Gunshots and related questions
Hello all. I've wandered into the NCIS fandom and I find myself confused before I even start my fic.
Some background:
At the end of season 5, our lovely Director Shepard gets gunned down by four guys in a diner carrying ordinary 9mms. There are no specifics, of course, and since they don't ever really show her dead (a pulse-check shot and a shot of a closed body bag in the morgue), I want to have her come out alive. She's not returning to her old life, just starting over as a regular member of society.
Now, on to the questions.
She gets shot by four guys, two from the front and two from the back. From the sound in the episode, there are a lot of bullets flying around (though some are hers). What kind of injuries could she sustain and still come out alive? And I'm thinking just barely, needing to be brought back at times. The only thing I've established is she has a surgical scar down her front. An injury to the heart, maybe or would there be another reason for thoracic surgery? These guys are trained assassins, so they're shooting to kill. Her injuries would likely be all upper body, centrally located (though bad guys on TV are notoriously bad shots). Lung injuries are a guarantee. Is it possible to survive having multiple bullets penetrate the lungs?
Also, I saw in my research that someone with a chest wound can be released from the hospital after a week or so. Let's say she's had heart surgery, would this week time frame still hold true or would it be longer? And would she be unconscious at all post-op? Could she be conscious and relatively coherent a couple days after?
I read through most of the pseudo-relevant gunshot posts here, so I found a lot of information on the physical effects down the road and a lot of information on bullets. I also have the Body Trauma for Writers book, but it's packed up and I can't get to it. From past research, I know about pneumothorax and things along those lines. Even just pointing me in the direction of some search terms would be helpful. I feel like what I'm asking is fairly situation-specific.
Some background:
At the end of season 5, our lovely Director Shepard gets gunned down by four guys in a diner carrying ordinary 9mms. There are no specifics, of course, and since they don't ever really show her dead (a pulse-check shot and a shot of a closed body bag in the morgue), I want to have her come out alive. She's not returning to her old life, just starting over as a regular member of society.
Now, on to the questions.
She gets shot by four guys, two from the front and two from the back. From the sound in the episode, there are a lot of bullets flying around (though some are hers). What kind of injuries could she sustain and still come out alive? And I'm thinking just barely, needing to be brought back at times. The only thing I've established is she has a surgical scar down her front. An injury to the heart, maybe or would there be another reason for thoracic surgery? These guys are trained assassins, so they're shooting to kill. Her injuries would likely be all upper body, centrally located (though bad guys on TV are notoriously bad shots). Lung injuries are a guarantee. Is it possible to survive having multiple bullets penetrate the lungs?
Also, I saw in my research that someone with a chest wound can be released from the hospital after a week or so. Let's say she's had heart surgery, would this week time frame still hold true or would it be longer? And would she be unconscious at all post-op? Could she be conscious and relatively coherent a couple days after?
I read through most of the pseudo-relevant gunshot posts here, so I found a lot of information on the physical effects down the road and a lot of information on bullets. I also have the Body Trauma for Writers book, but it's packed up and I can't get to it. From past research, I know about pneumothorax and things along those lines. Even just pointing me in the direction of some search terms would be helpful. I feel like what I'm asking is fairly situation-specific.