3
A Cut Below
Salem took a long hard look at Rios, re –adjusted the cool, moist shirt draped over his head and neck, and then sighing moved down the rough-hewn trail in search of an adequate location to build their hide. Not far off, he found a large bole of Ficus roots and vines that was hollow and the ground beneath them only covered in a light litter off fallen leaf detritus. After crawling into it, he smoothed the floor, clearing it of any large sticks or stones, stocking them in the corner should he need a fire, stretched out a survival blanket and pitched their light weight two man Jungle shelter. It wasn't much more than a rain fly, but it would keep out the bugs and snakes, and with the additional root cover they'd stay dry. Then, he hacked a two foot wide swath of clear cut around the root mass. Tyson would barely fit his bulk in the space let alone the two of them. The tent was really only for emergency's which, didn't help quell Salem's growing anxiety, but it would due, and besides, if his nose was right they had rain inbound.
By the time Elliot returned to Tyson, he'd slumped back down and looked even paler than before.
"Delta HQ, talk to me." He pled.
He'd heard no radio chatter the entire time he was working on the hide. They'd cut him out of the net and the radio silence was pissing him off as well as driving him crazy.
"We're working on it, Green Giant. Just sit tight with him." Giddy offered by way of placating him.
Giddy's words weren't very much comfort but Elliot clung to them. Then, after groaning at the sight of Rios' pale countenance, he knelt back down in front of him, tipped his head up, and cupped his left cheek in his left hand. The scalding heat of Rios' flesh against his palm frightened him. His eyes were half shut, and perspiration dotted his slightly stubbled upper lip. He soaked another cloth with some more of the water he'd brought back, and daubed at Rios' furrowed forehead. Orders or not, Salem knew that he needed to move Rios before the huge man couldn't help him.
"Tyse, I need to get you to a safe place. Rain's coming and we're dead in the water for tonight. Op clock's on hold."
"Right, right, just help me up, Salem. Gimme your arm, man."
Salem tugged as hard as he could and finally, Rios was on his feet, doubled over nearly in half clutching his stomach with his right arm.
"Easy, one step at a time, Tyse, good, it's not far. You're gonna need to crawl in, but it's not a bad hide. Easy, I have you, lean on my shoulders, step, step, just a little more. Good, now, this way, left just off the trail. Once you're in, I'll try to build a bit of a water shed, but I think we'll stay dry. On your knees, good crawl in now. I can't help you, just worm in as far as you can so I can fit too. Good. Now, Giddy wants you to lie down. Just, well, maybe on your side for now if it helps with the pain. Good stay put like that and I'll grab our shit, come straight back and make you more comfortable."
Salem ducked out and trotted back to where they'd grounded their kits. He slung a pack over each shoulder, and then, as he started to turn away, he recalled the Gaboon Viper. It wouldn't be wise to have anything edible for scavengers, so close by. He dropped the gear and returned to the spot where he'd kicked the dead snake. Then, reaching into the under growth, Salem retrieved the still warm remains, carried it back to the tiny clearing where he could see the river, and fetch fresh water. After a long survey of the opposite bank, he threw the vile, limp body as far into the swirling clay hued current as he could, sending the head after it with care not to get any leaking venom on his hands. Back at the gear, he loaded up again and trudged back to Tyson.
Once there, he dug around the rucks and created a pillow for the stricken man. Tyson, to Salem's dismay, was now shivering violently. The fever was getting worse, if that was possible. Delta HQ needed to get back to him soon, or he was going to take the situation into his own hands. They were there, and he was here and they needed to start thinking like a man in the field.
He opened up Tyse's ruck, found his survival blanket and covered him in it. Fifty mikes had gone by with only radio silence, and now that he wasn't working on the hide, fear began to creep deeper into his mind, and he started projecting possible scenarios and their outcomes, none of which were good. He couldn't carry Tyse out, he couldn't call for extraction and he had no idea what the problem was, aside from Tyson's comment that it had begun after his elbow strike. The idea that he'd caused Rios' illness was as agonizing as witnessing the big soldier's suffering. Not knowing what else to do, he slipped back out of the hide and set about cutting brush and further drying in their home for what he hoped would be just that night.
Back at the T.O.B., the team brainstormed Rios' symptoms with Giddy in Kinshasa and Delta team's doctors back at SSC headquarters in Miami. The op was on an indefinite hold and time was of the essence. Money was being lost.
Former SEAL member, Dr. Buck James at SSC Headquarters wanted a direct link to the team, but Giddy felt that doing so would set Salem off. The young man didn't trust very many people and when it came to doctors Giddy was his go to person. Involving James directly might panic him. James had also administered the duos' travel vaccinations, and if Giddy knew anything at all about Elliot he was certain that the shots had already entered the younger man's mind as being a potential cause for Rios' problem. That being said Elliot would blame the doctor destroying any trust that had been between them.
