Sharkbait

As if the marines didn't have enough to worry about with the Japanese, now even the wildlife is out to get them.

File created: 2010-02-13 01:00

Airstrip

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Coordinates : 6 12

The airstrip itself is an artificial creation - hacked out of the encroaching undergrowth by the efforts of Japanese engineers at first using nothing but strong arms and sharp tools. Later on in the campaign SeaBees using heavy machinery manage to make the place a little flatter and a little more civilised.

A few ramshackle buildings have been erected around the airstrip. Among them was a storage building that now serves as the aid station. The structure consists of metal sheeting attached halfhazardly to a wooden frame. The roof is covered with palm branches, and there are large "windows" on either side to allow a cross-breeze. Cots line the walls, with a small surgical suite curtained off in the rear.

Fredricks smiles to Anna kindly, "Don't worry about it, Anna. sometimes it's contained chaos around here."

"Only sometimes?" Anna replies back with a wry smirk. "I appreciate it." She rubs her neck again, and then is reminded. "Oh, did I show you? Ryan got me a ring." She proudly shows it off. Pretty little thing, with a sapphire setting. The blush remains, but accompanied by a pleased smile. "So I reckon it's all official now." As official as an engagement can be, really.

Fredricks smiles, looking at the ring, "Well, isn't that something. I'm happy for you two, Anna, that's great. what's your Mom and aunt think of it?"

"Thanks," Anna says, beaming as only a girl with a shiny new engagement ring can do. She lowers the hand and says, "Haven't heard from my Aunt in a bit. I hope she's just busy and it's not the post losing her letters or anything. Mum was quite pleased, actually. I was surprised - I figured she'd be more skeptical given we've not known each other long. But she mentioned there was this bloke in Gallipoli she was quite over the moon for, in just a short time. I'd never known that." Her expression turns more thoughtful before she adds, "She said she understood."

Fredricks thinks for a moment, "That might explain her expression in the picture, if you think on it."

Annabelle gives a slow nod. "Aye. She said he was killed, not long before the evacuation." Her tone grows more somber. "I reckon that had a lot to do with the photo. Having to slink away, after all that." A sad smile. "But she said she didn't regret it at all, and she'd do it again. That's how I feel, despite the crushing worry most days."

Fredricks nods, thoughtfully. "I can see that, honestly." He scratches his cheek thoughtfully. "I do hope it works out in the end, really. I'll do my best to keep Fish going for you."

"I know you will," Anna tells him softly. She has confidence in him. "You've saved us both a bit already. 'Tis in God's hands, in the end, but I still… can't help but be afraid." There's a sudden commotion by the door, a trio of very wet marines coming in - two carrying the third between them. The injured one was just wearing his boxer shorts as swim trunks. Blood has soaked his leg, though the actual injury is covered by someones' pants wrapped around his thigh. He cries out as he's jostled getting in the door.

Fredricks smiles, then looks past Anna, "What the hell happened?" He demands, moving in a rush to prepare the table for the man to be put on.

Annabelle turns, following Fredricks' look and then blanching. "Dear me." She moves over quickly to help Fredricks. The two marines help their buddy onto the table, eliciting more screams of pain. "Steady on, mate. You'll be all right," Anna tells him reassuringly. "Any morphine yet?" she asks the fellows.

The injured guy isn't much for storytelling right now, but his one buddy explains breathlessly, "We were swimming and he just started screaming. I saw a fin - I think it was a shark."

The other buddy shakes his head to Anna. "Not yet."

Fredricks looks to Anna, "Styrette him." He says before taking a look at the wounds, and nods, "Yeah, that's a shark. Bite and a brush." He starts getting instruments, "One set of teeth marks, and skin scraped off by the skin." He starts staunching the blood before he gets to work cleaning the wounds and closing them.

Slayback steps inside the aid station as someone mentions a shark. He rushes over to them and spots the injured man, "Oooo." He gazes in awe at the wound before he remembers his hometraining, "Oh! Is there anything I can do to help, doc?"

