Chapter 243

Now that Tegan was outside the cabin was quiet and Sara could hear Kate's ragged breathing in the front of the plane. She knew she had to get to her. Sara pushed herself backward towards the front of the plane with her healthy leg and gasped in pain. She turned her upper body and vomited.

"Sara… stay there" Kate breathed in pain but Sara didn't hear her. Determined she pushed herself back again, vomit burning her throat and nose. After a few more painful shoves backward she started seeing spots. Her leg felt as if her leg was on fire. She lay back panting for a minute and started pushing again gritting her teeth. Sweat rolling into her eyes.

-0-

Tegan stopped in her tracks when she saw the air hostess stills strapped in her seat that was now on its side on the ground a few feet away. She didn't even know her name.

"Hey, hey are you okay?" she said shaking the girls' shoulder softly. She didn't move.

"Come on… come on" Tegan mumbled as she put her finger's in the girl's neck to check for a pulse. Her skin was freezing cold. Her pulse absent.

"Dammit" Tegan whispered and buried her face in her elbow. "Dammit… damnit"

"I'm so sorry" she whispered and got up. Tegan started searching again. She knew she didn't have time to linger, no matter how impersonal it felt. "Come on… where's that bag" she yelled, now becoming desperate. She continued searching for a few minutes, picking up things that may come in useful along the way. Water bottles, an empty box, some small alcohol bottles.

Kate must have lost consciousness for a few moments because the next thing she knew, Sara was sliding up next to her.

"Kate, are you okay?" Sara panted.

"Sara... stay still" Kate whispered. Sara grabbed her hand and turned her head, she spotted the metal protruding from Kate's upper abdomen.

"Oh my god" she gasped. The world spun.

"Sara... just breathe... I'm okay" Kate said as loudly as she could.

"Oh god… oh fuck Kate"

"Baby… breathe" said Kate softly and squeezed Sara's hand.

Sara seemed to calm down slightly.

"Are you okay?" Kate asked as loudly and confidently as she could.

"My leg is fucked… but I'm okay"

"I need to check" said Kate and moved her head.

"NO! Stay perfectly still… You know you can't move… with that metal in you. Stay still… Tegan will be back soon… she can follow… your instructions" said Sara still breathless from pain and excursion.

-0-

"Yes!" Tegan yelled as she saw Kate's medical bag under a heap of debris. She uncovered it in a minute, grabbed it and ran back to the plane, carefully ascending the stairs. She saw Sara lying next to Kate.

"Sara what the fuck, I told you to stay still" she yelled.

"Had to be… with Kate" Sara said through gritted teeth.

"Kate, how are you doing? Talk to me" said Tegan kneeling next to Kate.

Kate was breathing heavily, sweat beads on her forehead.

"Uhhh… okay… Open… the bag... Pack out… the contents" she said softly.

Tegan started meticulously packing out the bag's contents.

"Talk to me" said Kate softly.

"Everything's okay…. Help will be here any minute" said Tegan.

"No… tell me what's… in the bag"

Tegan showed Kate the items one by one.

"Give me… stethoscope" Kate grunted, struggling for breath.

Tegan did as told and put the stethoscope in Kate's ears.

Kate grunted in pain as she lifted her hand to put the stethoscope on her chest. Tegan gently assisted her. She listened to her heart and lungs for a few seconds, hands shaking.

"Fuck… Go to the needles Tegan… needles now" she said with every bit of urgency and strength in her.

Tegan rummaged around for needles.

"I want the… the large cannula… the one… with the stopcock... at the end… it's a... big one" Kate wheezed. It was clear that she was hardly moving any air.

"This one?" said Tegan urgently.

"Yeah… open it" said Kate. "Quick… and cut… my shirt off" Kate panted. Her lips were turning a shade of blue.

Tegan did as told.

Kate palpated her chest, above her breast and below her collar bone.

"Here" she puffed pointing at a spot. "Mark it… clean it"

Tegan pulled a skin marker out of the bag and marked the spot with a little x. She quickly wiped it with an alcohol swab.

"Good… now push it in… hard" Kate panted.

"What?" said Tegan sounding confused.

