InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "I'm a teenage lobotomy!"

Derek Reese (derek__reese) wrote in omega_reality,
@ 2013-05-19 15:59:00

Entry tags:

*complete, 2013 05, character: april kepner, character: brian kinney, character: bud hammond, character: derek reese, character: douglas hammond, character: elaine barrish hammond, character: john connor, character: marty deeks, character: matt casey, character: maura isles, character: robert callen, character: savannah monroe, character: thomas hammond, character: travis marks, dead: leon vance

RP: Derek suffers from a flashback
Who: Derek, Travis, TJ, many others, will add tags as needed
Where: Travis', the safe house
When: Sunday, May 19, 2013
Summary: Derek suffered a flashback

Derek was walking around the trailer park. People were getting ready for their Sunday picnic. The air was cooler than had been the past week. Everything seemed calm and quiet, but it wasn't enough for Derek to relax. They might not be worried about the government, but there were other dangers now, and he'd seen how the rift looked, how easily someone could be taken away from them, and he made sure to patrol the area to prevent any more losses.

The houses were close to each others. The windows were open in most of them. He could hear discussions and arguments, and then something else. It started softly, the sound washing over him, making his skin crawl. He should move back, retreat, run before it was too late and then...

Derek was in a room. The light was blinding him. He tried to close his eyes, but he couldn't They were taped back, open, forcing him to stare into her face. She looked so calm, peaceful, but Derek knew better. She didn't feel anything. No matter how many times he screamed, how many times he begged, she felt nothing. He could feel the pain in chest. She had cut him, but that hadn't been enough. No, because she wasn't interested in killing him, but breaking him. The cut was shallow, but painful. He didn't know what she was pouring into it, it smelled like lemon, but they didn't have any left, before he could think things through he was kicking and screaming, and then he was free. He could run, and he ran, fast, before she caught up with him, before he would give her the location of their shelters, he ran from her and yet the music grew louder, closer. Maybe he could kill her, maybe he could make it end.

He kicked the door and aimed for the music, for her head. He aimed and shot.

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travis_marks
2013-05-19 08:11 pm UTC (link)

TJ was in a good mood. Sex always made things better. Sex before a trip to a very expensive hotel made TJ very happy, even if Travis had almost fainted at the price tag that went with that hotel, but Travis wouldn't complain about the smile on TJ's face, or the fact that for once they could get up relatively early without too many complaints.

Early was still a relative term. He was sure that everyone else would have been up for ours, getting ready for the picnic. Not in this house. Doug and Maura were sitting on the couch, discussing whatever Doug would pull from his feeds on the phone. TJ was playing his piano. Travis was all over, but he always found a reason to return to the piano, touching TJ, kissing him.

Life was good.

Until the door banged open. Travis pulled out his gun, but even as he turned, he knew that it was too late and it took the step without thinking, covering TJ as best as he could from whatever was happening, before he could figure it out, the pain hit him, taking his breath away, and he fell back, on the piano and TJ, before making what seemed a long and painful way down to the floor.

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hammond_tj
2013-05-19 10:05 pm UTC (link)

TJ's reaction times were nowhere near as fast as Travis'. He was barely registering what was happening when Travis was falling against him. Putting a hand out to steady his lover was instinctive, but at that angle, he barely got a fistful of Travis' shirt before the momentum took Travis out of his grasp and left TJ with blood on his hand. It all took less than a moment and would be etched into TJ's nightmares for a long time to come.

"Derek!" He could hear Maura's startled shout, dimly at the edge of his awareness, but nothing really penetrated other than the fact Travis was down.

Calling his power wasn't a conscious thought. It was fueled by sudden fear and rage. He'd only begun trying to use his power to induce sleep after something Maura had told him about pheromones that TJ really didn't remember the details of much. But, that was how the power manifested. He knew he couldn't kill Derek with his power, but he could try to stop him while hovering protectively over Travis.

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doug_hammond
2013-05-19 10:14 pm UTC (link)

Doug didn't know what the fuck was going on. This was not what he signed up for and the blood. Fuck, he was going to faint. Hell, it was gross and disgusting, and Doug decided that Maura could deal with that. Instead, he became the person who fixed things, because that was what he did.

