Prisoner in Time (Time travel) (69 page)

“It was all worth it,” he replied simply.

-----*-----*-----*-----

The Desperate Surgery – Part IV:
Conclusion

Year: 2033

…continued.

“SUCTION!
STAT!” he demanded.

Frantically, the two doctors worked to control the bleeding…

As blood spurt from the tiny incision, Dr. X moved the suctioning wand over the stream.

“Surgical padding and sponges,” Dr. X shouted.

Nurse Taylor instantly shoved the requested items into his hands. Wrapping the sterile padding around the rectangular hole in the skull, he worked to contain the excess blood. With the pads in place, he dotted the blood that pooled outside the tiny incision. Suddenly, Dr. Haskins shouted out a new alarm.

“His sats are dropping again. BP is eighty-five over fifty-seven, pulse forty-four and his pulse ox is seventy-eight.

“Hang a unit on the rapid infuser,” Dr. X shouted to Nurse Taylor. “Fifteen blade. We need to find that bleeder.”

Swiftly, Nurse Taylor handed the instrument to Dr. X, then hung the unit of blood on the I.V. stand.

Quickly, Dr. X made a semi-circular incision into the Dura membrane inside the cranial opening. With the blood now draining freely, he clipped the edge of the tissue with his forceps and pulled it back.

“Oh man, what a mess,” Dr. Acosta exclaimed.

“It just keeps getting worse,” Dr. X responded.

Both doctors stared at the opening in the skull. Sitting on top of the exposed brain matter, a massive dark-red hematoma pulsed.

“Intra-operative scope,” Dr. X demanded.

Nurse Taylor quickly pulled the microscope over to the operating table and positioned it above the patient. Dr. X brought his eyes to the lenses and adjusted his view over the craniotomy. With his magnified view, he immediately pulled at the hematoma, breaking off a small area of the clot and held it next to the suctioning wand. In a blink of eye, the reddened clump disappeared up the tube.

“I’ll take the suction. You work the irrigation,” Dr. X said abruptly.

Using his forceps and surgical spatula, Dr. X continued to break small parts of the blood clot off the patient’s brain and suction them up with his other hand. With each new particle removed, Dr. Acosta squirted a saline solution over the area, washing away blood and loose debris. Twenty minutes later, the hematoma seemed to grow in size as the brain’s internal pressures forced areas of the hidden clot out of the craniotomy.

“What is going on in there?” Dr. X responded, with great concern.

“BP’s still falling guys. Whatever you’re going to do, you better do it now,” Dr. Haskins shouted nervously as he monitored his computer screens.

Dr. X nodded in understanding.

“Hang another unit on the diffuser,” he said to Nurse Taylor. Turning to Dr. Acosta, he continued, “Increase pressure on the irrigation.”

Dr. Acosta turned around and pressed a button several times on the machine behind him, digitally increasing the pressure of the flow. With greater force now directed at the hematoma, larger chunks began to break off and drain out of the opening. Thirty minutes later, as the blood clot thinned, they could now see the exposed surface of the brain. They stopped a moment, turning off the irrigating wand. Instantly, the brain oozed fresh blood into the opening, filling it and running out the sides.

Dr. X moved the suctioning wand to the pooling blood and quickly drew out the fluid. As the cavity refilled quickly, he called to Nurse Taylor, “Cottoniods!”

She handed him a large ball of sterile cotton. Using his forceps, he held it above the cavity. Once more, he suctioned out the excess blood that had pooled. Quickly, he dabbed the cotton on the open tissue, temporarily drying out the surface. He pulled the red-stained ball away and focused intensely on the open area.

“Hmm,” he mumbled to himself with suspicion.

“You see the bleeder?” Dr. Acosta asked anxiously.

Dr. X didn’t answer. As the blood pooled again in the cavity, he repeated the procedure. Suctioning out the blood again, he quickly dabbed the surface then watched for the area to saturate once more.

“Got it,” he shouted excitedly.

“You found the bleeder?” Dr. Acosta repeated, now moving in closer.

Before answering, he turned to Nurse Taylor and requested the electro-cauterizer.

“Bovie,” he demanded.

As Nurse Taylor thrust the instrument in his hand, he used it to point out the hemorrhage.

“It’s right there. He’s bleeding from the inferior temporal branch,” he said, still viewing through the microscope.

“Damn, that must have been some accident,” Dr. Acosta speculated as he moved in with the irrigating wand.

Dr. X brought in the tweezer-like instrument and let it hover over the ruptured artery. Carefully, he placed the ends on each side of the artery and activated the wand. Instantly, a small area quickly cauterized, slowing the flow of blood.

Suctioning out the red thick fluid, he waited a moment to see the results. As the cavity began to fill with blood once more, he suctioned again quickly, then went to work with the cauterizer sealing off more breeches in the tiny vein.

“Irrigation,” Dr. X requested.

Dr. X nodded, switched back on the device and washed away the excess blood. Using his forceps and a surgical sponge, Dr. X quickly dabbed the open region, removing any excess moisture. Staring at the exposed brain tissue, a smile came to his face.

