Hello readers,
I'm giving you a "Fools Gold" gift of an extra chapter for April Fools Day! (warning watch out for pranks in your area). SURPRISE! We are going to continue from where we left off. Fair warning: details of injuries ahead. I hope you all enjoy the chapter!
Marshall's P.O.V:
I watched Emily being guided by Skye and Everest; Connor and Scout were escorted by Rubble and Zuma. I decided to go to my pup house and grab my medical pack and some of my supplies because I knew I would be using them very soon based on our visitors' conditions. After I gathered my supplies, I grabbed a snack and waited in the living room and watched a tv show. About 15 minutes later, I heard Everest come down muttering to herself. I smiled when I saw here.
"Hey babe, how is Emily?" I asked standing up
She sighed dejectedly, "the poor girl is covered in serious bruises and scratches. I can only assume that her brother is the same." She said her eyes tearing up.
I instantly walked over to her and wiped away her tears. "No worries Everest, I'll go check on her now" I said and started up the stairs.
"Wait!" I heard her call. I stopped and looked back at her. "What's wrong?" I asked
"Skye and I need some more time to do her hair. We just got her out of the tub. I came down to grab stuff to do her hair. Why not check on the boys first." Everest suggested.
"That I can do" I said heading up the stairs towards the boys. I walked into the room just as Rubble came from the bathroom on the right.
"Perfect timing Marshall, I need you to do a serious check-up on Connor, I think something is seriously wrong with his arm and mid-section." Rubble stated
"I figured the same thing when I watched him walk. I'll do a full look over" I said following him inside the bathroom. I saw Connor standing by the tub with the towel draped over him as I walked in.
"Hey Connor, you look much better than when you first got here" I said as I saw his skin was clean, his eyes were brighter and he had a slight smile on his face.
"Thanks Marshall sir, I do feel better." He said
"And once I'm done looking you over, you should feel better physically as well" I added. "Now I'm going to need you to remove the towel" I said dropping my pup pack on the floor.
"Yes sir Marshall" he said, hesitating for a moment, then obediently he dropped the towel. I looked him over as he stood before me in a pair of Star Wars underwear. As Rubble stated, there was a very dark bruise on his arm, more minor bruises on his midsection and scratches along his body but the worst of them along his left leg.
"Alight Connor, have a seat on my examination table" I said gesturing to my pack.
"What table?" He inquired tilting his head slightly
I smiled and pressed the Paw Patrol symbol on my pack, and the pack grew and expanded. Within the span of a few seconds, my pup pack transformed into an emergency room medical table. With a place for me to stand and all my tools ready and within reach. The table was low enough for Connor to sit on without climbing up to get on.
"This table" I said and patted the table, "hop up and lie down on your back" I instructed, Connor stood there in awe.
Suddenly Rubble nudged him, and he slowly made his way over to the table. He got over to the table and he looked at me nervously shuffling his thumbs.
"You're not going to… to cut me open... are you?" Connor asked as he fumbled through his words.
"What? Oh goodness no, Connor. I would never do that. Unless absolutely necessary. If I had to, I'd do it at the actual hospital here in Adventure Bay. I'm just doing a check. Looking at your bruises, checking for broken or fractured bones." I reassured him, "you have nothing to worry about kid" I reassured him with a smile. He smiled back and willingly got on the table.
I hopped up on my area so I could get a better look over Connor. He looked up at me, uncertainty clouding his eyes. "Like I said Connor, you have nothing to fear. I would not operate on you without other doctors by my side. This is just me looking you over. I do need to take some scans and I will more than likely find possible broken or fractured bones. I will need to fix those if there are any. Are you ready?" I asked him.
The 10-year-old looked up at me, the uncertainty leaving his gaze. "I trust you Marshall. I'll just have to face my fears." Connor said bravely.
"That a boy, way to be brave"
"Alright hold still while I take some X-rays." I ordered. He nodded up at me and I got out my X-ray arm from my med pack.
The first thing that I checked was Connor's arm which had a deep purple bruise. As my screen went over his arm my screen flashed and showed that Connor suffered a fracture in his right arm.
"How long has your arm been like this Connor?"
"Well, I guess it was from when we left Barkingburg about a week ago now" Connor answered. I stopped and looked at him with shock.
