A Life Less Ordinary

“Lay her down over here. Hurry!” Cooper swiped his arm over the long wooden table, scattering the books and knick knacks on the floor. Schneider lay her down, keeping his hand over the bleeding wound. Her face was white, her lips an eerie blue.

“Is she breathing?!” Cooper asked. He lay his head on her chest. Though faint, he could hear heart beating. “Keep pressure on the wound.” He turned and walked into Isla and Bane’s bedroom, just as Cortes and Luca bustled in dragging Bane.

“Lay him down!” Cooper ordered. They lay him on the floor at the bottom of the bed. Bane’s eyes fluttered open. “He’s still alive!” Cortes laid a rag over his throat

Theo walked in with Woodrue in tow.

Cooper looked up. “The fuck is he doing here??”

Woodrue stepped forward. “I want to help.” he said.

As much as he wanted to argue, Cooper knew that he had more medical knowledge than the five of them combined. He stood, his face a mere inches from the doctor’s.

“If either of them dies, You will wish you had.” he said.

Woodrue dropped next to Bane, whose eyes were closed once more. “He’s lost a lot of blood..but the wound is not fatal.”

“Not fatal? How??” Cortes asked.

“The jugular veins are not severed. This is an air cut. Though its not a deep one. The trachea is cut. He knows this and is taking shallow breaths to conserve his oxygen. Antonio Diego…you are much to stubborn to die.”

“He looks like he is already dead.” Cortes replied.

“That’s the effect of the withdrawal…” Woodrue said, wiping the blood away from his neck with a towel.

“What do you need?” Cooper asked.

“My bags from my room. I assume there is some kind of infirmary here?” Woodrue asked.

“You’re looking at it, Doc.”

Woodrue looked around at the bedroom. “Yes….that is unfortunate…have someone bring my bags now. I need to stitch him up. And we need that mask.”

Cooper looked up and nodded to Luca who promptly exited the room.

“Schneider how’s our girl??” Cooper over his shoulder.

“Still bleeding…” Schneider said.

Woodrue stood and hurried over to her. His fingers immediately went to her throat. “Her pulse is faint…rapid breathing…she is in hypovolemic shock. I need a light. Quickly! And blankets, she‘s too cold.” he said. Schneider hurried to the opposite end of the room and grabbed a lamp that sat on the bookshelf.

“Bring me those books and stack them under her feet, we need to keep the blood circulating.” Cortes grabbed a stack of books and pushed them under her knees.

Woodrue shook his head. “Higher.”

Schneider brought more books and they staked them under her feet. Woodrue nodded in approval. Cooper ripped the comforter from the bed and tossed it over her.

“Plug it in and take off the shade.” He looked over his shoulder. “I need water and towels over here now.” he said.

Cooper jogged into the bathroom, pulling every towel he could find from the linen shelf. Cortes filled a porcelain basin with water.

“We need to stop this bleeding. She could lose the baby if we aren’t quick.” He said, wringing out towel. He mopped at her stomach, wiping as much blood as he could away from the wound.

“The baby can’t still be alive. He stabbed her in the stomach…” Schneider said.

“He stabbed her too high to harm the baby directly. The baby is here.” Woodrue motioned to her lower abdomen, just above the pelvis. “The wound is here.”

“She needs a transfusion…” Cortes said. Schneider agreed.

“Do any of you know her blood type??” Woodrue asked. Their silence was his answer. “Either way, it would do no good if we don’t stop the bleeding, she will just bleed out what we put in…ah! There it is. D’ye see that??”

Cortes and Schneider leaned in but could only see blood.

“He cut the superior mesenteric vein…” He looked up at them. “I need my micro glasses, microscope and-just bring everything! Now!” he ordered. The two men hurried out.

“Mr. Cooper how is he?” Woodrue asked.

“About the same.” Cooper replied.

Luca entered with the supply bag. “Bring it in here!” Woodrue snapped. “Empty the contents and find me the cautery.”



Nearly an hour and a half later, Cooper watched anxiously as Woodrue, wrist deep in Isla’s abdomen, snipped the suture line.

“That’s a lot of blood, doctor.” he said.

Woodrue glanced at him, his micro glasses perched on his nose. “She would have lost more if I hadn’t stitched the vein. Hand me that water.”

Cortes passed him a syringe full of water. Cooper stepped beside him, looking down at her. “She’s so pale…” he said.

“Its completely normal, given the circumstances.” Woodrue sprayed the water directly into the wound, wiping constantly as he did so.

“Why are you doing that?” Cooper asked.

Woodrue looked up, annoyed. “To make sure the bleeding has indeed stopped.” he said, going back to the task. “Which…” he wiped away once more. “It appears to have done.” he pushed the glasses on top of his head and wiped his brow on his sleeve.

“What next?” Cooper asked.

“She needs a transfusion if she and the baby are to survive.” Woodrue replied. “Do any of you know her blood type?” he asked, looking at the five men. They shook their heads. Woodrue sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Do any of you know your own type?” he asked.

“I don’t…” Cortes said.

Luca shrugged his shoulders.

Schneider looked up from where he stood by her head. “I’m O positive.”

Woodrue let out a loud sigh of relief. “Have you ever used IV drugs?”

“No.”

“Have you ever brought home anything extra from the women you have been with?” Woodrue asked. Schneider gave him a questioning look.

Cooper sighed. “He means diseases, Christoph.”

Schneider gave a short laugh. “Absolutely not.”

“I hope for your sake and hers that you are right. Take a seat and give me your wrist.” Woodrue splashed alcohol on his wrist and tied a rubber tourniquet. “Mr. Cooper, I need you to do the same for Miss Sloan. Tie the tourniquet above her elbow, tightly.” He looked at Schneider. “I have to access the artery in your wrist. It’s going to be painful for you.”

