Cold Hard Courage

[13] - Operation

[Beatrice Eaton]

I stand next to Tobias.

" Explain it to me again. " He whispers weakly.

I nod, squeezing his hand.

" When you and Zeke were shot, the wounds we're not through and through. That means the pellets from the shells are still lodged somewhere in your abdomen. And we have to remove them so you don't die. " I say. " So, we will open your abdomen and remove all the pellets--every last one. But, that is, after we work on Zeke. Like you've requested. But, I will make Damn sure that you are worked on until you are healthy. Every pellet will be gone when you wake up, I promise. Then, we will close you up. By the time you wake up, I will be waiting by your side. And so will our son. So will Graham. We will be waiting for you. "

He nods, smiling.

" And the whole time I'm out, I will be dreaming of you and Graham. " He says.

I smile.

" Let's take them in now. " Chief Williams says.

I nod.

" I'll see you in there. " I say to Tobias.

He nods.

" I love you. " He says.

I squeeze his hand.

" I love you too, Tobias. " I say.

They wheel Zeke in first and then Tobias after him. I enter the scrub room and tie my hair back and tuck it under my scrub cap. I grab a mask and tie it around my neck and behind my head. I scrub my hands, washing aggressively as I imagine the worst outcomes. I can't watch Tobias die. I shake the thought from my head and finish washing my hands. I grab a towel and dry my hands off. I pull on gloves and enter the room. I pull on a blue scrub drape for disposal after surgery. I approach Tobias.

" Ready Tris? This is going to be stressful. " Chief Williams asks.

I nod.

" Go ahead and say goodbye to Tobias before we put him under. " He says.

I nod. I approach Tobias and sit on a stool by his head. He opens his eyes, looking up at me. I stare at the light blue portion of his left eye, smiling down at him as I remember our long conversations in dark quiet rooms. I've missed him.

" Hey, beautiful. " He says.

I smile.

" Hey, love. " I say.

I take his hand.

" I wanted to say goodbye before you go under. " I say.

He smiles.

" Kiss me goodbye? " He asks.

I nod.

" You've got it, Handsome. " I say.

I press my lips to his, kissing him for the first time since before our fight.

" I'll see you soon. " I say.

He nods.

" I'll see you then. " He says.

I step away, allowing the anesthesiologist to put him under. Chief Williams approaches Tobias.

" Okay, Tobias. Can you do me one more favor? I'm gonna have you count down from ten to one for me. Think you can do that? " He asks.

Tobias nods. He starts to countdown and I approach Zeke.

" Doctor Clark, you stay with Tobias. Keep us updated on any changes with him. " Chief Williams says.

Doctor Clark nods.

" Okay, everyone, this is Ezekial Pedrad. He's a police officer with the Homicide Detective squadron. He's been shot in the abdomen and beaten with a blunt object. On the films, we noticed internal hemorrhaging in the abdominal cavity. When we get in there, Team A is going to start removing the pellets from the abdomen, there should be about 15 of them. Team B is going to remove the pooling blood and fix the internal tear wherever it may be. Then, we close him up and move onto Tobias. " Chief Williams says.

Everyone nods. They open the abdomen and my heart begins to pound in my chest as I imagine this surgery on Tobias.

" Retractors. " Bryan says.

I watch as they hold Zeke's abdomen open. Doctor Casen starts to search for the pellets and Dr. Smith starts to clean out the blood from the abdominal cavity. I count as I hear each pellet hit the metal basin with a metallic clink. Suddenly, the room is silent and I open my eyes. Zeke looks as if he was never even cut open.

" Good job everyone. Ezekiel should heal up very well. " Chief Williams says. " Christina, wheel him down to Post-Op. "

Everyone moves away and changes gloves.

" Tris, you ready for this? " Chief Williams asks.

I nod.

" Of course, Chief. I just--When I woke up this morning, I never expected to be operating on my Husband. My husband who had been missing for what felt like forever--what was forever. But, any time with him is better than him being missing. " I say.

He nods.

" Okay, everyone. This is Detective Tobias Eaton, husband of our wonderful Beatrice Eaton. He was nearly drowned in a bathtub full of cold water and pigs' blood. He's had previous injuries in a previous abduction. He has also been shot. In this operation, Team A will remove the pellets again--another 15 of them. Team B, however, is going to do a Bronchoscopy to see if there is any water in the lungs. If there is, they will remove the water with a suction tube. We close him up and send him to recovery. " He says.

They start.

" Retractors. " Bryan says.

I close my eyes. I can't look at my husband, the love of my life, lying helplessly on that table, open and exposed. I can't watch him lay there in pain. I won't. I listen to the metallic clink of the pellets against the metal basin. I count them just like I did with Zeke.

Eight.
Forceps.
Nine.
Suction.
Ten.
Ten Blade.
Eleven.
Uh, Doctor Smith, his B.P. is dropping. We're losing him.