McG finished re-arranging his gear. He unhooked his horse and Top's horse looping the reins over their heads readying them to mount. He glanced over to check on where Dalton had gotten too, frowning again at what he saw. He had ignored the wheezing breaths as they trekked out to this point. Wrapping the ribs would have taken time and the benefits were so minimal it wasn't worth the extra delay spent in the hotbox. He had halfheartedly offered Top some morphine and unsurprisingly been shot down. It was a last resort and all of them likely would have done the same never wanting to be less than full capacity in a dangerous situation. So they had set off and to no one's surprise Dalton had soldiered through what was probably a miserable march.
Jaz's laugh caught his attention as she tried to get Top to eat something. He appreciated her efforts. Out of all of them she probably had the best chance of getting him to do something he likely didn't want to do. He focused again on Top, his sense of unease growing as his trained eyes caught the sheen of sweat on Dalton's face and the shakiness of his hand when he reached for the bar. It was tough to tell under the camo paint but the man's complexion was a little too pale for his liking and he suspected his closeness with the tree was not born out of a desire to commune with nature. Resolving to do a more thorough exam and not to take no for an answer this time, he was just reaching for his kit when Top called to get moving. He rolled his eyes at the timing, grabbed his medical supplies anyways and turned just in time to watch Dalton's legs buckle, sending the man down awkwardly to the ground where he didn't move again.
He swore as panicked eyes turned towards him expectantly. McG's long legs carried him to the fallen man's side in two strides, hands automatically reaching for a pulse. Too weak. Too thready. He quickly ran his hands down over the man's arms and legs checking for any dampness that might indicate a hidden wound. Finding nothing his mind was quickly drawing conclusions about what was to blame for their leader's current condition.
"Jaz elevate his legs" he grit out struggling to undo the straps on the non-responsive man's vest.
Finally succeeding in removing the plates he lifted Top's shirt and another four letter word left his lips seeing the vivid colours of deep bruising. He faintly heard the others muttering, equally dismayed by the sight. He palpitated, fingers searching for confirmation of his suspicion. He felt Adam move under his touch unconsciously shying away from the pain the his exam was causing . McG ghosted over a few more of the bruises trying to get a sense of how many broken bones they were looking at and more worryingly what else was going wrong below them. He bit his lip, hesitating before pushing experimentally on a particularly colourful part of Dalton's stomach. Meeting more resistance than he should have he grimaced, inadvertently mirroring Top's reaction as the man's eyes fluttered open and hands weakly tried to shove away the new source of discomfort. His eyes blinked accusatorily at the medic as they seemed to gain a bit more focus and clarity with each heavy blink.
"No sleeping on the job man he joked" in what he hoped passed for a light manner. He received a delayed half smirk for his trouble but Adam's eyes were starting to close again. "No - stay awake Top... Thought you said these were just a few broken ribs?"
"Something like that" Top murmured eyes now firmly shut.
McG dug through his pack extricating an IV bag of fluids and his stethoscope. He zoned out as he listened to Adam's breathing. Anyone with ears could tell it was too strained but with the device he could hear the extent of the restricted lung function. Punctured lung? Fluid buildup? Internal Bleeding? All these scenarios ran through his mind. Without some machinery he couldn't confirm any of them or effectively treat them for that matter so he settled for something he could do starting an IV and sticking the bag under Dalton's head. He also fished out an emergency blanket from his supplies and covered the man with it.
McG turned to Jaz "Try to keep him awake and see if he can drink some fluids. I'll be right back."
He picked up the piece of drone skin that he had found and discarded during his exam. Of course it was important technology that was imperative to national security, but right now it just looked like a piece of grey garbage that they had paid too high a price for. He pushed aside these morose thoughts and stood, turning his back on the pair to go see what the plan was.