Ramon has resigned himself to simply hanging limply off of Hippolyta, one arm around her shoulder, lopsidedly putting more weight on his uninjured leg. He's looking MUCH paler than usual and that's probably due to the fact that a considerable amount of his blood is leaking out of the bullet wound under his gauze-wrapped knee.
One eye is squinted shut as he pants in pain. He hates guns. And he hates Wade Wilson. He makes a short, pained groan when another small shift of his leg makes a new jolt of pain shoot up it.
She shifts her weight just so, and the next moment, Ramon's not putting ANY weight on either leg. She's scooped him up and is carrying him, one arm under his shoulders, the other under his thighs.
"It's okay, mi amor," she whispers. "We're gonna get you fixed up."
There's a loud "thump"--it sounds like some kind of a book or something has just been dropped on the floor, and then footsteps. Out of one of the rooms off the main labs she runs, trying to stop herself suddenly and skidding on the floor when they come into sight. Her eyes immediately search them both, then go to Ramon's knee, which is currently bleeding out through the gauze and all over Eiko's floor.
"RAMON!" It's a yell right by his ear, trying to snap him out of it. Now that he's gone limp, she can free that other hand from across his chest and up to his face. Making him look at her, even though his eyes aren't tracking. Then her voice drops down to a steady murmur, as she tries to get through to him.
"Ramon. Ramon. Ramon Salazar. Look at me. Please? You're not there anymore. No tests. Look! I'm here. I'm right here. Would I let that happen? Ramon, please, love, look at me. You're not there. You're at Eiko's. You're safe and I'm right here and I'm never going to let that happen to you again. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't stop him in time. I'm so sorry. Ramon, please, mi amor, look at me."
And, since she figures Becky's already figured it out, she kisses him softly.
Yeah, Becky's confused. So confused a part of her brain kind of bounces that visual off for a minute, and she dumps the slug and forceps onto the nearby pan filled with violet light for disinfecting. It's like her mind is trying to justify it in other ways, but, no... Hips just kissed him.
It kind of all made sense now.
She shakes it off, and turns away maybe a little unneccessarily.
"Beast," she calls, "I know Eiko has supplies to patch damaged arteries. How do I do it and what do I need?"
"Fifth drawer, under the scalpel set on top of the console. Look for the tube marked 'arterial seals', to the left of the tray marked 'artifical patellas'. It's a thick paste that sets quickly to seal the damaged area." There's a pause.
"Madame has received the beacon and is responding. She'll be here very shortly."
Ramon's gaze does indeed remain unfocused and bleary, lost in his flashbacks, as Hippolyta pleads with him to snap out of it. But there's a flicker of activity in his eyes a long moment after she kisses him. He makes a slow, trembling sigh against her lips, his eyes gradually shutting again.
His breathing hitches in a few quiet sobs. Then the hand clutching her shirt gradually loosens and then falls limply on the table. He continues to cry quietly and helplessly.
Becky ignores Hips' comment for now--she had no idea what she meant by that--and picks up a nearby metal tray and a pair of rubber-tipped tweezers. She places the tray on the table and brings the light a little closer, reaching aside for a pad of absorbent gauze. She peers close, swabbing the wound free of blood, removing a chunk of shattered kneecap or two and dropping them into the tray, then pats again and repeats until it's free of cartilage; two separate ends of bone, muscle and ligaments.
"It's ready," she says after a while, looking down at the tray and rattling the pieces of kneecap around in the pan. Looked like it was all there.
She dumps the instruments and disinfects her hands again.
Eiko returns with a tray. She looks. "Nice work, Becky." She then moves in, and the next part would result in agony for Ramon and horror for Hips.
"Look away, Hips. Really."
She tugs the leg a little, opening the space more, and eases a jelly-like substance between bones. The next part is realigning it all. She takes tremendous care with this. The next part is laboriously relocating damaged flesh where it belongs. Placing the kneecap is next, and just as much care is taken. More muscle put where it's belong and stitched with dissolving stitches.
The whole time, Eiko runs commentary quietly for Becky as to what she's doing and why.
Finally, there is stitching and bandaging. And Eiko takes a deep breath. "Okay. Done."
She looks at Becky. "Thank you for letting me assist, Dr. Chambers."
Hips, meanwhile, still has not come out of the bathroom. Whether this means she's still ralphing or if she's waiting for the 'all-clear' in terms of the surgery being over is anybody's guess.
Comments 82
Turning her face away from his, so as not to blow out his eardrums, Hips just bellows.
"BECKY! EMERGENCY!"
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One eye is squinted shut as he pants in pain. He hates guns. And he hates Wade Wilson. He makes a short, pained groan when another small shift of his leg makes a new jolt of pain shoot up it.
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"It's okay, mi amor," she whispers. "We're gonna get you fixed up."
Then, the bellowing again.
"BECKY!!"
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"...oh my God. What happened?!"
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"RAMON!" It's a yell right by his ear, trying to snap him out of it. Now that he's gone limp, she can free that other hand from across his chest and up to his face. Making him look at her, even though his eyes aren't tracking. Then her voice drops down to a steady murmur, as she tries to get through to him.
"Ramon. Ramon. Ramon Salazar. Look at me. Please? You're not there anymore. No tests. Look! I'm here. I'm right here. Would I let that happen? Ramon, please, love, look at me. You're not there. You're at Eiko's. You're safe and I'm right here and I'm never going to let that happen to you again. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't stop him in time. I'm so sorry. Ramon, please, mi amor, look at me."
And, since she figures Becky's already figured it out, she kisses him softly.
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It kind of all made sense now.
She shakes it off, and turns away maybe a little unneccessarily.
"Beast," she calls, "I know Eiko has supplies to patch damaged arteries. How do I do it and what do I need?"
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"Madame has received the beacon and is responding. She'll be here very shortly."
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His breathing hitches in a few quiet sobs. Then the hand clutching her shirt gradually loosens and then falls limply on the table. He continues to cry quietly and helplessly.
"...M'c-c-cold, Hi-Hippolyta..."
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And then she's running toward the nearest bathroom, one hand pressed to her mouth.
Poor Hips.
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"It's ready," she says after a while, looking down at the tray and rattling the pieces of kneecap around in the pan. Looked like it was all there.
She dumps the instruments and disinfects her hands again.
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"Look away, Hips. Really."
She tugs the leg a little, opening the space more, and eases a jelly-like substance between bones. The next part is realigning it all. She takes tremendous care with this. The next part is laboriously relocating damaged flesh where it belongs. Placing the kneecap is next, and just as much care is taken. More muscle put where it's belong and stitched with dissolving stitches.
The whole time, Eiko runs commentary quietly for Becky as to what she's doing and why.
Finally, there is stitching and bandaging. And Eiko takes a deep breath. "Okay. Done."
She looks at Becky. "Thank you for letting me assist, Dr. Chambers."
Reply
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