"Push it in… you have… to push it in. Lift your hand… and plunge it in… hard" Kate wheezed.

Tegan took the needle and held it over Kate's chest. She was suddenly as pale as a sheet.

"Do it" Kate grunted.

"I… I can't… I'll hurt you" said Tegan, needle still in the air.

"Tegan stop fucking around and do it" yelled Sara.

Tegan seemed to be frozen.

Kate was struggling more and more for breath and was starting to black out. Sara put her fingers in Kate's neck.

"Tegan her pulse weak and slow and she's hardly breathing, do it… or give it to me I'll do it"

"Can't breathe… Tegan please. I'll die… if you don't" Kate begged through wheezes. She started to black out from lack of oxygen.

Tegan clenched her jaw and without thinking further plunged the needle into Kate's chest. The air escaping the needle made a whistling sound and Kate took a gasping, grateful breath. Things came back into focus a bit more.

Tegan bust out into tears.

"That's it baby just breathe. It's okay, just breathe" said Sara touching Kate's cheek. Kate tried desperately to control her breathing that game in greedy gulps as her crushed lungs re-inflated again. She finally managed to even her breathing out. It hurt like hell to take deep breaths.

"You're doing great, just breathe… you're okay" said Tegan.

"Good… good job… Thank you" said Kate softly through gasps. She winched in pain and flipped the switch on the stopcock again.

"Tape it in place… If I… lose consciousness… open this when… my breathing becomes… too laboured… release the pressure"

"Okay… but please Kate stay with me… stay awake" Tegan begged.

"I'm right here" breathed Kate. She put the stethoscope back on her chest and closed her eyes.

"Fuck… I'm so cold" whispered Sara, her teeth clattering. Tegan jumped up and grabbed every airplane blanket and piece of clothing she could find. She jogged back and covered Sara and Kate with it. Both were shaking, Tegan wasn't sure if it was from cold or shock.

"Okay… find... the drugs" mumbled Kate.

Tegan rummaged around and found a container with various vials of medication.

"Find… morphine… or ketamine"

"Okay this one is morphine… no ketamine"

"How much?"

Tegan held the vial in front of Kate's face. Kate blinked hard to get it into focus.

"Fuck… that's not a lot… Okay Tee… you're going to... have to pull up... about 7.5mg and... inject it into... Sara's thigh"

"I'm okay… I'm fine, you take it" said Sara but she looked just about ready to vomit or pass out or both.

"You're... okay now… but we're... going to… have to realign... your leg… that's going to hurt… like a motherfucker" said Kate.

"No… no… I'm fine"

"Feel for pulses… in her leg… around the ankle… top of foot" said Kate gritting her teeth. Her head was spinning, her vision clouded by pain.

Tegan moved to Sara's leg, she took her shoe off and Sara screamed in pain.

"Well, she's feeling pain" said Tegan lifting an eyebrow.

Tegan felt for a pulse and Sara moaned.

"I'm sorry Sar… sorry" said Tegan.

"Tegan?" grunted Kate.

"I'm still looking… fuck Kate I can't feel it. I'm not sure but I don't think there's a pulse and her foot is really cold"

"Morphine" said Kate.

"No don't" said Sara.

"If we don't… you'll lose… the leg Sara… please" Kate breathed and squeezed Sara's hand.

Kate told Tegan what needle to use with the syringe. Tegan pulled up the morphine. She was shaking but she was focused. She showed it to Kate to check.

"Yeah okay… tap out… the air bubbles"

Tegan has seen nurses do this a million times so she did without problems.

"Okay…. Now cut open… the pants to… the upper thigh"

"I'm scared Kate" Sara cried.

"I know baby… but it's okay… you're going to… be okay. We'll take care… of it" Kate wheezed. She turned open the dial on the needle again for the air built up in her chest to escape.

"Okay Tee… in the muscle… of the upper thigh… of the injured leg. Push it in… slowly" said Kate weakly.

"Yeah… got it" said Tegan. She hesitated for a second and then stuck the needle in.

"Ahhh" Sara moaned.

"Good good" said Kate and coughed up some blood.

