Puck's POV
I have been shouting for help for a few minutes when I hear multiple foots steps coming towards us. I quickly snatch up my rifle in my left hand, while still holding my fight hand over Santana's gun shot wound, just in case it is not someone here to help me.
There is three of them who come into view. I recognise Connor being there with a doctor and another soldier. I then lower my rifle and place it on the ground next to me.
"Thank God" I mutter to myself.
"Hey what we got here?" The doc asks as she puts her kit down and opens it.
"Umm... 24 year old female with a gash on her head, bullet wound to her right shoulder and left leg crushed under rubble by the looks of it" I quickly rattle out as the doc nods at the information.
"Ok. If you could remove your hand from her shoulder so I can get a look at it." I do as the doc says and move back a little bit to give her some more room to work on. I then watch as she gets some gauze and places it over the wound, to soak up some blood. She then removes the gauze throwing it to the ground then prodding the surrounding area, before getting some more gauze and taping it there, so she can gently reach under Santana to see if the bullet exited or not.
"Alright it looks like the bullet hasn't exited so we'll have to try and not jostle her too much as it could cause more damage" the doc explains to me and Connor, who is knelt down by her head.
"Hey Puck, who's the little girl here?" Connor says pointing to Tamira.
"Santana saved her, she is the little girl she was talking to the first day we got to the village" I explain.
"Oh yeah I remember."
The doc then grabs some more stuff out of her kit handing me a piece of gauze as she moves towards San's left leg. I must have a confused look on my face as she says "It's for your leg." I just nod my head dumbly and place the gauze on my leg, after forgetting all about it.
The doc then carefully examined San's leg, without touching the rubble that is on top of it. She has a forlorn look on her face as she quickly grabs her kit and rummages through it, finally pulling out a belt looking type thing and tied it just above Santana's left knee.
She then turns to the other soldier standing there. "Hey you, can you go back to the trucks to see if there is another doctor. Tell them to bring a stretcher as well ,and come back here." She rushes out, the soldier nods quickly before running in the direction of the trucks.
"What's wrong?" I ask concerned.
"It appears that her lower left leg has been blown off. Was there an explosion?" I nod my head. "Ok, then this rock here has landed on her leg crushing it more, but also slowing down the bleeding. Otherwise she would of probably bled to death very quickly, depending on what was damaged." She explains while pointing to the rubble.
Finding out this news leaves me stunned, I then turn my head to look at Connor who just has a shocked look on his face and is staring down at Santana's left leg.
Just then the soldier returns with another doctor and a stretcher. "Hey Mark, we have got a 24 year old female, bullet wound to right shoulder and missing lower leg. Which at the moment is crushed under this rock." She states in a very clinical way.
"I have tied a strap around just above her knee to help slow the blood down and was just waiting for you as I needed more hands, to tie off the blood vessels and artery. So when can then move her" she continues.
"Alright lets do this" the doc called Mark says. They then work quickly and quietly.
I can't watch them work so I just look down at San's face, which looks so peaceful and stroke her hair. Connor in the other hand jumps up and runs around the corner, to where I hear him throwing up.
It only took the two doctors about 10 minutes to finish what they were doing and cover San's injuries with gauze. They then removed the rubble from San's leg, sighing in relief when the sutures hold and no blood is spurting out.
As they were packing their kit away I spoke up "Hey could one of you maybe check this little girl out as well?"
Mark nods his head and moves over to Tamira, as the female doctor starts unfolding the stretcher and placing it besides Santana's left side. Ready for when we put her on it.
"It just looks like she might have concussion and is knocked out for now. But you could bring her bag with us just in case Mark says after a moment of silence.
"Sure" I agree knowing its what Santana would want.
"Ok then if you" the female do says pointing to me "could hold her head and you" she points to Connor this time "grab her shoulders gently, me and Mark will get her lower half" she explains.
"In the count of three slowly and gently roll her over. One...two...three!" The move goes smoothly and Santana is placed on the stretcher. The docs then strap her down securely and place a brace on her neck to be cautious.
"Alright me and Mark will take Santana?" She says unsurely. I nod my head and she continues "And you can take the little girl" she says poi ti g to Connor as I'm injured.
We then slowly make our way to the trucks, to take us back to camp.
###
The journey to camp felt like a blur to me. I just sat their holding Santana's hand hoping that she was going to be alright.
