[Immunity] David Kay - Ch.8: TheShadowOfTheScan

Instructions

Something happened. A loud shrill alarm ranged from the machines hooked up to Annie. Deacon shouted for the nurses, fear spiking through him like a needle in fabric. It was mere seconds, the alarm still sounding, when four nurses came in. Annie's heart rate was dropping severely. From the 70's to the 40's. Deacon watched intencely, while one nurse did chest compressions on annie's chest. "Come on sweetheart, don't give up on me!" The nurse said. Deacon bit down on his knuckle, tears burning in the back of his eyes. "Come on Annie....." He thought, swallowing the lump he felt forming in his throat. Then. beep.....beep.....beep. Her heart rate went back to normal. Deacon released a breath he never realized he was holding. One nurse turned to him. "We need to take her in for a emergency surgery. We don't know what happpened, but it could be serious if we don't..." Deacon could only nod, just as the nurse turned and helped the others wheel Annie out of the room and back through the OR doors... ... The hallway outside the imaging suite was cluttered with that sharp smell of antiseptic and cold metal. Deacon paced back and forth on the slick floor, his boots making uneven scuffing sounds. Every few seconds, he shot a glance at the door Annie had just gone through, as if staring at it long enough could make it swing open. It felt like forever since the nurses rushed her inside for an emergency surgery. She was just doing fine. The doctor just said she moved! A finger twitch! That was something! Now it might all just be for nothing. All because something went wrong. Of course something had to go wrong. Just when she was just starting to get better. Hondo stood nearby with his arms crossed, watching silently. He knew that whatever he might say wouldn't really help. After what felt like forever—but was only about fifteen minutes—the door finally opened. Dr. Mendez walked out, still wearing the lead vest from the scan. Her expression was all business, which sent a chill down Deacon's spine. "What did you find?" he asked, urgency in his voice. She didn't answer right away. Instead, she pointed to a private alcove where a monitor was mounted on the wall. "Come here." Deacon's heart raced as he moved closer, and Hondo followed behind. The doctor tapped the screen, pulling up an image of Annie's brain—gray and white swirls forming shapes that made little sense to Deacon. But there was something obvious: a dark patch on the right side, dense and spreading. "There," Dr. Mendez said quietly, pointing. "That wasn't there during the last scan." Deacon stared in disbelief, his breath hitching. "What is it?" "A blood accumulation," she explained. "A re-bleed. It's likely from a weak vessel near the original injury. The extra pressure in her head caused her heart to destabilize." Hondo let out a low breath. "How bad is it?" Dr. Mendez took a steady breath. "Bad." Deacon's jaw tightened. "Fix it." "We're going to try," she said. "But I need your consent, Sergeant Kay. Right now." He faced her fully. "What are her chances?" The doctor paused, just for a moment, but it felt like forever. "Tell me," he insisted, his voice cracking. "No beating around the bush. I need to hear the truth." Dr. Mendez met his gaze directly. "If we operate immediately, there's a chance she pulls through. A small chance, but it's real." "And if you don't operate?" "She won't make it through the next hour." Deacon took a step back, feeling like the air had been knocked out of him. Hondo grabbed his arm to steady him. Dr. Mendez continued, gentle but firm. "This surgery is high-risk. There's a possibility of stroke, memory loss, motor issues. She might wake up changed or not wake up at all." Deacon felt like he was choking. "She needs this surgery," Dr. Mendez said. "Right now. Or she won't survive."