"There's no reason, Buck, that I can't play the middle man at least until we talk Elliot through the triage stage."
"I'd rather ask my own questions, Snap. It's easier."
"Look Buck, I'll ask, you listen, just feed them to me on our closed link up, trust me on this. You don't know him like I do. Right now I'd lay odds he's blaming you for giving him those shots. Just never mind, Fruit Pie make it so."
"Copy that." Secour replied before making the needed adjustments to the comms net to keep Buck from speaking directly to Elliot...
Ten minutes later, as Salem was weaving some final branches into the hide, his ear piece chirped. He was back in the loop.
"Talk to me."
Giddy took a deep breath and began. "You have him in a safe place?"
"Copy that. I built us a tight hide, while you fucks were dicking around. Now, either get off the fucking pot or shit, or however that fucking saying goes, and talk to me. Is it one a those god damned quack shots Murray made us get. 'Cause if it fucking is I'll kill that slimy fucking SEAL son of a bitch, Navy puke!"
"Relax Green Giant, and no we do not think it's one of the vaccinations. I need you to examine him, ok. Shirt off and I need you to poke and probe his belly and groin. Can you do that?"
"Sure."
Salem wrangled into the tent and gently prodded Tyson over onto his back. The big man moaned in pain, as Salem forced him to stretch out. Then, he removed Tyson's shirt and unzipped his pants giving him the access Giddy was requesting.
"What do I do?"
"Press against his belly about navel high, and work your way down and out to the right until he lets you know where exactly the pain is the worst."
Salem did and as he neared Tyson's right groin area the man reached out and slapped his hands away.
"Hurts stop!"
"I have to, Tyse." He said quietly in nearly a whisper, "I need to find, there, right here is the spot Snap. It feels all weird. It's swollen actually protruding."
"Good, that's good. Delta HQ, do we have conformation that Sprout still has his Appendix?"
"Copy that." Murray snapped sounding a bit relieved, "Are we all in agreement?"
"I think so. It's that, or a Hernia, but hold on. Green Giant, does his pain increase when he drinks water?"
"Tyse, does it get worse when you eat or drink?"
"Yea."
"Copy that, Snap. What the fuck is it?"
"We're going with Appendicitis, Green Giant. If not, then, a Hernia. Either way, he needs surgery immediately."
"Then send me a fucking evac team right fucking now!"
"Negative."
"Negative!" Salem squawked, "Fuck you, Delta HQ. You need to get us the fuck out of here, now!"
Murray pinched the bridge of her nose. Salem was coming apart.
"Secour, are you sure that we cannot drop the call signs?"
"It would be very risky. It could destroy our anonymity."
"Green Giant, you are a fully qualified combat medic. You will perform the necessary procedure on your partner. You will do so successfully and then, you will complete your mission solo. Do you copy your orders Green Giant?"
Salem couldn't believe what he was hearing. Murray, the team, they wanted him to do surgery on Tyson in a tree root cave, in a pouring rain storm, seventy klicks from civilization. He wouldn't, couldn't do it. Not to mention proceed with the op alone, which was damn near a suicide run.
"No, you need to drop somebody in here. You need to…"
"Fifty," Giddy broke in casting aside protocol, "It's not a difficult procedure but if you wait, we wait and his Appendix ruptures he'll develop Peritonitis and that is potentially fatal under the best conditions and a death sentence under yours."
"I am not a god damned surgeon!"
"No, but Doc Buck…"
"Fuck that bitch Buck! Evac us right the fuck now. I can get him to the river, and you can send in a boat. You can…"
"That is not going to happen as per HQ's orders. This op is too important. Too much is at stake. Lives are at stake here if those Biologicals get out onto the open market."
"We don't even fucking know if they exist! Get me a fucking chopper now."
"No. Now, Buck is listening and he'll be watching through your helmet cam and talking you through it."
Before Salem could respond, he was shocked to hear Richard Dalton's voice hollering at Murray. The man must have been monitoring the operation from SSC headquarters.
"Lady, you need to get this shit storm and your operative under control."
"Sir, we are doing just that. Once the surgery is finished and Sprout is stable, Green Giant will proceed as planned."
"Fuck Green Giant! I am warning you for the last time, I have had it to here with that boy! If he hadn't hit Sprout during his immature brawl with my personal asset, we wouldn't be here now."
"Sir, this is an open comm line, and we do not know that the fight caused this, not for sure."
"Fuck open comms Ms. Murray! Have you ever heard of Harry Houdini? Well he died from a ruptured Appendix; an Appendix ruptured by a blow to his stomach, and Green Giant, he is nothing but trouble and the only reason he's still here is because I can't afford to lose Sprout. He rides on that big bastard's coat tails and those coat tails are getting god damned thin. You tell him to fix Sprout, and finish his mission, or I will send my special asset to finish him. Alpha out."
