Save Him One More Time

Chapter 2

"Unhh..." His head throbbed with his pounding heartbeat. His eyes snapped open as a female voice drifted by. "...going to need... can't go anywhere...arm..." He remembered the explosion. McCree. Was he alright? Had he survived? His eyes snapped open and he immediately shut them tightly. That was a %$#& bright light. Slowly, he opened his eyes again and blinked until he was no longer blinded. A nurse walked in and did an about face, leaving as quickly as she'd come. Well then. He must be hurt bad. The medic from the battle came in a moment later. "Commander Reyes, you're awake," she said, looking at the monitors and writing things on her clipboard. He watched her silently, still squinting from his headache. She looked over at his face. "How are you feeling?" He swallowed and licked his lips. "My head really hurts." Half of his words didn't even form, his throat was so dry. She pressed a button and reached around to the counter. A glass of water was in her hand and when the bed stopped moving, he was propped half-sitting up. She held the glass to his mouth, and he reached to take it from her. "I can hold it." The medic raised her eyebrows at him. "You've been unconscious for two days. You're not dead, but you're still very weak." She pushed his hand down.
The water felt good going down, and she stopped him before the glass was empty. She set it off to the side. "You can have the rest in thirty minutes." He growled something under his breath and her eyebrow lifted a couple of notches. "You're not dehydrated; there's been an IV in your arm since Genji brought you in. You'll be fine." She checked the bandages on his shoulder, frowning a little. The question that had burned in his mind since he woke up finally found its way out. "How's Jesse?"

Angela frowned. Reyes' shoulder was not looking good, and she still didn't have everything stocked as it should be. She had some antibiotics that should work, but not the kind she knew would work. Her staff had run down on the last mission and wasn't done charging yet.
"How's Jesse?" He startled her out of her musing and her thoughts took a second to regroup. "Jesse will be fine." She replaced the bandages, stood up and let the bed down again. "A nurse will be here in a few minutes to help you with the rest of your water." Her shoes clicked on the floor and Angela walked out, to make her rounds. A few other agents had been wounded in the last mission, but their injuries were healing well. Jesse, however, did not seem to be doing well. His arm was healing, but the loss of a limb had taken its toll on his mind. Angela talked with Commander Morrison several times about the possibility of a prosthetic, but he didn't know of anyone who could build such a thing. But after her visit that morning, Angela shook her head as she closed the door. If no one else could, she'd have to.

His eyes snapped open and locked their gaze on the door when he heard the light tap. He heard a muffled voice. "Genji? It's me, Angela. Can I come in?" He stood and walked over. "Angela," he said as he opened the door, "is it important?" She nodded. "Very. May I sit down?" She motioned to the bed. "Of course." He shut the door behind her and stood across from her. Angela rubbed her hands together nervously. "Genji, I know this is a lot to ask of you, and I understand if you don't want to. This isn't an order, it's a request." He nodded. She took a deep breath. "You know that Jesse McCree lost half of his left arm in the last mission your team was on. If I cannot find a suitable prosthetic, he will never go on another mission." He nodded slowly. Where was this going? She took another deep breath. "I want to use you as a reference, Genji. I want to study your arm, and build one for McCree. I might have to take a few parts off to see how they go, and I can't guarantee that I'll put them back the way they are supposed to go. I understand if you don't want to do this; you don't have to." She watched his face closely. He weighed the idea in his mind. On the one hand, the team would be complete again and they could find Hanzo easier. On the other hand, he might not be able to go, if Angela messed up putting him back together. He wasn't supposed to be taken apart. He looked at his arm, flexing the fingers and watching the machinery. After a while he looked at Angela. "No. You may look at my arm, but do not take anything off of it. I will explain anything I understand to you, if you need, but do not take me apart." Angela nodded. "Thank you, Genji." She stood to leave, but he stopped her. "Angela." She turned. "Commander Reyes? How is he?" She sighed. "He woke up today. He's not very happy right now, but he will be better off than Jesse when it's all said and done." He nodded. "Thank you." She turned and left. "You're welcome, Genji."

Angela picked up a bottle from a shelf. Cephalexin. It should work. She grabbed a sharp from the dispenser, pulled the cap off with her teeth and filled the syringe, then set the bottle back on its shelf. She took the cap from between her teeth and covered the needle. Now, to fix up the commander and get him in a better mood. Quietly, in hopes that he was asleep, she closed the door and turned around. He wasn't asleep, and the glass of water was empty. Long empty. She sat down, rolling her stool to the cabinet and sink. She washed her hands, then pulled out bandages and antiseptics and put on gloves. "Sit up," she told him, putting a hand under his shoulder to help him. He winced and gripped the rail. "Is your headache worse?" she asked. He nodded a little. That and his shoulder really hurt now. She folded the pillow and stuffed it behind him. "Try not to lean back." She left and returned shortly with a small paper cup, which she handed to him. He sniffed it and coughed. "What is this?" She changed her gloves. "It's paracetamol. A painkiller. You'll need it." She began removing the tape around his bandages as he tossed it back in one gulp, making a face. "Ugh, that's nasty." She removed the pad covering the entire wound and made a face, placing it in a bin. Then she picked up the needle. He leaned away. "What's the needle for, doc?" She didn't look up. "It's an antibiotic. I don't want another patient losing an arm." She rubbed his arm vigorously for a few seconds and he turned his head away. A point of cold pain, and a weird sensation, and she was rubbing again. He let out his breath, unaware that he'd been holding it. She put a small square of gauze over the injection site and taped it in place. "That wasn't so bad, now, was it?" He glared at her. She raised an eyebrow. "You did take the painkiller, right?" He nodded, slowly. Reaching across for a towel, she frowned. "Good. This is not going to be pleasant." Searing pain shot through his shoulder. He growled and tensed up, leaning forward and away, gritting his teeth. It felt like his shoulder was being dragged across gravel on a hot day. She held his arm firmly, though, and he couldn't go anywhere. When she stopped, he relaxed some, and jumped when he felt a cold burn. He yelled in surprise and pain. She leaned him forward a bit more and poured something onto the wound. "What the %$#& is that?" he growled through his teeth. She gave him a sharp glance. "It's an antiseptic. It will help keep the infection away." He winced as it made its way further into his shoulder. The medic put a hand on his arm. "It does sting, doesn't it?" The %$#& it did. He shot her a dagger glare.

Angela finished wrapping Reyes' shoulder and removed her gloves. "There. That should hold for a few days until I can heal it for good." He didn't answer. She pushed him back to leaning on the bed. Refilling the glass, she set it next to his bed. "For when you get thirsty." Again, he didn't answer and she put a finger under his chin, tilting his head back and studying his face. He looked to be in shock. She looked at the monitors. His pulse was low but not dangerously so, and his pressure was normal for the pulse, but still, just to be safe. Walking over to the tall cabinet in the corner behind the door, she took out a blanket and covered him with it, tucking it in all around him so it was tight. She laid the bed down, and paged a nurse to come watch his vitals. But no nurse came, and, looking at the time, Angela realized they were all off duty or doing something more important. So she settled herself in to a few hours of monitoring. When she wasn't looking at the breathing and pressure monitor, she was listening to the soft beeps and watching his face. She'd closed his eyes once it was apparent that he was unconscious.

But a long day and a late night did not agree with her, and only a couple of hours in, her eyes closed and she fell asleep in her chair.