A/N: hello everyone! Thank you for who all have enjoyed this so far! Now, with this chapter, the medical stuff, I tried to do some research and tried to make it make sense lol if it's unbelievable, I'm sorry but it needed to done for the story. I hope you enjoy the new chapter!
Once they made it back into Hawkins, Christine couldn't help the nagging feeling she had in the pit of her stomach. As they got closer to the fair, she could see the ferris wheel and a few other attractions from a good distance, the low murmur of the town being there. No one had really said anything since Murray's outburst, Jim obviously annoyed about it still. Christine glanced at her brother every once in a while in the rearview mirror but he only eyed her. She knew he was annoyed that she was warming up to Alexei so quickly but she also thought back to the talk they had had at Murray's.
She squeezed Alexei's hand, wanting some kind of comfort as she thought about that talk. She knew this feeling meant nothing good for either her or Jim.
But once they made it to the fair, it took some driving around but they finally found a spot to park. Joyce was the first to jump out, Jim throwing his door open next. Christine and Murray both stood, ready to get out next when suddenly Jim yelled at them both.
"Stay here," he said, not even turning to look at them. Murray quickly sat, throwing his hands up, "Go over the plans with Smirnoff."
"But Jim!" she argued.
"I said no," he nearly yelled again, turning to argue with her, "Remember, I told you to do as I say." Christine gave up, not wanting to start another fight as she sits back down, crossing her arms.
"We can help look," Murray argued back.
"No," Jim said as he finally stood, shutting his door, "You'll scare the children."
"Jim, if this is about earlier-" Murray started, but Jim was quick to ignore him.
"Stay put, Freud!" Jim yelled as he and Joyce walked away, towards the fair.
As the two of them left, Alexei, Murray and Christine all three turned back. They all slumped down, looking straight ahead. But Christine wasn't going to sit there, squished for the rest of the night when she stood, moving to the driver seat.
"We need to come up with a plan," she said as she turned and looked back at both men.
"What do you mean by a plan?" Murray asked. "You heard Jim, he said to stay here."
"Oh, please," she said, waving her hand around and rolling her eyes. "Since when have you done anything that an authority figure told you to do?" Murray opened his mouth to say something but shut it anyway. Alexei's head went back and forth as he tried to listen to what they were saying to each other. But Christine only turned back around, facing the steering wheel now as she tried to come up with a plan. She wasn't going to let Jim get hurt, regardless of what he said.
But as she sat there she heard Murray and Alexei talking in Russian as they went over what the plan was for the machine and what to do with it. She turned and watched as Alexei and Murray got out of the car now, placing all the blueprints that had been drawn up on the trunk. Alexei rolled up his sleeves again, leaning on the trunk. Christine watched as he pointed at different pages, pushing his glasses up every so often. Before she realized it she was staring at him, just listening to him talk. She finally decided to move back to the back seat, stretching out and getting comfy. She rested her chin on the head rest, as she looked down at the paper.
"И зачем все это?" Murray asked.
"Если я просто поворачиваю ключи, это как глушить машину," Alexei explained. "Но тогда машина все еще работает, не так ли?" Murray simply shrugged his shoulders, nodding his head. "И вы хотите, чтобы машина все еще работала или вы хотите, чтобы она взорвалась?" As Christine sat there, watching the two men in front of her she glanced up, meeting Alexei's eyes.
He gave her a smirk, winking at her before turning back to Murray. She felt her cheeks heat up, smiling back up at him. But as they continued, she laid back in the seat, getting comfortable. She knew it was going to be a while.
"Come on," Murray said as he threw the stack of papers into her head.
"What?" she asked. She collected all the papers, tossing them into the floorboard.
"We are going to show Alexei what it means to be American," Murray said with a smile, pointing to the fair over his shoulder. A big smile spread across her face as she jumped up out of the seat, getting out of the car.
…
Once they made it into the fair, Alexei was in awe. His head was constantly swiveling back and forth as he tried to take everything in. Christine pushed her way between Murray and Alexei, wrapping her hand around his upper arm. He smiled down at her before looking back at the world around him.
"Это не может быть более американским, чем это, мой друг," Murray said as he lead the two of them around. "Жирная пища, уродливый декаданс, фальсифицированные игры."
