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Post by Arai on Sept 11, 2007 21:14:41 GMT -5
She watched the sunset out the window, glad that it was only a half moon tonight. She had begun tracking the moon phases almost religiously. She figured she had a little less than two more weeks before the next full moon. Resting her head against the palm of her hand, she propped her elbow on the side of the car. Looking at this Brandon, she said sarcastically, "Yes, it helps a lot. Thanks for keeping me informed." She went back to watching the streets, the dwindling numbers of people, the streetlights slowly flickering on. She wondered to herself how long it would take to get to Hawaii, if that was where they were going.
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Post by Brandon Smith on Sept 11, 2007 21:46:55 GMT -5
He nodded as he continued to drive. By now the night was in full circle around them. He drove slowly as not to arouse suspicion. He was tired as it was, for the loss of blood was making him lightheaded and even more tired than before. He could not see a doctor, not in this city. He just kept driving, not saying anything or mentioning the pain and weariness that he was feeling.
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Post by Arai on Sept 11, 2007 22:07:40 GMT -5
As the night fell, Arai found it harder and harder to stay awake. The day's events had been exhausting. Added to that was her full stomach prompting her to sleep. Her eyelids felt weighted down, heavy. Her head began to slowly nod downwards, eyes closing. She jerked upwards, eyes popping back open, only to repeat the process a minute later. She fought it. It was not wise to fall asleep in a car with a complete stranger, especially a man. She looked over, vision a bit fuzzy. Brandon was still driving cautiously, though he looked to be rather tired himself. The red stain on his white shirt had spread out a lot. He had lost a good deal of blood. "So, when do we reach wherever we are going?" she asked, a yawn in her voice, "you're losing a lot of blood; you need to get fixed up soon."
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Post by Brandon Smith on Sept 12, 2007 7:59:39 GMT -5
He looked over at her and nodded. " I will probably pull into the next hotel that i can find. " He said as he continued to drive. In a few more moments a hotel was in sight and he pulled into the Motel 6. " Do you need a room for yourself or just one room with two beds? " He asked as he looked over at her once again, opening the door to his car waiting for her answer.
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Post by Arai on Sept 12, 2007 10:39:48 GMT -5
She scanned the exterior of the hotel. A bit shabby; some paint was peeling, the landscaping was scraggly and droopy, the sidewalks cracked and in disrepair. But the building seemed strong enough, if not pretty. It would have to do. No way she would share a room with him. "Try to get two rooms that are connected," she suggested. Unbuckling her seatbelt, she hopped lightly out of the giant car. She arched her back, stretching a bit. Her spine was still a bit sore from the fast and bumpy car ride she had taken earlier. Walking to the front of the car, she waited for Brandon to lead the way.
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Post by Brandon Smith on Sept 12, 2007 12:33:51 GMT -5
He nodded and went inside the building and rented a joined room for the night. He came out and handed her a key. " There you are. " He said as he walked to their rooms. " Before you get to sleep would you mind bandaging up this wound? " He asked as he opened the door to his room and went and sat in a chair.
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Post by Arai on Sept 12, 2007 13:37:26 GMT -5
Taking the key, she slipped it in her pocket. Following him into his room, she noted the undecorated, slightly shabby interior. It smelled as if it had been recently cleaned, though by only Lysol and bleach. Her sensitive nose smelled traces of cigarette smoke and body odor. Definetely not a five-star establishment. This was one of the hardest parts of adjusting to living on her own. She was used to a life of ease and luxury, with designer clothes and professionally designed rooms. "Wait one minute," she said. Going back out to the car, she looked for a first aid kit. Most cars had them. She finally located it in the spacious back of the car. Holding it with an expression of triumph, she went back to where Brandon was. "This will have basic stuff in it," she said, "now was it just a graze wound or a puncture wound?" She had entered into her cool, professional mode, one she was comfortable with after volunteering with the EMS and in hospitals.
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Post by Brandon Smith on Sept 12, 2007 15:32:40 GMT -5
He looked up at her as she re-entered the room. " Well it is defiantly a puncture wound considering i can feel the bullet inside of me. " He said calmly. " Now, my blood is not black so it did not strike my kidney, which is a very good thing. " He said with a hopeful smile. " However, i have no idea how far the bullet is inside of me and nothing but my knife for you to hopefully retrieve it. " He said as he pulled a large hunters knife and handed it to her. " It will probably hurt worse than the bullet to dig it out. " He said with a playful laugh.
