The elixir

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Sgt. Howard
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The elixir

Post by Sgt. Howard »

Bud had, in spite of her first attempts, actually gotten the hang of inline skates- Saturday and Sunday mornings were her time to indulge once the snow cleared, as there was margional traffic at such times. Flight was a skill she was denied, so she comphensated by seeing how fast a skater could actually go- so far, she had passed startled drivers on the expressway on more than one occasion. The freedom of movement was an intoxicant to the prepetual teenager, in many ways better than alcohol.
One spring morning she was barreling down a sidewalk on East Lake Street at a modest speed (sneering at the "35 MPH" speed limit sign by the way) when she saw the light change in her favor at Bloomington Avenue. She had gotten good at sailing off the curb and jumping up on the walk across the way, so she put on a quick burst of speed.

A man stepped out from around the corner of the building. There was just enough time for them to look into each other's eyes.

Cornielius was thrown into a lazy cartwheel that ended on the other side of the four lanes of road. He hit the ground on his right side- the same side that took the impact- and slid into the curb much lke a baseball player... except that nothing here was planned. The impact into the curb was severe- he felt things break. There was a brief moment of shock, then the pain came to him.
Both lower legs... the right hip... the right arm and several ribs... the right shoulder...
Shattered.
Breathing became wet and labored- a lung was ruptured. Neil tried to raise his right side to avoid drowning in his own blood, but his body would not co-operate.

A face came to him- his glasses were nowhere to be seen and he was near blind without them. It was the girl- blond, pale, the skin under the eyes was shiny, as if tears were present.
"Are... are you allright?" he asked.
Then he knew no more.
Last edited by Sgt. Howard on Sat Jul 25, 2015 4:16 pm, edited 4 times in total.
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Re: The elixer

Post by TazManiac »

Uh oh, he's up to his old tricks again....
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Re: The elixer

Post by Sgt. Howard »

TazManiac wrote:Uh oh, he's up to his old tricks again....
... no, but Niel is trying to get up to Phix again...
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Re: The elixer

Post by TazManiac »

Dude, I was talking about uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuw..

:-)
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Re: The elixer

Post by lake_wrangler »

Interesting start. "Good thing" it was him whom Bud hit, and not any other person...
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Re: The elixer

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Bud saw the paramedics carefully pack the man onto a stretcher- Abbot Northwestern was only nine blocks away. She followed on the inlines, keeping a respectful distance. Once there, she watched as they rushed him into emergency, feeling quite helpless. She didn't even know the man's name.
She entered the waiting room and noticed the commotion going on in "Trauma 1". Several nurses and doctors were involved in the case. One sharp voice asked, "What happened here?"
"We think he jumped five floors,"

They thought this was a suicide!

She immediately went outside and called MIB on her cellphone- amid tears and sobs she got the team to understand what had happened. She cried until the first agents arrived. She had heard one fellow say, "I am calling it," when an MIB man walked in- all got busy again. Next thing she knew, the gurney rolled out with one nurse riding on top beating on the man's chest, another one pushing an ambu-bag and a Janitor mopping up the trail of blood.
The agent came back out, recognized Bud and ushered her outside.
"Miss Acacia, I am Agent Billens- he's going into surgery right now. It looks pretty rough... but our intervention has given him an extra shot,"
"They thought he was a suicide," Bud murmured.
"Yes, and they have a 'no code' policy on suicides- I convinced them that this man is of vital importance and was likely an attempted murder,"
Bud looked up- "Did... did anyone..."
"See you? We have a team on that right now- so TELL me young lady, WHAT HAPPENED?!?"
With a deep breath and a sob, she related the whole story. The agent listened patiently, then pulled out his cell. Dialing a number, he commented,
"You really ought to consider the Salt Flats in the future- Yes, Billens here... He's in Surgery right now... Can't say... They're not sure... Howard, Gregory F. Howard... he was a Sgt. in the Army, has VA coverage... no idea... we're saying attempted murder, that he is of importance... what?... Howard, Gregory F.... that's what it says on his ID... middle aged, about six foot, two hundred pounds, caucasian... pretty messed up, I'd say... hello?... hello?... who am I speaking to? Phix?!? Pardon me Ma'am, but how are you... huh?... OH CRAP!!!... yeah, Abbott Northwestern, he just went into surgery a minute ago. Sure thing. I will see you here,"

He turned to Bud- "That man you just plowed into? THAT was Gaius Cornelius Antonia, he's particularly important to Phix!"

