Chapter 30-If at First You Died, Try Again…
Dr. Mizuno was back on the floor, turning Mako to the side and waited for the convulsion to subside. She didn't have time to console Ami now. The best thing she could do was to bring Mako back.
"Okay, Setsuna, help me get Mako on the table." The two heaved the now-limp girl on to the surface.
"Ami? AMI!" Dr. Mizuno yelled at her still catatonic daughter. "What was the dosage?"
Ami snapped her head around and her eyes widen. "Is Mako still alive?"
"Not for long if you don't tell me everything." The doctor yelled back.
The face on Ami changed from a grieving girlfriend to a competent doctor in a flash. She wiped her tears and took a deep breath. Her voice, no longer quivering, was steady and calm. Ami walked her mom through the last phase of the study, the dosage Mako self administered, and how quickly the drug induced the conclusion.
"V-fib. Grabbed the pads." Setsuna yelled to the doctor. Dr. Mizuno returned to her patient. Ami stood close, but she was no longer crying.
Finally, after twenty minutes, Mako's heart was back to its regular rhythms and there was no more convulsion. Ami's shoulders slumped and she let out a sigh of relief. Dr. Mizuno placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Mako was not out of the woods yet, but for now, she was stable.
Ami stayed close and monitored Mako's vitals constantly. Setsuna had came by earlier and drew some blood. She and her mother had to figure out what went wrong with the injection. Was it the dosage? Did Ami screw up somewhere along the way?
Self-berating thoughts intruded in her mind constantly, and Ami was defenseless against them. Seeing Mako paled and lifeless on the bed, it was hard not to chastise herself.
"Ami?" Usagi poked her head into the room. Chibiusa stood beside her, holding Usagi's hand tightly. The little girl whimpered when she saw Mako.
Ami motioned them to come in. The news about Mako had spread throughout the compound. For most of the people, they only thought Mako collapsed due to exhaustion.
Usagi laid down some food for Ami and then pulled the blue hair girl in for a hug. "Everything will be okay, right? Mako is so strong, she will fight through this."
"If we can't find out what's wrong with the vaccine, we are all dead anyway." Ami said in a flat voice. She was so tired... Two more days till the deadline that was arbitrary set by a lunatic. Two more days before Demande would inject the same poisonous vaccine into everyone she cared about...
Chibiusa placed a single wild flower next to Mako and leaned in to kiss Mako on the cheek. "I found this outside. It reminds me of you, so strong and beautiful...I know you are tired, but wake up soon, okay?"
Ami offered a weak smile and thanked Chibiusa. Mako would certainly appreciate the flower.
"We will be in the lab next room. Let me know if you need anything, okay?" Usagi hugged Ami again, and then left with Chibiusa.
The room was quiet again, except the rhythmic hissing of the respirator. Ami sat down and waited. She would stay here until Mako open those eyes. Then she would yell at her. Then kiss her. Then maybe yell at her again...
"Aren't you glad I did it? I am bigger and that's why I am not dead. If it was injected to Chibiusa, or you, your tiny bodies wouldn't be able to handle it. Honestly, Ami, I am the perfect guinea pig and you know it." Ami imagined Mako saying that.
"Oh, boohoo. Are you just going to give up?" The imaginary Mako was harsher than usual. "You are brilliant, you will figure this out. Eat that sandwich and march yourself back to the lab. Do what you do best, Ami, and save me."
"I can't leave you. I am staying right here." Ami whispered to Mako's ear.
Imaginary Mako cracked her knuckles and yelled again. "Time is running out. You can't give up yet."
"I am useless. Mom and Setsuna are the real researchers. I am just a regular girl that didn't even finish medical school yet. How could I possibly save you?"
The voice of reason came back, masquerading as Mako. "But you were there. You saw me inject myself. Did I do it wrong? Maybe it wasn't a dosage problem. Or maybe I did it too fast? My body went into overdrive?"
Ami's eyes widen. She bolted upright and flipped Mako's arm over. She could see the puncture mark and a gigantic swelling around the site. Ami started to notice little red rashes spread throughout the arm. Curiouser, Ami lifted the hospital gown and could see redness everywhere on Mako's torso.
"It wasn't a dosage problem." Ami whispered to herself as she continued to investigate. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh..."
Ami ran to the others. Her heart was racing, but in a good way. They've been so focused on the vaccine itself that they missed this entirely. Mako was allergic to the vaccine...