He dialed without thinking. "Deeks, Derek just shot Travis," he said as soon as the other man answered.

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(no subject) -

drmauraisles, 2013-05-19 10:58 pm UTC

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doug_hammond, 2013-05-19 11:08 pm UTC

r_callen
2013-05-19 11:12 pm UTC (link)

The bullet had already him packing, but then his phone went off, and he was sure that phone calls were not what they did during an attack. He didn't let Doug finish the explanation. He asked Mike to keep an eye on Liam and teleported to the house.

"I'm here, Doc. Let's get you moving, and then we'll get what you need," he said, already kneeling down so he could touch both of them. "I'll take over, Thomas," he said putting his hand on Travis' chest. "You need to let go." He knew how hard it was, but he didn't trust himself with keeping Travis steady while teleporting three people. Maura would have to do until he could bring more people back.

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drmauraisles
2013-05-20 12:35 am UTC (link)

"TJ..." Maura could see him hesitating to let Robert take over and she needed him to let go. The look he gave her was full of such helplessness even Maura could read it. But, he let Robert take over. Maura kept one hand on her bag to make sure it came along for the ride.

There was no wasting time when they arrived at the safehouse. Maura had scissors in her hand as soon as she could get her bag open again, cutting Travis' shirt off him. "No chest tubes," she muttered, going back into her bag for a large syringe. Using some disinfectant, also from her bag, she swabbed an area of Travis' skin. This was a lot less nerve-wracking than when it had been Frankie on the table in front of her and Maura's hands were much steadier as she inserted the syringe needle and began pulling the trigger up to release the air and blood interfering with Travis' breathing. "I need to get his breathing stabilized first. I need you to get the x-ray machine ready for, please. The bleeding should slow while I do this, but there's tape in my bag. Use it to secure the pad over the entry wound for now."

She knew she was just rattling off instructions. But, she didn't have time to stop and explain too much. "How many people do you think you can bring up here? Even if this works and we don't need to perform a thoracotomy, he's going to need blood and I'll need people here."

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r_callen, 2013-05-20 01:38 am UTC

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drmauraisles, 2013-05-20 03:07 am UTC

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r_callen, 2013-05-20 03:16 am UTC

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drmauraisles, 2013-05-20 03:59 am UTC

deeks_marty
2013-05-19 11:32 pm UTC (link)

"I'm on my way." Marty was cutting the call at the same time Doug hung up. The sound of a gunshot had sent him and Savannah for the kids immediately. If it hadn't been the ringtone he had set for Doug, Marty wouldn't have stopped to answer the phone.

"Derek's shot Travis. I heard Maura calling for Robert as Doug hung up. Call Vance. Tell him what's going on and that we need to get the word to everyone to stay put. The last thing we need is a crowd of people drawing attention to the scene or trying to evacuate. I'll check in when I know more."

Kissing her briefly on the cheek, Marty didn't wait for an answer, trusting her to make the calls and know what to do if something came up while he was gone. As he came out of the house, he did something he didn't like doing, but had no choice in. He reached out quickly with his power, touching each of their neighbors in turn and nudging them toward thinking all they'd heard was a car backfiring.

The door was off it's hinges when Marty got to the house, Derek slumped to one side.

Before he could say anything, John arrived.

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johnbaum
2013-05-19 11:33 pm UTC (link)

"Derek! What happened?" John was tense as soon as he heard the shot, listening for any clue as to what was going down before they ran out into the thick of it. Douglas Hammond's phone call was the last thing he was expecting. But, he couldn't believe the two weren't connected. An accident?

He could hear Vance on the phone as he left, telling Brian what Douglas had said. That Marty was there wasn't surprising. If something had happened, it was right Marty was there. But, John's focus went to Derek as soon as he saw him. Crouching down, he felt for a pulse and sighed in relief when the one he found was steady.

"What happened to him?"

