Thread: An Unexpected  Reunion  (SithMistress & DeviantAngel)

The suture kit Aubrey needed was on a cart filled with such kits just down the hall. She had just grabbed one when her resident asked her to come over in order to show her how to place a chest tube again. Aubrey watched every motion, memorizing the steps carefully. When the procedure was over, her resident released her to finish what she was doing. Suture kit in hand, she pushed open the door to the exam room Holly was in. Setting the suture kit on a tray, she rolled that tray over to the bed next to the rolling stool she had been sitting on. Settling onto the stool, Aubrey pulled the seal off the kit. Glancing up at Holly as she grabbed a spool of thread and a needle, she froze. Holly's mascara had run down her cheeks, a ragged black line running down to her chin. She hadn't been crying when Aubrey had left. Sorry about the tears, I was just thinking about how lucky I was that the injury wasn't as bad as it could have been. It was an obvious lie, and Aubrey was tempted to call Holly out on it. But, common sense won through. The needle properly threaded, the copper haired woman pulled out a tourniquet and wrapped it around Holly's arm above the wound. This may pinch, but it won't be on for long, Aubrey stated as she cinched the tourniquet tight and tied it. Holly winced at the pressure, but said nothing. With gentle care, Aubrey moved Holly's hand away from the makeshift bandage covering her wound, then slowly pulled it away. This time, no blood spurted out and Aubrey was able to inspect the damage. The wound looked rather gnarly, the cut partially cauterized by the heat of the iron. Aubrey picked up a syringe with a thin needle attached and filled it with a local anesthetic. Okay, I'm going to numb the area now, Holly. This will sting a little. Each stick of the needle elicited a soft gasp of pain from Holly. Aubrey had to make 4 injections to make sure the nerves around the wound were numbed enough for her to suture. I figured for our lunch together we could go to this new Japanese place, Holly said, making small talk as Aubrey worked. I haven't been to it but from the reviews and some friends that went said it was pretty nifty. I also heard they have the best sushi and hibachi in the city. That sounds good, Aubrey said, a bit distracted as she placed the syringe back onto the tray and picked up another syringe. This one did not have a needle attached, but something that looked akin to a small plastic bell at the tip. When Aubrey depressed the plunger, a shower of cold saline washed over the wound, cleaning it out a bit. I need to debride the wound, now. This may feel a bit weird. With that, Aubrey pulled open a package filled with damp gauze and started packing the burned part wound. As it was a rather shallow burn, it didn't take much to cover it completely. She then picked up the needle and thread. I'll stitch up the bleeder here, but that burn is going to need time to be cleaned out properly. You'll need to come back in 12 hours so someone can change the dressing. Or, you can do it yourself. Be warned, it will hurt like a bitch if you do. Aubrey said as she began deftly sewing closed the part of the wound that was not burned. It was also small and shallow, and only required a few stitches to close properly. I'll also prescribe a pain killer to help manage the discomfort. Aubrey realized she was hiding behind her clinical skills to avoid a confrontation with Holly. But, her ex WAS hurt and this WAS her job. Slowly, Aubrey reached up and untied the tourniquet that had been restricting the blood flow to Holly's arm. The stitches held and only a small amount of blood welled up from the cut. Aubrey then cut a piece of gauze to size and taped in in place over the sutures. As for the burned area, Aubrey left the moist dressings in place and covered them with a larger, dry piece of gauze, taping it in place. Holly had been remarkably quiet throughout the process and Aubrey was surprised. Usually, Holly had a tendency to ramble on about nothing. The copper haired woman wondered why she was so subdued, then remembered the dinner plans the two had set for that evening. Maybe Holly was thinking about that. It occurs to me that we had planned to have dinner this evening to talk. Are you still up for that? I can bring some dressings and change that for you, if you like. Maybe we shouldn't go out, though. Do you mind coming over to my place? We can order take out like we used to. Aubrey really didn't know what to say. She felt bad that Holly had been hurt, and wanted to show that she was above pettiness. Was she being too forward by offering a quiet dinner in a private setting? Was she asking for trouble?