by Sherie Keys
Lucas opened his eyes at the sound of the door and attempted a smile that quickly faltered in pain.
“Hey guys.” His voice was barely audible.
“Morning Lucas, you’ve had a rough morning so far, huh?” she asked as she approached his bedside and picked up his chart.
Michael stood on the other side and gave his brother a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder.
“You know you can’t be pulling this shit, right?” he joked as he tried to lighten the sorrowful mood.
Lucas gave a weak smile but couldn’t manage a response. Catherine reviewed his chart. The symptoms and the scan that had just come back weren’t good. The tumor had grown and was pressing more on his brain. She gave Michael an anxious look, and his eyes met hers, narrowed in worry.
Before she could begin to go over what she had discovered, Lucas suddenly began to shake. His eyes rolled back, and he convulsed as another seizure ripped through his body and made him grow rigid. Catherine slammed the alarm button for the nurse. Michael grabbed his brother and held onto him as he watched helplessly.
In a flurry of motion, the doctors and nurses rushed in and surrounded him. Catherine stepped back and let them work. She knew they could only do so much for him as he went through it. She waited in silence as Michael cooed soothing words to his baby brother. Even after the motions stopped, he still clung to Lucas, who was panting with closed eyes. She felt her stomach turn and clench—she knew they needed to do this surgery as soon as possible. If Lucas continued to be rocked by this much stress, he’d suffer that much more damage. And with how quickly the seizures were coming, they couldn’t afford to wait.
She opened the door and slipped out while the medical team and Michael remained with Lucas. She pulled out her phone and called her team leader, Dr. Seeley. She gave him the update and ordered him to inform the rest of the team that they would be performing the operation immediately. He needed to assemble all the team members and get them in the operating room as quickly as possible.
She called George next and told him to have the robotic assist moved from the lab to the operating room as soon as he could. She let him know what was going on, and he told her it would be set up and ready within two hours. She thanked him and hung up, just as Michael slipped out of the room and stepped in front of her.
“What’s the update?” he asked as he ran a nervous hand through his hair.
“I called Dr. Seeley and George, we’re going to have everything assembled within three hours, then we’re going in.”
He paused, pale and anxious, “Now?”
She stepped forward, grabbed his hands in hers, and met his gaze. “Now or never, handsome.”
He stepped back, letting go of her hands. He paced in the hall and continued to bite his lip as he glanced to the door.
“Michael, I understand—”
“You understand nothing!” he snapped coldly.
She felt like an arrow had just pierced her heart. She hadn’t been prepared for such a reaction, and his words stung. She looked at him and recognized that the calm, level-headed man she had come to know was suffering. His pain as he watched his baby brother’s life slip between his fingers was palpable, and her own pain was quickly replaced with empathy. He was reacting as one does with grief—angrily. He went to take another pacing step forward, but she grabbed his arm and squeezed it tightly. Her eyes met his in determination.
“I may not understand what it’s like to have a baby brother with a brain tumor, but I am the brain surgeon leading this operation, and I understand we are going to go in there in a few hours and pull that mass out. You need to trust me that this is the right thing to do, worrying about it won’t do any good. You need to go be with your brother now and let me handle the rest.”
He stopped. His face relaxed, and he gave her an apologetic look then clasped her hand. “I’m sorry. You get to work, I’ll hold the fort here.”
He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “I’ll see you in a bit,” he whispered.
The next few hours were a whirlwind of events. The ambulance had to transport Lucas to the operating room at the lab, all while the team worked furiously to assemble the equipment and tools needed for the surgery. Catherine worked with them to get everything set up, knowing they were as ready as they were going to be for this event. George and his team put the robotic assist in place, and then began running test after test to make sure it was functioning correctly.
“How are we looking, George?” Catherine shouted over her shoulder as she helped one of the nurses set up the equipment.
He gave her a thumbs up. “She’s working beautifully, Dr. Ruby.”
“That’s what I like to hear!” She gave him a broad smile.
“Nurse Lockley, how’s the team coming together over there?”
The older, native woman stoically turned to her. “Everyone here and accounted for, Dr. Ruby. We’ll be up and running in time.”
“Excellent, thank you.”
She looked around at the group—this was by far the largest she had worked with in any event. She felt her heart flutter in both excitement and anxiety. While so much was at stake, this was also the biggest operation of her career. She wasn’t interested in the press. What she wanted was the success. She knew if this worked, it would be absolutely life changing for so many people. She felt herself take a deep breath. She was going to make this work.
“Dr. Seeley, do I have all my specialists lined up and ready for action?”
The older doctor with white hair, a wrinkled face, and thick glasses gave her a nod., “Everyone is here and at the ready, Dr. Ruby.”