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derek__reese, 2013-05-20 12:02 am UTC

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johnbaum, 2013-05-20 12:52 am UTC

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derek__reese, 2013-05-20 01:31 am UTC

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johnbaum, 2013-05-20 03:35 am UTC

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derek__reese, 2013-05-20 03:54 am UTC

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johnbaum, 2013-05-20 03:54 pm UTC

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derek__reese, 2013-05-20 04:30 pm UTC

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hammond_tj, 2013-05-20 04:57 pm UTC

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derek__reese, 2013-05-20 05:55 pm UTC

The Hammonds, Savannah, others

doug_hammond
2013-05-20 12:10 am UTC (link)

People arrived here quickly, but not as fast as Robert, which meant that Doug and TJ were alone for a few minutes in a room filled with silence and blood, something he truly despised.

He knew better than to ask his brother to sit right now, but at least he led him away from the piano and the blood. Then he was saved by the arrival of people, things to do, reports to give, even if he stayed close to TJ, and of course then his parents around. He didn't blame them and he had called them, because it was right. He just didn't know if it was for the best.

"How are you, sweetheart?" Elaine said as she got inside. She hugged TJ for a moment. "I'm sure everything will be all right."

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Re: The Hammonds, Savannah, others

bud_hammond
2013-05-20 12:20 am UTC (link)

Bud had hustled in following Elaine to the other house. He was impressed at how quickly she could move. Sure he was in better shape than he had been in a few decades, but there wasn't much it could do for his lungs with all the cigars he had smoked in his life.

"Fuck," he grunted as he barged into the house and caught his breath. "Are you gentlemen okay?" He asked toward his sons. As his eyes took in the room, he whispered a thanks to Travis.

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Re: The Hammonds, Savannah, others -

hammond_tj, 2013-05-20 01:12 am UTC

Re: The Hammonds, Savannah, others -

savannah_monroe, 2013-05-20 01:54 am UTC

Re: The Hammonds, Savannah, others -

hammond_tj, 2013-05-20 01:20 pm UTC

Re: The Hammonds, Savannah, others -

savannah_monroe, 2013-05-20 03:23 pm UTC

Re: The Hammonds, Savannah, others -

hammond_tj, 2013-05-20 04:27 pm UTC

Re: The Hammonds, Savannah, others -

savannah_monroe, 2013-05-20 05:05 pm UTC

Re: The Hammonds, Savannah, others -

hammond_tj, 2013-05-20 07:19 pm UTC

Re: The Hammonds, Savannah, others -

savannah_monroe, 2013-05-20 07:32 pm UTC

Robert and his trips

r_callen
2013-05-20 07:55 pm UTC (link)

As soon as he was done helping her, Robert made the first trip back. He spoke with Deeks, telling him that he should be driving up with two cars to bring everyone's back. He knew he'd be useless by the time this was over. Then he went home and explained the situation, he asked Mike to bring the kids to Dom's, alerting both Matt and Tim there and asked Mike to wait there. He gave Troy the list of people he needed and asked everyone to meet at Dom's. It was just easier.

The first trip was Sean and Tamira since they were already there. The second included Matt and Nell. While there, Maura asked for Bambi. Robert didn't want to waste time but he stopped long enough to say 'Are you sure?'. He trusted the damn dogs to be more competent than that woman, but at least he knew that Maura wouldn't have a problem telling her off if she said anything stupid, and she didn't even need to do the research to do so.

The third trip he got Mike and Tim up and asked Troy to call April as well. Matt was already setting up outside for the blood donations, because Maura had banned unneeded people from the room. The forth trip included Troy, Doug and April.

He didn't even want to know how Savannah was keeping Thomas away at this point, but finally he went to his house. "Savannah, I need food, lots of food."

Savannah chuckled. "I thought you might. I did what I could here, but there's a sandwich, and I've been collecting cartons of juice to bring with us. I'm coming with you and Thomas."

Robert snorted. "Of course you are." He grabbed the sandwich that she pushed his way, but looked at Thomas. "Travis is stable. They are just taking blood, making sure that everything is ready before the surgery. Just give me a few more minutes and I'll take you there." Not that he thought Maura would let Thomas in the room, especially once she opened him up. Robert might not know what a thoracotomy entailed, but he'd seen people bleed out, which sounded what Maura was expecting from all the blood supply, and Thomas would need to be kept out.

