You knew the girl was a Third, hell that's why she's here. You're dismissed."
"Yes sir." Freedman stood and left the room somewhat sulkily.
Speed saw her leave and turned to see Dimak on the videophone, she couldn't read what his lips were saying but it sounded like Dimak was trying to arrange for another doctor to repair the damage. He hung up the phone and turned to Speed.
"What's going on Dimak?" Her mouth said, her ears didn't hear. Dimak scribbled something down on a scrap piece of paper and handed it to her.
"There were complications with the medication. We've found another doctor to come attempt to repair it but there are no guarantees." It said.
"Can I still go to Battle School?" Speed asked, passing the paper back to the captain.
"Only if we can repair your hearing." He wrote, "In the mean time, we'll get you started on medication for your ADD."
Speed nodded and turned her attention back to the ceiling. Half an hour later, a nurse brought in some books for her to read and handed her some pills. Speed swallowed them and started flipping through the first book. It was a cutesy book about some ponies that get lost, and Speed put it down after a few pages. The second book was slightly more interesting, but still very childish. The young girl put the books away and settled in for a long nap. She watched out the window as doctors and nurses went about their daily lives. She couldn't believe it, she had been so close to getting out of her miserable existence and now she was going back. She wanted to cry, but no tears came. She would never show weakness in front of someone, no matter how much she wanted to. It was another two days before the doctor arrived to perform Speed's surgery. By the time he did, Speed was completely fluent in sign language but was still very estranged from the other patients. The International Fleet kept her deliberately apart and it wasn't that much of a change. She had never had any friends at home. Dimak had told her the next launch was in several months. If she hadn't recovered within a year or two they would have to send her home. That just wasn't acceptable to Speed, as far as she was concerned, they could sign her up for the next launch. On the morning of, Speed was wheeled down the hallway feeling slightly dazed from the ADD medication. They brought her into the operating room and she lay down on the table, her tiny body quivering with anticipation. The mask was slipped over her face and she was unconscious in seconds. Doctor O'Donnell was performing the surgery. The goal was to open up the ear and insert a tiny computer that would transfer the sounds for her failed eardrum. The left ear went smoothly and was completed in three hours. Stitching the incision carefully shut, the Doctor turned to one of the nurses. "We're going to attempt the second ear as well today." He said. "Are you sure Doctor?" The nurse looked skeptical. "Yes I'm sure." The doctor replied. The nurses exchanged glances and slowly rotated Speed so she was lying on her other side. The doctor's scalpel cut just behind the ear and the surgery began. Carefully peeling back pieces of muscle and skull, the doctor placed the computer in the child's earlobe and replaced all he had moved. Stitching the skin flap back over the opening, he rolled the child onto her back and dropped the scalpel in the disinfectant. "Clean her up, get her to recovery." He said, and with that, he left the room.
When Speed woke up from the anesthetic, it was to pain like she had never experianced before. Her head felt like it was going to split. She started screaming, and a nurse came running. "What's wrong?" He signed to Speed. Speeds reply was a careless and hurried "It hurts!" The nurse nodded and moved to the side of the bed, sliding a bag of morphine into the I.V. tray and pressing a button. "It'll get better soon," He signed, "I promise." It hurt too much to nod acknowledgement, She watched as the morphine slid along the tubes toward her arm. She stared at the heart monitor, which was still erratic and slowly drifted into a fitful sleep.
"So, how did it go?"
"As well as can be expected. She's a strong girl."
"This isn't news."
"I know, but I like to state the obvious."
"What's your assessment?"
"She's pretty amazing, but I don't think she'll be ready in six months."
"Never say never doctor."