“Perfect.”
She walked toward the robotic assist she’d be using. The tool had almost taken on a personality as she had worked with it over the last few weeks. It was like an extension of her now, the arms and fingers just like hers as she worked from behind the screen. She laid a hand on the sleek, white casing and felt the cool metal against her warm flesh.
“Let’s do this.”
She turned around and found the faces of her team members watching her—the nurses, doctors, and tech personnel all looked to her for a final word. Lucas had just arrived and was about to go into pre-op. She looked around at all of them with a small smile, her eyes honest and soft.
“Thank you, everyone, for being here today. We knew this could happen, and I’m glad you were all able to make it without any glitches. I know we’re ready for this, I know we can pull this off. I want you all to remember you are here for a reason, and you’re going to help pull off a new era of medicine. You’re going to make history today.”
She paused and let the words linger for a moment.
“And I hope that we not only make history, I hope that today, we can save a man’s life. Because that’s what this is all about, saving lives. If we can save his, imagine the millions more we can save in the future.”
They looked to her with smiles and nodded. They understood, and she felt the absolute connection of one mission in the room. She knew it was time.
“Good luck, everyone. Let’s do this.”
***
Michael anxiously paced the viewing room. The operating room had been completely set up, with Lucas put under anesthesia and laid on the table under the robotic assist. The room was filled with people, but only a few were next to his brother; the rest watched his vitals and stood ready to adjust as needed. Catherine sat behind the screen of the robotic assist, hooked to a microphone which enabled her to give instructions and narrate throughout the process.
He watched her and knew, without a doubt, he had chosen the right woman for this job. She gave him a final, warm look from behind her mask and glasses and nodded.
“Alright, we’re going to start by making the incision, then drilling a small hole in the skull to access the brain.”
She turned to the screen, put her hands in the mimic gloves, and the robot came to life with a grace and smoothness that only the merging of woman and machine could brin
g. The tiny tools sliced an incision then the small drill whirled to life to cut through bone.
Michael felt his stomach churn—while he had witnessed this type of procedure before, it was never his baby brother lying on the table. He felt bile form at the back of his throat. Every possible scenario played in his mind, and he clenched his fists in worry. He had to let it play out. He knew that his racing thoughts wouldn’t do any good—they wouldn’t help Catherine or his brother. All he could do was wait and watch.
The incision dragged on, the small tools taking care to avoid making any nicks that would cause damage. Catherine worked meticulously from behind the monitor, her narrowed view of her work place clearer than her own eyes could ever manage. With a last swipe of her blade, the hole was made.
“Ok, this is a little bit different than watermelons,” she joked.
“Now, we’re going to begin the process of working toward the tumor. The team will switch the tools and we’re going to do a check on vitals, then we’ll begin. This is going to take the most time, because we are going to carefully navigate through the folds and attempt to avoid damaging any part of the brain tissue.”
The team quickly got to work. Tech went up and changed out the tools, while the nurses and doctors took their readings and checked over Lucas. A sheet hung at his hairline and divided the top of his head from the rest of his pale body, which lay motionless on the table. The bright, white lights and attention were all focused on his now-shaved head. The small, neat opening didn’t bleed, though the pink matter of his brain was now visible.
After the equipment change and vitals check, Catherine returned to the monitor. The team returned to their places and waited patiently as she put her hands to work. Michael felt himself holding his breath and released it as the tools neared Lucas’ brain.
“And now, we begin.”
The hours passed incredibly slowly. Michael could see exactly what was going on as she worked, courtesy of a large monitor which hung in the room receiving feed from the tiny camera fixed on the tool kit. It could be tough to watch, as the little metal fingers made their way through pink, soft matter. He knew that was his brother’s brain—his life—that they were carefully penetrating. Still, it was fascinating to him, and he realized the immense power of it all as he watched the procedure play out before him.
He took a seat, exhausted after hours of tense pacing and worrying, and let his hands run over his face. He swallowed hard and looked at his watch. Six hours had already passed, and there were at least six more to go. But he knew he wasn’t going anywhere—as long as Catherine and the team were in there, he would wait. He didn’t want to leave this room—hell, he would be in there holding his brother’s hand if he could. But he knew Lucas was in capable hands; the team expertly waited and worked over him as they continued to press forward.
He stared at his brother’s face, or what could be seen of it. Tubes and wires dressed his entire being; he didn’t even resemble the boisterous younger sibling he had grown up with—flushed and full of life, a whirlwind of motion, his constant game buddy. Lucas was the one he was always going on adventures with, getting in trouble with, or running from the cops with after tagging a wall under the bridge back home.
