A Whiter Shade of Pale Ch. 13
Disclaimer: See first chapter
Author's Note: To avoid confusion between stories, this story is the one where Sam is 13 years old and was stabbed outside their motel room by a man who was drunk.
Previously: Signing the papers that gave his permission for the abdominal surgery, John was unable to hold back the lone tear that trickled down the side of his face. Now, now all they could do was sit and wait once again and pray that Sammy would make it through.
"Alright people, I have the signed permission form in hand. Let's get this kid ready for surgery," Dr. Brad Spencer called out as he walked over to the equipment cabinet located in the corner of the pre-op room to get some of the items he would need to prepare his patient for surgery.
"Alison, I need you to get our Sam here started on a round of erythromycin right away," Brad informed his nurse as he pulled a nasogastric tube from the supply closet. By using the NGT, he would be able to gain access to the contents leaking into Sam's stomach and drain them before performing the operation that would hopefully save Sam's life.
"Yes Doctor, right away," Alison replied, knowing that getting the young teen started on another round of antibiotics was of utmost importance to help stave off the infection that was surely beginning to build from the gastric contents that had already invaded Sam's stomach from the abdominal perforation.
Laying the equipment that would be used for the insertion on the portable table as Alison started the IV, Brad quickly donned the protective gear required by hospital policy since there was a chance of being exposed to bodily fluids.
Pulling on sterile gloves as Jules helped him with the face shield, Brad took a few deep breaths to calm himself before starting the NGT insertion procedure. Sure it was one he had done hundreds of times, but he hated when he had to perform it on someone as young as Sam.
Waiting until Jules had raised the head of the mechanical bed so that Sam was in a more upright position for optimum neck/stomach alignment, Brad grasped the otoscope from the portable table and used it to check Sam's nasal cavity for any obstructions. Once he ascertained that it was clear, Dr. Spencer then picked up the nasogastric tubing and measured it from the bridge of Sam's nose, to the young hunter's earlobe, and then to the point halfway between the end of the sternum and Sam's navel and then noted the distance. Once that was done, he lubricated approximately four inches of the tubing with Xylocaine to help alleviate any discomfort Sam might feel during insertion, even while unconscious.
Gently inserting the tube into the right nare of Sam's nose, Brad slowly eased it past the pharynx and then lightly stroked Sam's throat to coax him into swallowing so that the tube would pass more easily into the esophagus and then the stomach. While doing so, he made sure to keep a close eye on his young patient's respiratory status to make sure he didn't go into respiratory distress during the insertion. Checking the placement, Brad then secured the tube to Sam's mouth with tape before connecting the end of it to the suction machine.
"Ali, once the contents of Sam's stomach have been suctioned out, I want him moved into the O.R. stat. The sooner we get the perforation taken care of, the better this kid's chances for survival are." Brad informed his most trusted nurse as he left the room to go scrub up for the surgery.
"Yes Doctor," Alison replied once again as she made the call to let the O.R. surgical team know their patient would be there within minutes.
~~Supernatural~~
Pacing across the pristine white tile floor of the O.R. waiting room, Dean couldn't help but wonder what in the hell was going on inside the surgery theatre. Sammy had been behind the closed doors for nearly two hours now and it was driving him crazy not knowing what was going on or how his baby brother was doing. It tore at him to remember the way that Sammy had looked just before passing out after having climbed from his hospital bed. Sucking in a stuttered breath, he began to unconsciously tremble as his mind lead him down a path where he no longer had his baby brother, a path where his baby brother had died on the operating table.
"Dean. DEAN!" John enunciated strongly in an attempt to gain his son's attention. It concerned him to see how pale Dean was looking and the way that he was trembling.
"Huh?" Dean uttered, turning around to face his father once the sound of John's voice had penetrated his mind. "Did you say something Dad?"
"Yes I did. I said you need to sit down and relax," John answered as he patted the seat of the padded chair beside him. "There's no sense in working yourself up into a panic until we hear something."
"I know, It's just…"
"You can't help but worry. Believe me son, I'm worried as hell myself. But we have to stay strong, for Sammy's sake," John voiced as he reached out to knead the tense muscles in the back of Dean's neck once his son sat down beside him.
"Dad, what if…"
"There's no what ifs this time Dean. Sammy is going to make it and that's all there is to it. He's a Winchester and Winchesters are fighters." John intoned.