Wide eyed, Bud broke down into a new torrent of tears.
Last edited by Sgt. Howard on Sat Jul 25, 2015 4:18 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: The elixer

Post by TazManiac »

Tha Thick Plottens!, dum da dummmm
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Re: The elixer

Post by MerchManDan »

YEEEAAH new adventure with "Neil!" :mrgreen: Tough luck it had to start with getting steamrolled by Bud, though.
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Re: The elixer

Post by jwhouk »

And now we know why Acacia hates to go to the Library.
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Re: The elixer

Post by lake_wrangler »

MerchManDan wrote:YEEEAAH new adventure with "Neil!" :mrgreen: Tough luck it had to start with getting steamrolled by Bud, though.
Steamrolled is right!
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Re: The elixer

Post by TazManiac »

btw- just last night I had 'Meet Joe Black' on in the background, it has a very memorable scene early on that follows the 'meet-cute' of two of the main protagonists...

Very much an 'oh-my-god-Neil!' moment.
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Re: The elixer

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Dr. David Bloom entered the suite with both hands up in front and elbows dripping. Scrub tech Jackson placed the sterile towel on his left hand and Bloom proceeded to dry his hands and forearms in the usual fashion.

"Nawlright naow- everbody listin' up... WHO'S th' MOST 'PORTANT PERSON in th' ROOM?"

Without hesitation, the crew pointed at the train wreck on the OR table.

"Daym straight!!! Fust thang we's gonna do is crack the cage- Jackson, you gots the sternal saw ready?"
"It went out to repair- I have a Liebsche knife and hammer," she stated clearly, knowing that this was not the preferred method.
Bloom let out with a four letter word- in itself that was normal as he tended to use profanity as punctuation- but the fact that he pulled three syllables out of it was evidence of his disappointment.
"Nawlright- we's goin' 'Luddite' here. C'mon, downsheet 'n' towels, Jackson. Four clips'n' Lap Drape, you know th' drill... "
Patricia Jackson started draping the prepped area while third-year-resident Douglass gowned Dr. Bloom. Light handles went up, suction passed off along with bovie as Nurse Kirk attached and activated both. CRNA Cesnitus handled the top of the lap drape just as Dr. Bloom stepped "up to plate" as it were- a well rehearsed dance that they all knew the steps to.
Dr. Bloom looked up at the CRNA, "We good, Lu?"
"We're good- you may proceed,"
He glanced at the clock- "Oh eight twenny three- cutting," and drew a #20 blade down the center of Neil's chest from base of the neck to past the zyphoid process. Useing the bovie, he chased down several bleeders and started undermining the sub-q from the sternum itself. Without a word, Jackson handed up the ancient Liebsche knife and a large hammer. Bloom hooked the tab of the device under the top of the sternum and hammered the edge all the way to the bottom, splitting the sternum down the middle. The Cooley retractor came up and opened the rib cage, exposing the lungs and beating heart... and a very edemonus aortic arch!
Bloom let loose with a blue streak. "ICE PACKS! GIT TH' HEART/LUNG MACHINE IN HERE RAHT NAOW!!! WE'S GOT US A DISSECTION!!! AH NEEDS A GORTEX GRAFT AN' BUCKETS O' SIX-OH PROLENE ONNA TAPER!!! GIT TH' OPEN HEART SET!!! You ain't dyin' on MY shift, you sonnovabitch!!! GIT DOC STALKER IN HERE!!!"