The memories flooded his mind, years of them at each other’s side. He remembered the early days of their company as they brought it all together, one piece at a time. The first sale and the first year of success were brought about by a true effort from them both. And then years later, after many successes, the drive Lucas brought had always kept him going.
This tumor had taken a toll on both of them, but Lucas had handled it in stride. He had been calm about all of it. Michael was sure that internally his brother had grief and emotions to contend with, but his exterior had always been calm, taking in the events as they played out. But when they had talked that day, Lucas had been teary-eyed and exhausted from the seizures. Michael had cried too. It was the culmination of everything that had brought them there—they knew it could very well be the last time they were together.
Lucas’ final words rung in Michael’s head as he watched on the screen as the pink tissue turned to an angry, red bulge and Catherine announced they were about to begin extracting the mass.
“Michael, if this is it, I’m okay. I did everything I wanted to do. I met so many amazing people. I had friends, a family that loved me. I traveled the world and saw so much. I was able to be a part of history, that’s not something everyone can say. But mostly, I’m really okay, because, I’ve done it. I’ve helped people live better lives, and really, that’s all you can ask for in life.”
Chapter8
Catherine had hit a wall. She knew she had to push through it, but her eyes strained in painful fatigue and her fingers ached from using the machine. They were eight hours in, and they had just finished the last check to make sure any tentacles that held the tumor in place had been cleared away. Now it was time to begin the process of pulling the tumor out. This was going to be just as tedious as going in, only now she had to make sure the mass itself didn’t snag or pull any tissue on the small path they had created.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She let herself relax for a moment as she collected herself. The room seemed to be at a standstill. The team held their breath as they waited for her to continue. With a quick squaring of her shoulders, she got back to work.
Over the next few hours, she delicately worked the mass toward the opening. She felt each little movement, the friction of the mass against the tight, pink tissue. Each meticulous motion was sure to not damage the surrounding area. But the screech of a sudden alarm made her freeze.
“We have a drop in blood pressure and pulse,” the cardiologist reported as he stepped forward.
“Tell me what’s happening, people.”
“Not sure, we need to bring these levels back to normal.”
“Let me get this tool out of there or you risk damaging the brain.”
Catherine released the mass and pulled the mechanical fingers out delicately. The cardiology team rushed forward. The alarms picked up and a sudden, familiar screech filled the air and made her heart skip a beat.
“He has no pulse, we need the defibrillator now!”
She looked through the window and saw Michael pressed against the glass, his eyes frantic as he watched the scene play out. Catherine knew she had to let her team do what they did best, but her heart raced as her patient’s life hung in the balance. His heart had stopped—this wasn’t normal or supposed to happen, but she’d known it was possible. His organs were fatigued, and the pressure was on.
“Clear!” they shouted, as they hit him with the electric shock. His body seized, but the alarm continued.
“Hit him again!”
His body seized again, but the screech continued to fill the heavy air.
“Come on, Lucas. You can pull through this,” Catherine whispered, her eyes looking to Michael as he slammed a fist against the glass in frustration.
“Again!”
A sudden wave went through the pale, frail body on the table, but then suddenly the normal, rhythmic beeps of his heart began to fill the air. The team seemed to hold their breath as they waited, two doctors eying the machines as his vitals seemed to return to normal. Catherine felt her tense body begin to relax as his breathing continued and the heartbeat evened out. She looked to Doctor Seeley, who gave a nod and let out a breath.
“He’s stabilized, you can proceed.”
Catherine nodded and returned to the machine. She put her hands in the gloves and felt the machine hum to life.
“Alright everyone, we’re going to continue with the extraction. Let’s hope it’s smooth sailing from here on out.”
With her energy revitalized and her focus crystal clear, she got to work. She had never felt like this for any other operation. Suddenly her senses were on fire, and the machine and she were truly one. The tiny tools worked effortlessly as she instructed them to do so. Her eyes were no longer fat
igued, and she felt her mind zone in on the last leg of this endeavor.
She glanced to Lucas. They had almost lost him, but she knew now that they weren’t going to. He was a fighter, and she was in this for him and Michael. There was no way now she was going to let this awful disease take him. She felt her pace quicken. Eyes raced over the screen and the minutes seemed to fly by as centimeter by centimeter she pulled the lump of matter from his skull.
The team watched with wide eyes as the tumor, clenched firmly in the fingers of robot, appeared from the tiny hole in Lucas’ skull. The thing was no larger than a grape but burned an angry, sickly red. Catherine didn’t miss a beat as she dropped it on the cloth-covered, metal sheet.
“Ok, we’ve removed the main mass. We’re going to go in with the lens and take a look around to ensure we didn’t miss anything.”