SNAFU
Situation Normal: All Fucked Up
Hours later, Chin was sitting restlessly in the ER's waiting room. (Well, restlessly for him. If it was Steve or Danny, the few twitches and fidgets would be completely discounted; they moved more when trying to sit still.) Kono paced. Rachel had been called, and Mary, both of whom wanted updates as soon as the doctors had anything to say.
Well, when the doctors came out, the news wasn't great, but it wasn't quite as holy-shit-terrible as they thought it might be, either. When they had entered the room and found the blood and dirt-covered pair unconscious and with a few sizeable puddles of congealing blood on the floor and quite a bit more splattered around them, they had feared the worst. Trying to check Danny's pulse had made Kono want to throw up; his face had already been covered in bruises, his jaw swollen, his left eye nearly swollen shut, and his right cheek split open in two places. A long, jagged cut on the top left side of his head had coated his hair, head, and neck with blood, although there didn't appear to be any fresh blood left. The rest of him, from what she could see, had endured similar treatment. His tie was nowhere to be found and his shirt was torn in a number of places and more blood red than pin-striped blue at that point. Even his pants were probably a write-off, although the blood on them seemed to be splatter or drips, rather than directly from injuries.
Chin, on the other hand, had been less worried about the bruises and more worried about the two still-seeping wounds on Steve's side, which he had covered with a pressure bandage made from his own torn-up shirt as quickly as possible. Although they were a good sign in one respect- dead bodies don't bleed, he'd reminded himself firmly- he couldn't help wondering, in a macabre fashion, what could have possible caused the two wounds, which although not terribly deep- they didn't look deep enough to have hit any vital organs, for instance- seemed to be the same size and shape and placed right at the end of a long bruised weal that ran the entire breadth of Steve's abdomen. When he'd gently lifted the commander's cut, wet head and seen the deep bruising all over his throat, he'd barely been able to stomach the thought of taking his pulse and respiration there. He probably wouldn't have, except that he couldn't get to Steve's wrists, and a quick check showed that both Steve and Danny's wrists were bloody, ripped to shreds, swollen, and most likely already infected.
Having seen the devastation wreaked on the partners by the vengeful gang members, the cousins were justifiably worried about their teammates. Kono continued to pace as Chin brooded. How can he sit there so damn calmly? That kind of beating could produce serious long-term damage. It could be fatal.
Don't even think like that, Kono. They'll be okay, they've got to be okay. The boss is indestructible, and Danny wouldn't dare leave Grace without her Danno. We found them in time, we got them here, the doctors will take care of them, they'll recover...
Chin's thoughts were every bit as worried as his cousin's, and with every hour they waited to hear from the surgeons, he grew more apprehensive. Still, he'd learned over the years that pacing didn't really help someone calm down; it actually seemed to wind most people up into a greater state of tenseness. He'd also found that if he could discipline himself into providing a calm front, it would calm many people down. People needed that a lot of times, especially if they were unlucky enough to have to be waiting for the status of their loved one with a cop. I'll have to find a way to share that with Kono without her kicking my butt. She's only a rookie, but there's no time like the present to realize that being calm to help others isn't just for crises like shootouts and hostage situations.
Their long vigil was broken by two doctors in scrubs coming through the doors together. It was apparent that they knew who they were dealing with, because neither one of them bothered to call out names; they just headed for Chin and Kono. Chin wasn't sure if it was a good thing that he recognized Ray Haleua and Min Fong; the only interaction he'd ever had with either of them was ER reports like the one he was going to get now.
"Detectives." Dr. Haleua's voice was weary. "We've been putting your teammates back together, and we're happy to announce that they're both out of danger."
Chin and Kono both breathed a deep sigh of relief.
"For the moment."
"For the moment?" Kono yelped.
"Yes. Both Commander McGarrett and Detective Williams are in critical, but stable at the moment. If the antibiotics we're pumping into them can hold off infections, and if no complications develop, and if they wake up over the course of the next three to four days, then they'll be well out of danger."
Those first two are some big ifs, Chin thought. But I refuse to even consider the alternative on that third one. They will wake up. And they will recover.
