Chapter 50

Flashback – Jack and Ben – The trip to hell ... at the hospital.

I sure as hell didn't like that Banzai told the Butterbar that he had never done this procedure so I complained, "Banzai, what the hell are you planning to do?"

Banzai replied, "Jack, I need to find the bleeder in your ass, and suture the fucker."

I continued the complaints, "What the fuck am I your guinea pig?"

Banzai said, "Hell no! I've done this before on cadavers, just never on a live human."

I began to turn to object but the Butterbar ordered, "Sgt. Reynolds you will stay still or I will inform Colonel Maggie of your insubordination."

Banzai said...

Jack was being his usual pain in the ass self, thank God the Butterbar gave him shit so I didn't need to. I prepared a morphine injection and some lidocaine and said, "Jack, after this you shouldn't feel a thing."

I nailed his leg with the morphine, and injected the lidocaine in his ass adjacent to the wound from the shrapnel.

Jack jumped and swore, "I thought you said this wasn't going to hurt."

I laughed and said, "So I lied! Give it a few minutes."

Jack continued, "Perhaps you should have..."

He lapsed into unconsciousness, I looked at the Butterbar and asked, "Are you ready?"

He asked, "What can I do?"

I answered, "First we need to clean the hell out of our hands." I pulled a bottle of vodka out of the UOP, opened the lid, poured some on my hands and motioned to the Butterbar to hold out his hands. As he did, I poured some over his hands and he asked, "Why are you using vodka?"

I took a big swig and answered, "Because it works externally and internally. Now let's glove up."

I prepared the surgical tray, gloved up and took over holding the bandage. The Butterbar gloved up and I said, "Okay, when we take the bandage off, he's going to bleed like hell. I need to reach into the wound and try to feel for the bleeder."

I nodded at the Butterbar, he pulled off the bandage and the blood shot out of Jack's ass. I reached into the wound from the shrapnel and begin to feel for the bleeder. I must have done something right because the blood stopped spraying.

I looked at the Butterbar and said, "You need to put your hand behind mine and follow your fingers down to my index finger. It's the one that's covering the bleeder. I will slip my hand out of the way and prepare the suture."

For a fucking green Butterbar, he surprised me and followed directions to a T. Once I was sure his index finger was on the bleeder, I slipped my hand out of the wound in Jack's ass and prepared the suture tray.

I looked at the Butterbar and ordered, "Okay, I'm ready. Once I start the suture, you need to try to mop up the blood so I can see and feel what I'm doing. But be careful that I don't nick you with the needle."

He pulled his hands away, I reached in, found the bleeder and began the suture while the Butterbar did a hell of a job controlling the bleeding. One, two, three sutures and the bleeding slowed up. I looked at the Butterbar and said, "Okay, find the flashlight in the UOP and let's take a look at things."

He quickly found the flashlight (I was glad because I had forgotten to pull it out) flipped it on and we examined the wound in Jack's ass. I noticed something and pointed it out, "It looks like I need to add one more suture then I am done."

The Butterbar asked, "Sgt. Blaine I am amazed, where did you learn how to do this?"

I smiled at him, added the last suture and said, "Jack and I were on so many LRPs that I figured we needed someone with some medical skills. I started studying, enjoyed it and continued."

The Butterbar asked, "What's next?"

I said, "We give Jack a few doses of antibiotic and then pack the wound with dressing."

He wisely asked, "So you're not going to close it?"

I smiled and said, "Nope, they would have to cut it open again at the base. By the way, I didn't tell you but you're my new spotter because Jack is headed back to the base to have this checked out."

The Butterbar asked, "How do you expect the Captain to approve that?"

I gave him my shit eating grin and said, "That's your problem." And then I motioned toward the roof.

He left to find the Captain and swore on his way...

Flashback – Masha – A short but sweet...

I began to check our house and realized – to my chagrin – it was not very secure and was almost impossible to secure in a timely manner. Jack and Ben had told me this was a 'rancher' style house with everything on one level but I never considered how impossible it made it to defend. твою мать! My first concern was Linda as she needed to stay safe even at the expense of my life! I made the decision to barricade both of us in the extra bedroom which contained Jack's gun safe and ammunition.

I quickly put a mattress against the window, moved Linda into the room in her car seat, opened Jack's safe and withdrew more guns and ammunition than any sane person should need. I set Linda with her car seat in the open safe door, closed it slightly so she would be protected from any gun fire then I decided to do one more thing.

I pushed the desk in the room against the door, then I called Louise at the store and told her what was happening. Louise offered, "Masha, I can come right over to the house and pickup Linda."

I replied, "Louise, I do not feel there is enough time for you to arrive before the hooligan girls get here. I promise you as your adopted sister and Linda's adopted aunt that they will not injure her."

Louise suggests, "Perhaps we should call the police?"

I thought about it a moment (but because of my Russian distrust of the police dismissed it) and said, "Louise because they are not here yet, calling the police would be an exercise in futility."

Then Louise suggested something I had not considered, "What if you called the 'good' policemen who brought you to the store?"

That was a great idea, however the problem was their business card was in my purse which was in the kitchen. I said, "Louise..."

Then the phone died in the middle of our conversation. I pushed the button on the phone many times but never received the dial tone. I knew that the hooligan girls had arrived.

Flashback – Jennifer and Glen – the next day

I heard the door to my bathroom open and started to complain, "I don't know who's..."

Then I screamed like crazy because someone tossed cold water over the top of the shower! I yelled, "Someone is going to get their rear kicked!"

I heard Daniela order, "Ms. Jennifer, you will not talk to me or your father that way! Now exit the shower or I will throw more cold water on you."

At least it was Daniela and not Daddy! I would have been sooooo embarrassed if Daddy had come into my bathroom. I flung open the shower door, glared at Daniela and complained, "If you ever..."

Daniela threw the rest of the bucket of cold water she was holding on me she was holding, I screamed again, Daniela laughed and stated, "Ms. Jennifer, I have more cold water to calm that hot temper of yours. Now get out of the shower and get dressed. You are making your father late."