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‘OK, I’m finished.’
‘So what do we do now?’
‘I throw this and it should provide us enough cover to get the hell out of here.’
‘So you made a smoke grenade.’ Jack says in awe.
‘Basically yes, so you give the signal and I throw it. We run towards the door on our left, OK?’
Jack nods, OK, ‘one, two, THREE!’
Mac throws the bottle towards the men shooting at them. A large chemical cloud expands.
‘Run!’
Jack takes off towards the door, as does Mac, only his foot gets caught in something and he goes down, while the cloud comes closer. He untangles himself and follows Jack out of the room. Jack being out first, already hotwired a car and Mac jumps in. Skidding away, they start driving, hopefully they will make exfil in time. Once again they were lucky.
* * *
Once they are on board of the jet, Mac makes himself comfortable on the couch, while Jack takes a seat across the aisle. It doesn´t take Mac long to fall asleep and Jack covers him with a blanket, taking one himself and dozing off.
Jack is not sure what woke him, but he stays still, years of training and living this life learned him to get a feel for the environment before letting know you are awake. And then he hears it, it is Mac who is coughing wetly. He opens his eyes and can see frothy spit from his coughing. His skin and lips are pale, but he can see sweat in his hairline. This can´t be good. But the strange thing is that Mac is still out, not haven woken by his own coughing.
‘Mac? Can you wake up for me?’
Mac startles awake, his eyes swollen.
‘What’s going on?’ he asks in a hoarse voice.
‘How are you feeling bud? I’m a little concerned you breathed in some of the chemicals of your own smoke grenade.’
‘I’m fine, just tired.’ He answers hoarsely.
‘You don´t look OK, Mac, you are pale and I don’t like the way your voice sounds. Humor me, OK? I’m calling medical.’
Mac rolls his eyes before closing them again. Jack takes the jet’s telephone and calls medical.
‘Hi Jack, what is going one? I though you are not back yet?’
‘No, I’m calling from the jet. I’m worried about Mac.’
‘Before you start talking, grab the medical kid from the cabinet in the front, there is a saturation meter inside. I would like you to start with taking his vitals.’
Jack does as he is told. When he sits back next to Mac and touches him to get his attention, Mac startles.
‘Sorry kid, didn´t mean to startle you, but I would like to take some vitals.’
‘What?’
‘Mac, doc Carl is on speaker phone. He wants me to take your vitals.’
‘Hi Mac, sorry but Jack is worried and we don´t want Jack to go all mother hen on you, right? So that is why I asked for some vitals.’
Mac nods tiredly and Jack attaches the saturation meter on Mac’s finger. He also counts his pulse. He relays all the info to doc Carl.
‘OK Mac, Jack, those numbers are not what they should be, so I am going to ask Jack to get the oxygen tank that is on board and hook you up to it.’
Jack walks back to the cabinet and gets the oxygen tank and a mask. Connecting them, he hands the oxygen mask to Mac.
‘You don´t have to put it around your head, hold it yourself.’
He knows Mac is still sensitive to oxygen masks, so he wants to have him some control over the mask. Mac’s takes it and gingerly holds it to his face, it is not what Jack would have wanted, but it is probably better than nothing.
‘Can you take his temperature, Jack?’
‘102.2’
‘is his tongue swollen?’
Jack’s worry increases when Mac doesn´t respond to the question, he must have heard doc Carl asking about his tongue, but he doesn´t deny or confirm. It appears that he didn´t even heard the question.
‘Mac, can you stick out your tongue?’
Mac stares at Jack for a moment, before taking the mask off and sticking his tongue out.
‘It appears to be a bit swollen, I can´t really tell, but it is redder than normal.’
‘OK, keep Mac on the oxygen and start telling what happened.’
Jack starts explaining what happened, while Mac closes his eyes again. It appears he is fallen asleep again, because his hand with the mask, starts slipping, Jack gently puts the rubber bands around Mac’s head to keep it in place.
‘You see doc, that is why I am concerned.’
‘You are right Jack, form what you just told me, I think he is developing chemical pneumonia. It is an inflammation caused by inhaling toxins. Do you know what he used?’
‘Seriously? I don´t know, I was trying to keep us from being killed.’
‘No problem. You will have to be watchful for his mouth or throat swelling, you can tell, because breathing will become more difficult, his voice can suddenly change, vomiting, blue discoloration of his lips, things like that. If that happens, I want you to use the nasal trumpet. You know how to insert one, don´t you?’
‘Yes, I was trained.’
‘OK, maybe it is wise to also start an IV, in case we need to push medication.’
‘Do you want me to start one now?
‘Yes.’
Jack takes the everything he needs out of the first aid kit and disinfects Mac´s hand. He takes the smallest possible needle to cause Mac the least discomfort and with a practiced move, he slides the safety catheter in. Pulling out the needle, he connects the IV bag and hangs it above Mac.
