Ch. 12 Stasis

"Savannah!"

"Van!"

Eliot started running. He heard Dani's labored breathing as well as she pulled out her cell phone and called for a medical van from Van House.

"Van, if you can hear me, I need you to say something."

The wet breathing was weak and distant and panicked. "Dani, I can't move. Why can't I move?"

"Oh thank God. Van, your body's being forced into a stasis so that the Academy juice can start to heal you. It shuts down as many body functions as it can so that your body can focus on healing. We'll be right there."

Eliot pleaded as he ran. "Hardison, Parker, get out. They had to have heard the explosion. When we're clear, detonate the rest."

Parker began to argue, "We can't leave you behind. How're you going to-"

"We'll make it. GET OUT!" Dani begged.

"There's so much blood," Savannah choked.

"You're going to be fine, Van."

It was hard to believe when Dani and Eliot skidded to a halt at the site of the explosion. Savannah was prone in a pool of her own blood. Her head was moving like she was trying to get up but nothing was moving. Savannah's right side from chest to hip was hamburger. There was a small pile of debris underneath and around her. The blast was concentrated.

"Oh shit," Dani groaned. Eliot looked at her, trying to ask how bad it was without words. Sirens were heard outside.

"I..." Rarely did Eliot not know what to do.

Dani just nodded. "Can you get through the window carrying her?"

"Is it safe to pick her up?"

"Yeah, the bleeding's slowing, so the treatments, while incomplete, are working. You're gonna make it, Van."

Eliot finally felt reassured. The Academy was good for something. "If you go through ahead of me and help me get her through the window..."

"Then we get her to the med-van."

Eliot scooped Savannah up. She was slipping in and out of consciousness.

They got her on the gurney and Dani started trying to check Savannah's vitals. Eliot kept one hand on Savannah and the other held him upright against the van.

"Hardison, we're clear. Set them off," Eliot commanded.

"Is she going to be okay," Parker sounded panicked.

"We'll be at Van House in a few minutes. I can treat her there. Her heartbeat's strong enough, she can hang on."

"You're sure?"

"Savannah's a different case. She never finished treatment, I can't be sure of anything. I don't have the kind of equipment in here to know anything more than she's in a sort of stable range I can maybe fix it."

"Maybe?!"

"What the hell do you want from me? A normal person would be dead before we got her in the van!"

The van pulled to a halt in front of Van House. Dani, Eliot, and a couple Van House girls pulled the gurney out of the van and rushed Savannah to the medical lab. Dani pulled on latex gloves. "Alright, Van, I need you to talk to me."

"It hurts. Nothing's hurt like this before."

"I know. It's about to get worse. I-I have to look at the wound." As soon as Dani touched her, Savannah started thrashing. "Hold still!"

"I can't...control."

"Damn." Dani pulled a strap across Savannah's thighs to keep her steady and directed Eliot. "I need you to hold her arms and chest. The top strap will block the wound." He did what she asked. She cursed profusely as she examined the wound.

"I can't breathe! Dani, I can't breathe!"

"I know, honey. There's some damage to your lungs. And liver. And ribs. And a lot of other things."

A Van House girl came in in scrubs. As her examination continued, Dani directed the girl to hook Savannah up to an IV. The needle went in and Savannah relaxed. She was conscious but not entirely present.

"Okay," Dani said to Eliot, "you need to get out of here."

"What?! I'm not leaving her!"

"You're going to get in my way! You're welcome to stay at Van House but I need you out of my lab!"

"No!"

"Get out!" She shoved him and it felt like a five hundred pound henchman tossed him from the room.

Dani kept her word and Eliot was allowed to stay that night. Van House girls kept him updated through the evening but it all boiled down to, "She's stable, but there's a lot of damage. She's basically being kept in stasis until we can figure out how to fix it." Parker and Hardison were as disappointed as he was to hear it when they called.