"Yeah, you're right. Sammy's been kicking supernatural ass since he was just nine. There's no way he'll let something like this keep him down for long," Dean agreed in an effort to bolster not only his confidence, but that of his Dad's too. Allowing himself to finally relax, if only just a little, Dean permitted himself to soak in the comfort his father was so willing to provide.
Breathing a sigh of relief as his eldest finally settled, John thought about what he would say to Bobby once he finally gave the grizzled hunter a call to inquire about staying there for a couple of weeks until Sammy could fully heal from his injuries. The last time he had seen the man, Bobby had threatened to fill his ass with a load of buckshot if he ever dared to show his face at Singer Salvage Yard ever again. Sure, they had the option of staying with Pastor Jim or Caleb, but Bobby's place was much closer and Sammy wouldn't be up to taking a long road trip anytime soon.
Thinking back, John could begrudgingly understand why Bobby was upset with him about Sam getting hurt so badly. After all, he knew he should never have taken his children on a hunt for a Lamia, especially since the demonic monster's favorite meal just happened to be human children, but damn it, they were his kids and he did the best he could to protect them.
Pulled from his thoughts by the sound of soft soled shoes squeaking upon the tiled floor, John looked up to see Sam's doctor strolling into the O.R. waiting room as he tugged a green surgical cap from off his head.
"How is he Doc? How's my boy?" John asked, pushing himself to his feet as an anxious Dean did the same.
"Well, it was touch and go in there for a little while, but we were able to finally control the bleeding and close the hole that was caused by the tube pushing through the abdominal wall. Sam is going to be fine," Dr. Brad Spencer informed the stressed family members.
"Thank God," Dean voiced in relief, pulling in the first deep breath he could manage in hours as his Dad reached out grasp the doctor's hand and give it a firm shake.
"Thank you for saving my son's life. I don't know how I can ever repay you."
"You're welcome. It was my pleasure. Now if you gentleman will excuse me, I have a very important phone call that I need to make," Brad stated with one soul purpose in mind…making those two detectives pay for putting his young patient's life in jeopardy.
~~Supernatural~~
Sitting behind his large mahogany wood desk, Captain Stan Thomas sighed as he looked at the mountain of paperwork he had to go through today. He hated paperwork and viewed it as the only real downfall to his position. He much preferred to be out in the field helping his team to solve cases. Grasping the top file off of the pile, he pulled it open and began to scan the contents, only to be interrupted by the intercom.
"Captain Thomas, you have a call on line three from a Dr. Brad Spencer."
"Thanks, Barbara," Stan voiced as he reached out to pick up the phone.
"Hey Brad, long time no see Buddy." stated the police captain with black who stood approximately six foot two inches tall, with a lean yet muscular build.
"Yeah, it has been a while," Brad agreed with a smile. He and Stan had been friends since both of them were in their teens "We'll have to get together soon for a round of golf or something."
"Or something…So, you got something on your mind?" Stan inquired worryingly, knowing that Brad didn't usually call him at work for something so meager as getting together."Yeah, we had an incident here at the hospital that involved two of your officers," Brad stated with a wince, though the police captain could not see his face.
"Tell me the name of the detectives and exactly what happened," Stan growled into the phone, as he pulled a manila writing pad and a pen from his desk drawer. One thing he wouldn't tolerate was misconduct or inappropriate behavior from any of his officers.
"Officers Jason Marks and Matt Speight walked into the room of a 13 year old patient of mine and proceeded to question his father about a murder case without checking the pertinent facts first," Brad informed his friend. "Hell Stan, they didn't even take the time to question my staff as to whether or not John Slade, who is my patient's father, had left at any time during the night. Nor did they bother to check the CCTV security cameras which would certainly have cleared him of suspicion before pulling out their handcuffs and making a threatening move towards the man."
"What else?" Stand questioned as he quickly wrote down the information. "I know you wouldn't be calling me unless something more substantial happened."
"Stan, this all happened in front of my patient. He became so upset that he climbed out of the bed and tried to go to his father. Stan, the kid had a stomach tube in and the action of getting out of the bed forced the tubing to go through the lining of his stomach causing an acute abdominal perforation," Brad reported to the police captain. "Damn it. Stan, I almost lost the kid on the operating table due to excessive bleeding. This incident could have caused my young patient his life."
"Sonuva…Thanks for letting me know what happened Brad. I can promise you those two detectives will be dealt with." Stan informed his friend before he hung up the phone.
Pushing the intercom button that would connect him to his secretary, he said, "Barbara, have Sgt. Michaels contact Detectives Marks and Speight. I want them in my office and I want them here NOW!
TBC