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Re: Robert and his trips

hammond_tj
2013-05-21 02:51 am UTC (link)

Savannah was a vile, evil taskmaster -- and TJ appreciated every second of the distraction she gave him. It wasn't much. His mind was some seventy or eighty miles up the canyon, trying not to picture the thing he dreaded too much. He needed to be there so badly it was a knotted pit in his stomach. He'd promised he wasn't leaving Travis alone, they were facing whatever came at them together. Staying behind while Travis lay possibly dying was slowly driving TJ mad.

But, every time he was ready to go off, Savannah had something else for him to do.

And then -- at last -- Robert came back and TJ had no hope of not looking every bit as pathetic as he felt taking what news the other man could give him. "She can take all of mine if he needs it," he growled, before catching himself and shaking his head. "Fuck, I just need to be there. I promised him." Taking a deep breath, he swallowed hard, refusing to get any more emotional now that he was closer to getting up there. Travis didn't need the spoiled former first son. He needed the man he saw beneath that, the man TJ was trying to be. He ran a shaking hand through his hair. "Sorry. When you're ready...Please."

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Re: Robert and his trips -

savannah_monroe, 2013-05-21 03:08 am UTC

Re: Robert and his trips -

hammond_tj, 2013-05-21 05:08 am UTC

Re: Robert and his trips -

savannah_monroe, 2013-05-21 12:05 pm UTC

Derek/John

derek__reese
2013-05-20 08:13 pm UTC (link)

Derek carried his own backpack, even with a rifle inside, but really he wasn't going to drop the pack to shoot John. He wasn't going to shoot anyone. He was fine. Whatever had happened had finished.

When they arrived, Vance talked to John for a moment. He heard Deeks' name, but otherwise didn't pay attention, going straight for John's room.

"You okay?" Brian asked.

Derek nodded. "I still don't know what the fuck happened, but yeah.'

This wasn't Brian's expertise. There were other things that he could and would do. As soon as John arrived, he kissed him. "I'm going to go and see if they need anything." By go, he meant call and text and help with whatever they needed, which turned out to be chocolate and orange juice.

Derek watched him go, before settling on John. "You okay, kiddo?" he asked with a small smile, echoing words from months ago. "I'm not leaving you. It's still me, as fucked up as I've always been."

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Re: Derek/John

johnbaum
2013-05-20 10:46 pm UTC (link)

John kissed Brian with a quiet, teasing 'go be useful', then turned his attention to his uncle. No matter what Derek said, he wasn't fine. People who were fine didn't have episodes where they thought they were someplace else and shot their teammates by mistake. "Me?" John snorted. "I am actually fine. You're the one I'm worried about. And, no, I'm not buying the 'fine' anymore than Marty does. 'Fucked up as you've always been' doesn't usually lead to you thinking you're back there."

He wasn't truly worried about Derek leaving him. He'd needed to get Derek back in the present and had appealed to his protective instincts where family was concerned. What John worried about was the fact Derek was so damaged to begin with...and thought it normal. Moving to sit cross-legged on the bed, John set the guns aside. He knew Derek wouldn't should him. But, until he understood what had happened, they couldn't count on anyone else's safety. "So, talk to me. What happened? What you remember, not what really happened."

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Re: Derek/John -

derek__reese, 2013-05-21 12:05 am UTC

Re: Derek/John -

johnbaum, 2013-05-21 06:55 pm UTC

Re: Derek/John -

derek__reese, 2013-05-21 07:11 pm UTC

Re: Derek/John -

johnbaum, 2013-05-21 07:57 pm UTC

Re: Derek/John -

derek__reese, 2013-05-21 08:32 pm UTC

Re: Derek/John -

johnbaum, 2013-05-22 11:27 pm UTC

Re: Derek/John -

derek__reese, 2013-05-23 12:21 am UTC

Re: Derek/John -

johnbaum, 2013-05-24 04:34 am UTC

Re: Derek/John

derek__reese
2013-05-24 05:03 am UTC (link)

Derek shook his head. "No, John. I trusted him to be ruthless, but that doesn't mean that the ruthlessness didn't hurt. I trusted him to win the war as much as I trusted that he'd sent Kyle to his death. I was ready to die for him. I wasn't as willing to go along when it was people I cared about on the line." He sighed. "It doesn't really matter anymore. As you said, he's gone.'

