Silent Pain

Part 1

The ward which Chris was on was quiet for the time of day. Considering most of the patients here had fatal injuries, none of them were moaning very much. He looked around him, wondering if anyone had recognised him and sighed. He felt nervous as the time got closer. He tried not to think about his current situation too much; he was in a strange gown feeling naked and slightly drugged. The shower he had wasn't very refreshing and the water had almost frozen him which had added to his nervousness. He tried to think of positive things as he saw doctors walked past, some he recognised. He thought of what he hoped to be there when he woke up; Craig or Alecks with him comforting him and reassuring him he was okay. Craig hadn't really been there for him recently and didn't seem to take any notice of his pain. He closed his eyes and tried not to think about it and calm himself. He didn't want to panic before this and had asked not to have a pre-med. When he reopened his eyes, a male nurse along with an anaesthetist came over to where he was. Chris had met them both before and knew why they were here. He groaned internally as his abdomen ached.
The doctor smiled, "Hello Chris, you know why we're here huh?"
Chris nodded,
The anaesthetist knelt beside him and spoke, "Well, I will be with you throughout the whole thing."
Chris felt somewhat reassured at that. He always worried he would die in places like this, although, after having an operation 3 years ago and surviving, it was less of a worry.
"Let's go get you prepped eh?" the nurse said and called several nurses over.
As Chris watched the medical staff surround him, he became slightly panicked. He couldn't get out of this. What if it went wrong? What if he didn't survive this? He wanted Craig or someone with him.

"Right, lets prep you," the anaesthetist said happily as he went throughprocedure. The anaesthetist was very experiences as he seemed to automaticallygrab items around him and placed them in a bowl of sorts. He was showing astudent, a somewhat unexperienced medic what to do. Chris assumed he was astudent based on his attire; glasses and writing notes whilst observingcarefully although he could have been a doctor just helping him out. As the twodoctors spoke to one another, the more experienced teaching the other one, helooked around him.
Several draws with needles surrounded him which made him feel nauseous. Hewondered their use but then soon distracted that thought. The doctor helpedbreak his thoughts.
"Right, you're profile is good. Now, let's attach you to the machines tomonitor your progress." The experienced doctor said, his assistant bringingover several. Chris sat up and let the anaesthetist attach him to them He feltlike an experiment. The patches attached to his chest pulled and felt strange.The heart machine beeped in response to its connection. Then, he came over witha needle attached to a strange rubbery tube. He sighed as he knew what it was.
"Now, this is the cannula. This will be needed so we can feed you fluidsthroughout as well as blood if you need it."
"I know." Chris became nervous. Why wasn't anyone with him? He looked aroundhim for Craig or someone; anyone would do. He needed company badly to reassurehim. Last time Aleks had come but shewas busy.
"Where would you like it? Arm or hand?" he asked, preparing a local anaestheticand connecting it to a tube on the table beside him.
"Hand." Chris decided, trying not to panic about the whole thing. As the localtook its affect and the doctor ensured it had, he inserted the needle. It feltstrange, like the hand wasn't his.
The anaesthetist noticed Chris' heart rate was fairly high. "You decided not tohave a pre-med, is that right?"
Chris nodded,
"Hmm, well you're very panicky at the moment, so I can't anaesthetise you justyet. You're going to be fine. It may be over very shortly. Nothing's going togo wrong."
"I know." He replied, still worrying,
"No one coming with you?" he said, happy with the cannula's position and numbness
"No." Chris said and examined his hand. It made him feel slightly lightheadedand strange as he couldn't feel his hand anymore but saw the cannula attached.It made him feel sick and as a result, made the heart monitor beep a littlefaster,
"Well, you're still very panicky. When you've calmed down a little we willconsider anaesthetising you." He said, sitting with him.
After calming down somewhat, the anaesthetist decided on how to anaesthetisehim.
"Now, where it is, I suggest we give you a regional. I think an epidural shouldwork so you're not completely out but can't feel anything."
"Right."
"You will be awake throughout. I promise I will still be there with you eventhough you're not going to be unconscious."
"Okay." Chris said an exhaled. He wondered how his TD would affect this. Hedidn't want to ask as he assumed they took that into account when he got there.
"Right. I will get you prepped for that." He said and walked off.
The assistant then began disconnecting the machines,
"We will erm, have to give you a catheter during the operation."
"I know. I've had one before."
"Oh." The assistant replied, "Well, the epidural shouldn't take long. You maynot need it for long."
"I see."
Chris examined the assistant's body language. They seemed nervous of this wholething and not sure what to do. As Chris was going to talk to him, theanaesthetist came back with the doctor from earlier.
"Right, let's start this then." He said and got Chris to sit with his back tohim,
Chris clenched his hand as the needle went in.
"Any shock or tingling?"
"No."
"Good. Now I will feed the drug."
As the drug travelled into him, it felt warm and his whole lower half began notto feel like his. After a while, the anaesthetist came over with ice and placedit on Chris' stomach.
"Is that cold?" he asked,
Surprisingly, Chris felt nothing, "No."
"Good it worked. We can go an operate now."