* Warning - don't read this while eating.
...
When David was taken to the operating theatre he demanded the room be scrubbed down and the instruments sterilized before he started to work. Mr Campbell had followed him in and grinned at his demands.
"You are being very particular." he said.
"Well the plan is surely to reduce infection rather than add to it."
"True." said Mr Campbell. "I admire your dedication." He patted David companionly on the arm as if they were old friends. "I want you to succeed, obviously, so we will do as you ask." Mr Campbell then moved to where Mr Salt was standing and patted his henchman on the back in the same manner. "Mr Salt is going to be with you every step of the way."
"You think I'd risk Bianca's life in order to stop you taking my formula?" David asked, confused as to why Mr Campbell would want his thug present in the operating room.
Mr Campbell smiled a lizard smile.
"You think I would risk my investment?"
…
Once the operating room had been prepared to David's exacting standards he was ready to begin. Mr Salt dressed in scrubs, cap and face mask stood in the corner like a blue wall, a reminder that whatever the outcome of this surgery all their lives were still in danger.
Bianca was brought in face down on a gurney. Her fever was unchanged but despite the antibiotics injected into her system the infection was beginning to affect her heart rate and breathing.
"I don't want to anaesthetise you." David said, stroking Bianca's hair and hoping she could hear him. He was worried about her breathing. "We're going to numb the pain with an epidural, not that can feel it anyway, but we want to be sure."
After briefing Dr Norrell, who was acting as his assistant for the operation, David exposed Bianca's back. He carefully inserted the catheter into the base of her spine and administered the anaesthetic.
While he gave the drugs a few moments to take affect he prepared the leg; washing the whole area of the wound with an antibacterial wash. He was going to open up the wound using the same incisions Dr Norrell had cut. Then he could find out just what was causing the infection.
"Scalpel." he said, holding his hand out for the instrument.
Dr Norrell solemnly handed it over.
"I'm interested to see a surgeon of your skill at work." the doctor said.
"Just do as I asked and don't talk to me." said David. "I wouldn't be cutting open this leg at all if you hadn't been such a butcher to begin with."
David made the first incision. The little blood produced was washed away with the amount of fluid leaking from the wound.
"Suction." he called.
Dr Norrell moved in to clear the excess liquid.
David made two more cuts and carefully folded back the skin to reveal a small black square attached to wires that snaked into various points along Bianca's calf muscle. The whole thing was coated in pus.
David instantly rinsed the wound with a sterile wash to try and see better how the gadgetry was attached.
"How do you deactivate it?" David asked.
"Just remove the wires." said Dr Norrell.
David carefully disconnected the network of wires one by one from the black box and then pulled them out of the muscle. He then placed them in the dish beside him counting as he went; there were twelve in total. Finally he pulled out the black box that was fixed with pins.
"You thought this would help her?" David asked, surprised by the mess the device had left behind.
"Like I said, it was a prototype. We haven't had this issue in the rats."
"That's good to know," said David sarcastically as he cleaned the wound again, this time with an antibacterial wash.
"Right, let's close her up." he said, turning to the suture kit in the table beside him.
David did a much neater job of sewing up the incisions than Dr Norrell had. He then injected the muscle with more antibiotics before applying a dressing.
"We'll need to monitor her. We may need to put a drain in if the infection persists."
There was a slow clap behind him and Mr Campbell entered making no allowances for the sterile environment of the operating room. He was still in his business suit and shiny shoes.
"That was a most masterful display." he said with a wide smile. "Now for your next trick you can make the lame walk."
"What do you mean?"
"You already have the little tube running into her spine. You just need to add the Lazarus formula and see if your miracle really does work."
David pulled off his gloves and dropped them on the floor.
"You said I had few days to get everything together."
"Yes but then we heard you telling Bianca that you were going to sabotage the deal."
David looked genuinely alarmed,
"You've been listening in?"
"Oh we've been watching your every move Dr Hayward. You've not been as smart as you think. We know you've already fixed the formula..."
Mr Campbell waved towards the door and an orderly came in with a tray of centrifuge vials. They had a mess of different colour lids, blue, green, black, red and yellow but David recognised his handiwork straight away.
"… And we know that one of these vials contains your formula. Now we can inject them one by one into Miss Montgomery here, which would probably do more harm than good, or you can do it for us and save a life! The choice is yours."
"You're wrong." said David trying to bluff them out.
"Very well." said Mr Campbell. "Mr Salt if you would do the honours?"
Mr Salt produced a large needle and picked a random vial from the tray. He removed the ampoule's black lid and drew the liquid into the syringe before moving to the catheter still in place into Bianca's spine.
"Alright, Alright." cried David holding up his hands for him to stop. He realised he couldn't lie his way out of this. "You're right about the formula. It is amongst those vials."
"Good timing." said Mr Campbell. "So which one is it?"
David sighed and pulled a red vial and a yellow vial from the tray.
"Here! This is Orpheus." he said. "It's a two part drug, that's where you've been going wrong. You need both parts."
"All the red and yellow vials?" asked Mr Campbell looking greedily at the tray.
"Yes."
"Excellent." said Mr Campbell. "You have been busy." He took the tray of ampoules from the orderly. "And now it's Lazarus."
There was an expectant pause.
"Well?" said Mr Campbell, "Aren't you going to show us how it works?"
"I thought it was just the drug you wanted? Well, you've got it!" said David. "I told you she is too ill."
Mr Campbell just glared back.
"And I told you I don't care!" he snapped, and then he laughed amused at himself. "…No, that's not true. I didn't say it, but it was certainly implied. Give her the drug! Now!"
David looked from Bianca to the two vials in his hand. He didn't have a choice.
"She'll need an ECG and round the clock care." he said pleadingly. "This is dangerous."
"Well she has you, Dr Hayward, only the best. But she broke the heart monitor… that's an ECG right? …and we don't have a replacement."
"Then I can't…" began David, but he could see in Mr Campbell's eyes, 'can't' wasn't an option.
"I'm sorry Bianca." David whispered in her ear before he injected the two Orpheus drugs into her system. "You're strong. You're going to be alright."
"Good man." said Mr Campbell smugly. "Take them back to their room! We could be toasting Lazarus' success in just a few days' time!"
…