~~~ Bones' POV (Point of view) ~~~
I assembled the OR team as fast as could because she was in critical condition. I would be doing this surgery with 2 other surgeons, my intern and a handful of scrub nurses. We had to be fast on our feet.
"Brooks, get her prepped and ready in the OR," I said to my intern. This is probably the most action she has seen her whole time here, but I have Faith in her.
I walked over to one of the many sinks and I started to scrub viciously like all the times I had before. Except this time I felt like something would be different.
"Nurse, stats please?" I said whilst scrubbing.
"Jennifer Arsenal, 21, victim of the explosion, penetrating glass wounds, significant blood loss, radiation exposure, BP stable, unresponsive in the field." The nurse said labelling off what had happened.
I finished scrubbing and the water automatically shut off. I went through the OR doors where one of the other nurses and my intern were waiting, the patient was anaesthetized. The other two surgeons came in the OR as well. We were gowned and gloved, and if every second counted, we would have to move fast.
"Where do you want to start chief?" Williams, one of the other surgeons said.
"There are three wound sites and three surgeons, I'll take the eye, you take the arm and Steevenson, take the foot." I said to the other two surgeons, and very quickly they sprung to life. And started to do what they do best.
"I want you to monitor her stats Cristina," I said to my intern. "The second you see the tiniest thing you tell me okay?"
"Okay." She said calmly as she walked over to the many monitors.
"Retractors," I said to my scrub nurse. She handed them to me about a second later.
When I spread apart the eyelid, I saw the extent of the damage. It was messy, and part of me didn't know if I could save it. The ocular nerve looked damaged, and the question if we would be able to see again hit me. But I needed to get the glass out.
Lucky for her, the glass shard wasn't in too deep, and it didn't hit any blood vessels, meaning I could take it out.
"Pickups," i said to the scrub nurse who in turn handed them to me.
Carefully and steadily, I removed the glass. But then I heard something from my intern.
"BP is dropping rapidly," Cristina said. My attention shifted off the eye.
"Nurse, hang 4 units of blood." I said and the nurse started to.
"Cristina, I need you to crack her chest and tell me what you see." I told her.
She moved extremely quickly, and I put my concentration back on the eye. I would need a neve graft if she was ever going to see again.
"Chief, this is something you need to see!" She said almost desperately. I left the eye for a moment to see what was going on.
"Good God." I whispered.
The tumor was wrapped all around her superior aorta, what would send blood to her head and upper organs. The tumor was choking it.
"Status on the arm and the leg?" I asked the two other surgeons.
"Arm wound is sutured, and finished." Williams said and then got up.
"I need you to do a never graft on her ocular nerve. Can you do that?" I asked Williams.
"Yes, " he said walking over to the eye.
"Then get to work," I said.
Back to her heart, I would need to get her on bypass.
"Nurse I need to get her on bypass so I can get rid of this tumor," I asked her.
"On it," she said hooking her up to bypass machines as we spoke. About a minute later she replied, "She's ready."
"Scalpel," I asked from her again, and she handed one.
I handed the scalpel to Cristina, who looked at me strangely.
"You need to cut out the tumor and some of the Aorta along with it. You are going to lead, and I will assist. Show me what you've learned."
She looked at me, and then started to cut.
"Suction," she told me without even looking up.
About an hour later, the two other surgeons had finished and had gone to tend the other patients. Cristina and I were still working away at the heart, but we were so close to the end.
"Bypass can only be maintained for another 12 minutes without damaged to vital organs," the nurse said warning us.
"Set the clock," Cristina said, almost nervously.
"Don't stress this Cristina, we still have enough time to do what we need to do and I have faith in you. What are you going to do next."
"I need to attach the aortic graft to the rest of the heart," she said more confidently.
"Organic sutures," she asked the nurse who handed them to her.
She started to suture with a suture I had never seen her done before- the running whipstitch. It was a very advanced suture. But she mastered it.
As she finished her last suture, I looked at the clock. Three minutes. Time was starting to become critical.
"Are you ready to take her off bypass?" I asked her.
"Almost..." She said adding one extra suture for certainty.
"Take her off bypass," she finally told the nurse.
We watched as the graft pinked up, meaning the body had accepted it. Cristina exhaled as if she hadn't breathed the whole time.
"I am proud of you," I told her. "Congratulations. I am going to make the case notes and finish her chart, I want you to close her up."
"As you wish chief. Thank you so much for this opportunity and your guidance," she said humbly.
I left her with the scrub nurse in the OR.
When I got our of the OR, I pulled off the gloves, pushed off my cap, ran my fingers through my hair and walked to my office where Scotty was waiting. I opened the door to see him, with a guilty look on his face.
"How is she doin' the wee lass?" he asked.
"She's still in the OR, but we expect her to have a good recovery. But I need to ask you a few questions."
"Go right ahead," he said disappointed almost.
"Is the area quarantined?"
"Aye, we have the drones repairing the gas leak as we speak sir."
"Good. I am going to need a list of all the people who worked in the vicinity of the explosion today. I need this list by tomorrow at the latest."
"Aye sir, is there anything else?"
"Yes, I need to know what chemicals were in the beam when it exploded, and I would also like to know why the explosion happened in the first place."
"Aye, I be getting you the answers yee need by the end of today. Thank you for savin' her."
He stood up and was about to leave.
"It's my job," I finally replied back.
There you have it folks, I hope you loved this most recent update. It was fun to write, and I will most definetely be posting another chapter soon! Live Long and Prosper.