As they made their way to the ticket booth, Murray explained everything to Alexei, speaking Russian the whole time. But once they finally made it, Murray bought 15 tickets and turned to Alexei again.
"Here," Murray said, turning to Christine as he handed her the tickets. "Consider it a first date, go crazy." Murray turned to walk away when Alexei hollered after him.
"Куда ты идешь?" he asked, getting Murray's attention.
"Чтобы найти для нас самое близкое к еде, которое я могу найти," Murray answered. "I'll be back, I'm getting food. Watch him and have fun." Once he was done he turned and left them alone.
Christine looked up at Alexei as he looked at her confused. She smiled, handing him the tickets as she grabbed his hand. She pulled him over to one of the games, a ball toss.
"Hello pretty lady," the game worker said, "Think you have what it takes to knock over those bottles?"
"I don't think so," Christine said, "But I think he can!" She motioned over to Alexei, patting his arm.
"Alright, sir," the worker said as he turned his attention, "If you can knock over these three towers with three balls, you win a prize!"
Christine ripped off a couple of their tickets, handing them to the worker. She tried her best to explain to Alexei what the game was, pointing to the ball then to the tower. He nodded and she hoped he understood as the worker laid three softballs down in front of them. She watched as he picked up one of the softballs, focusing on one of the towers. After a moment, he threw the ball, knocking over all the bottles. A couple people standing around them clapped their hands, the fair working clapping as well.
"Good job!" Christine said as she smiled up at him. She pointed at the other ball then the second tower. Alexei nodded his head, picking it up as he focused on the bottles again, throwing the ball a little harder.
Once again, the tower collapsed, more people celebrating around them now. Christine clapped her hands, excited that he seemed to be pretty good at this. He grabbed the last softball, letting out a sigh as he focused on the last tower. Christine watched, holding her breath as he finally threw the last one. He threw it a little harder again. Christine half expected the ball to just bounce off the tower but to her surprise it toppled down as well.
"You did it!" Christine yelled, nearly jumping up and down with excitement. Alexei looked down at her, a big smile on his face.
"Sir, what kind of prize would you like?" the worker asked as he motioned to all the stuffed animals.
"Чего бы ты хотел?" Alexei asked, letting Christine choose what she wanted. She looked around, trying to find something.
"We'll take that one," she said, pointing to a giant stuffed lion hanging off the top row.
…
Once Christine got the lion they turned, looking around at the other games. Alexei seemed too excited to focus on just one thing, trying to take in as much as he could.
"Come on," Christine said as she tugged on his arm.
They walked down the row of games, letting him take in as much as possible. Christine could smell the funnel cakes and other greasy foods as they walked, weaving in and out of kids that ran passed them. She kept an eye out for any of the group that they had come with, and even for any rogue Russians that looked like they were going to try to kill them. But thankfully she could see Murray off across the games and no one that seemed like a threat.
But she was pulled from her thoughts when there was suddenly an arm around her shoulders. She looked up at Alexei as he pulled her closer, her arm going around his waist.
"Это весело," he said, kissing her on top of her head.
"Veselo?" she asked, looking up at him. He nodded his head, reaching behind to pull out the translation book from his back pocket. He flipped through it quickly, showing her what he said.
"Oh," she said, "Fun." He eyed her for a moment, like he was trying to figure out how to pronounce it. But they were pulled from their lesson when there was a loud pop next to them.
Christine jumped, startled by the sound but was relieved when they realized it was a game next to them. It was similar to the tower game they played, where they would pop balloons of the same color and win a prize.
Alexei turned back to Christine, the look on his face was excitement as he pointed over his shoulder at the game.
"Вуди Вудпекер," he said excitedly as he pointed at the prizes.
"Let's play!" Christine said, pulling him towards the booth.
"Hello, lady and gentleman," the worker said excitedly, "Step right up! Think you have what it takes to pop five of a kind?"
"He has more than what it takes!" Christine yelled back. By now, several kids had lined up around them, their excitement catching their attention.
"Then how about we put those skills to the test!" the worker said, holding out his hand. Christine ripped off a few more tickets, handing them over as he laid down a dart.