The bleeding is bad, the femoral artery gashed but not completely severed (otherwise the poor fellow would be dead by now). It spurts once the makeshift bandage is removed, until Fredricks staunches it. Anna gives the injured guy a syrette of morphine, patting his head and murmuring some reassurances. She blanches at the injury. "Usually they avoid people," she mutters. One hand goes to hold pressure on the pressure point at the top of his leg. She glances to Slayback, "Can you hold your fingers right here? Press very hard."

Fredricks nods to Anna, indicating she'll handle Slaybacks help. He keeps moving, hands moving almost of their own volition as he works to get this emergency under control, "Yeah, but this is fairly typical. Sharks don't like the taste of humans, but they don't know that till they take a taste."

"Is he going to be all right?" Buddy #1 asks, watching worriedly while he drips ocean water on the floor of the station.

Slayback nods at Anna's instruction and presses the palm of his hand down on the point indicated, using his other hand to press down on the back of it, "He shoulda punched it in the nose. That's what I've always heard. Knowledge like that comes in hand when you live in Pittsburgh."

Fredricks nods, "Lemme work and I'll tell you if he'll be alright." He keps on working. first thing is that artery. getting at it and sewing it closed, repairing the damage carefully, "The brass is damn well going to be impressed with this one."

"Good, just like that," Anna confirms when Slayback holds pressure on it. That frees her up to help Fredricks, passing him instruments and such as he needs it. She nods, then frowns. "Aye, 'tis awful, though, everything else that can happen and he gets got by a bloody shark."

Slayback can't help but ramble on when under pressure, "Y'know, I was going to be a doctor when I got out of the service. I have the grades for it. I'm sure the Marines'll even pay for it." He shrugs and just keeps on talking about things that don't even matter.

Fredricks keeps concentrating on the work, "Yeah, well, strange things happen out here. This'll be quite a story for him." He sighs as the blood stops, "Alright, damn, he'll make it, now we have to make sure the rest of the bitewounds are cleaned and sutured, then bandage the abrasions." He sighs, "He's out of the fighting for a while.

"Medical school, eh?" Anna tries not to sound skeptical. It's not the grades that concern her - Slayback just doesn't seem the doctor type. Raised eyebrows betray her, though. She continues to help Fredricks, nodding to him. "Jolly good." About him making it. The words have little enthusiasm, for she asks worriedly, "And he'll keep the leg?" Sharkbait has passed out from blood loss and morhpine. His buddies continue to look on worriedly.

Slayback looks between the two of them, "Umm…do I keep my hand here or what?" He seems absolutely at a loss as to what he should do, so he just keeps his hand there until someone tells him otherwise.

Fredricks is focused on his treatment of this hole in the man, but he looks up, "Yes, slowly."

Fredricks is focused on his treatment of this hole in the man, but he looks up, "Yes, slowly." He says, "Lift your hand, carefully, and smoothly, see if any more blood comes out when you do."

Annabelle plays the part of dutiful surgical assistant. She watches Fredricks work, impressed. A glance to Slayback. "Does that really work? Hitting them in the nose, I mean?"

Slayback nods to Annabelle, "Yeah, lots of nerve endings are bunched up right there. It's the same as hitting a man in his…place." He coughs and begins to slowly moves his hand away. A pool of blood is revealed, but it's not getting any bigger.

Fredricks nods, sighing, "Yeah, like that, good." He keeps working sewing up one more toothmark. "Damn sharkteeth cut right through flesh." He mutters as he works, focused.

Annabelle coughs as well. "Huh. Well, that's good to know, I suppose." She glances up to check on Sharkbait, just to make sure he's still breathing and everything. Which he is. "Looks like the sutures are holding, at least," she observes to Fredricks. To Slayback, she asks, "Did you get to the beach very much, then, at home?"