"Well, that's the last thing we needed." Secour said tearing off his headset. "Makes me want to go get them myself. What the fuck's going on with this company!"
"Relax; we all just need to relax." Murray ordered, forcing down her own anger, "Okay, first off, Secour cut that bastard, Alpha, out. I do not want Alpha back in this comms net until I give the word."
"That might cost you your job, Murray."
"Secour, my guys come first. Snap, start prepping an evac team, with the necessary prep to go in and get them from a location closer to their current twenty. Obviously the initial extraction plan is now un-attainable, and Buck, get set up to talk Green giant through this."
Finally, she turned her full attention to Elliot's plight. She'd treated him badly in the days following his fight with Clyde. Although she did understand Elliot's reasons for attacking the cruel mercenary, the situation had dictated that she discipline him. What she should not have done was allow her anger to carry over. That was poor management, and of all the people who did not need that type of treatment Salem was upper most. She knew that now, he was searching her comments for any hint of disdain. It was counter-productive and dangerous. They could not afford to have him second guessing her orders based upon the feelings he thought he sensed in her voice.
"Snap, are you with me?"
"Copy that, I have Whit on the other line and Crackle's taking care of business."
"Green Giant."
"What?" The younger man hissed back.
"You, we can do this. You're a trained…"
"So you all keep telling me. He needs fluids now! Why can't I start his I.V.?"
"We are getting there. Buck is setting up, Snap will assist, and you trust him absolutely, right?"
"Copy that." Elliot muttered while hanging the I.V. bag from a notch that he'd carved into one of the overhead tree roots.
"Good, then, when we are all set, you will start the procedure with them talking you through it one step at a time. You need your mask, you need…"
"Delta HQ, my right hand is nearly useless." Elliot interjected defeat idly.
"Repeat that Green Giant." Snap broke in, "Useless how, Fifty?"
"Blisters and just thrashed from hacking with that machete for eighteen hours straight, kind of useless. I don't even know if I can hold a scalpel let alone use it right. I have three layer deep blisters across all four finger palm pads and my palm, and when I peeled off my glove most of the skin came with. It's also cramped up so bad that my dexterity is totally fucked and you want me to take a scalpel to Tyson's stomach."
Murray had no words for the man. Giddy filled in for her.
"Treat the blisters, Fifty. Then, use your Mole skin to patch them up, and put on two pairs of surgical gloves. Copy that?"
Giddy's firm command tone brought Salem back a bit. He had no choice but to follow the command. What else could he do, just sit back, wait for Rios' Appendix to rupture and then watch the man die.
"Copy that."
Finally, after what seemed an eternity to Murray and the team, Salem squawked the comms net.
"Okay, hands are fixed up, I.V.s set what about anesthesia?"
"Prep him first. Shirt off, the area cleansed and all of your med kit surgical tools laid out within easy reach. What's that noise?"
"Rain and thunder, Snap. Tyse, man, I have to do a surgery on you. Tyse, can you hear me man?"
"Yea, been following comms as best I could and Ellie fuck Dalton. I'm starting to think he's nothing but a fucking big prick. You have this, Elliot; just do what they say."
"Okay Tyse, but easy on the Dalton shit he's listening. Now wiggle a bit so I can get your shirt off. Thanks, sorry it hurts. Pants too."
Ten minutes later Salem had Rios stripped and prepped for surgery, and water boiling on their Svae stove. The final task would be to knock him out with Ketamine. He leaned over the big man and kissed his forehead. Tyson opened his eyes, grasped Elliot's hands and smiled weakly up at him. This would be the most difficult task that Elliot had ever undertaken and Rios wanted to show him that he had complete faith in his ability.
"No worries, Ellie. We got this. Just like everything else, we got this. So knock my fat ass out, and get to work."
"Roger that." Salem replied flipping down his mask, "Giving him the Ket, Snap. The amount that you said and I have a syringe set with a backup if I take too long. Do you guys want me to show you the syringes, Snap?"
"Negative, you know how to fill them. We trust you, Green Giant, proceed."
"Copy that proceed. Ket's in and the I.V.s good, and so I guess I'm ready."
"Copy that Green Giant. You have twenty-five to thirty mikes before the Ketamine fades off, so just work steady. Once he's out we'll start and remember, Green Giant, it is Sprout, but skin is skin and it cuts the same. So, just try to visualize cleaning some kind of game. Just listen to us and he'll be just fine."
"Copy that Snap, I'm cleaning a squirrel." Salem muttered, and the tremor in his voice was not lost to the rest of the anxious team.