As Alexei picked it up, Christine patted his arm for good luck. He concentrated again, focusing on one of the balloons before he finally threw the dart. With one try he easily hit a green balloon. The few kids that had managed to linger around cheered, gaining the attention of others. Then, as easily as he hit the first one, a second green balloon popped, Christine cheering loudly. The kids around them clapped, the worker handing over the dart again.
"That is two for two! You are almost halfway to the big prize!" he yelled. Alexei took the dart out of his hand, taking a deep breath as everyone quietened down around him. He held out the dart, focusing again before tossing it. He easily popped a third green balloon, the crowd around them erupting in cheers. Christine clapped loudly, cheering for him as he smiled, looking around. He smiled at the kids around him before he turned back to the worker.
"That's three green," he said as he pulled out the dart from the board, "And here is number four!" He handed the dart to Alexei, everyone around getting quiet again. Christine crossed her fingers, hoping that he could do it again. She knew he could, he had gotten three in a row already, what was two more. But as he focused, he took a deep breath, taking a moment.
Once he finally threw the dart, he popped yet another, fourth green balloon. He let out the deep breath he was holding, the kids around them jumping up and down, cheering. Christine joined them, clapping her hands. Alexei turned and looked at the crowd of kids they had gathered, high fiving one of them closest to him.
"One more for the big prize!" the worker yelled as he handed over the dart one last time. Alexei glanced over at Christine, a smile on her face that lit up his whole world. He pulled her close, kissing her cheek for good luck. Christine patted his arm, wishing him luck as a couple kids stuck out their tongues making grossed out noises. She laughed at them but he turned back to the balloons, focusing on the next green one he was going to pop.
"You can do it, mister!" one of the kids around them yelled. Christine laughed as she patted the kid on the shoulder, Alexei turning to give him a smile. He took his time focusing, aiming for a fifth green balloon.
But once he finally threw the dart, it popped another, final balloon. This time, the whole booth erupted in cheers, even Alexei jumping up and down, high fiving several kids around. The worker rang the bell in the booth, cheering along with everyone else. Christine cheered as loud as she could, clapping her hands.
"You can have your choice of anything on the wall!" the worker yelled. Alexei quickly and excitedly pointed at the Woody Woodpecker stuffed animal that was hanging high up.
Once he got his prize from the worker, Christine decided it was time to go find Murray. She grabbed Alexei's hand, pulling him away from the booth as they joined the crowds once again. He had a huge smile on his face, happy to be there. They both had their stuffed prizes, but Christine was starting to get hungry. Luckily, she saw Murray not too far away, getting a couple corndogs for them all.
"Murray!" she yelled, trying to get his attention.
"Murray!" Alexei joined in once he saw him as well. "Смотреть!" Christine pointed at their stuffed animals once Murray turned their way. Alexei was excited to show off their treats, waving at Murray. "Это не подстроено!" She laughed at how excited Alexei got, patting his arm. "Это не подстроено!" As they walked closer she could faintly hear Murray imitating Woody Woodpecker's laugh.
But everything started moving in slow motion when suddenly Alexei stopped walking. Christine turned to look at him, the smile on his face fading and his face turning pale. She followed his gaze and her own heart stopped. It was the same giant Russian man that had been attacking them and tried to kill them when they kidnapped Alexei. She gripped Alexei's arm, trying to wrack her brain with some kind of plan as he continued to walk closer to them. Alexei held his stuffed prize closer to him, almost like he was trying to guard himself with it. Christine took a couple steps back, trying to pull Alexei with her so they could run. That's what they needed to do, run away as fast and as far as possible. But his feet seemed to be glued to their spot, fear overtaking him.
"Alexei," Christine said, trying to pull him out of his shock. But it didn't work. He wouldn't move. She could feel her heart pounding like it was going to bust through her chest, the sounds of the fair around them getting drowned out. "Alexei, please." She pleaded with him now, tears starting to form in her eyes. But Alexei wasn't moving. She was going to have to try to come up with a new plan, he was getting closer now. Close enough that she could see him raise the gun that was at his side and aim it straight at Alexei. She felt like she was going to pass out from the adrenaline that was running through her.