"Were you lifting things with this arm once it started to hurt?" I inquired
"Um… well to be honest, my arm didn't start hurting until partway through the boat trip with that family that helped us. I was carrying my sister before that because we were walking for almost a whole day." He explained
"Did it hurt a lot after you got on the boat?" I inquired
"Yes, but the nice lady who we were with gave me painkillers to help me sleep and she put my arm in a sling" Conner added
"That was not very smart because now there is a partial fracture on your arm. Almost a complete fracture, you're lucky it's an incomplete break." I started a bit of disbelief in my voice. "you should have gotten proper medical care on the ship" I added
The boy looked in shock, "I didn't know, I'm sorry" he said his voice shaking slightly told me he honestly had no idea. "The lady was a medical officer when she was younger, at least that was what she said" Conner added
"But she is not currently a doctor is she?" I pressed and he shook his head. I sighed exasperated
"She should have known that kind of pain normally means something that is not good. I'm going to have to cast your arm." I informed him gently and all he did was nod, tears forming in his eyes.
I sighed and carried on to his chest where there were some other serious bruises. As I scanned him my screen went off only once. I sighed, "Connor when did you first notice these bruises?" I asked
He thought for a moment, "it would probably have to have been once I was on the boat and I was able to see myself in a mirror" he said
"How long ago was that?" I asked
"About three days ago" he said
I reached out and touched one of his bruises and Connor gasped. "Hold still" I instructed, I heard him whimper and gasp in pain as I felt the bruises. One was swollen but the rest were not swollen.
"You have a swollen bruise on the right side of your midsection. I will need to wrap that to keep it in place and to heal properly" I instructed Connor who nodded with tears running down his face.
I grabbed a tissue and wiped away the tears, "I know some of these hurts, I'm not trying to hurt you I promise" I reassured him.
"I know, but it is still painful" Connor said with a slight smile which made me half laugh and half scoff.
"You're brave kid, I'll give you that" I then moved to his hips and legs. After checking over his legs and the lower section of his body, I found nothing serious.
"Lots of scratches and that's about it. I'll give you something for that later. First, let's get this arm wrapped" I said gesturing to his right arm.
He nodded and gingerly sat up and slowly lifted his right arm. I took some gauze and started to wrap it around his arm so that it was slanted at a 45-degree angle.
"Now for the actual casting material. You are going to need to keep your arm at this angle" I said as I grabbed the material and a disk filled with water. Connor nodded.
I grabbed some material that had been in the water for a moment already and I proceeded to wrap his arm with the bandage. It took about 15 minutes for me to put it all on.
"Now for the ribs, I will need to wrap that as well. It will hurt just to warn you" I mentioned and he nodded.
"Rubble I need you to help keep his arms up so I can work" I ordered the bulldog. He nodded and helped Connor lift his arms. I grabbed more casting material and started to wrap Connors mid-section. During that time Connor gasped and winced in pain but did not move or cry out. After about another 15 minutes, the cast for his midsection was finished.
"Done. Now you just need to let it dry for about 30 minutes." I said and turned to Rubble. "Don't put his shirt on yet. For now, help him with his pants." I told him and he nodded as I lowered the table so Connor could get off without moving his arm or his chest too much. As he got off I gave Rubble a sling.
"Have him wear this to keep his arm still." I said then I packed up my stuff. "I must go check on your sister, she has probably been waiting for me. I'll come back for scout after, he doesn't seem to be as bad as the kids." I said putting my pack on. I nodded to the two and then walked out.
I then headed down the hall to where the girls were. I got to the door and knocked, "hello, it's Marshall" I called.
The door opened and Skye stood before me. "Oh good, we have been waiting" she said "Emily is hard to keep still" Skye added.
"Sorry, had to cast Connor's arm and his mid-section, otherwise I would have been here 15 minutes earlier" I said
"No worries Marshall" Skye said as she led me into the bathroom. Inside Emily was running across the floor in nothing but her panties with Everest chasing her.
"What is going on in here?!" I bellowed and the little girl froze.
"Young lady, you are injured, you should not be running around when you could seriously hurt yourself." I scolded her as I dropped my pack on the floor. I pressed a button and my pack transformed into my examination table. Emily stood there rubbing her arm, clearly embarrassed and dejected.
"Now, I want you on this table laying flat on your back. I do not want you fidgeting or moving on this table. Do I make myself clear young lady?" I instructed sternly looking at Emily.
"Y-y-yes Marshall. I'm sorry" she said slowly walking towards him her hand behind her. She then sat down on the table and slowly started to lay down. Once she was still, I lifted the table up and hopped onto my spot. I looked down at the crestfallen girl.
