"You know, John," pondered Dr. Tesh, "if her people knew better to keep some fluids in her, I wouldn't have to give her a liver transplant."
Dr. Holliday only replied with, "Heh...no kidding." He then turned to the nurse at the monitor, "how is she, Susan?"
"Stabile, Doctor Holliday. Her BP is 112 over 70," answered the nurse, "the fluid and blood have made the difference."
Nodding his approval, he entered the infected bullet wound in her right shoulder with an extractor. He could feel it resting against her clavicle. He made a slight wiggle as he gave a gentle push as he set his extractor around it. He then pulled up and removed the extractor with a bullet in the teeth. He then placed the slug on a plate and began treating the wound. He flushed it first with some water and then treated it and the infection with a cypholasporin.
"Why cypholasporin, Dr. Holliday?" asked Susan.
"When you don't know if someone is allergic to penecillin or not, you use something else," he answered. She just nodded her understanding.
Dr. Tesh himself was in the process of a liver transplant, a job he had done numerous times before with an assist from a nurse. Next to him was a blue aluminum box packed with ice that held the new liver she would receive. All blood supplies to the liver were clamped as he cut the tissues that held it within her. After several minutes, it was free and removed. He then opened the case and inspected the liver packed in the ice. Removing all ice fragments from it, he began the process of putting it in. A laser suturing tool was used to sew it into place. Gradually, the clamps were removed, one by one, allowing blood to flow into it. Finishing his last suture, he released the final clamp and made sure it wasn't bleeding. He smiled under his mask, satisfied in his work. An injection of cyclosporine was then injected into her I.V. to prevent rejection.
Before that, he had sutured several of the internal wounds inside her body that were bleeding. One rib was so broken that a stainless steel brace was installed to keep it from piercing her heart. A tube was also inserted into her left lung to relieve a collapsed lung. At this point, all sources of internal bleeding had been sucessfully addressed.
During surgery, a team of nurses immersed her hands and feet in especially designed buckets of water heated to forty degrees centigrade to address the frostbite on her fingers and toes. The immediate affects of it were treated but only time would tell how serious, if any, of the tissue damage would be. Once they finished, her hands and feet were wrapped in bandages with extra care being given to her shattered left arm and broken right leg.
Together, both doctors inspected each other's work and began to close her up. The laser suturing tool made it easy and left no scarring. Still, they couldn't help but notice the burns left over her body.
"If nothing else," commented Dr. Tesh, "we have stabilized her."
"Mmhm," answered Doctor Holliday, "such a pretty girl too. What a shame."
Much had been accomplished after 12 hours of surgery, much of which had to be done the old fashioned way. She was kept comatose as they would return a few days later to address the shattered left arm and leg. While serious themselves, her other injuries weren't life threatening and would be handled later.
As for the burns, Doc just grinned to himself knowing the burn treatment scanner that he had, the same machine that gave the lives back of some 400 Zoners after the Freeport bombings. For now, both men decided to take a break and address their need for food. Before they left, instructions were left to nurse Susan.
"I want someone with her at all times, no exceptions," instructed Doc, "if anything changes, no matter how small, call one of us."
"Yes, Doctor," she replied in acknowledgment.
With that, the two men left.......for now.