"If they make it through the next few days in good shape, we should be able to move them out of the ICU at that point, but you should both be prepared for a long recovery for both of them. This isn't going to be one of those times that Five-0 can spend four or six hours at the hospital, get patched up, and then sign yourselves out AMA to throw yourselves back into your job. It will be weeks before Williams and McGarrett are ready to be back in the field."
"Please tell us everything, doc," Chin prompted.
Dr. Fong replied, "Both Detective Williams and Commander McGarrett were dehydrated and suffering from blood loss. They've both been transfused to make up for the blood loss and are receiving nutrients through their IVs. They both have large numbers of contusions, abrasions, and lacerations, primarily on their heads, arms and chests. In addition, Commander McGarrett suffered a broken humerus, a cracked clavicle, a cracked femur, 2 broken and 7 cracked ribs. One of these ribs eventually pierced the pleural cavity, although it did not go all the way through to the lung. I can only suppose that happened immediately prior to his arrival, as very little would have been required for the rib to puncture the lung at that point. The femur has been wrapped to provide it some support, but if the Commander rests as he should, I think we can avoid casting it, since the break doesn't go all the way through."
"That's a big if..." Kono muttered.
The surgeon continued as if Kono hadn't spoken. "We've got the Commander's ribs in a brace and his arm casted and bound to his chest to help stabilize the collarbone as well. He's not currently on a ventilator; but we are watching him carefully because of the severe bruising to his trachea. If there's any stridor, we'll have to go back and intubate him after all. We'd like to avoid that if at all possible; his throat's had enough trauma already. It had already swollen quite a bit by the time the Commander was brought in, but the swelling is beginning to go down. I want to keep using the oxygen mask for a bit longer, however.
"Given the horrific torture that Commander McGarrett's body was put through, I was
quite frankly shocked and relieved to find that he did not suffer internal bleeding or organ failure. His kidneys appear to be the worst off, as they are severely bruised, but they are still functioning on their own, although not optimally. However, I am most concerned about the number and severity of concussions he sustained.
"I'm not sure if you know this or not, but concussions, or MTBIs, have cumulative effects. Each one adds to the possibility, the probability, of severe brain damage. Now, Dr. Haleua reported to me that Detective Williams informed him that Commander McGarrett was knocked unconscious a minimum of three times over the course of the twenty-six hours they were held captive. Each of those times were followed by significant periods of unconsciousness. Detective Williams also reported that the Commander suffered two bouts of what we believe to be concussive convulsions."
"Convulsions!" interrupted Chin. "As in seizures?"
"Yes." Dr. Fong nodded her head. "In approximately one and a half percent of all MTBIs, concussive convulsions occur. It has now been shown that these are not actually post-traumatic seizures, and are not necessarily indicative of post-traumatic epilepsy. I want to take a moment to emphasize here that the Commander's MRIs show no signs of structural brain damage. There is no reason to believe that he will suffer any more seizures, or any further negative effects of the concussive convulsions.
"But the fact remains, his brain has been put through the proverbial wringer by all of the blows to the head. When he was admitted, I assessed him on the GCS-
"GCS?" This time the cousins interrupted in unison.
"Glasgow Coma Scale. It rates patients based on eye response, verbal response, and motor response. A score of fifteen is normal; the lowest possible score, a three, can be given to a dead person." Dr. Fong took a deep breath before meeting the eyes of the people in front of her. "When I assessed Commander McGarrett, his score was a ten."
Chin and Kono both gasped and tears sprung into Kono's eyes. Neither were sure exactly what that entailed, but it didn't sound good. In fact, Chin thought it made it sound as though Steve was half dead.
Dr. Fong evidently read the shock and horror in their expressions, because she hurried on to explain. "But I believe that with time and care, the Commander will recover. For instance, although he didn't open his eyes when I called his name, he did mutter, "Leave me 'lone, Danny. An' stop pinching me!" before drifting off again. While the comments were inappropriate to the time and place, I believe they show that his mind is attempting to process his experience with detective Williams. Furthermore, given what he has suffered, I would have been surprised if he had scored higher than a twelve. Lowered responses are expected after head traumas."
