Ch.79
Yori was at the hospital, in the room both Shego and Ron shared. She sat between both beds looking between them and hoping that both recover. As she silently waited, Yori felt frustrated and helpless but strangely calm. 'I must be in shock!' Yori surmised.
Yori knew Ron should be in surgery to remove the steel that's embedded in his forehead but the hospital's neuro surgeon, Ann Possible wasn't in, so Yori sent someone to pick her up. She would have gone herself but couldn't bring herself to leave. When Akito reported that she already left for the hospital, Yori cursed hoping that she had stayed put instead as it would have been easier to get Ron help. Still, Ann was on her way, all Yori had to do was wait.
Twenty minutes later, Yori got a text that Ann entered the hospital and went out to meet her. With all the ninja situated in the hospital it didn't take long to find Ann and with her the rest of Ron's ladies.
When Yori stepped out of the elevator she turned left and spotted Ann, Monique, Tara and Bonnie talking to a nurse. The nurse seemed to be explaining the current state of things to Ann, judging by the heavy atmosphere.
Not wanting to be rude but really pressed for time Yori spoke to get Ann's attention. "Excuse me, Dr. Possible but there is a patient in need of your expertise."
"Yori!" Ann, Tara, Monique and Bonnie called out. "How is he?"
"Stable for now but in need of immediate surgery." Yori said.
"Nurse has the necessary preparations been done to bring the patient into surgery?" Ann asked the nurse.
"Well... not yet." The nurse said explaining. "We have been busy treating other patients and after we did a preliminary check up he seem stable so he was moved to the side for emergency cases."
"I understand." Ann said calmly, adding. "Get the appropriate staff to begin prep immediately, I want him in an OR within half an hour." Then Ann turned to Yori. "Take me to him."
"Follow me." Yori says and leads the way for the rest of Ron's ladies to join his side.
In the elevator, Yori was asked various questions but she didn't know how to answer them and stated as such. Afterwards they resumed the trip in silence. Right outside Ron's room, Ann and the rest noticed a few asian men, in suits, guarding the door but said nothing of the oddity.
"Before we go in you must swear not to say a word of the other patient in the room." Yori warned. "Say one word to anyone and it'll be the last thing you say."
Monique, Ann, Bonnie and Tara would have brushed off the threat with no concern had it not been carried with potent killing intent. The intensity making them pale and nod.
"You'll be under watch to make sure you don't break your oath." Yori adds and signals the ninja to open the door. "Come in."
The ladies wasted no time in entering the room, each eager to confirm Ron's safety with their own eyes. When they spotted Ron they ran to either side of him and nearly at the same time burst into tears.
"Ron!" Tara, Monique and Bonnie called out softly and reached to grab ahold of him.
Ann for her part didn't cry but that was thanks to all her effort. She felt like her heart was being crushed as she watched Ron lay there. Ann knew the kind on injury Ron suffered left major repercussions even when they were treated successfully. On the upside would be a severely impaired Ron. Downside, a vegetable.
"Mrs. Possible can you save him?" Monique asked.
Tara, Bonnie and even Yori focused on Ann at the question. They knew it was unfair to put it all on Ann's shoulders but that's all they could do at them moment.
Ann never stopped looking at Ron as she answered. "I will save him." Then, Ann added so softly that only Yori's training allowed her to hear. "All of him!"
Yori knew that even if Ron made it through the surgery okay, he'd likely be an shadow of his former self and Ann's words confirmed her fear but still, that strange calm wouldn't leave her, like Ron would be okay.
Nurses came five minutes later and took Ron to do the prep work for the surgery. Ann explained they needed x-rays and a few other things so he could go into surgery. Ann left with them to get ready herself.
Being left alone in the room, the ladies finally noticed Shego.
"You guys found her." Monique said softly.
"Yes." Yori agreed.
"What's Shego doing here?" Asked Bonnie and Tara.
"Me and Ron rescued her." Yori said.
"Rescue? Why would she need rescue when she works for the blue guy?" Asked Bonnie.
"We don't know what happened, only that he used a mind control chip on her and that the chip is inside her head." Yori explains.
Bonnie, Monique and Tara could be heard breathing in at the implications.
Yori moved the chair she had previously used closer to Shego and took her hand, saddened by how thin it felt. 'Stay strong Shego.'
"She's lost weight." Monique pointed out.
