A/N: First of all I want to apologize for taking this long to write another chapter to the story … I really truly am sorry, but I've been dealing with serious writer's block. Although I kept trying to write a new chapter, I never did like where it was going. But here we are finally. I do hope you'll like the new chapter. Thanks so much for all of the reviews. They're greatly appreciated.
CHAPTER 7
"'Bout time you came."
"What do you mean? Didn't the doctor inform you? They can only perform the procedure on an empty stomach because of the possible risks for the patient."
"Yes, nurse, he did explain all that."
"Oh. So … uh … you were just worried about your friend then."
"Worried? He's been drivin' us up the wall! Fool's been talkin' crazy jibber jabber non-stop for 6 hours. I ain't cuttin' it no more."
"What are you sayin, mudsucker? We had a great time, didn't we Facey?"
Hannibal chuckled.
"You would say that, crazy fool. He ain't right in the head just like you."
"Mr. Peck is on very heavy painkillers right now. They tend to make the patient very giddy and hallucinations are also very common with this type of painkiller."
"The kid sure has a vivid imagination."
"It ain't funny, Hannibal."
"Don't worry, B.A. He'll be out for a couple of hours now until the anesthetic wears off."
Face was still talking to his best friend and didn't pay any attention to the ongoing conversation. All of a sudden he noticed the presence of the young nurse who merely smiled at him.
"Oh hi. Sorry, Murdock. My date is here. Got to go now."
"What date, fool. She ain't goin' on no date with you. You's in the hospital."
Face pretended not to hear his friend and smiled his million dollar smile. B.A. merely rolled his eyes and Hannibal watched the scene in amusement.
"No date, kid. You need surgery. "
"Surgery huh. Uh … right."
"Yes, I've come to prep you for surgery. I need to check a few things before we can get you to the O.R."
She took his temperature and blood pressure at first. Off course, Face just had to flirt with her.
"I need your length and weight?"
"My length and weight huh?"
"Stop flirting and just cooperate will ya, Lieutenant."
"It's of vital importance for your anesthetic."
Face just shrugged. His brain was all foggy from the painkillers he was on, so he couldn't really answer the young nurse.
"Well, I know he's about 5' 11''."
"Yeah and he weighs about 160 lbs or so."
"That ain't right no more, Hannibal. He ain't got no flesh on them bones of his and he ain't been eatin'. He's way too skinny."
"That's alright. We don't need to know his exact weight. And we'll take into account that he has lost some weight due to malnutrition these last couple of days too."
She efficiently wrote everything down on Face's medical file.
"We're nearly ready then," she said to Face. "All you need to do is put on this hospital gown. I'll leave you to it. I'll be back in about 15 minutes to take you downstairs."
"Okay. You heard her, Lieutenant. Now strip and put on that gown."
"That thing? I'm not wearing that. Did you get a good look at this? It's so not my style or my color. I …"
"Face, stop whining. I couldn't care less that it's not the right style or color. And you shouldn't either. You'll be out like a light, kid."
"But it's hideous."
"Look kid, I'm sorry they don't have these in any designer label but you do need to wear it so they can operate on your wrist. Now get a move on."
"Why? It's my wrist …"
"Put it on, fool, before I make you."
"Okay. Okay."
When the nurse re-entered the room, Face was wearing the hospital gown like she requested although he wasn't too happy. She explained to him and the team that he would be taken downstairs to the O.R. The anesthesiologist was already waiting for them. She also explained that the surgery would take about an hour and a half and that she would come to get the team once he was in the recovery room. Hannibal watched as his second-in-command was wheeled out of the room.
"Come on, Colonel. Let's get some coffee and some milk for you, Big Guy."
"Great idea, Captain. Nothing we can do here anyway."
Hannibal informed the nurses at the nurse's station that they would head for the hospital's cafeteria. He told his team that they would be taking Face home later that night if everything went well. He would let Face stay with him while his wrist was immobilized. That way he could also keep an eye on the psychological welfare of his Lieutenant.
After what seemed to be an eternity, the nurse finally walked into the cafeteria and told the team that Face was out of the O.R. and was brought back to the recovery room. She informed them that they had already tried to wake him up successfully after the procedure. The team walked with her to the recovery room. Face was sleeping peacefully. He was still attached to all kind of monitors. Hannibal took a seat beside the head of Face's bed. They waited patiently for their friend to wake up.
"Hey, kid. Glad to have you back with us."
They all noticed that Face's wrist and part of his arm up to his elbow was in a cast.
"Oh, a cast! You've got a cast, Facey. Can I write my name on it? Can I? Can I?"
"Shut up, fool. Ain't nobody gonna sign that cast."
"But I want to and I'm sure Facey wouldn't mind. Do you?"
"Is okay, Murdock," Face managed to utter sleepily. He had a hard time keeping his eyes open.
Murdock stuck out his tongue at B.A. who merely rolled his eyes. Murdock grabbed a pen and eagerly wanted to sign his best friend's blank white cast.
"Hey. Someone beat me to this!"
"What?"
"Look!"
Hannibal and B.A. had a closer look. Face's cast already contained multiple names and phone numbers probably from the O.R. nurses . Hannibal chuckled.
"Don' get it. Fool's injured."
"You know he can get anything done when he turns on the charm, B.A."
The doctor now entered the room.
"Gentlemen, I just wanted to let you know that the operation was successful. We've managed to re-attach one bone by using a metal plate and screws. The other one needs to heal all by itself. There is nothing we can do about that really. It will heal perfectly again given time, but it can take up to 6 months."
"Will he regain the full use of his wrist again, doc?"
"Yes, he will. He shouldn't suffer any consequences. We will need to operate again in six weeks to get the metal plate and screws out again and we'll re-evaluate at that time to see whether or not he'll need extra physical therapy or not."
"Can we take him home, doc?"
"Not yet, I'm afraid. I'd like to keep him under observation overnight because of the surgery. If all goes well, he can go home tomorrow."
"Can we stay with him?"
"Sure thing. We'll move him up to his room and I'll ask the nurse to get you some extra blankets and pillows for the night."