Schneider’s jaw set as he glanced at Isla. “Just do it.”

Cooper took her arm and gently tied the tourniquet. He paused briefly as her brow furrowed. “She’s ready..” he said.

“Attach the end of this tube to this needle.” Woodrue passed him a large needle.

“I need you to run your finger over her arm lightly.” Woodrue said. “You should feel the vein has risen above the skin. If you press it, it will feel like a rubber tube.”

“Got it.” Cooper said.

“Good. I need you to grip her elbow with your thumb pulling down just under the vein. This ensures the vein doesn‘t move when you insert the needle.”

Cooper gripped her arm, feeling the bulging vein under his thumb.

“Insert the needle, bevel up in one fell swoop. You will know you’re in the vein when his blood starts to pull through the tube.” Woodrue sliced Schneider’s wrist with a small scalpel and inserted the needle. Schneider hissed as he did so, looking up at the ceiling.

“Now would not be the time to be squeamish.”

“I’m fine.” Schneider replied through gritted teeth.

“Insert the needle into her arm now.” Cooper pushed the needle in, but no blood flowed.

“Nothing’s happening Doc.” Cooper said.

“Come here and hold this tube, do not dislodge it or our friend here will bleed out.”

Schneider looked up at him. “WHAT?”

Cooper grasped the tube gently as Woodrue leaned over Isla. With a little maneuvering, Cooper watched as the blood began to flow through the tubing.

“God that feels weird…” Schneider said, squeezing his eyes shut. Woodrue gave a small laugh and patted him on the shoulder.

“Saving a life as opposed to taking one…” he replied.

“How long do we do this?” Cooper asked.

“Truthfully…I don’t know. Too much and she goes into hypervolemia, too little she goes into shock again. We will just have to play it by ear.” Woodrue dunked his hands in the basin of water and scrubbed the blood from his hands.

“What about Victor?” Woodrue asked.

“What about him?” Cooper asked.

“Won’t he be suspicious at your absence?”

Cooper watched the blood flowing through the tube. “He ordered us to dispose of them…so no. I don’t think he will be suspicious now that he is high on power.”

Woodrue picked up his bag, walked over to and knelt beside Bane, who lay on the floor, unconscious. He checked his pulse. It was still strong, but erratic. Luca pulled back the towel he had been holding over the wound. “The bleeding has slowed.” he removed the cap from a syringe and drew a clear liquid from a glass vial.

“What is that?” Luca asked.

“Epinepherine Bitartrate. It wont help with his pain but it will steady the bleeding further so that I can suture the wound.” He wiped the wound and began to inject the contents of the needle around the edges.

Luca leaned forward slightly. “Is it supposed to turn white like that?”

“Yes. It’s constricting the blood vessels…” He withdrew the needle and stood just as Theo barged in the room, mask in hand.

“I’ve got it…” he said, slightly out of breath.

“And the cartridges?”

“I found the three right under the floorboard, like you said.”

A groan echoed through the room.

“Doctor!” Cooper called. Woodrue hurried into the room.

“She’s waking up…” Cooper said.

“We’ll take that as the sign.” He tied the tourniquet tightly around Schneider’s wrist and swiftly removed the needle. Blood briefly spurted from the puncture wound as he packed gauze over it. “Hold pressure on this for at least five minutes or you too will be needing a transfusion.”

Schneider nodded, wrapping his left hand over the wound.

Woodrue leaned over Isla, pulling back her eyelids. He lay his head on her chest, hearing the strengthened heartbeat. Again she groaned.

“Isla?” he asked, feeling her forehead. Her brow furrowed, her eyes moved restlessly under her lids.

“I’ve done all I can do. Only time will tell…keep her covered. And she needs water.” Woodrue said. “Now to Bane.” he turned on his heel, hurrying over to him. “I need that lamp over here.” He gave Bane’s face a good slap. He didn’t flinch. “Good…don’t want him waking up with my hand in his throat.”

Luca plugged the lamp in and shone the light over Bane and watched nervously as Woodrue began to stitch up the inside of his throat.

“Take that syringe with the water in it and spray it as I stitch.” Woodrue ordered. With shaking hands, Luca did as told.

“Five sutures in the trachea…” he said to himself. He wiped the edges of Bane’s neck wound and quickly set to stitching it. After five minutes, he was done. “Twenty-five sutures in the neck…” He wrapped gauze bandaging around his throat and patted his shoulder. “This one’s going to be fine, though I feel he will have one hell of a sore throat.”

“Should we move them?” Cooper asked, walking in the main room.

“I suppose we could move them to the bed-”

Cooper shook his head. “No. I mean out of this building. We took a risk bringing them up here. It has already been two hours. We have to leave soon or Victor will become suspicious.”

Woodrue nodded. “I see…” He looked at Isla, then to Bane. “We can’t move them out of the building. It’s the middle of the night and it would draw too much attention.”

“There is the attic.” Theo replied.

“We have an attic??” Cooper asked.

“The eighth floor. It’s right across from the exit to the roof. It’s boarded up. It will need to be boarded back up when we leave so it doesn‘t look suspicious.” he replied.

Cooper looked at Woodrue. “Is she stable enough to move?”

Woodrue was skeptical. “I don’t know. I would be afraid her with her sutures and the extent of her injuries…” He looked at the two of them again. “It’s just a risk we will have to take. I fixed them once and I can do it again if necessary.” He pointed to Bane. “We need to get that mask back on him. The Venom promotes rapid healing, and we could use every bit of help we can get. If it works accordingly, he will come to and be able to watch over her. One of us will need to stay until he wakes up.”

Schneider stood, flexing his hand. “I will stay with them.”

“It’s settled then.” Cooper said.