Annabelle coughs as well. "Huh. Well, that's good to know, I suppose." She glances up to check on Sharkbait, just to make sure he's still breathing and everything. Which he is. "Looks like the sutures are holding, at least," she observes to Fredricks. To Slayback, she asks, "Did you get to the beach very much, then, at home?" <re>

Slayback runs off to fetch a basin of water for the good doctor, in case he needs to wash off the sutures. He almost snorts when Annabelle asks about the beach, "Oh heavens no. We don't have a beach…we've got a river but you don't want to go swimming in that. Worse things than sharks in there." He chuckles and sets the basin on a clear spot near Fredricks.

Fredricks keeps working, still focused. He nods to the comment about the sutures, and moves on. Finally concluding the sewing portion of the days fun, he looks at the abrasion. "this is going to be an ugly scar." He comments.

"Aye," Anna agrees somberly, imagining the scar. "'Tis a shame, that. Least he's still got his leg, though." She looks over at Slayback, a little confused. "Oh. I thought you'd said…" She shakes her head. "We've a river back home as well. Used to go swimming in it all the time."

Slayback nods in agreement to Fredricks, "But, according to Miss Annabelle here, scars don't matter much to women. Atleast this guy can hid his well." He decides to just stand back from the two, allowing them to do their jobs now.

Fredricks frowns at the lost skin, "Yeah, he'll be able to cover this at least. Anna, prepare the Iv for this fellow, penicillin to keep the infection at bay."

Fischer arrives from the East.

"When'd I said that?" Anna says, looking confused in response to Slayback's commentary on scars. She nods to the doctor and starts setting up the IV. "He's lucky, though, that's for sure." Lucky Sharkbait, who's currently being tended by Fredricks. Slayback is nearby as well, as are two of Sharkbait's marine buddies, still wet from their ill-timed swim.

Slayback walks over to a cot near where they're operating, "I don't know. It's what I picked up from our little conversation the other day. Oh, I also changed my mind, I do want to see that mirror of yours, Miss Annabelle." He chuckles.

Fredricks rises from Sharkbaits wounds, and begins dressing them carefully. "Well, that's what we can do for now. So we'll see how he pulls through."

"Oh," Anna says, remembering. "Well, I said yours wasn't so bad. And I definitely thing 'tis easy to look past the scars when you care for someone." Obviously she's not put off by Scarred Fish, or vice-versa. She nods to Fredricks. "Grand. Good show, Doc." She ges the IV in the fellow's arm, and gets the antibiotics going. "I'll get him cleaned up a wee bit."

Slayback kicks his feet up on the cot and lays back. He scratches a little bit at his beard and yawns. Sleepy Slayback. "Well I'm going to catch forty winks before a pesky NCO decides to send me to work.

Fredricks nods to slayback, "Sleep well." He starts to move off, looking to Anna, "Thanks, Anna, I'm going to clean up a bit."

"No worries," Anna tells Fredricks. To Slayback, she says, "I'll get that mirror for you and have it about when you wake up. Rest well."

Along came … a FEESH. Fish wanders up, muddy and damp as Feeshes in jungles are wont to be. He brushese himself off though, and pokes his head into the tent. "Hello?"

Fredricks cleans himself up and looks over as a Feesh comes in. Hmm, Did the Corporal bite the Marine? Hmmm.. HMMMMMM

Nay! For Feesh is a gentle feesh and not really a biter. He smiles. "Hey, is Anna about? How are you Doc?" He eventually manages a grin.

Fredricks smirks, "Okay, we had a Shark bite victim. Anna's getting something from the back, how're you?"

Blink. "… seriously?" He looks at Fredricks, shocked. Fish just nods. "Poor fellow. Hope he's okay. And I'm doing alright. Just damp nearly everywhere it seems." Sigh. Fish does not like humid.

Fredricks nods, "Seriously, but well, it seems that taking a swim has some problems as well."

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