Disclaimer: Same one as usual.

A/N: I tried to think of what normally happens before a major surgery. I believe that most of this is what happens.

-----------------------------------------

'There's more to this "chance of survival" thing that you're not telling us, isn't there doc.' Reno accused. 'You're not telling us everything. I can tell.'

'He needs surgery.'

'Surgery...' Reno trailed off. 'On what? And when? You can't seriously mean that you want him to go into surgery right now.'

'Yes, unfortunately I do.' The doctor replied, 'The potions were able to stop the bleeding enough to stabilize him, but he is still bleeding internally and it has to be addressed right away. The break in his lower back is also severe and we need to set it.'

'With what?'

'The bones have been crushed, there's no way that they will heal on their own, at least well enough for it to be able to carry his weight. We will have to put a plate and pins in order to stabilize his back.'

'Alright, so if he needs it so badly,' Reno retorted, quickly losing his patience with the doctor. 'Why isn't he in surgery right now?'

'They're preparing the room and I need the go-ahead to do this.'

'The go-ahead?' Reno sighed and turned to Tseng, 'Well you're the boss so, answer the man.'

Tseng eyed the doctor for a moment, then turned his head back to the figure in the bed. 'What are his chances of making it through the surgery?'

'At the most, 25 percent.'

'And his chances for living through the night without it?'

'Zero percent. It will continue to bleed and he'll die before morning.'

Tseng sighed, if I condone it, he'll probably die on the table. If I don't, he'll definitely die in bed. He shook his head. This is Rufus I'm talking about. He won't let major surgery kill him. He wouldn't want to have that in the headlines; it's not dramatic enough for him.

'Do you need any blood?'

'Sir?'

'For him, for during the surgery. To replace what he's already lost and will lose.'

The doctor nodded. 'Yes. It would be good to have some if one of you match his type.'

'I do.' Elena went and stood beside the doctor, waiting for the man to lead the way.

'Excellent. Please, follow me.' The doctor turned and began leading Rude out of the room, then turned to the nurses, 'Make sure he's fully prepped for surgery and bring him to OR2. They're expecting him.'

The nurses nodded and began moving the stretcher towards the exit when a hand stopped them.

'Sir, we have to get him to surgery.'

'We know yo, but just give us a minute. This may be the last time we see him.'

The nurses nodded sadly and left Reno, Tseng and Rude alone in the room with their fallen President. No one said anything out loud, preferring to give Rufus quiet encouragement rather then sharing their feelings with the other Turks around them.

You'll be fine, Ruf. Planet you better be, you still owe me a night at the bar! Leave it to you to find a way out of a huge bar tab. Besides, if you die, who am I going to tease about having girly blond hair? Elena? It's just not the same teasing her about having something she should have in the first place. Anyway, We'll be here waiting for you, just hang in there.

...you made it this far sir, you can fight for another 3-4 hours. We didn't train you all that time for you to fail now. I did not forget that we were supposed to have a sparring session. I guess that will have to wait until you are well enough to get out of bed again. I also owe you a night out; I still can't figure out how you managed to drink that much and still outlast Reno. No one has ever beaten him at that before, including me. Anyway, you'll be alright. We'll see you in a few hours, sir.

No matter what happens to you in there, I know that you fought as hard as you could. You always do and I don't see that changing anytime soon. I know that if you were awake right now, you would have laughed when the doctor told us your chances for your survival and you would have told him that you'd prove him wrong. For once, I want that doctor to be wrong. You've proven to me countless times that you're tougher then you look; now prove it to him too. As a side note, I believe I owe you a night out; I asked Elena out for dinner like we discussed and she said yes. I should heed your advice more often.

Tseng looked up at the nurses, who quietly exited the room with the President, Rude at their heels.

'Where are you going?'

'To watch the doctors during his surgery.'

'You shouldn't be doing that,' Tseng reminded him, 'It should be me. You wait here with Reno and Elena, I'll go up with him.'

Rude gripped his shoulder, stopping Tseng in his tracks. 'With all due respect sir, you may be more of a hindrance then a help at the moment. I realize that you're concerned for Rufus, but if you hover over the doctors to make sure that they are not doing something to kill him, they may inadvertently kill him because of you. It would be best if you stayed out sir. You can see him first when he gets out of surgery.'

Tseng jerked his shoulder, removing Rude's hand. Adjusting his tie and straightening his suit, he glared at the taller Turk then turned and walked towards the waiting room. Seeing that Reno was following him, he quickly turned at stared at the redhead. 'You stay right here until Elena gets back. When she gets back, then you can come and wait with me.'

Not wanting to become a victim of Tseng's murderous mood, Reno nodded and didn't move his feet from where he was standing in the hall. He watched Tseng round the corner, then he turned to Rude. 'Well, at least if he decides to try to kill one of us, we'll be close to help. We'll probably kill you when we're better and far away from a hospital, but that's beside the point.'

'It's for the best,' Rude defended, 'You saw how Tseng was when he was waiting outside the room. What if he gets that pissed in an operating room? They'll kill Rufus because he'll make them.'

'Yeah, yeah. I know partner. I didn't say I didn't agree with you, I just meant that the idea will probably get one of us killed.'

'It'll all work out.' Rude entered the awaiting elevator and pressed the button for the 5th floor, where the President was waiting.