‘He didn´t wake for the IV, doc.’ He states in surprise.
‘Can you give me a new set of vitals?’
Jack checks and relays the info, his temperature is going up, so the IV may be a good thing. He tells the doc that he doesn´t like the way Mac is breathing so the doctor suggest to give Mac some steroid medication.
Having done everything he can for the moment, doc Carl tells him to take a rest, eat and drink something and watch Mac, so that is what Jack does.
* * *
Jack enters the cabin again after consulting with the pilots. Mac starts coughing and all alarm bells go off, when he sees frothy, bloody spit splashing against the mask. He immediately dials medical again.
‘Doc!’
‘What is it?’
‘Mac starts coughing up blood.’
‘OK, you will need to get the nose trumpet in and see if you can keep open his airway.’
‘Mac? Wake up kid.’
It takes a moment for Mac to wake up, and he stares in confusion at Jack, ‘what’s wrong?’
‘I want to insert a nose trumpet kid, I know it is not comfortable , but I’m worried.’
Mac sits up and starts coughing and he pulls the mask off his face, coughing in his hand. Alarmed he looks at the blood in his hand.
‘That’s why I am concerned, Mac.’
‘I will keep the oxygen mask on.’
‘I know kid, but still, the doc says it is the way to go, so.’
Mac nods, ‘OK do it.’
He tilts his head backwards and goes completely limp. Jack curses but pulls Mac on his back, quickly inserting the nose trumpet and replacing the oxygen mask before rolling Mac in recovery position in the aisle.
‘Doc, Mac just lost consciousness.’
‘Take his vitals please.’
Jack relays the information.
‘OK, so far he is doing OK. I don´t like his rising temperature, but there is nothing you can do about that.’
‘Pilot says ETA is fifty minutes.’
‘We will be on standby at the airstrip Jack.’
‘Thanks.’
Jack disconnects the phone call and watches Mac like a hawk. He doesn´t like how pale Mac is becoming, he is almost translucent. And slowly there is a blue shine creeping in his features. Whenever he coughs, it sounds wetter than befoere and Jack makes sure Mac isn´t inhaling the blood that is collecting in his mouth. There is nothing he can do than wait until he can turn Mac over to the medical team.
* * *
The moment the jet comes to a stop, Jack unlocks the door and calls in the medical team that comes running towards them. They are carrying backpacks with medical equipment and Jack steps out of the way when they enter the jet. Bags are opened and Mac is examined. Without much further ado, medication is pushed and Mac intubated. The blue discoloration slowly clears up.
Mac is readied to be taken off the plane and into the waiting ambulance.
‘How is he?’
‘I’m not gonna lie, he could be better, but it is not as bad as I suspected, so, we will see. We are taking him to the Phoenix, I have a pulmonologist on standby. ‘
A gurney is brought on board and Mac is strapped on it. Jack is relieved Mac is sedated now that he is intubated and doesn´t have to live through the discomfort and pain. He helps carrying Mac to the waiting ambulance and then they are off to the Phoenix.
* * *
Mac wakes gradually, doc Carl told Jack they would wean Mac off the drugs that kept him under and see how he would do breathing on his own. But for that he needs to be conscious, so he started lifting the heavy drugs and Mac has been showing signs of waking up, but never fully waking up. The moment he does, Jack can tells, he can see the tension in Mac’s body.
‘Hey kid, easy there, you are at medical and on a ventilator. Let it breath for you, OK, don’t fight it.’
But that is easier said than done and Mac makes choking sounds.
‘Mac, it’s OK, let it breathe for you, don’t fight it.’
Mac raises his hand towards the tube, and Jack intercepts it, ‘No Mac, it is there to help you breathe. Can you open your eyes for me?’
He can see a flutter and then clue slits.
‘That’s it kid, are you with me?’
Mac stares at Jack, it is clear he is not with them fully, the drugs still fogging up his mind, but he is awake.
‘I’m calling the doc, Mac.’
He pushes the nurse call button and doc Carl enters the room almost immediately.
‘Hey Mac, good to see you awake. I’m gonna do a quick vital check, OK?’
Mac sort of just stares at the doc.
‘The medication will make you probably woozy and sleepy, but I want you to try and stay awake OK? We are going to put the ventilator in an assistant mode so you can trigger the breaths, OK? If this works we can see if we can put you on Bipap.’
Mac slowly nods, before turning his head towards Jack.
‘You’re doing fine, kid. It was a close call, but you did it. I’m proud of you.’
Mac’s eyes slowly fall shut again.’
‘Hey Mac, can you stay awake a bit longer, see if your breathing is doing OK?’
Mac gives a minute nod, but his eyes tell a different story.
‘No worries Jack, he will get there, we’re keeping a close eye on him. Let him rest, he is recuperating, we will try next time he wakes.’
Jack nods, he knows the routine, but that doesn´t make it any better or easier to handle.
‘Rest kid, I will be here.’