As soon as the truck stops the back door is thrown open and there is two guys dressed in plastic aprons and gloves, and two other soldiers there ready to transport Santana to the med area.
I let them take her first, before carefully climbing out of the truck. I then wait for Connor to climb out still holding Tamira in his arms. Mark then leads us to the med area.
Once there I am instructed to sit down on a bed, as I see Santana taken through a curtained off area. Connor then sets Tamira down on the bed next to me and then proceeds to take off his gear, dropping it on the floor once it is off. That then prompts me to do the same.
Not long after a doctor comes over to look at my leg and says that it is a through and through and that I will need some stitches for it. As well as this I'll probably be off duty and on leave for a few months. Plus I will have to have some physiotherapy as there will be scat tissue which could be a problem down the line.
He then gives me some crutches and tells me to stay off my leg and that I will be sent home with someone else who has just been brought in, on the helicopter which is due to come in to day. Not realising that I know Santana.
After that he then moves over to check on Tamira and how her vitals are.
I then look up and see Connor pacing.
"Hey dude, why don't you go get us a couple of chairs to sit on?" All I receive is a wordless nod and then he has lft the area.
He comes back a few minutes later placing the chairs either side of Tamira's bed.
We sit in silence for close to 10 minutes until I cant bear kit anymore. "Thanks by the way" I say quietly not entirely sure he heard it.
I then get a mumbled "Why?"
"Because you stayed, because you brought help, because you heard me" I say in a rushed breath.
"Oh ok. I knew you would of done the same if that had been my best friend." He says with a shrug.
"Well then when you get back to the states come visit us in Lima and I'll buy you a beer."
"Your on" he says with a small smile. The first I've seen since this morning.
###
No one's POV
Puck and Connor had been sitting by Tamira's bed for about 20 minutes, when Puck saw movement out of the corner of his eye.
"Hey Connor, can you go find a doctor as I think she's coming around" he says indicating to the little girl.
"Sure" he says and quickly got up to look for a doctor who doesn't look to busy.
Whilst Connor did that Puck moved his chair closer to the bed. It took him a bit of effort to do so, as he was trying not to put any weight on his injured leg. When he was comfortable he looked back up at the small figure who was moving around more on the bed than earlier.
Puck then put o e of his hands on Tamira's. As he did that her eyes shot open. Puck could see fear and pain in her eyes.
"Hey, hey calm down in Noah a friend of Santana's. Do you remember her?" He said in a soft voice.
Tamira nods her head and asks in a quiet voice "Is she ok? I remember her picking me up and running."
Puck didn't know really how Santana was doing but he just says "She's going to be alright, the doctors are patching her up right now."
"Good, because I want to thank her" she says again I that small quiet voice.
Just then Connor comes back with the doctor. Puck nods hi head in thanks to Connor.
"Hi I'm Dr Andrews" the doctor says introducing himself to everyone before focusing on Tamira. "What your name?"
"Tamira" she says quietly.
"That's a pretty name. Do you mind if I check your for any injuries?"
She shakes her head slowly.
Dr Andrews slowly but thoroughly checks the little girls head. Once he is finished he speaks up again. "Well Tamira your head looks alright, but you may have a sire head for a couple of days, due to the lump you have on your head."
"Ok" she says with a small nod of her head, understanding what she had been told.
"And here for being a good patient" Dr Andrews produces a lollipop, making Tamira let out a big smile and causing Puck and Connor to chuckle. "I'll leave you to it then."
Tamira lets out a quiet thank you before he leaves though. Shortly after the doctor leaves and they've been sitting in silence as Tamira eats he lollipop, a tall dark skinned man comes in behind Jack and Joe looking frantically around for someone.
Tamira then see's him and shouts out "Baba!" The man then comes running over to where Puck, Connor and Tamira are. Once he gets there he hugs Tamira tightly too him.
He then looks over at Puck and Connor and says "Thank you."
"We didn't really do anything, just brought her here to be looked at by a doctor" Puck says and gives a nonchalant shrug.
"Well who can I thank then?" He asks determined to say thanks to whoever saved his daughters life.
"Umm...it was our Sergeant. Sergeant Santana Lopez, but she is in surgery right now as she was hurt pretty badly" Puck answers him hesitantly at first but hen with sadness in his voice, trying not to think about it too much.
"Ok, could I maybe write her something and then you give it to her?" He asks Puck as Connor has walked away to go stand by Jack and Joe, to update them on what is going on.