However, at the last minute Christine pushed Alexei to the side, at the same time a balloon popped behind them. But she knew that wasn't the only sound she heard. She could tell he had a silencer on the gun but she knew what happened. She could feel Alexei jump slightly in her grip. She was worried. Was she able to save him? Had she managed to out smart the scariest man she had ever seen in her life? But, her thoughts were short lived when suddenly the hard, metal end of his gun collided with her face. She screamed, colliding with the ground as her whole world went fuzzy.
"Предатель," she heard as he finally walked passed them. She tried to sit up, her head was now pounding as her vision went in and out.
"ALEXEI!" she heard, sounding like it was far away. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts as she looked around. Finally, after steadying herself enough for the moment, she looked up, seeing Alexei standing in front of her. She watched as he dropped his Woody Woodpecker prize, red starting to trickle down his shirt.
"Alexei?" she asked quietly, as she sat up straighter. "Alexei!" She nearly yelled as her world came crashing down on her. Everything seemed to speed up again as she stood. She watched as Alexei placed a hand on his side, the blood now covering his shirt. He removed his hand, blood now sticking to it. She was quick to his side, placing her hand over his wound as Murray joined them. Alexei started staggering around, Christine almost unable to keep pressure on his wound.
"Alexei!" Murray yelled as he joined them, throwing his arm around him. "Come on, let's go over here." Murray quickly walked both of them over between two booths, away from the crowd.
"Give me your shirt," Christine said hurriedly, smacking Murray's arm.
"What?" he asked as Christine helped Alexei down to the ground.
"I SAID GIVE ME YOUR SHIRT!" Christine nearly yelled at him now. She was too panicked and everything was going too fast for her to spend time arguing with him. Luckily, he did as she said, taking his outer shirt off and giving it to her. "We need to keep pressure on it." As Christine pushed the shirt on to the wound Alexei winced.
"Okay, I'll go get help," Murray said as he stood, "я собираюсь получить помощь." He was gone a moment later, leaving Alexei and Christine there alone.
"It's going to be okay," Christine said as she wrapped Murray's shirt around Alexei, tying it tight. He groaned, leaning his head back against the wooden booth he was sitting against, closing his eyes. "No, no, no." Christine patted his cheek, causing Alexei to stir. She let out a breath as he opened his eyes again.
Luckily, Murray wasn't gone long this time, Joyce joining him.
"Oh my god," Joyce said as she bent down, getting a closer look.
"We need to leave," Christine said as she wrapped Alexei's arm around her shoulders.
"I was only gone for a moment," Murray said, "I only went to get a corn dog." He looked down at his friend, looking defeated as Christine tried to lift Alexei on her own.
"Murray, that doesn't matter right now!" Christine yelled, snapping him out of his thoughts. "For now, he's still alive and if you plan on keeping him that way then help me." He seemed to get into gear, pulling Alexei's other arm around his shoulders. They both stood, able to finally lift him up. Joyce had run ahead of them, getting the car and pulling it closer. It was awkward helping Alexei to the car, Christine being so much shorter than both of them.
But as they got closer, they saw Joyce get out of the car, walking past them.
"Hey, hey, hey," Murray said, trying to get her attention, but it wasn't working. They didn't have time for this, they needed to go.
"Joyce, what the hell are you doing?" Christine yelled. But Joyce still wasn't listening as she walked towards the Mayor.
"Hey!" Joyce yelled, getting his attention. But Christine's attention was pulled away when Alexei stumbled slightly. Christine looked down at his side, the blood starting to bleed through Murray's shirt that was tied around him.
"Joyce!" Christine yelled, looking up just as she punched the mayor. Christine gasped, watching as Joyce then kneed him between the legs. If things had been different, Christine would have laughed and cheered her on. But she had other things to worry about. "Can we go now?"
Once Joyce joined them again they made a beeline for the car. Luckily, she had moved it up some, making it a little easier to get to.
"Careful, careful," Christine said as she jumped into the back seat first. Alexei slowly made his way back there with her, Murray following close behind. "Where is Jim?"
"He will meet us," Joyce said, but Christine wasn't convinced.
"What do you mean meet us?" She yelled. But Joyce didn't answer. Instead, she floored it, the back tires kicking up dirt as they drove off.