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Post by Arai on Sept 12, 2007 15:43:43 GMT -5
Opening the kit on the bed, she listened to him as her mind flicked through her options. There were some bandages here, a roll of them, and a box of bandaid. A few alcohol pads, an instant ice pack, some antibiotic cream, and a small bottle of iodine completed the kit. Scanty, but it would have to do. Taking the iodine, she grabbed the knife from him, holding it comfortably in her hand. "Right, well since you already have a high risk of infection, I am going to sterilize this," she informed him, "take off your shirt and lie on the bed so I can reach the wound, okay?" Walking to the small bathroom, she ran the water in the sink until it was as hot as it could go, observing the condition of the room as she waited. The tiles were a bit mildewed; a few were cracked and stained. The tub had a faint ring around it, and it smelled strongly of Lysol. Turning her attention to the knife, she held it under the faucet, rubbing it with her fingers until it shone her reflection back at her. Pouring a small amount of iodine over the tip, she set it down and washed her own hands. It was time for surgery.
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Post by Brandon Smith on Sept 12, 2007 16:54:26 GMT -5
He nodded as he slowly rose out of the chair and rose his arms over his head to remove his shirt. He gasped softly as he did so as he reopened the scab whenever he took of his shirt. He went and laid down on the bed, holding his hand over the wound so that the blood would not ooze out as much. He closed his eyes softly and waited on her.
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Post by Arai on Sept 12, 2007 19:12:39 GMT -5
Coming out of the tiny bathroom, knife in hand, Arai saw Brandon on the bed, hand over his wound, blood beginning to drip down his fingers. "This is going to hurt a lot if the bullet is not on the surface," she warned him. Moving his hand aside, she looked at the seeping wound with a medical eye. As he had said, it had not punctured any wounds. It looked like it had gone just deep enough to stay in him; any more to the side and it just would have grazed him. Gently, she reached her hand to his back, feeling for an exit hole. There was none. The bullet was definetely still in there. Other than that, the wound was clean, a single hole into his skin, digging through his thick muscle. She couldn't see the bullet right away; she would have to dig for it. Reaching over, she grabbed the white shirt up. With a quick tug, she ripped off a sleeve, then rolled it up and folded it in half. "Here," she said, putting it firmly in his mouth, "this will keep you from grinding your teeth too much when I get this thing out."
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Post by Brandon Smith on Sept 12, 2007 19:24:51 GMT -5
He looked at the rag she handed him and shook his head. " I don't need that. I have dealt with pain before, it is not a new experience for me. " He said with a faint smile. The loss of blood had already paid its toll and he knew he was extremely weak as it was. He was already having trouble keeping his eyes open and staying awake. He was hoping that the pain would wake him up a bit. However, he also knew that the pain could cause him to pass out which would also be a bad thing considering that he might not make it through.
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Post by Arai on Sept 12, 2007 19:31:26 GMT -5
"Fine," she said, "have it your way. But if you start screaming the hotel will call the cops for sure." Without further ado, she leaned down and began to work. After doing volunteer work on ambulances, she knew the procedure. Though she had never done this with so few and so basic medical equipment. He would have gotten a blood transfusion by now, and he would probably have been administered some anesthetic. Oh well, nothing for it now. With the very tip of the knife, she gently probed the wound, careful not to scrape the sides, ignoring the pain of Brandon. Sometimes you had to hurt to heal. She finally was rewarded with the feel of resistance against the tip. Pulling out the knife, she noted the length of the blood up the tip. It was not too far in. "Now it's really going to hurt," she warned. With a practiced hand she put the knife in again and quickly slit outwards, causing the blood flow to increase. Quickly she popped the bullet out, catching it in her palm as she did so. "Aha!" she said triumphantly, holding the bloody trophy up in her fingers.
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Post by Brandon Smith on Sept 12, 2007 19:36:09 GMT -5
As she cut the slit in his skin and popped out the bullet Brandon rolled his eyes back into his head. " Awww is about right. " He said gasping from pain. The blood considered to spill from the wound. He laid his head on a pillow. His face was white by now, his eyes were closed. His breathing was shallow and raspy. " Thanks. " He whispered before he passed out from the pain.....
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Post by Arai on Sept 12, 2007 19:51:10 GMT -5
The comforter bunched up as his hands clutched it beside her, then they went limp. Holding a pad of cotton over the wound, she stood up to check on him. His face was pale, breathing labored and slow. He had lost too much blood already. Grabbing the bottle of iodine, she rolled up half the bandage into a thick roll. Soaking it in the copper-colored liquid, she pressed it into the wound. Good thing he was unconscious already; iodine burned like fire itself. Taking another piece of cotton padding, she put a thick layer of bandage over the wound. pressing tight to stave off the blood. With some cloth tape she fastened the bandage firmly in place, covering it with tape. You could never have enough security. Wrapping the rest of the bandage around his waist to add extra stability, she sat back and observed her work. Not the best she'd ever seen, but pretty darn good considering the circumstances. She quickly went and washed her hands, also washing off the bullet. With a clank she dropped it on the counter. Going back out to Brandon, she checked his vitals. His pulse had slowed, beating faintly against the vein in his neck. Lifting an eyelid, she saw no response. His breathing still worried her, as did his clammy skin; he didn't sound or look good. Reaching into his pocket, she pulled out his cell phone and pressed SEND. Hopefully his contact could help them. Brandon needed extra care.
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