He smiled a little. "You do understand that your war hasn't even started yet, right? You weren't a recognizable name until after the escape. No one expected you to be a leader now... well, maybe your mother, but she was still hoping to stop Judgment Day. She had never seen it. She might have known about it, might have dreamed about it, but she'd never seen it, not until after you left. She changed because of it. I changed because I was already and knew what to expect. You will adjust to whatever it's going on now, but you're the dreamer. If there is one of us who wants a peaceful co-existence is you." He squeezed John's hand. "You shouldn't have trusted his programming, because even with that, 'they just go bad'. It happened at the base, machines that he had programmed, machines that killed people, and even he didn't know why. I trusted him, but he wasn't perfect. You don't have to be perfect either."

Of course, they reached their biggest difference. "Caring makes us weak. I might not want you to be him, but I respected him for not letting emotions affect his decisions. Even when I hated him for those decisions, I still respected him." He sighed "Even if people here care, which... I'm pretty sure Vance can be as ruthless as him, but that's not the point. There's literally nothing that can be done, John, and not because I don't want to try. What do you expect me to do? Talk to some shrink about ... what exactly? Torturing a man who held me prisoner based on my girlfriend's word, because that hadn't happened to me but another version of me she knew? Going back in time to kill my best friend for something he hadn't yet done? Finding out that my girlfriend had a miscarriage, from the robot that tortured me, two decades before it happened? What the fuck do you expect me to say? Or should we try it your way? Going to a shrink and lie through my teeth, because that leads to such good results, doesn't it? I am surviving, and if I snap again, you take out that gun and shoot me, because that's what you're supposed to do, and then you move on, because this is our life. It might sucks, but this is the cards hand we've been dealt, and we don't get a do-over."

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Re: Derek/John -

johnbaum, 2013-05-24 04:53 pm UTC

Re: Derek/John -

johnbaum, 2013-05-24 04:54 pm UTC

Re: Derek/John -

derek__reese, 2013-05-24 05:30 pm UTC

Re: Derek/John -

johnbaum, 2013-05-24 08:57 pm UTC

Re: Derek/John -

derek__reese, 2013-05-24 09:39 pm UTC

Re: Derek/John -

johnbaum, 2013-05-24 10:38 pm UTC

Re: Derek/John -

derek__reese, 2013-05-24 11:26 pm UTC

Re: Derek/John -

johnbaum, 2013-05-25 03:56 am UTC

Re: Derek/John -

derek__reese, 2013-05-25 04:16 am UTC

April and Maura

april_kepner
2013-05-20 08:19 pm UTC (link)

The sound of a gun shot had both April and Eliot up and packing, and the fact that no one came to get her or tell them to get out was alarming and unsettling. She was actually quite relieved when Troy gave her a call and she could hand over Eve to Eliot and go.

She found Matt outside setting up and inside Maura was prepping for surgery. "What's the status?" she asked as she stepped inside even as she was taking in the situation in front of her. She made a beeline for the bathroom so that she could clean her hands so that Travis wouldn't get an infection, but not so fast that Maura couldn't give her the basics. She wanted to be of use as quickly as possible.

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Re: April and Maura

drmauraisles
2013-05-20 11:20 pm UTC (link)

Maura didn't look up from where she was replacing one of the ET tubes. They weren't meant for this purpose and clogged easily. She had to put in a second one while Robert was bringing her the people she needed. And now she had to replace the first one. There was no choice. She was going to have to open Travis up. But, she wanted as little stress on his body as possible and she needed to be in there the shortest time possible. There was every chance he could bleed out on her otherwise, even if she discounted the risk of infection.

"No, I don't need you, yet. I need Nell and Troy. Go help Casey get the blood packed and send them in here." Pulling off the tape to hold the new tube in place, she finally glanced up. "How steady are your hands? We don't have the right retractors to hold back the thoracic wall during the procedure. If you have the arm strength to do it, I'll need you when I get started. Otherwise, I'll need to get someone else."

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Re: April and Maura -

april_kepner, 2013-05-21 06:37 pm UTC

Re: April and Maura -

drmauraisles, 2013-05-21 07:06 pm UTC

Marty and Leon

deeks_marty
2013-05-20 11:24 pm UTC (link)

Marty had stayed at Travis' house long enough to make sure neither of the brothers, or Maura to the best of their knowledge, had been injured. They would just have to pray Travis made it. But, as Travis was in better hands than Marty's at the moment, he left with a promise to come back and help with the clean-up as soon as he could. Their parents were just arriving, so hopefully they'd be some help -- not that Marty was counting on it.