Christine turned her attention to Alexei, pulling the makeshift tourniquet away from his wound, checking it. She was honestly surprised he had managed this long with the amount of blood he was losing. He winced and jumped slightly as she placed the now ruined shirt back, pushing it harder against him.
"I'm sorry," she said, quietly as she looked up at him. He gave her a half smile, but it was short lived when suddenly his head fell back. "Alexei?" She looked at him harder, trying to see if his chest was raising and falling with his breathing. But she couldn't tell. "Alexei?!" She nearly shouted at him now, patting his cheek trying to stir him again. But it was no use. Suddenly, the car came to a stop, Jim jumping in the front seat.
Christine turned away from Alexei for a moment, facing her brother before she nearly tackled him. She hugged him as tight as she could from the awkward angle, kissing the side of his head.
"So what is the plan?" Christine asked as she turned back, pressing against Alexei's side and checking his pulse.
"We have to get to the mall, shut down whatever the Russians are planning and save the kids," Jim said as he looked from Joyce to the others. "Knowing them they are right in the middle of it."
"But Alexei is in no shape for that," Christine said. She had barely managed to find his pulse. It was there, but it was dangerously faint. "Joyce, drop us at my place."
"Christine," he started, but she quickly interrupted him.
"No, Jim," she said, holding up her finger to stop him. "The Russians don't know where I live, probably don't even care who I am. It's the safest place we have."
"Jim, she's right," Murray said, backing her up.
"And I have a few medical supplies there," she said. "Benefits of being a nurse I suppose."
…
Once they made it to Christine's house she quickly jumped out of the car, Jim and Murray close behind her with Alexei. She ran ahead of them, searching for her spare key under her door mat. She had no idea where her purse, wallet or keys were anymore but she hoped they were at Murray's somewhere.
But she quickly threw open the door, pointing towards the hall where her bedroom was. She ran through the house, checking and making sure no one was there that wasn't supposed to be and to get the few supplies she had. She grabbed her first aid kit, some gauze, a few pain medications that she had hoarded over the years before running into her bedroom.
"You guys go," Christine said, knowing time was of the essence here.
"Are you sure," Jim asked as he turned towards her.
'We don't have a choice," Christine said, her voice stern. She knew she was fighting back tears, scared about what was going to happen to Alexei, scared about what was going to happen to her brother and the others. But she had to keep a brave front, at least until they left.
"Jim, she is right," Murray said as he came over and stood next to her.
"Listen, Alexei told Murray everything he will know what to do," she said. "I'll stay here with him and make sure he pulls through."
"Jim," Joyce said quietly, trying to talk him into it. He finally but reluctantly nodded his head, agreeing with him.
"Okay, okay," he finally said. "But you barricade that door and don't open it for anything or anyone." Christine nodded her head, her chin quivering as she struggled to hold back the tears. But it didn't matter when suddenly Jim pulled her into a tight hug, whispering to her. "I love you, and you please, please, stay safe until I get back."
"You know I will," she said as they took a step away from each other. "You guys go, I need to save a life here." She wiped her face, telling the others bye as they left, locking the front door.
She took a deep breath as she turned back to Alexei. She could barely see his chest rising and falling with his ragged breathing. She walked over to him, peeling away Murray's shirt. It was covered in blood now, dripping onto her floor. She quickly grabbed the small waste basket she kept by her bed and threw the shirt in it. She grabbed a pair of gloves that came in the first aid kit, slipping them on before she went any farther. She unbuttoned his outer layer, pushing it to the side, before she cut out the bottom half of his under shirt. She knew it wasn't pretty but it worked and she knew she wouldn't have been able to lift his shirt over his head.
Once she peeled off the last layer of clothes that was stuck to him, more blood started pouring out.
"Shit," she said as she grabbed some gauze, holding it against him. She knew if he was going to keep bleeding like this she was going to run out of gauze and quickly. So she decided to give her friend a call, to see if she could manage to get more supplies. She reached over, holding pressure as hard as she could on his side, dialing her best friend.
"Susan!" she said when her friend answered, a little more excited that she meant it to seem. "Listen, I have an emergency. Can you bring me some supplies?"
"Supplies?" Susan asked, "Like what?"