Phix showed up In the waiting area in record time- Bud assumed she flew, then changed in a convenient spot. The stately woman approached her with a stern manner- Bud cringed at the sight of her face.
"... what... the ... HELL... did... you... do...?" Phix's emotions were boiling just beneath the surface. Her eyes were quite red, there was a an occasional twitch to her face that did NOT bode well- both hands were flexing repeatedly.
Bud could only look at her and weep. She was sick with heartache, and actually wished Phix COULD kill her- that would stop the pain.
Phix grabbed her by both arms and held her off the ground, her face right in hers. In a dangerously menacing tone, she said,"... answer me..."
A security guard saw this and headed over to intervene- Phix snapped her head towards him and stopped him in his tracks with a single glance. He re-appraised the situation and backed off.
Bud was bawling now- coherent speech was not an option.
"ANSWER ME!!! YOU STUPID BITCH, ANSWER ME!!! ANSWER... (sob) ... ANSWER... (SOB)... damn you... "
Without warning, Phix wrapped her arms around Bud and bawled like a newborn. Buds' arms snaked around the taller woman. Neither one had any control now as they wailed their loss and pain to the whole waiting room.

The security guard took a deep breath and let it out slowly...
Last edited by Sgt. Howard on Sun Apr 05, 2015 12:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The elixer

Post by Sgt. Howard »

TazManiac wrote:Tha Thick Plottens!, dum da dummmm
... they have meds for that now... just thought I would mention it...
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Re: The elixer

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The heart/lung machine was pumping merrily along with Technician Wells keeping track of all levels- the bypass went smoothly and now the frozen saline was bringing the heart to a halt. Rick Stalker looked at the arch- to say the least, it was a mess. That it held this long...
"You reccon a full graft there, Rick?" David Bloom asked.
"I... am not ...convinced there's enough healthy tissue here- what happened to this man?"
"We first thought he was a jumper- naow we reccon he got throwed off'n a building..."
"Thrown?"
"Uh huh- fed'ral witness protection program situation. This here is a honest-to-God hero on the run,"
Dr. Stalker looked directly at Dr. Bloom- "So.... THAT's why 'Guido' and 'Nunzio' are right outside with their lumpy suits...?"
Bloom chuckled- the men referenced were actually named 'Mike' and 'Pete', but got tagged as such for their resemblance to a pair of Capone era torpedoes. Big, broad, no neck, massive arms, one eyebrow apiece... it was said that Mike could twist a truck tire into a figure eight...
Stalker let go a low whistle- "Well then, let's see what we can do here. I am against a full graft- I do not see that it would hold- we can, however, do an over-sew... a 'splint' as it were... by opening up the graft and tailoring it to the existing tissues. Are you with me?"
Bloom looked at the arch- "Well, Ah doan' LACK it, but Ah doan' see nuthin' better... les' go fur it,"
"I am a little at a loss to explain the scar tissue on the left vetrical- wHat do you make of it?"
"Previous attack- Ah kin feel a stent raht chere, see? LAV- th' "Widdermaker". Had t' be a tough sumbitch t' survive thayt one,"
"Well then, we have that in our favor-Open a number 12 graft- ah, excellent, Pat- the fingerbowl is up on the mayo. Thank God we have an experienced scrub on this,"
"Ah keeps tryin' t' steal her as a private scrub, but she woan' take th' bait,"
"Probably for fear she might wind up talking like you..."
Bloom stopped dead in his tracks and looked at Stalker-
"Whut do y'all mean by thayt?"
Jackson giggled.


Phix regained control... slowly... as Bud continued to whimper. She pulled off her spectacles and wiped her eyes on her sleeve... then giggled that she would do something so crass as she remembered that she had a handkerchief up her sleeve, a habit she acquired in the mid- nineteenth century. Softly, she kissed Bud on the forehead, murmuring, "You are not totally off the hook, little girl- but I know it was an accident. We will discuss this later,"
Phix walked over to the receptionist- people moved out of her way, instinctively. The receptionist looked up at her with big eyes, a nervous frown and shaking hands-
"Y...Yes, Ma'am?" she asked.
"I should like to know if patient Howard is out of surgery,"
"M...Ma'am, I cannot give you that infor... " Phix gave her a withering glare, "... uh ... well... uh, let me see here... " she dialed a number.
"Chris? This is Naomi at the front desk- what is the status on Howard, Gregory F.?.... I see... Did they give any... I see... thank you,"
She turned back to Phix- "Doctor Stalker has been called into the room- along with the open heart machine,"
Phix took a moment to digest this- "Doctor Stalker? He ...is.. a ..?"
"Cardio-vascular surgeon,"
Phix took a deep breath and closed her eyes- that was NOT what she wanted to hear.
"Call back- tell them that Howard has a stent in the left anterior ventricular artery. I don't know if that is important, but it won't harm anyone for them to know,"
"Yes Ma'am,"
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Re: The elixer