His next stop was Vance.

He needed to report, although he was sure John would give the Director some information as soon as they got there, since Derek and John should beat Marty there. But, they would also need to discuss how to proceed. Marty could already foresee problems moving forward.

"I think we're in a holding pattern at the moment," he told Vance once he was inside and they were seated. "I'm just waiting to hear- Hold on."

The phone call was Robert, giving him a status report and Marty agreed to head up there with a second car as soon as possible. "Right. Sorry about that. Robert's taking people up to the safehouse that Maura may need. How much did John tell you already?"

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Re: Marty and Leon

leon_vance
2013-05-21 12:29 am UTC (link)

Leon should be surprised that this was happening, although to be honest, he probably was surprised that it hadn't happened sooner, not with some of the luggage people were carrying. That didn't mean that they could ignore it.

"He told me that Derek shoot Travis while reliving something in his past." Or in his future, but that wasn't something that they needed to go into it right now. "Robert seems to be taking a much more... active role in things lately." He wasn't as obvious as his brother, but Leon could see the difference since Callen's disappearance.

"First things first, is there anything we can do to assist?" They could start from there and work in steps.

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Re: Marty and Leon -

deeks_marty, 2013-05-21 06:21 pm UTC

Re: Marty and Leon -

leon_vance, 2013-05-21 06:41 pm UTC

Troy/Nell/Maura/Others

t_bolton
2013-05-21 06:52 pm UTC (link)

Troy wasn't sure why he was there. Not the right blood type, not the nurse type, and he knew that because those weeks with April had been the worse thing evah. It wasn't that he didn't like April like some of the others, but that he didn't like bodily fluids that didn't involve sex or cool video games, because then blood was awesome.

So yeah, he had no idea, or at least he didn't until he and Nell entered that room and Maura was taking about taking out the bullet without surgery. That he could do, thanks to a long conversation with Callen that led to lots of training and anatomy books.

"Callen made me do this at the ranch," he told Maura. "We tried different places, avoiding major blood vessels. If you show me the x-ray and tell me what I need to avoid, I should be able to do it with minimal impact to the body... I mean to Travis." This was so much easier when it was all theoretical and there was a man looking like death on the floor of a room. "Do you want me to -" He waved toward the kitchen counter they used to prepare food. "Maybe something to put on the sink for his legs, and garbage bags, because... we kind of cook there." Food and blood were not a nice combination, unless they were having a thick steak covered in barbecue sauce.

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Re: Troy/Nell/Maura/Others

drmauraisles
2013-05-21 07:21 pm UTC (link)

Thank goodness someone had foresight about these powers, Maura thought. Honestly, if they didn't have people with super powers here, she'd be a lot more concerned about their chances of saving Travis. But, if these two young people could use their powers to remove the bullet, the trauma to Travis' body would be decreased greatly. All Maura would need to do is go in and clear the blood so the lung could inflate and repair the most major damage to the lung from the bullet itself.

"Good. I've got the machine ready and we can take new images during the process to guide you along. And, Nell, I'm hoping you can manipulate the bullet itself as we go, change it's shape as needed to help Troy maneuver it through Travis' body." She'd thought originally to have Nell do it all. But, then she considered that Nell's power would only allow her to sense the bullet, not the tissue inside Travis' body they way Troy's would. So, it became a team effort.

"I can do that. Absolutely. Just tell me what shape you need."

"Good. Let's get both of you gloves, just in case," she told them, reaching into her bag for two sets. She was going to have to get Brian to order her another box as fast as they were going to go through these today and in the next few days. Looking up at Troy's suggestion, she nodded. "Yes, if you can do it without jostling him too much, that would be fantastic. Here, put these on. I think Robert put some extra bags in with the equipment when he brought it. Let me put those down for you. Nell, while Troy gets Travis settled on the counter, stick your head out and get someone to bring us more garbage bags. I'll need to put them on the floor for later."

