Whumptober+ Short Stories - Volume 1

Prompt 19 - Asphyxiation

"Hey, Doc? Can I ask you something?"

Looking up with a smile, the surgeon nodded. "Of course." Ferris tried not to look as anxious as he felt, but he could tell it wasn't working. Still, he tried.

"Will I... feel anything... while you're working?"

Dr. Lorne stood up from his chair and removed his gloves. "Of course not." He replied, the smile on his face seeming to grow even more reassuring than before. Ferris nodded and laid his head back on the pillow. "Good. I'm glad." He said after a moment. "I'm not fond of pain, though I don't really know anyone who is." Here he chuckled at his own foolishness. That was a dumb statement, he thought as he closed his eyes, exhaling deeply and enjoying the relaxing atmosphere of the small room.

Ferris didn't open his eyes for a while afterward, not even when some people came and wheeled the gurney thing back to the operating room. When he finally did open them again, it was so that he could see what he was doing as he got up and then laid down on the surgical table itself. The surface felt strange underneath of him, and not quite like the gurney he had spent the last hour on. Still, he felt strangely calm. This stood to reason, since the doctor had already told him he had nothing to worry about. He drew in a breath, then glanced over at the man standing by the side of the table. The surgeon raised an eyebrow and chuckled softly. "You look comfortable." He said. "I assume that means we can get started, then?"

Ferris nodded. "It's really your call. But yeah, I'm ready."

Lorne smiled. "Fair enough." He said, bringing an oxygen mask down over his patient's face and adjusting it. "Like I said, you shouldn't feel a thing. You won't even be conscious."

"For how long?"

The surgeon chuckled. "That's for me to know. But I can assure you of this: you won't be waking up."

As the mask started up, Ferris closed his eyes and smiled. It was a strange feeling, the air flowing into his lungs. It almost felt wrong, somehow. But that was probably normal. Anyway, he would be 'asleep' in a few seconds, so it didn't matter.

"Thanks for doing this, Doc." He murmured slowly as his consciousness began to fade. A few seconds later, he was out.

From where he stood by the surgical table, Dr. Lorne smiled.

~

Carbon monoxide is a colorless and odorless gas that is both flammable and toxic to animals and humans. It prevents the body from absorbing oxygen and, as a result, causes the victim to suffocate. Large amounts of carbon monoxide can render a person unconscious within minutes, after which comes asphyxiation. If not treated quickly, intensive and prolonged exposure can result in death.