"Umm," Christine wracked her brain, trying to figure out what all she needed. "Gauze, surgical forceps, maybe some fluids and I.V. antibiotics if you're feeling frisky."
"Wow, that's it?" Susan asked with a half hearted laugh.
"Listen, I don't have time to explain," Christine said, "It's an emergency. And I promise I will explain everything later, can you please bring me those few things?" Christine knew she was asking a lot, she knew it was going to be hard to get those things. She bit her lip, knowing she wasn't going to get the answer she wanted, that she really needed. But thankfully, her prayers where answered when she heard Susan sigh.
"Okay, I'll sneak those out," she said in a hushed tone, "But if anything happens, I'm blaming you."
"Oh, thank you, thank you," Christine said. She felt like she could have cried again, "You have no idea how much this helps. Just ring the doorbell when you get here." Before Susan even had a chance to back out, Christine hung up and went back to Alexei.
She moved the gauze, trying to get a good look but wasn't able to see much. The wound was dirty, dried blood around his abdomen and dirt from wearing the same clothes for the last few days, not to mention what Jim had put him through. She grabbed the bottle of peroxide she had, pouring some on a gauze as she wiped away the area. She grabbed his hand, checking his wrist for his pulse. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes again, kissing his hand before she laid it back down next to him. Luckily, he was still passed out, alive, but passed out as she worked on him. She knew the bullet was still in his side somewhere and needed to be removed.
"Alexei?" she asked softly, watching him. She removed his glasses, setting them on her bedside table. "Alexei?" She was a little louder this time, but he still didn't stir. "Everything is going to be okay." She spoke to him, trying to keep him with her, but it was almost more for herself.
She was in her own world, watching him breathe and checking his pulse every once in a while, while she cleaned his wound. The bleeding had subsided a little, but she knew he wasn't out of the woods just yet. What he really needed was a doctor and a surgical unit. But she wasn't going to give up.
She had just finished off the bottle of peroxide, tossing the last gauze in the trash with Murray's shirt when her doorbell rang. She jumped, looking over her shoulder. She had almost forgotten about Susan. But she stood, turning away from Alexei as she made her way towards the door. She barely opened the bedroom door enough to peak out, making sure no one had made their way into her house. But when she didn't see anything she decided to brave the hallway. She turned, giving Alexei one last look before she ventured out.
"Hello?" she heard from the front door, hearing Susan's voice. She let out a sigh of relief, quickly walking to the door.
"Susan," Christine said, thankful as her friend handed her a duffle bag. "Thank you so much for this, I really owe you!" Christine went to shut the door, however, Susan pushed it open again.
"Care to explain all of this?" she asked, with a nervous laugh.
"You know, I would love to but I really have to get going," Christine said as she tried to shut the door again, but Susan kept it open.
"But you are being super weird and you're covered in blood," Susan said. Christine looked down at her clothes, not realizing how crazy she looked. "Are you in trouble?"
"I'm sorry, I don't have time right now," she replied, finally pushing the door shut. She turned to quickly head back to the bedroom again, but turned back to the door for a moment, opening it just enough to poke her head out. "Also, if anyone asks, you were never here and I'm not home." Susan looked at her for a moment, confused with her mouth open like she was about to say something else when Christine shut the door, locking it. She stood there for a moment, pulling her small table over to the front of the door, hoping that would help if someone managed to open the door.
Now that she was satisfied with her security she ran back to her bedroom. She looked down at Alexei, looking like he was just sleeping. She noticed the color on his face seemed to be returning slightly, his breathing seeming a bit more normal. But she knew as soon as she started digging around for the bullet, all of that was going to change. This was going to be hard enough anyway, but not being able to explain to him what she was doing was going to make everything harder.
She had found their translation book in his back pocket, but after the night they had had, it was torn in a few places and covered in blood. She tossed it onto the bedside table and decided it was time to get things over with. She tried waking him up, but luckily he at least stirred some. He wasn't coherent, moaning and groaning in pain.
"I'm sorry," she whispered as she kissed his cheek. She removed his gauze, most of the bleeding had slowed down, no longer pouring out. He stirred as she moved it, digging through the duffel bag Susan had brought her as she looked for the forceps. Once she found them she took a deep breath, putting on some gloves Susan had thrown into the bag. She pushed her fingers around on his abdomen, trying to see if she could tell anything from the outside. She steadied herself as she looked up at his face one last time.