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Re: Troy/Nell/Maura/Others -

t_bolton, 2013-05-21 07:41 pm UTC

Re: Troy/Nell/Maura/Others -

drmauraisles, 2013-05-21 08:28 pm UTC

Re: Troy/Nell/Maura/Others -

t_bolton, 2013-05-21 09:25 pm UTC

Re: Troy/Nell/Maura/Others -

drmauraisles, 2013-05-21 10:37 pm UTC

Re: Troy/Nell/Maura/Others -

t_bolton, 2013-05-21 10:44 pm UTC

Surgery

drmauraisles
2013-05-22 02:13 am UTC (link)

Maura decided the reason she didn't like working on live people was the other live people involved. She became a doctor to make people's lives better. The thought of having to tell someone she couldn't save their loved one was too much to bear sometimes. She was too soft-hearted to deny Jane when she looked at her with that pleading look she only got when something was an emotional crisis. And, it seemed, TJ had a similar look. She made him keep it short, but she couldn't deny him a minute with Travis before the surgery. She used the time to pull her assistants aside and give them instructions, giving TJ some illusion of privacy in the process.

Wanting to get in and out as quickly as she could while still being thorough, she had no intentions of going into long explanations once she started. She needed everyone to understand what their role was before they began. Troy had practiced on Nell while Maura prepped Travis, making sure the blood supply she'd started with was doing it's job, replacing both improvised chest tubes and making sure the oxygen and defibrillator were within reach. He seemed confident in his ability to keep Travis still. April was tasked with holding back the muscle and tissue in order to allow Maura to work. Casey was to keep the suction going for the same purpose and to monitor Travis' blood needs. Maura had asked Robert to be present as a back-up in case she needed more hands or needed some tool she hadn't managed to think of that only Robert would be able to get for her fast enough.

Travis had been in and out of consciousness and, as she was giving him the local anesthesia, she spoke quietly to him directly, much like she might talk to one of her victims on the autopsy table, assuring them she was going to find out what happened to them. She knew she'd never been a particularly reassuring person, but she tried. "I'm going to do everything I can to make this better for you, Travis. But, I won't lie. It's going to hurt. A lot. I need you to stay with me, okay? You stay with me and I'll make sure you get your chance to be pampered by a Hammond. I'll make this go as quickly as I can. I promise."

Having done all that she could for him without cutting him open, it was now time to take that final step. When the members of her team were in place, she nodded to Troy, indicating he should immobilize Travis, and then began.

The procedure was an anterior thoracotomy; she made the incision through the fifth interspace, motioning for April to get in there even as the trapped blood began to pour out of the thoracic cavity. This was when time was of the utmost essence. She had to work quickly to clear the clotting, close the hole in his lung, repair the damaged tissue and blood vessels that she could while clearing away the tissue that would die later from the blast effect, and making sure that she got everything repaired she could because was only getting one shot at this. She couldn't go in and open him up again later to clean-up the way most modern trauma surgeons would these days. She was setting post-GSW surgery back about three decades.

And she was doing it all while the patient was awake and able to scream from the pain as she worked on one of his more vital organs.

Maura just had to focus, block the sounds of Travis' distress, and get them both through this with clean, precise work that would hold up to the stress and trauma both the recovery process and their every day demands would put on the body. Later she could give in to the private emotional affects of afternoon's work and the toll working on live patients always took on her. But for now, she remained focused, drawing on the same cool reserves that had earned her the hated nickname 'Queen of the Dead' among those in Homicide that followed Detective Crow and his ideas.

By the time it was over, patient, doctor, and assistants were all exhausted. The floor looked like a battlefield with the amount of blood Travis had lost. But, Maura was confident in her work. Now it was a matter of waiting to see how well Travis' body responded to the procedure, waiting to see if his system stabilized. Mostly, just a lot of waiting.

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Doug and Maura

doug_hammond
2013-05-22 02:44 am UTC (link)

Doug had been happy to donate blood and stay outside, because he really had a problem with blood when it was coming out of people in ways that wasn't normal, like bullet wounds. He spent some time with TJ, who was rambling apologies as usual (not that Doug paid attention to them, TJ would forget when everything was better), and Savannah, mostly because Savannah was not leaving TJ alone. He was starting to think that the woman had a crush on his brother, but at least she was willing to walk and pace with him, which left Doug happily on the ground, sipping the juice Savannah had brought.