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"I think I've got it, Dave... unless you see something I've missed,"
"Hell, Rick- this here is YOR baliywick- but as far as Ah can tell, it looks alright,"
Doctor Stalker took a deep breath- "I am reversing the shunt- Wells, prepare for transfer-stop heparine,"
"Paddles armed,"
"Clear- NOW"
The jolt was delivered- everybody held their breath.
"Sinus rhythm- solid pulse... hold.... " Lu Cesnitus watched his monitor having just tripped the blood pressure cuff, "I have... 106 over 68,"
"Acceptable... looks dry... OK, Dave see what you can do with the right lung. Thing looks like one massive blood clot,"
"Pretty much- Ah doan' see any purpose t' savin' it. One massive rupture- afterwards, Ah'll hand this over t' th' 'Pods an' see iffen they kin put th' bones back t'gether,"
"Wells, I want you in the room with your machine until the orthopedic surgeons are through- who's attending today?"
"Dave Burton"
"None better," said Dr. Stalker, "Alright, I will be on rounds if you need me,"
And with that, Rick Stalker broke scrub and left the room.


"Phix took off without telling anyone?" Nudge asked.
"Well now, it's not like she needs to ask permission... after all, she IS sort of the authority around here," Bia replied.
"Bia, we SHARE that authority! I am supposed to know what is going on! How did you find out about it?"
"The MIB Liaison desk took a call this morning about seven- some situation requiring a clean-up crew and follow up on a civilian injury. Then there was a call back from one of their agents- Phix overheard the call and got on the line with the agent- next thing I know, she's gone,"
Without a word, Nudge strode over to the MIB Liaison office to investigate. Past 12th century fiction, into the oversized and folio section where she pulled four books in proper sequence, causing the massive book case to rotate and allow passage. Inside was an MIB agent with a salted caramel latte.
"Nudge! And what can I do for you today?" he asked in a cheery voice.
She fixed him with a stern glare and asked,

"What happened that pulled Phix out of the library?"
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Re: The elixer

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"Dr. Bloom, his belly is going turgid!" Jackson stated in an alarmed voice.
"Blood pressure is dropping Dave- he's bleeding in the belly," Lu Cesnitus said after a quick check of his readouts.
"MAJOR TRAY! In here NAOW!!! LAPS! DEBBIE, PREP th' BELLY! GIT DOC SHERCK IN HERE!"
"Dr. Bloom, we'll have to count all sets! All instruments!... and I don't have drapes for the belly!" Jackson pleaded.
"No time fur thayt! We'll X-ray after closure- Ah'll sign fer it- as fer drapes, cut the sheets at midline abdominal an' square with towels! This feller is tryin' t' DIE on us an' Ah'm not gonna let it happen!"

Don Sherck had just ordered an early lunch when the call came in regarding OR#4- slightly frustrated, he picked up the receiver and asked what was going on through the intercom.
"We's got us a belly bleeder on a four-star Charley Foxtrot, Don- feller's a fella Vet, Army Ah thinks. Sumbody tossed him off'n a building an' he couldn't PLF good enuff," came Bloom over the squawk box.
Don snickered- "PLF"... "Parachute Landing Fall"... at best, that can save you from an eight foot drop. Don always enjoyed the wordage of "that silly hillbilly" at times like this.

Nudge had just arrived at the hospital only moments after a conversation with the MIB Liaison office- a portal of the library made the connection, oddly enough. In human form, she stepped into the waiting room of the ER... to be met by the cold stare of Phix and the frightened gaze of Bud.
"What do YOU want?" Phix snarled. Nudge noticed that NOBODY was sitting NEAR the two... and that there were nervous glances by the other patrons between Phix and the newcomer, herself... the security guard seemed especially alert. A young mother held her toddler close, expecting the worst. A teen-aged boy positioned himself between the two antagonists and a frail, frightened girl- sister? lover? Hard to say... One fellow contemplated the door, thinking that his condition didn't really need a doctor right now.
The somewhat oblivious drunk who came in with a mangled finger that he caught in a door was watching with great interest. Looking between Nudge, Phix and Bud, he finally blurted out,
"Jeessuss, how many girlfriends does tha asshole HAVE?!?"
Nudge's eyes went big. So did Phix's. Bud turned and looked at the drunk with a slight scowl. The frail, frightened girl dropped her jaw. The security guard reached slowly for his tazer. The young mother ducked her head into her arm while holding her child. Phix and Nudge slowly turned their heads towards the drunk, looking incredulous.