Again, Yori simply agreed. "Yes."
Tara and Bonnie looked at Monique and asked. "You don't seem surprised she's here, Monique?"
"Yeah, Ron introduced us a while back." Monique explained and added. "Shego is one of us."
"Oh!" Both Bonnie and Tara said, understanding what she meant, one of Ron's ladies.
"That reminds me, Yori." Monique said. "On the way over I suggested that as Ron's love interest we get together and decide if we want to share him instead of fighting to be his only one, for both our happiness."
Thinking a moment and remembering some of her conversations with Ron, Yori spoke. "I believe that would be for the best."
"You agree?" Asked Bonnie.
"Yes." Yori said, explaining. "Ron and I have talked and he can't seem to choose. I believe his feelings for us don't allow him to cause us pain."
"But you had asked us to back off before." Tara says.
"Yes and if it would leave Ron without regrets or guilt, I would stand by it." Yori explained.
"You're so mature." Tara said softly.
"Yeah." Both Monique and Bonnie say.
~~~~~
Ann stood looking at Ron's x-rays and her confidence took another hit. Six inches long and two at it's widest, that's the dimensions of the steel embedded in Ron's head. Ann had hoped it was a superficial wound that didn't quite touch the brain but no such luck.
To make matters worse, it wasn't a straight piece of steel so removing it will cause damage as well.
Ann sighed and turned to look at her team. "Any ideas?"
One of her team members asked. "What is our goal with this operation?"
"Remove the steel and restore as much of the damaged area as possible." Ann instantly replied.
Sighing another member said. "With the amount of damage his brain has suffered it will be a miracle for him to resume a semblance of a normal life, even with a successful surgery. Most of his frontal lobe and left hemisphere is damaged and to remove the steel, which we need to remove, will cause more damage. We should be realistic in our expectations."
Ann couldn't fault the logic but she couldn't bring herself to accept it and give up.
"Also what's with the device around his neck?" Someone asked.
"Not sure but we'll remove it before surgery, focus for now." Another replied.
Another fifteen minutes go by as they familiarize themselves with the upcoming procedure and then move to the OR.
For Ann everything started going wrong the moment they removed the device around Ron's neck. The second it came off, Ron's vitals, which had been stable, flatlined and they had to put him on life support.
After that they moved to the actual procedure. It started smoothly, then it was time to apply the approach they chose. Expand the wound so they can, more or less safely, remove the steel. This did not go as planned from the beginning as the moment they started, they cut into a vein that was being covered by the steel and had to stabilize the area. Then, Ann felt like she was taking parts of Ron for every piece of his brain she was forced to remove to minimize damage when the steel was moved. When the steel was removed they noticed a bit of shrapnel left over and were forced to removed them.
As she was finishing the surgery, Ann could have sworn that she saw his brain healing in real time but decided it was just her hopes, Ron's brain had stopped showing activity since they removed the device from his neck.
Ann felt devastated, Ron was brain dead and there was nothing she could do. As she accompanied Ron with the life support back to the room, Ann thought of how she was going to tell the girls she failed. Entering the room and seeing their hopeful faces made Ann sigh.
"I'm sorry!" Ann said through tears she didn't realize she was shedding. "I did everything in my power but the extent of the damage was too much. A good third of his brain was damaged. He is brain dead."
The room was dead silent as Ann's words sunk in.
"No way!" Monique yelled and moved to Ron's side, pleading. "Ron, Ron baby you have to fight and come back to us, to me."
In tears, Ann watched as Bonnie and Tara moved to Ron's side and joined Monique in her pleading and cries. Then she looked at Yori who although paled at the news, seemed oddly calm.
Yori surprised Ann when she spoke. "There's another patient that needs your attention, Mrs. Possible."
"What?" Ann asked. "Who?"
"Her, Shego." Yori replied, explaining. "She has a mind control chip embedded in her skull and would very much like it removed."
"Oh!" Ann said surprised. "What makes you think she was under someone else's control? Shego is wanted in eleven countries."
"We got to know one another over time and I know Shego would never go into a fight naked." Yori said. "Too demeaning a tactic."
"I see." Ann said. "I'll alert the staff and we'll operate in the morning."
"Thank you!" Said Yori bowing to Ann, before adding. "It's not your fault you know. Ron wouldn't want you to blame yourself."
"I know but he's kind to a fault." Ann replied.