Too bad there was nothing to go into the orange juice. A screw drive would do everyone wonders, especially TJ, who was a pain in the ass until the surgery was over and Maura gave him the okay to talk to Travis for a little.

Doug waited for Maura to finally had some time to breathe and was outside that room, before he walked closer to her and hugged her. "Thank you. TJ truly appreciates everything you've done." That might be true or not. Doug wasn't even sure if TJ had thanked her, but he was used to say the things that TJ was supposed to be saying.

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Re: Doug and Maura

drmauraisles
2013-05-22 02:58 am UTC (link)

Maura had cleaned up as best she could. She was pretty sure the clothes she was wearing were a lost cause and would need to be tossed in the incinerator along with all the rest of the evidence of the surgery, everything that had come into contact with Travis' blood, really. But, as it was all dried by now, she let Doug hug her, sighing gratefully. Still, after a moment, she pulled away and smiled. "I don't want to get your clothes bloody, too."

Glancing back at the kitchen door, she nodded. "I know he does. You don't have to thank me, though. It's nice to hear. But, I was just doing my job." She smirked a little. "Although, if you and your brother truly want to thank me, I wouldn't say no to breakfast in bed and a foot massage," she added with a soft laugh. "I just hope he pulls through. No matter how good the doctor, in a lot of cases, it's the patient's will to live that's the deciding factor. Having TJ around to remind him of his reasons to life is probably the best thing for him right now."

She smiled again, although this time there was a hint of mischief to it. "And thank you for donating blood. I know how much you love things that are bloody."

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Re: Doug and Maura -

doug_hammond, 2013-05-22 03:11 am UTC

Re: Doug and Maura -

drmauraisles, 2013-05-22 04:06 pm UTC

Re: Doug and Maura -

doug_hammond, 2013-05-22 05:31 pm UTC

Re: Doug and Maura -

drmauraisles, 2013-05-23 01:13 am UTC

Re: Doug and Maura -

doug_hammond, 2013-05-23 01:21 am UTC

Maura and Robert

drmauraisles
2013-05-22 02:47 am UTC (link)

It had been a very long day. For everyone. But, it was starting to look like Travis was going to pull through and that was all Maura cared about at the end of the day. Leaving TJ alone with Travis, secure in the knowledge that if something happened, TJ would have no problem letting her know quickly and loudly, she stepped out of the kitchen for a breath of air. Deeks had brought the Director's plan for Travis' convalescence when he'd driven up earlier. It wasn't ideal, but none of this was ideal. Still, Travis could only benefit from a real bed in a house with amenities. And since they would be taking the equipment she needed in case complications arose, Maura couldn't complain too much.

As she could, she'd sent most of the others back to the trailer park after the surgery, once she was sure she had all the blood donations she'd need. There weren't many people left by this time. But, while she had a moment, she wanted to have a word with one man she knew would be there as long as Travis was. Finding Robert, she stepped up beside him with a tired smile. "He should be stable enough to move in the next half hour or so, or whenever you're up to it after that. Thank you for all your help. I wouldn't have been able to get things done as quickly as I was if it hadn't been for you."

She'd thanked Troy, Casey, Nell, and April before sending them home as well. But, Robert had been helping her from start to finish.

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Re: Maura and Robert

r_callen
2013-05-22 03:04 am UTC (link)

Robert had spent the time after the surgery drinking juice and eating chocolate. Savannah had brought granola bars as well. They weren't as good as a full meal, but it would do.

When Maura came out, he smiled at her. "That's good. I'll just keep eating until then, but they owe me dinner," he joked.

He shook his head. "No thanks required. It's what we do for our team. Savannah calls it family I call it team, but the result isn't much different. We help each other, using our strengths. You did a pretty good job yourself." He smiled at her. "I might have to rethink my dislike for all doctors." He looked at the house. "I couldn't have been easy to do what you doing while he was awake. You did good, Doc."

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Re: Maura and Robert -

drmauraisles, 2013-05-22 04:07 pm UTC

Re: Maura and Robert -

r_callen, 2013-05-22 05:12 pm UTC