The scalpel in the manic doctor's right hand reflected the bright overhead OR lights, as it continued its deadly travel toward his partner.
Even though Steve had turned around in time to see the attack coming, he was unprepared for the other man's startling speed and could only brace for impact, as the well-trained doctor tackled him, aiming his sharp blade for the young Inspector's throat.
Mike felt the gurney rattle, as both men crashed heavily onto the ground, causing the rifle to discharge.
Powderized brick and mortar rained off the walls when the shell impacted above one of the cabinets and several stainless-steel trays shifted off to the side, some toppling over and sending sharp instruments all across the room.
Korean expletives were hissed, many of them Mike fondly remembered from his time in the Pacific. Powerless to interfere, he once again fought the restraints keeping him in place, but the only result was the pain from the needle in his neck crippling his senses.
With his ears cued to the intense hand-to-hand combat going on down on the floor, the heavy breathing, moaning, cursing and shifting around, Mike's trained mind raced frantically, as he tried to come up with ways to help his partner, the machines next to him beeping in manic unison.
Finally, a faint thud could be heard and the noises stopped.
Mike clenched his jaw and rolled up his fists in agitation, uncertain of the outcome, until a sticky hand grabbed his lower arm, its long fingers holding a blood-stained scalpel.
Mike could feel his partner shake violently, long before he ever even came into view.
Breathing heavy, Steve stayed unusually quiet, as he carefully pulled himself up, his face ashen, not making eye contact as he reached over to cut the restraints holding the Lieutenant's feet in place, before moving on to his hands.
"Are you okay?"
Slowly pulling his feet up and curling his toes inside his socks to get some feeling back into his limbs, Mike watched his partner carefully pull the blue surgery sheet off his body, causing him to shiver against the cold.
Without looking up, Steve leaned across his upper body, intently working on removing the needle stuck in the vein of his left arm.
"Mhm hm."
The short answer didn't give him much faith and Mike grew alarmed when he felt warm drops of blood hitting his bare stomach in rapid succession, right where Steve was leaning across him.
"He got you in the side?"
His guess was answered with a brief nod, before Steve turned to face him, eyes glassy and blood splatters on the side of his cheek. Mike followed the direction of the spray pattern to a good-sized crimson stain over the young Inspector's collar bone that made his plaid dress shirt stick to his body.
With his hands freed, Mike slowly stretched his arms, feeling the blood return to his cold limbs as a sense of rejuvenation flooded his weary body.
"We gotta get that needle out of your neck before Doctor Frankenstein here comes back around. Hang tight, that's gonna hurt."
Tossing the scalpel across the room and away from the doctor, Steve leaned forward to get a better look at the setup.
"That needle is the least of my worries, Buddyboy. At the rate that you are bleeding, you're going to go into shock within the hour. We have to get you patched up."
"Give me just one second; we gotta to get this thing out of you…"
Steve never acknowledged his words, his cold fingers carefully manipulating the piece of tape that kept the catheter in his neck in place. Finally, the gentle pulling worked and he was able to free the syringe.
With one quick tug, Steve made the large needle slip back out, then threw it across the gurney in to the back corner of the small room.
Hissing in pain, Mike held onto the piece of fabric he laid on with a death grip and clenched his eyes shut until the wave of agony subsided again. When he was sure he could swallow the nausea back down, he turned his head to glance over at his partner, who was busy inspecting the wound, completely oblivious to his spectator, or the warm drips he was leaving on Mike's chest.
"Stand up, you're bleeding all over me. Where else did he get you? "
Staying quiet again, Steve straightened back out with a painful grunt, his right hand protectively reaching for his side, before releasing it for Mike to see.
"I don't think it's deep…just long."
His shaky voice and the large crimson stain that reached from his side all the way down to his belt line before disappearing beneath the black dress pants was reason enough to worry Mike. He'd seen plenty of wounds in battle to know that it wasn't an arterial bleed. But judging by the location right below his ribcage and the sharp tool used, he knew his partner was in need of a good patching job.
"You gonne be able to make it out of here okay until we can get you to a doctor?"
Looking over at him, Steve nodded placidly, then pointed at the nearby cabinet.
"It wouldn't hurt if we took some of the bandaging material with us on the way out. Never know when you need it."
Mike chuckled at the attempt of lightheartedness in the face of this utterly bizarre situation. Pulling his arms close to his body again, he carefully sat back up on the gurney, momentarily overwhelmed about being able to do so considering the situation looked quite different a few minutes go.
"Agreed. Let's grab some of the surgical pads, then let's leave. I've seen enough of this place. How about we get out of here and call in the troops?"
Steve nodded carefully, then slowly turned around and used his free arm to reach for the light blue dress shirt neatly draped over a nearby chair.
With the young Inspector helping him get dressed, Mike looked down, noticing the Korean doctor sprawled out on the floor, blood streaks all over the white tiles below, the butt of the rifle next to his head where Steve had used it to render him unconscious.
"Who knew you had a talent in hand to hand combat? I learn something new about you every day…", he said facetiously, causing his young partner to smile wearily.
"I might have that over him, but he's got the cutting skills."
"Looks that way, doesn't it? Don't you worry, we'll get you fixed up again in no time. The ladies up in Tahoe are going to love hearing the story of how you got all those stitches."
Reassuringly patting Steve's blood-stained cheek, Mike felt his eyes well up with tears at the answer to his unspoken prayer.