Chapter 6: Dead end
Johanna literally stormed inside while the surgery was taking place.Doctor Jones was the leading surgeon.
-Johanna. You have finally arrived. Get ready and come help me. You will be my main assistant?
-With all due respect,Doctor,what are you doing? He was stabilized mere moments ago and now he is undergoing surgery,something extremely dangerous for his age?
-His lymph nodes got swollen all of the sudden. He couldnt breathe so it was decided to perform tracheostomy.
-Tracheostomy? On a newborn? That is not just dangerous,it is madness.
-We didnt have any alternative.Now,stop questioning my decisions and come help me. Because by the time you regain control of your body I will be ready to close him up.
Johanna managed to control herself and started getting ready. There was no going back now. The surgery was on-going and all she could do was take advantage of the opportunity to be present and have some control over the situation.
The surgery was progressing smoothly,much to Johanna's surprise. Things were near the end and for the first time since she took her young patient in her arms,Johanna allowed herself to hope. Hope that when she gets out of here she will have good news for Lucifer. Hope that she will see that sad,defeated,full of guilt expression on Lucifer's face disappear.
A hope that vanished as swiftly as it was born when June heard the distinctive bipping sound and a nurse yelling.
-Heart rate is dropping fast
-The stress is too much for his young body. Doctor,we must close him up now. There may still be time to stabilize him.
-We cant.
-Why?
When Johanna looked down,she understood why.There was blood gushing out of the patient's open throat. She rushed to help stop the bleeding.
-What happened?
-The lymph nodes started reducing in size. Rapidly. This made the whole neck's shape unstable and so my movements became sloppy. I must gave cut an artery by mistake.
Johanna wanted to yell at him. It was obvious that he was in a hurry to finish the surgery because each minute he was spending operating it was another minute of stress on the newborn's body.And due to this haste he made a critical mistake. But this could wait. All that mattered right now was for this baby to survive surgery.
They spent another thirty minutes trying to stop the bleeding before finally closing up. Thank God,they had enough blood with a blood type compatible with that of the baby.
Johanna wanted to collapse. Partially due to exhaustion but mostly due to anxiety. She didnt go to find Lucifer immediately after surgery. First she wanted to check on the baby's condition after the surgery. She hoped the news were good.
Unfortunately it seemed that today a feeling of hope was equivalent to a premonition of bad news.
Doctor Jones had his suspicions but the neurosurgeons confirmed it. Lucifer's brother was clinically dead.June wanted to cry.
She knew how proud Lucifer was and that he never cried,at least not in public. So she decided to cry instead of him. To mourn in his place that which he lost way too soon.
In the hospital's cafeteria
Lucifer was browsing on his phone while taking a sip of his coffee. He suddenly threw his phone on the table with such force that startled the nearby customers.He felt nervous and angry. Johanna was surely taking her sweet time. Something must have happened for her to be late. No,maybe she was busy flirting with the pediatrician. Maybe he should go search for her.He picked his phone and he saw that he had accidentally opened a picture on his cellphone when he threw it.He thought he had deleted it.
It was the photo that Amenadiel insisted on taking and by "insisting" he meant that he took it when Lucifer wasnt looking,the first day they found David crying on their doorstep alongside a note from their father.The baby was wrapped up in a white woollen blanket inside a basket. He remembered how scared their brother was when he felt two strangers picking him up and holding him. It took a long time to calm him down. Well,truth be told,Amenadiel did most of the work. He was simply sitting aside, whining about how he couldnt stand the screaming. But Amenadiel was a smart fellow,he somehow managed to make Lucifer hold the newborn,sort of,and snap a photo
The picture was a mess.Neither of them were still when Amenadiel was taking the photo but looking more closely,Lucifer could see all details of David's face. His bright blue eyes,his white,silky skin and his small nose that was lost under these big eyes. Come to think of it,it was actually the first time he took such a careful look of his brother's face.Why? What was he so afraid of?
-Lucifer
Johanna's voice snapped him back to reality.Her eyes were full of tears. Panic began to rise inside him but he didnt have time to analyse it now.
-What is his condition? Is he going to be alright?
After a brief silence,Johanna decided to just say it. There wasnt an easy or pleasant way to announce it,anyway.
-No,Lucifer. He is clinically dead.
-What? How did this happen?
-A complication in surgery.
Why was Johanna protecting Jones? She should just tell Lucifer the truth. But there was something in his eyes. Something so raw and dangerous that made her fear for her colleague's physical integrity or even life.
-Why was he in surgery? You were fully capable of dealing with this without putting him through this.
That hurt more than anything because it was true.
-I didnt manage to prevent them. By the time that I arrived they had already started. I could only participate. And things...didnt go smoothly.
-So once again you have the knowledge but not the power.At least when you locked a doctor in the basement to save a patient's life you had more courage. But I see you have softened since then.
-Yeah,being in danger of going to prison tends to shake people up.
Lucifer simply sighed disappointed and then his eyes sparkled.
-Listen,I may have a idea about how we can save him. But you must promise me to do as I say.
-What? Why?
-Do you want to save him or not?
-Fine. I promise.
-Excellent. Keep him alive for tonight and tomorrow morning I will come back with the solution.
-You frighten me. What do you have in mind?
-Its best that you dont know.
Normally June would protest but she was so overwhelmed with guilt that she simply nodded.
Lucifer left the hospital in a quick pace. He never though he would have to use this. But desperate time called for desperate measures.
Why was he desperate again?
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