"Yeah sure" Puck says in a firm voice. "Just let me go get you some paper and a pen." With that Puck hops off on his crutches out of the tent and towards his own bunk. Where he knows there is one paper and wanting to get some fresh air.
As he got to his bunk Puck stated to think about Santana and he got this feeling in his stomach he couldn't explain but made him anxious and nervous. That wasn't what worried him the most though, what was is the fact they've been here for nearly an hour and half if not more and no one had told them what was happening.
When he had the pad of paper and a pen in hand he made his way back to the medical tent. Deciding on the way after that thought, that once he'd given the paper to Tamira's father he would go ask someone for any news on Santana.
###
Puck finally got a hold of someone who knew what was happening, 10 minutes after he had re-entered the tent. They told him that it should be about another 30 minutes before they were finished and that he could talk to the doctor who did the surgery then.
He said thanks and walked over, well hoped,to Tamira and her father, who had finished writing his letter.
"Here is your stuff back" Tamira's father says handing Puck his pad of paper and pen back. "And here is the letter, could you please give it to her when she wakes up."
"yep, sure I can do that." Puck says accepting the letter in one hand.
"Well thank you for helping..."
"Noah" Puck supplies for him.
"Thank you Noah for making sure my daughter was safe" with that the man sticks out his hand allowing Puck to accept it and shake it.
Jack then stepped forward and told everyone they would be escorting Tamira and her father back to the village.
Once they left, Puck was left standing next to Connor. He then turned to him and asked "Did you tell them Tamira was here and to find her parents?"
"Yeah" he answers. "It was the least I could do."
"Yeah" he says in return. They stand there together for a few minutes in silence just in their own little world before Puck speaks up again.
"Oh yeah San's suppose to be out of surgery soon, so we can talk to the doctor about what's going on properly." Connor gives a small smile at this.
###
25 minutes later a doctor walks out from begin the curtained off area, and is directed towards Puck and Connor. Who are sitting in the chairs again not really doing anything.
"Hi I'm Dr Hunt, I operated on your friend Sergeant Lopez." The doctor says to the two men who immediately sit up.
"I'm Noah Puckerman and that is Connor Wright" Puck introduces them. "What did you have to do during surgery?" He then asks impatiently wanting to know what is going with his best friend.
"Well I'm taking that you know already that her left leg suffered some damage, which resulted in her left foot being severed off and half of her lower leg" Dr Hunt explains pointing to his own leg to help show them were. He receives nods from the two men.
"We then had to clean that up and remove some more bone to be able to create a flap to cover the other tissue in the leg, leaving her with a stump just below the knee. However even though we've done this when she gets back to the states the doctors will reassess her leg and take some scans to see if there is anymore damage. This could then mean that her leg will be amputated above the knee instead of below like it is now to prevent further complications later on." Puck and Connor nod along to all this information, not letting any emotion show on their faces though.
"Ok she was also shot in her right shoulder, but the bullet didn't exit and as we don't have a lot of high tech equipment here we've had to leave the bullet in. As well as this she hit her head so to try and prevent anymore serious injuries from happening we've put her into a medical coma." Dr Hunt further explains.
"What do you mean further injury?" Connor asks from his spot.
"Well its been known in some cases for the patient to panic when they get told that they lost a limb, and with Santana still having a bullet in her shoulder she could move it. If it did move worst case scenario is she loses all movement in her right arm."
The two men sit there absorbing everything they get told.
"Oh...Ok, umm do you know what time we are suppose to be flying out?" Puck says breaking the silence as his mind is trying to wrap around all the information he's been given.
"I'm guessing about 2 o'clockish," Dr Hunt says as the helicopters normally come in early, in the morning and leave base between 1:30pm and 2:30pm.
"Thank you" Puck then says sincerely not talking about Dr Hunt giving him the time when they leave, but everything else he has done.
"Alright, well if you need me before you leave then you'll most likely find me in here. Good luck with your recovery, you and your friend." With that the Dr Hunt walks away.
"How about we head out of here for a bit get some food, update the rest of the squad, pack your stuff then come back?" Connor says trying to keep his friend doing stuff, so he doesn't think about everything and get lost in his head.
"Yeah, ok. Lets do that" Puck says nodding his head in agreement whilst grabbing his crutches from beside him.
####
'Baba' means daddy in Arabic.