"Baby… Katy… are you okay" Sara said trying to sit up.

"Yeah… I'm okay… stay still"

"Okay… Tee…" Kate panted. She stopped to try and get rid of a wave of nausea.

"You okay?" Tegan asked.

"Uh huh… just… um.. I'm fine" said Kate and made a whimpering sound of pain.

"Let me give you some of this morphine"

"No… not yet… need to… concentrate"

"What do you need me to do?" Tegan asked bravely.

"You need to pull… her leg… into place. You'll need to… pull hard… like really… hard ok. Visualise it… You'll feel it go… into the right… place" said Kate barely managing the words.

Tegan was shaking now, adrenaline overflowing.

"I'm sorry baby… this is going… to hurt" said Kate blinking away cobwebs.

Sara just nodded, her breathing fast and hard.

"Oh God I can't do this" said Tegan after she had cut Sara's jeans open and saw her malformed leg.

"You can… you have to" gasped Kate.

"Pain better yet Sar?" asked Tegan.

"A little" said Sara.

"Should we give the morphine more time to work?" asked Tegan.

"No… it's working…. Do it. Grab her leg… by the ankle. It's going to… be difficult… because you … don't have… counter traction. Sara… just stay… as still as… possible" said Kate weakly.

"Ok Sar, here we go" said Tegan and grabbed Sara's leg. Sara was already winching even though Tegan only lifted her ankle half an inch to get her hands under the leg.

"Pull out… then position" said Kate as nausea flushed over her.

Tegan pulled and Sara screamed in pain.

"Sorry sorry… oh fuck I can't said Tegan in tears.

"You can… please Tegan" Kate begged.

"No no… please... Hurts... Hurts" mumbled Sara through blinding pain.

Tegan just pulled again hard and pushed the leg to where she imagined it should be. It killed her to hurt her sister but she knew she had to do it. She needed to be strong for Sara.

Sara screamed and lost consciousness.

"I think I have it! Sar… Sara?" said Tegan.

"She blacked out… from the pain. Check her pulse… and her BP" said Kate weakly.

Tegan put her hand in Sara's neck.

"It's there… her pulse feels fast but strong" Tegan reported.

"Check the… leg pulses"

"Yeah…. I feel one on the top of the foot… colour seems to be picking up"

"Thank God" whispered Kate. "Check her BP".

"Sara, wake up sis" said Tegan as she wrapped the BP cuff around Sara's arm. Sara didn't stir. Tegan pressed the BP button and the cuff auto inflated.

"Okay… BPs 90 over 64" said Tegan wiping her brow.

"Check her pupils. She may… have a head… injury" Kate breathed.

Tegan found a penlight in the bag and opened Sara's eyelids one by one to check her reflexes.

"Um… I don't know what to look for but they look equal and they're constricting when I shine the light in"

"How big are they"

"Uhhh…. Maybe like…. I dunno 6 or 7mm"

With that Sara gasped and opened her eyes.

"Welcome back" said Tegan and patted Sara's shoulder.

"Hey baby… you did so good" said Kate softly. Sara moaned in pain.

"You need to splint the leg Tegan"

"How?"

"Something stiff… cardboard… piece of luggage… something stiff Tee" said Kate before giving a loud groan.

"Help her first" said Sara gritting her teeth.

"No… the leg" whispered Kate.

"She's lying still and I put some sweaters around it. I'll splint it in a minute, right now I need to check you out" said Tegan.

Kate groaned, she was losing steam fast. Kate's eyes fluttered closed.

"Kate stay with me" said Tegan as she wrapped the BP cuff around Kate's arm and pressed the button. Kate opened her eyes again. They were drooping.

While the machine was inflating she took the small pulse oximeter and put it on Kate's shaking finger. Her eyes grew wide when she saw the results on the BP monitor.

"What is it" mumbled Sara.

"70 over 42… sats are 84" said Tegan.

"What else is in there Tegan… find something to help her… find something" Sara yelled.

"I'm trying Sara… calm down"

Tegan took a deep breath and started unpacking the rest of the medical bag, hands still shaking.

A/N: Thank goodness Tegan managed to find that bag. Review please!