Seeing the looks of worry remaining on the detectives' faces, Dr. Fong put on her most reassuring smile and tried again. "I know it sounds very bad, but there really is no reason to believe that Commander McGarrett will not recover fully. I just wanted to tell you everything; to prepare you for what you'll see when you enter his room in the Intensive Care Unit. He's hooked up to a heart monitor and an EEG, which monitors brainwaves, in addition to the oxygen mask and multiple IVs. I'm not trying to worry you, but I don't want you to go in there expecting to see the Commander ready to sign himself out and find yourself looking at a collection of bruises covering pale skin and broken bones and half hidden by machinery. He doesn't look like himself, and I'd rather tell you while you're sitting out here than have you walk in there, faint, and fall into some of the equipment."
Chin swallowed hard before asking the question on his and Kono's minds. "What about Danny?"
Dr. Haleua answered this time. "Detective Williams also suffered multiple grade three concussions, from what we can tell. However, he managed several lucid streaks before the we put him under for surgery, so we're slightly less worried about him. But only slightly, because Detective Williams' latest MRIs also show petechial hemorrhaging in the meninges. We will be closely monitoring this, as it increases the risk of subdural and epidural hematomas.
"Petechial hemorrhaging? Subdural and epidural hematomas?" Kono questioned, not understanding all of the doctorese.
"Petechial hemorrhaging is basically tiny bruises forming from broken capillaries. Hematomas are much larger pools of accumulated blood, often called bruises on the brain, which increase the intracranial pressure and are often fatal. Unequal pupil response, such as Detective Williams displayed on admittance, is often one of the first signs. Needless to say, we'll be keeping close tabs on the situation with frequent MRIs and CAT scans.
"We'll also be carefully monitoring him to assure that no more internal bleeding results from his injuries; we've already repaired two bleeders in his abdomen. In addition, Detective Williams suffered a large number of cracked bones. The only one that broke all the way through was his clavicle, but there are partial breaks in his sternum and every rib but one. As with Commander McGarrett, we've immobilized the arm and wrapped his ribs in a brace for support. His left zygomatic- er, cheekbone, was also badly cracked.
"Detective Williams is also currently in the ICU. As you probably know by now, visits to the ICU are supposed to be one person at a time, for no more than fifteen minutes' duration. I will make the usual concessions towards your group staying for longer periods in the future, but I can tell just by looking at the two of you that you're both so exhausted that a stiff breeze could knock you over. So tonight, you may have your fifteen minutes with each of them, but then you need to go home and sleep for at least eight hours. Not rest, not do paperwork, but sleep. Don't just take a shower, eat, and come back; although a shower and a meal would be a good idea before you do return. You won't do either of them any good if you run yourselves into the ground. And besides, it's not likely that either of them will wake up before tomorrow anyways. They may not even wake up tomorrow; between the anesthesia and the fact that their bodies will demand sleep to heal, it may be two or possibly even three days until they wake up on their own. And honestly, lots of sleep is exactly what they need: lots of rest to heal, and a blessed obliviousness to pain."
Chin and Kono both nodded in agreement with the doctor's conditions.
"One last thing." Dr. Fong interjected. "Given the severity of their injuries, I'd like to keep Commander McGarrett and Detective Williams for at least a week after their release from the ICU, but no doubt as soon as McGarrett really wakes up, he'll be demanding to be released, AMA if necessary. Can I count on the two of you to help me keep him here as long as possible?"
The cousins exchanged looks.
"How much do you think he'll be out?" Kono asked. "The more he sleeps, the better our chances of keeping him here."
"Don't worry," Chin added, crossing his arms, iron resolve in his eyes. "He'll stay. I'll call in the big guns. If the Governor orders him to stay, he'll stay."
Both doctors sighed in relief. Past experience had taught them that all the members of Five-0 tried to get up and go back to work long before they should, but Commander McGarrett was by far the worst.
He'd go back to work even if unable to see straight or if his organs were hanging out of gaping holes in his body, thought Min. And with no painkillers, to boot. All that 'I'm a SEAL, I can compartmentalize the pain, Doc' crap. But if he has to stay, then he'll make Williams stay. Probably try to sneak into his room and pick a fight with him half a dozen times a day for the fun of it, but at least they'd both be somewhere where it's easy to put them back together again.