The drunk let loose a loud belch.

The teenage boy snickered. So did the the fellow who was eyeing the door. Nudge started biting her lip. Phix's lips were pursed tight, but she was shaking. Bud was looking at the drunk, totally disgusted. The security guard froze in position, waiting to see what happens next. The young mother risked a peek and was somewhat confused by what she saw.
Phix closed her eyes, took a moment to compose herself, and in a less... threatening manner... asked again,
"What do you want?"
Nudge still bit her lip- hard- she was shaking rather violently and her breathing became hard to control. She shut her eyes to hold back the tears, to gain control, to...
"Take your time dearie... I can wait," Phix coo'd.
Nudge burst out in uncontrollable peals of laughter. Standing became difficult, tears rolled freely down her face as she stomped the ground with her right foot.
Phix watched with detached amusement, a rather smug grin on her face... SHE did not loose control... but it was close.
Bud looked at Nudge with a slight scowl, not sure what was so funny...

"Dave, did you pull two ribs up from the diaphragm?" Dr. Sherck asked.
"Uh, yea... had to close th' hole they left,"
"Well, son, you pulled them out of his liver- THAT's where he's bleeding from... easy enough to miss, with that arch being what it is... you say he was thrown?"
"Thass whut we's been told,"
"I don't think so- the way his right side is stove in... that's not a flat surface impact... something ran into him... something going faster than the speed limit... besides, the spleen is unaffected, the kidneys... Lu, what does his urine look like?"
"Clear and pale,"
"...see? Kidneys and bladder are intact- that's not flat surface impact. No head trauma, two busted lower legs and a femoral trochanteric fracture? No... HERE's the initial impact, the lower extremities are from landing AFTER the impact. If he had jumped, fallen or been pushed the distance you're talking about, we would see rupture of every hollow body organ and more generalized fractures... and this would be a post- mortem,"
"Huh- yeah, Ah see yor point thar- so, whut hit him?"
"That... that I DON"T know,"
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Re: The elixer

Post by MerchManDan »

Damn, but I love medical procedurals. They make me feel like I'm learning new stuff (which I suppose I am, at that). Never did have much stomach for gouts of blood, though, which is probably why I never seriously considered med school.
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Re: The elixer

Post by Sgt. Howard »

MerchManDan wrote:Damn, but I love medical procedurals. They make me feel like I'm learning new stuff (which I suppose I am, at that). Never did have much stomach for gouts of blood, though, which is probably why I never seriously considered med school.
... been in the trade since 1977. Patricia Jackson was a black girl I trained with in the Army Medical Corp... had the biggest crush on her... always wondered what would have happened if... but the Doctors are composites of surgeons I have worked with in the past, some that I STILL work with. I do what Jackson is doing- I am a scrub tech.

The recovery room scene will be revised and pulled to the end of the surgery where it belongs after a couple more crisis- "spica cast"... what was I thinking? Nobody has used a spica cast since Regan left office. A spica cast is roughly a partial mummification with plaster. Modern ORIF implant technology makes it useless.