“I don’t see any more hemorrhaging. I think you got it. How’s it look,” Dr. Acosta asked, nervously.

Dr. X examined the area once more. He looked up and nodded.

“I think he’s back in business… but I’ll leave the final determination to our illustrious gas passer,” Dr. X replied, using humor to break the tension. “Dr. Haskins, how’re we doing? How’re his sats?”

“They’re low, but I think you’re right… they’re stabilizing,” Dr. Haskins responded, ignoring the humor. “BP is still eighty-five over fifty-seven, pulse forty-four and his pulse ox is seventy-eight.”

“Hang another unit,” Dr. X said to Nurse Taylor.

Turning back to Dr. Acosta, he continued, “Ok, let’s clean this up and close. Irrigation,” he then requested.

As the two worked quickly, they washed away any foreign matter, then inspected the area once more. Satisfied, Dr. X called, “I need a 4-0 Surgilon.”

Nurse Taylor anticipated his request and quickly handed him the suture and needle.

With Dr. Acosta assisting with forceps, the two doctors quickly sewed the dura membrane back in place, once again protecting the brain. With an application of blood-clotting agents, they next moved onto replacing the bone flap. Using miniature screws and an attachment plate, the two doctors secured the rectangular skull fragment in place.

For the next hour, the two doctors worked quickly to reattach the various muscles tissues, finishing the final closure of the skin with staples.

“How’s he doing now?” Dr. X asked of Dr. Haskins.

“Improving, BP’s still ninety over sixty-one, pulse forty-nine and his pulse ox is eighty-five. I think he’s turned the corner.”

“What about his other injuries?” Nurse Taylor asked.

“We’ll wait till he’s more stable, then treat them individually,” Dr. X replied simply.

“The good news is he’s alive. Although his broken bones are serious, they aren’t life threatening,” Dr. Acosta added.

Dr. X stepped back from the operating table and removed his gloves.

“Well, I’m off. Watch him overnight. If his condition deteriorates at all, I want to know right away.”

“Where’re you going?” Nurse Taylor asked respectfully.

“I’ve got a date with his family,” he smiled stepping out the door.

-----*-----*-----*-----

Dr. X stepped through the double doors of the waiting room and looked around. Seeing several people sitting by themselves in the corner, he knew they were the people he came to see. As he neared them, their postures stiffened and their faces dropped with anxious worry. He smiled to them, giving them advance notice things were ok.

“Are you the Cooper family?” Dr. X asked cordially.

“Yes, I’m Roger Cooper, Jacobs’ father and this is his mother Emily. How’s my son doing? Is he alive?” the worried man asked in quick succession.

“He’s alive, but in very serious condition. He suffered a very serious head injury. I had to perform a craniotomy to remove a massive subdural hematoma.”

“Oh my God!” Jacob’s mother shouted, bursting out in tears.

As Roger Cooper hugged his wife for support, he listened intently to Dr. X.

“I know that sounds pretty bad, and it is, but we were able to go in and remove the blood clot and repair the damaged arteries. His condition is critical but improving.”

The two parents stood for a moment and digested the doctor’s words. ‘He’s alive’ and ‘improving’ are the comments that registered in their minds. A sense of relief swept their bodies and the two hugged each other tightly.

“He still has other complications,” Dr. X continued.

Roger and Emily Cooper turned and stared gravely at the doctor once more.

“He has several broken bones that need to be treated and we’re not sure how he’ll respond to the head trauma after he regains consciousness,” he said.

The two parents stared back, intensity returned to their eyes.

“Doctor, do you think he has any brain damage?” Emily Cooper asked in fearful tone.

“I think Jacob was fortunate. Although his injuries were severe, I didn’t see any of the normal trauma associated with this kind of injury. Only time will tell, but I believe he’ll be ok.”

“What about his other injuries?” Roger Cooper asked.

“He has a broken arm and leg. Both need surgeries to repair them. As soon as he’s well enough, we’ll be moving him back into the operating room,” Dr. X said.

Roger and Emily thought about the doctor’s words once more. Although they knew their son had serious injuries, they knew they could be overcome with time. Once again, relief swept through them as they realized their son was alive. Nothing else seemed to matter.

“Thank you Doctor…” Emily said, pausing at his last name. She looked his scrubs over but couldn’t find his name tag. “I’m sorry, doctor, what’s your name?” she asked politely.

“I’m the one who’s sorry. I should have stated that right off. My name is Robbins… Dr. Geoffrey Robbins.”

He extended his hand and Roger Cooper shook it appreciatively. He noticed a curious smile cross Geoff’s face and it seemed somewhat out of place for their exchange.

“Doctor, I hate to be rude, but I see a slight smile on your face. Is there something you’re not telling us?” Roger inquired.

“I’m sorry. It’s just that I used to know someone named Cooper… Elijah Cooper to be exact.”

Roger now smiled back at Geoff, his eyes widening.

“Oh my God, it’s you… you’re that time traveler turned neurosurgeon, aren’t you?” Roger said in surprise. He smiled again and continued, “Sergeant Elijah Cooper was my great great great grandfather.”