"I don't mean to be mean Emily, but the fact that you are covered in serious bruises could mean you might have broken bones and with you running about, you could be making it worse" I said
"I's sorry" she said in a babyish tone
"I know you are. Now let's get your checkup done" I said as I got my z-ray screen out. Emily reached out to try and touch it.
"Ah ah, do not touch that please. It is expensive and sensitive equipment. I just need you to keep your arms down" giving a slight tickle to the girl and her arms shot down and she then kept her arms down. I scanned her arms and didn't find anything broken but some slight bruises. The more concerning part was her stomach.
I scanned her midsection and my X-ray screen started to beep ferociously. Emily squeaked in surprise as the device beeped loudly. I motioned to her to be still. I reached out a paw over her chest and I heard her gasp and wince.
"Don't worry sweetheart, I'm just going to feel around to check for injuries. It might hurt, and I'm sorry in advance for that." I said and I saw worry cloud her eyes.
I thought for a moment and then smiled. I turned and pressed a button and out from my med pack came a stuffed black lab stuffed dog. I turned to Emily "here, I want you to squeeze this little guy if it hurts. He will be there with you." I said and he gladly took the toy.
I then took my paw and gently placed it on her chest, nothing happened. I felt around the top and just under her shoulder. She giggled a so got near her armpits. "Sit still Emily" I instructed.
"Sorry, I'm ticklish" she said meekly with a small smile. I shook my head, "of course you are" I scoffed in laughter.
Then I moved to her ribs, and she yelped in pain. "OWIE!" She cried and started to move.
"Emily, stay still please." I commanded. I looked over to Skye and Everest and gestured them up. They came up and crouched near Emily, gently holding her still.
"Sweetie, you need to sit still" Skye cooed softly.
"We are right here, try your best to sit still" Everest added.
Emily nodded, her eyes welling up.
I looked at them and nodded, they then placed a paw on her shoulders, "Emily, hold my paw. Marshall is going to check that spot again." Everest said and took Emily's hand.
I blinked my thanks and reached over and touched her rib area and I got a scream from Emily. Followed instantly by Skye and Everest soothing the crying girl. I checked her other side and she screamed again and continued to cry.
"I'm sorry Emily, I'm almost done here. You are doing great. Just keep still brave girl" I called out over her crying. I got a response that was hard to understand but got a nod from Everest.
I then pressed gently on her stomach, and she screamed again, crying. I gestured with my tail to the tissue, and I heard one of the girls grab tissue and both continued to keep Emily calm.
As I moved along her body, the screams of pain stopped once I got to her lower abdomen and pelvic area. I felt my way down her legs, and I didn't get any reactions, except when I touched a cut.
I sat up with a sigh and looked over at my distraught patient. I gestured to the girls to back up a little bit.
"I'm all done Emily. You did a fantastic job, I'm so proud of you." I said and wiped away a couple of stray tears. "Now, here is what I found. I found a couple of fractured ribs and one is broken. There is also some swelling on your stomach from that bruising. I'm going to need to wrap your ribs and stomach. Now it is going to hurt" I said, and Emily started to cry a little. I put my paw up to silence her "But it will help you, and the pain will go away by the time the party starts tonight. But that means you need to take it easy tonight. Do you understand?" She nodded "That means no running around too much, no crazy dancing or anything like that. You can dance and run around but you must take it easy." I instructed. She nodded
I looked at the girls and nodded, "Ok Emily, I'm going to need you to sit up" I said and pressed a button to lower the table. "Then I'm going to need you to stand up so we can get your chest and tummy wrapped." I heard her moan as she sat up, clearly not wanting this to happen. Then we got Emily standing and Skye and Everest stood on either side of her.
"Now I'm going to wrap you up. This is going to hurt a little bit. Can you be a brave girl for me and stay as still as you can?" I asked. She nodded, "Now I'm going to need you to keep your arms up. I want you to take your arms and hold them straight out. You can rest them on Skye and Everest. I need you to keep your arms up, no matter how much it hurts. Can you do that for me?" I asked
She looked apprehensive but nodded. "There is my brave girl" I heard Skye say, "you will do great sweetheart" Everest added.
"Ok Emily, I need you to stick your arms up now. I said as I grabbed some gauze and some casting material.