Regarding getting used to seeing blood- we all have our stories of baptism in this trade. I puked big time on my first amputation. Was doing fine until I was told to "hand off the specimen"... which was a man's leg. To this day I get queasy when we lop a limb.
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Re: The elixer

Post by Sgt. Howard »

Phix had taken Nudge outside where they could talk with a bit of privacy- Bud remained in the waiting area, very aware of the glances she was receiving from the other patrons... and the security guard. The drunk had returned to his narrow existence, the two teens seemed more concerned about each other and the young mother allowed her child some freedom... but every time Bud looked up, she caught another pair of eyes looking at her. Despondent, frustrated and lonely, she got up and wandered out to the other two.
"Well, here comes 'Cannonball'," Nudge quipped as Bud approached. Phix silenced her with a quick look- then turned to Bud.
"I... I was... rather.. out of line with you earlier- As you... can... appreciate, I was a bit distressed. You DO, however, have a responsibility to take better precautions regarding your activities- there have been reports in the tabloids, including one photo of you in the buff doing 60+ MPH on the main parkway. There are those who look up to you- who see you as a role model- yet their safety is compromised by the risks you are taking. AND NOT JUST BECAUSE YOU MIGHT MOW THEM DOWN.... but because among humans there is still those who would see us as evil, satanic or just plain 'wrong' because we are not like them. YOU are indestructible- others are not.

You need to remember that.

Now, I need to find out if there have been any changes. You will both come with me, YOU (looking at Nudge) will control yourself and play along- we are ... 'family'... as of now, and will behave accordingly,"
"We will continue to fight?" Nudge asked.
Phix locked eyes with her- "... if need be..." she sweetly responded...

Upon re-entry, Phix stepped over to the receptionist (who was less than pleased to see her again).
"Is there any further update on patient Howard?"
The receptionist screwed up her courage- "Ma'am, I need to ask who you are in relation to this patient before I divulge any further..."
"I am... Phix Howard... I am his wife..." Phix kept her face as blank as possible. Nudge looked off to a corner and bit her lip again. "This," Phix looked at Bud, "is Acacia, our daughter, and this " Pointing out Nudge, "is ... Noreen... my... sister-in-law,"
Off in the background, Bud heard the drunk say something about 'dysfunctional families' and heard the word 'Battleaxe' used. Bud scowled in his direction.
"Is there a waiting area SPECIFIC to surgery?" Phix asked.
"YES! uh, yes, there is... just a moment-," she dialed a number and picked up her phone, "... yes, Chris? Naomi again- the ... family... of Mr. Howard is here and needs to be escorted to surgical waiting area four- can you... very good! They will be right here, waiting. Thank you,"


"How many more units of blood do we have for this man?" Dr. Sherck asked Debbie Kirk, the circulating RN.
"Two at most- we're running pack cells now, along with ringer's. Lab says we'll have to get more from outside- possibly Sisters of Mercy,"
"Dave, you about done? We need to hand this to the bone doctors to stop his ooze levels... he has a mass of fractures besides the ribs,"
"One more ware in his chest and I am on skin... DAMN, boy, you done pissed off th' wrong fella whutever it is you done," Bloom muttered to the patient. Don chuckled.
A six-foot-three, three hundred and twenty pound monolith of a man stepped into the room and surveyed the scene. In his deep, bass voice, Dr. David Burton asked, "What the hell do you have here?"
"Some kind of collision injury- both ankles, right trochanteric hip, right olecranon and clavicle... and a handfull of ribs... he's lost a lot of blood, one lung and currently sports a splint on the aortic arch. There's a double rent in the liver, fortunatly there's enough cirrosis for my sutures to hold,"
"Cirrosis? How bad?"
"Non-threatening... he's an ex- US Army Sergeant,"
"Of course... how soon will you be finished?"
"Bloom is getting onto skin and I am just about finished with the liver- we're doing an x-ray insread of counts because we had to get into the belly in a rush and already had the thoracic set opened as well as the cardio for the splint. How do you want to start?"
Dr. Burton considered- "What bones are we doing again? I caught distal tib/fib, right trochanteric, olecranon and clavicle... what ribs?"
"7th, 8th,9th and 10th. All on the right"
"... we'll need a fracture table in here to start- I want x-rays, but I am pretty sure we'll use a synthes trochanteric nail system... small fragments for the ankles after we put him back on a regular table, I'll put Tai on the elboe and Driscoll on the clavicle- Jackson, you think you can handle four brawny orthopods at once by yourself?"
"Shiiiiyt- if you all know what you're DOING, I can- I ain't gonna take time to TEACH your boys how to do their jobs..." she said with a sassy tone.
"THAT, young lady, is insubordination!" declaired Dr. Burton in mock anger.
"Nawsuh- you ain't even SEEN insubordination... juss get me riled, and you WILL see insubordination!" Jackson retorted, just as determined.
"Doan' you go gettin' her riled until Ah'm at least outta th' room, there," quipped Bloom, "Ah laks ma face as it is,"
Rule 17 of the Bombay Golf Course- "You shall play the ball where the monkey drops it,"
I speak fluent Limrick-
the Old Sgt.
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Sgt. Howard
Posts: 3331
Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2012 11:54 pm
Location: Malott, Washington