She slowly pushed the forceps into his wound, more blood starting to pour out. However, the sudden intrusion seemed to light something in Alexei as he jumped awake.
"Ебена мать!" he yelled. "Что делаешь?"
"I'm sorry! I have to get the bullet out," Christine said, panicked as he started squirming under her.
"Останавливаться! Останавливаться!" he yelled again, trying to push her hands away.
"Alexei, stop, stop!" Christine yelled at him. He seemed to calm down a little more, wincing as he moved too fast. "I have to get the bullet out. Bullet," she pointed at his wound, "Out." He finally seemed to understand what she was saying, nodding his head as she grabbed one of her pillows within arms reach. He bit down on the corner of it, bracing himself as she placed the forceps back into the wound. He groaned, shutting his eyes tight.
As she dug around, she felt the bullet just at the end of her forceps. She tried to grab it but it was slick enough that it kept slipping out of her grip. Alexei gripped the bed sheets, tighter and tighter with every move she made.
"Fuck!" she yelled, frustrated. She finally had had enough, tossing the forceps onto the bed beside her. She had an idea, but she knew Alexei wasn't going to like it and that it was going to hurt even more. "Fuck." she whispered this time, quickly shoving her fingers into his bullet wound. Alexei screamed that time, but she knew she had to be quick. She didn't have time to think, she just had to do it as quickly as possible. She dug around for a brief moment, finding the bullet and managing to actually get ahold of it. She pulled it out, getting a stack of gauze ready to catch any blood. But it was a little more than she expected. She quickly put more pressure on it, tossing the bullet in the trash. Alexei sighed, opening his eyes for a brief moment. Christine looked at him, giving him a smile as she wrapped an ace bandage tight around his waist, pulling it tight enough that it kept pressure on his wound. She stood, turning towards the bathroom to get a glass of water and one of the pain pills she had.
Once she made it back to him, she helped him raise his head high enough that he could swallow the pill and take a sip of water. She watched him as he laid back again, pushing back some of his hair that had fallen onto his forehead. She knew he was more than exhausted and hoped that the pain pill would be able to help him sleep.
The hard part was over, now it was all about maintaining the positive path they were heading down. She pulled the fluids and antibiotics out of the duffle bag, trying to figure out how she was going to hang them up. She finally decided she was going to use the lamp. She took the shade off, taking the lightbulb out as she used the top screw to hang the bag on.
She set up the tubing, hanging both bags on the lamp as she prepared everything. She had never done an I.V. like that before and hoped it worked. She looked over at Alexei, seeing that his eyes were closed again, but this time he looked more peaceful. She gently shook his arm, this time stirring him. He slowly woke up, looking at her like he was on another planet. She could tell the pain pills were working and had kicked in. She pulled out a tourniquet and an I.V. needle.
"Medicine," she said as she held them up, showing him what she was about to do. He nodded his head, but didn't understand anything about what she was saying. She just shook her head, laughing at him as she pulled his arm towards her, rolling up his sleeve even father. She wrapped the tourniquet around his bicep, easily enough finding a vein to start an I.V.
Luckily, as she poked his elbow he didn't move, too tired and asleep from the pain meds she gave him. But once she got it all hooked up and ready to go, she ripped off some of the surgical tape that had been in her first aid kit, securing the makeshift job down. She placed his arm next to him, getting him as comfortable as she could before she went to her closet and got him a clean blanket.
She knew she wasn't going to get any sleep that night, too worried not only about the man that almost died in her bed, but her brother who was off fighting monsters once again. She pulled a more comfortable chair into her bedroom, placing it next to her bed as she went and got herself a blanket. She wasn't going to leave his side until she knew he was going to make it. She reached out, checking his pulse on his wrist, managing to find it. It was stronger than it had been earlier but it still wasn't as strong as she wanted it to be. But things were starting to look up as she sat back, pulling her blanket up around her shoulders.
She knew she was tired, but she refused to let herself sleep. Not until her brother was back and not until she knew everything they had worked for over the last few days wasn't for nothing.