Episode 182 - Cardi-Bee

Carpathia IV: Episode 182 - Cardi-Bee

Runabout

As soon as Darius jumped down from the bio bed, allowing Teren to take over CPR, he grabbed the auto-breather, and slipped it over Amenaru's face. With some struggle, as Amenaru shook while Teren did CPR, and his own frayed nerves, Darius finally managed to work the controls to seal the device over Amenaru's face and extend the breathing tube into his mouth. When he turned around, Mikado stood before him, holding the Cardi-Bee box. It was bright yellow with black stripes, not only a brilliant bit of marketing, but also a characteristic that made it easy to find in a hurry, the Cardi-Bee.

Mikado: I found it.

Darius nodded and whipped around back to face the bio bed.

Darius: Open it! We have to go fast. We only have a couple of minutes at most.

Mikado nodded and pulled the latches. As soon as they flipped open, Darius snatched the box from his hands, nearly dropping it. Even with the lid unlocked, Darius had difficulty raising the lid with his shaky paw and it flopped closed three times as he lost his grip. Before he could try a fourth time, Mikado took his paw and squeezed.

Mikado: Take it easy, Darius. You can do this.

Darius allowed himself a pause, a very brief one, just long enough to take a deep breath. Up to this moment, he was on autopilot, relying on nothing but his studies and minimal experience, not realizing how alone he felt in his task. Doctor Teagan's voice, though helpful, was still distant. A touch, a connection, if only for a moment, was all it took to center him again. With this, he was able to open the box with ease. Inside was the Cardi-Bee, about the size of a computer mouse and just as bright yellow and striped as the box.

Mikado: It says to place the Cardi-Bee on the patient's chest as close to the heart as possible.

With Teren still doing chest compressions, Darius couldn't put the Bee directly over Amenaru's heart. Just to the side would suffice.

Mikado: With the Bee in position, press the power button to attach it to the skin and turn it on.

Darius tapped the power button and the Bee suctioned itself to Amenaru's skin and the lights flicked on.

Mikado: Make an incision near the heart...

Darius: I've already got a giant hole to work with. It'll do.

Mikado nodded and skipped to the next instruction.

Mikado: Extend each electrode from the front of the Bee and feed them into the incision. The Bee will scan for the heart and attach itself to the correct position.

Darius nodded and unspooled the first electrode. With care, he minded his breathing, keeping his paws steady, and fed the line into the chest hole.

Mikado: Oh, I'm getting some kind of feed from the electrode.

Mikado held the tablet out with his hands so that Darius could see. A slightly cartoonish representation of a few centimeters around the tip of the electrode.

Darius: There's a holo button. Let's try that.

Mikado studied the screen until he found the button Darius mentioned and tapped it. From the screen, a holographic image appeared of the area, showing the same thing in 3D, but without all the blood in the way. Right away, Mikado held the tablet with the screen facing up.

Darius: That's perfect. Hold it just like that.

Darius had wondered how he might be able to do this without being able to see where he was going, but now he had his answer. His hands worked the electrode while he stared at the holo projection until, finally, the electrode jumped from his paw to Amenaru's heart.

Darius: That's one.

Darius repeated the process with the other two electrodes, going much faster with those owing to the holo image and experience. Darius stepped back while Mikado studied the tablet again.

Mikado: With the electrodes attached, the Bee will start auto...

Before Mikado could finish, the Cardi-Bee began to pulsate, prompting Darius to look up at the bio readings on the screen.

Darius: Systolic rising. 30... 40... Commander, you can stop the CPR now.

Teren stopped compressions and rolled off the bio bed, shaking out his paws as he landed on his feet.

Teren: What's next, Darius?

Darius panted a few times before answering.

Darius: I need to inform Dr. Teagan, but she might be too busy getting the triage bay ready. I'll need to watch him. How long until we dock?

Teren whipped his head to Mikado and snapped his fingers.

Teren: Get Dr. Teagan for Darius.

Mikado gave a quick nod and tapped at his tablet while Teren called the flight deck from a nearby console.

Teren: Ramei, ETA.

Ramei: 5 minutes 20, Commander.

Teren: Acknowledged.

Darius listened while picking up his scanner to resume taking the readings that Dr. Teagan asked for earlier.

Teren: Anything else?

Darius: Just make sure the path to the door is clear. We need to be ready to slide the bio bed onto the wheelie the instant we land. Someone needs to get it ready.

Teren: It will be done.

Mikado: Dr. Teagan has the readings. She says well done.

Shuttle Bay, NCCS Shadowdancer-A

Sorchae, along with part of her nursing team, rushed out of the triage bay and joined Aire in the shuttle bay. With the door open, they could see the runabout approaching fast, getting bigger with each passing second.

Aire: Stand back, Sorchae. The runabout is coming in hot.

Indeed the port half of the shuttle bay was entirely clear of obstacles with a safety net deployed at the back end of it. It wasn't but a few more seconds that the runabout streaked inside and set down on the deck with a skid, missing the net by only inches. With the shuttle stopped, Sorchae and her team sprinted to the door, which was opening at the same time. Teren popped his head out and waved them in.

Moments later, the bio bed raced out of the shuttle door, perched atop a gurney, darted across the shuttle bay, and disappeared into the triage bay.

Darius: C...captain... What should I do now?

Aire gazed upon Darius, blood covered and woozy, as he staggered out of the runabout, unquestionably in no fit state to help Sorchae with anything. However, as Nalma emerged with Kit, he had an idea to at least keep him a bit busy.

Aire: Help Nalma get Kit to the infirmary.

Darius: Will do, Captain.

Last to exit was Ramei, and Aire immediately waved him forward.

Aire: Ramei, Sorchae wants you in the triage lab, now.

Ramei: Yes, Captain!

Ramei ran to the triage lab, and now, for Aire, came the hardest part of the ordeal. Waiting.

Triage Bay, NCCS Shadowdancer-A

In the triage bay, the nurse team slid the bio bed off the gurney and onto the pedestal in the center of the triage bay.

Sorchae: Activate sterile field. Tamati, start biometric scans. We need to replace the Cardi-Bee with the heart stimulator. That will buy us an hour, at most.

The door to the triage bay opened and in came Sylvar, holding the box Sorchae requested.

Sylvar: I have what you asked for, Doctor.

Without a word, Sorchae pointed at two of the nurses and then at Amenaru and they started working on swapping out the Cardi-Bee. Sorchae took the box from Sylvar.

Sorchae: Good. Wait in the triage lab. I will be there shortly.

Triage Lab, NCCS Shadowdancer-A

Minnie, Trex, and Teek paced, lounged, sat, and did whatever other things people do when they're waiting with nothing to do. Just moments ago, they were joined by Ramei, who regaled them with as much as he knew. It wasn't much, since he had been piloting the shuttle and bore no witness to any of the drama that happened one deck below him. Not long after, Sylvar joined, making them a quintet and all he could tell them was that he brought a box for the Doctor. It seemed they would have to wait longer to finally get an explanation.

It wasn't much longer. Sorchae burst in with the box and a pair of tablets. Without so much of a howdy-do, she plopped the box on the table.

Sorchae: Artificial heart.

Next, she jabbed one of the tablets into Minnie's hands.

Sorchae: Assembly instructions.

And then thrust the other tablet into Trex's hands.

Sorchae: Customization parameters for Amenaru's anatomy.

From the triage bay, Tamati called out.

Tamati: Doctor!