I looked up and saw Emily resting her arms on the backs of Skye and Everest. "Here we go Em, are you ready? I asked
"What if I say no?" She asked innocently causing the rest of us to laugh but her to moan. "It will be ok little one" I said, taking the gauze and started to wrap. At first, I heard Emily gasp. I continued to wrap and Emily gasped, squeaked, yelped, and cried. Skye and Everest continued to comfort and encourage her.
"You are doing great Em." I heard Skye say
"You're being so brave sweetheart. You can hug my side if you need." Everest would encourage and offer.
After about 10 minutes and lots of tears, I finished wrapping the gauze. "I'm almost done Emily; I just need to put a layer of cast material over the gauze. It might still hurt but now you have some padding. Just keep your arms up a little longer." I said to her.
The little girl, with red tear-stained eyes nodded and smiled a little. "You are such a tough girl" I said and grabbed some of the wet cast material and pressed it on the gauze and got a yelp from Emily but continued. It took me another 5 minutes or so to get the two layers of cast on her upper abdomen and rib region.
I looked up and smiled, "you were an awesome patient Emily. You were super brave to tough that out. So I'll give you this treat" I said and held out a sucker for her. She smiled and took it gratefully, as she sucked on her treat I looked at Skye and Everest.
"This needs to dry for about 30 minutes. So please wait to put on her dress until then." I ordered quietly, "try your best to keep her from touching it" I added, and they nodded. Then I looked at Emily.
"Ok, Emily I'm going to need you to wait to put on your special dress. Now you cannot touch the wrap on your chest and tummy for 30 minutes. You can watch a TV show for about 30 minutes and then Skye and Everest will help you get dressed for the party tonight." I instructed a slight edge to my voice when I stressed the do not touch part. She nodded and hiccupped a little as she caught her breath from crying so much. "O-o-ok I won't touch it" she said clearly not wanting to cry anymore.
"Good girl. I'm going to go now. I need to check Scout" I said and walked out of the room with my pack. I got back to the boy's room and saw that Zuma and Rubble were both helping Connor with his outfit.
I walked over to the other bathroom and found Scout shaking water off his coat. He looked up as I walked in, "Hi Marshall, come to check me out?" He asked
"That is correct" I answered
"I could hear the gasps of pain from Connor across the way" Scout said, "how are the kids?" He asked
"I'll let you know after I get you checked out" I said and walked around him.
"Oh well mine will be quick" Scout said "I have pain in my paw here and a bruise on my right shoulder" he said. I got my X-ray screen out and checked. Luckily the bruise was minor, but I found he dislocated his shoulder. I had to pop that back in, and the paw was just a simple sprained wrist. I got that wrapped and set.
"Now will you tell me what happened to the kids?" Scout demanded as I packed up my pack again.
"Yes, I will tell you. Connor has an incomplete fracture on his right arm. It's not a complete break thank goodness, but he currently has a cast on. He had some bruising on the right side of his abdomen as well and minor scratches on different parts of his body." I reported on Connor
"And Emily? She's who I'm worried about the most. Before we escaped, some guards beat her quite severely." He said
"Well, that will explain things then. Emily has 2 slightly fractured or cracked ribs and one completely broken rib on her left side. She also has some severe and swollen bruises on her stomach. I had to wrap her ribs to keep them in place. She was very brave and touched it out like a champ. I also have her some cream, Everest and Skye are taking care of her now. They should be starting to get her dressed." I reported on Emily.
"Well, that's going to be interesting" He said
"Yep, both have been strictly instructed to take it easy tonight at the party, think you can help keep them in check? We will help as well, especially myself." I asked him
"Of course I will. It's my job to keep them safe" Scout agreed.
"Glad to hear it. Now that I'm done checking you three up, I'm going to go get ready for tonight" I said and left him to get ready so I too could get ready for tonight.
Those poor kids. They have been through a war by the looks of things, and I thought school was a battlefield. Hopefully, these kids will not have to go through any more hardships. I think they have had enough. Will it be the end for them? What else could happen? you will have to stick around to find out.
Hopefully, the details of the children's injuries didn't make you too uncomfortable. I had to try to imagine what injuries a child could sustain in a battle. So I asked kids who did karate and they gave me some stories, some were pretty painful sounding.
I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter and the story so far. As always, if you have questions, comments, concerns, or just want to say what you think of the story so far leave a review or send me a PM. I'll answer questions and put answers in the next chapter.
Until we meet again readers, TTFN.