Re: The elixer

Post by Sgt. Howard »

A short, squat female nurse was escorting the trio back to the surgical waiting area- as with any hospital, one would easily get lost without directions or a guide.
"Noreen?" whispered Nudge, "... what kind of name is Noreen?"
"Humans do not use "Nudge" as a name, at least not in English- it was the best I could think of," responded Phix as quietly as she could, "I almost called myself 'Phyliss', but I couldn't... shh!"
Bud was snickering at this conversation and gave a snort when Phix said 'Phyliss', causing the nurse to look back at them. To say the least, it was an awkward procession going down the hallway- as patient 'Howard's' Witness Protection Program status was a secret, EVERYBODY but the CEO was aware of it. The nurse was fully aware that the names and relationships of her convoy were at the very least suspect... the janitor gave a sidways glance as they passed, showing HE knew... nurses at the water cooler stopped their conversation and watched as they passed.
And what about Naomi? She guessed as much...
They were shown the surgical waiting area and left to their own company. There was no receptionist behind a desk here, or glassed off in the office proper... just twelve seats, a restroom, a coffee table with several eight to twenty year old magazines and a TV that didn't work.
This wasn't really a surgical waiting room- but then, they were not really the patient's family.
It amounted to a draw.


"One.. two.. THREE and UP! Secure the off leg, don't mind the crepitation. Watch his canastas on that post, he doesn't need any further injury... right... Lu, how's he doing?"
"HE'S fine as frog hair but I gotta pee like a Russian Racehorse!- get Tom in here to cover me for a bit,"
"Front desk- can you send Tom Mahalic or some other CNRA here to spell Lu? His back teeth are floating," Dr. Burton said to the intercom.
"Tom went home- April is on her way there," came the response.
"Help is on the way- Stan, drive a 5/32" Steinmann pin thru the right tibia at mid-point- just a splash of betadine, Jackson prep him a mayo with pin driver and pins,"
"Stienmann pins in SAE? I thought everybody went metric,"
"Everbody but ZIMMER,"
"oh"
"Hey Lu, I hear you need relief,"
"April, you have no idea..."
"I've been pregnant three times,"
"I stand corrected,"
"Clamp the pin in the yoke and apply traction,"
"I STILL say this thing looks like something out of the Spanish Inquisition,"
"I'll show you the woodcut that STRYKER used as inspiration... Bill, bring in the 'C'-arm... EVERBODY LEADED? Pat, stand behind Tai... PICTURE... OK, Tai- give me some extrenal rotation... PICTURE... right, now a bit more traction... PICTURE... one...good...shove...HERE... PICTURE... reduce traction...PICTURE... well boys, waddaya think?"
"I'll take two five by sevens and a sheet of wallet sized,"
"Good enough... Debbie, did you, ah! This is the SYNTHES hip set-up?"
"Yes Dr. Burton, ready to go- Pat already has the drapes, this is actually the final pan. Pat also has the Hall reamer system, the pressure tank is over here and Mary is bringing in the curtan frame right now,"
"Perfect timing- go ahead and prep, I'll wash up- Pat, you have my gloves?"
"Eight and a halfs twice, Dr. Tai sevens over seven and a halfs,"
"Thank you April, that was nessesary,"
"Sure thing Lu... so, this is our witness protection patient?"
"Who told you?"
"Buck from mantainance... but don't worry, I won't tell a soul,"
"I'm not sure who you could tell that doesn't already know... thanks again,"
"Later"
Last edited by Sgt. Howard on Fri Feb 28, 2020 12:20 am, edited 5 times in total.
Rule 17 of the Bombay Golf Course- "You shall play the ball where the monkey drops it,"
I speak fluent Limrick-
the Old Sgt.
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