<USS Avalon> "Desperate Measures"

Desperate Measures
by Ensign Sussanna Jameson

No one paid her any attention as she sat curled in a corner, playing with
her scanner and hyposprays. Anna mixed possible cures, tested them against
samples from the comatose patients, using the blood sample she'd taken from
Eli as a basis for a cure. It was still in its early stages but was looking
more and more promising. The current concoction she was working on had stood
up to her most rigorous testing, now all she had to do was...

High pitched electronic screaming echoed around the corridor from a
tricorder she'd set up to keep an eye on the patients. Bolting to her feet
and across the room, the readings told her that Josh was flat-lining. The
hypospray still in her hand contained her latest attempt at a cure, she knew
it wasn't ready, knew it was a bad idea to try it on a real patient, but
this was not the time for morality and second guessing. She held over his
heart and pumped a full dose into his system. Throwing the empty tube away,
she clasped her hands together and started CPR.

One... Two... Three... she counted up to fifteen and then dropped to his
side, tilted his head back and, oblivious to the possible dangers of the
virus, opened his mouth to force air into his lungs.  You're not going to
die on me now, not like this, not again. Two breaths and she went back to
pumping his heart. If she could just keep at it, the CPR would force the
cure around his body for her, he would be okay.

Four... Five... Six... Another round of breaths and he still wasn't
responding. The tricorder still sang out its shrill warning and his body was
still lifeless.  Damn you, live! She was trying so bloody hard, her mind
went to autopilot and she knew that she needed more than one set of hands.

Seven... Eight... Nine... "Eli? Wake up right now!" The command in her voice
brought him round from his dozing. "I need you to bring me my medical kit,
ok?"

"Sure thing," he said groggily. He brought it over to her and placed it next
to her, within reaching distance.

Ten... Eleven... Twelve... After another set of breaths, she asked him to
pull out a spare hypo and fill it with adrenalin. This she used in the same
way as the previous: straight over Josh's heart and injected. It was a last
attempt to bring him around, one last try.

Thirteen... Forteen... Fifteen... Nothing. No pulse, no breathing, nothing.

"Computer acknowledge time of death of Lt. Joshua Garrity reported at..."

She was interupted by the slightest sound. A blip, nothing more. A single
heart beat, accompanying the faintest gasp for air. Another blip then
another came in painfully slow arrhythmic beats.

Anna dropped back to his side and picked up the scanner. Yes, it was there,
the pulse, the life coming back. She set to test for the virus, thousands
upon millions of the tiny microbes of her cure set upon it like small
warriors devastating the enemy's army. His breathing leveled out and his
pulse rate evened. There was no dramatic resurrection, no great recovery. He
didn't suddenly sit up and say "Hey Doc, thanks, I'm cured." Instead he just
lay there quietly, oblivious to the violent battle raging inside him.

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