Chapter 87 - Code Blue
"It’s nearly midnight and no sign of Medo and Miranda," Simon said, "This is a good thing, I think."
"Glad someone is having a better night than I am," Roland said, "You three have cleaned me out."
"Eh," Stacy shrugged, "It was all in good fun, Roland."
"True," Roland said, "Most fun I had losing my shirt in ages."
"How is he looking, Toria?" Simon asked her, "You’ve been staring at him and taking vital signs for an hour now."
"His signs are going down," Toria said, "His pressure is dropping as well as his post. I think I might be losing him."
"I hope not," Roland said, "But you’ve done all you can."
"We just need to watch him closely for a while," Stacy said, "When is the last time you slept, Toria?"
"I caught a nap just before you came in," Toria chuckled, "I just don’t want to leave him like this."
"You’re not going to do him any good if you’re half dead, Toria," Roland told her, "You’ve done your best. Sleep a little."
"I guess you’re right," Toria sighed, "I just don’t want to go away until Medo and Miranda come back."
"If we were right on them," Stacy said, "They may not come back tonight. Those beds out in the ward are actually pretty comfortable. We’ll watch him all night and if anything happens we’ll wake you."
"I…" Toria said than sighed, "Ok, you’re right. I’ll get some sleep now."
Toria headed over to the door and was about to plunk herself down on one of the beds when she heard a gasp. She was up like a shot and back into the room. Massimaferro began going into a seizure. Stacy was trying to hold on to Massimaferro and keep him from hurting himself, but Simon and Roland were clueless as to what to do.
"On the third shelf on the far left bookcase in my workroom," Toria instructed Simon, "There’s a package of syringes. Get them. Quick!"
"On it!" Simon exclaimed and ran out of the room.
"Anything I can do?" Roland asked.
"Keep his chest steady so I can check him," Toria ordered, "Help Stacy."
Roland did as he was told and went over to hold him down. Toria listened to the Mullinix’s heartbeat and knew that he was going into arrest. She started a heart massage and yelled for Simon to hurry up with the needles.
"He’s going into cardiac arrest," Toria exclaimed, "I’m going to have to do CPR. I need you two to hold him down so I can do it."
"I’ve got this arm," Stacy said, "You got him on that side, Roland?"
"As best I can," Roland said, "He’s fighting me."
"His body doesn’t know what it’s doing anymore," Toria grunted, "Simon!"
"I’m here," he said, bringing in the bag, "I didn’t know which one you wanted so I brought them all."
"Give me the purple one," Toria told him, glad for his thoughtfulness, "There’s an intubation device in there, long pipe thing that is attached to a rubber squeeze device."
"Here it is," Simon said, handing it to Toria, "What can I do?"
"Bring the bags over here and get behind them," Toria instructed him, "You’re going to squeeze this ball when I intubate him. Got it?"
"Anything you say," Simon told her, following instructions.
Toria pushed the device down Massimaferro’s throat and pushed on it a few times to get some air down there. She showed Simon quickly how to operate it and then moved to his chest.
"When I tell you," Toria told him, "Push on the ball three times, and then let me do chest compressions again."
Simon nodded and she started the series of compressions. She pushed a few times and then nodded at Simon to hit the ball while she rested for a minute. While Simon was pushing on the ball she opened another one of the bags to get out a needle of adrenalin, knowing that that might become a last ditch effort.
"Stop," Toria told him and started pushing again, "Live! You can’t give up on us now!"
"Come on Massy," Roland said, "You can do it."
"Don’t do this to Medo," Simon said, "Come on guy, you can make it!"
Stacy and Toria said nothing as they continued to work. Stacy was having a hell of a time just holding on to Massy’s arm, as he was convulsing so heavily now. He’d almost broken the tube with his teeth as Toria stopped compressions and tried to listen to his heartbeat, which was still badly erratic.
"Goddamn it," Toria said, "I’m not going to let you go that easy, not when it will cost my sister her freedom. Live you son of a bitch!"
Toria, some tears welling in her eyes, but determination winning out as she continued. She reached for the adrenalin needle and jammed it into his chest, releasing the contents into Massimaferro’s weakening heart to try to jolt it back to life. Massimaferro’s shuddering continued as the adrenalin surged in his system, but it didn’t have the desired effect.
"Come on!" Toria yelled, "Live!"
Unfortunately, Toria was losing the fight. Massimaferro’s body had been racked too heavily by the allergic reactions to fight any further. His heart, unknown to everyone, had not been in the best of shape before and was giving out under the strain. Toria kept fighting, however, doing her best to keep the Mullinix alive.
Eventually, though, Stacy and Roland stopped holding on to Massimaferro’s arms as they stopped fighting. Simon kept doing what he was told, but it was apparent that the tide had turned, and the war was quickly being lost. It took another fifteen minutes of trying before Roland decided it was time to stop Toria.
"He’s gone, Toria," Roland said quietly, stopping her as she went for another needle, "He has been down too long."
"Oh gods," Toria said, crying a little, "I’m sorry. So sorry."
"You have nothing to apologize for," Stacy said quietly, pulling Toria from her position on top of Massimaferro, "You worked as hard as any Medico could to save him. It wasn’t your fault he was too far gone to be saved."
"What do we tell them?" Toria said, "How?"
"We don’t right now," Simon said, "Medo and Miranda are still out. I, for one, am not going to interrupt them to tell them this."
"He’s right," Stacy said, "There’s no need to ruin their night."
"Especially considering what’s going to happen next," Roland said, "I agree, let them enjoy each other without having this hanging over their heads."
"I need to prepare the body," Toria said, sighing, "It’s the least I can do."
"I’ll help," Stacy offered, "They can keep watch for Medo and Miranda while we do it."
"Ok," Toria nodded, "I hate this part of my job…"
"You think you’ve got it bad?" Simon said, "Medo and Miranda are the ones who are really screwed now."
There was a general murmur of agreement as they all went along to do the things they needed to do in the wake of the death of a Mullinix.
The Mullinix Book 1: Ascension Page 91