Barrett looked at the men seated in the doctor’s lounge and was glad he’d decided to have this meeting here instead of the waiting room. They were a solemn group and he knew they understood he was about to give them the lowdown on Chris Larabee. Vin Tanner was absent, but Barrett knew where he was. He’d seen the young man sitting beside his friend’s bed and talking softly to him. He knew the others would tell him what was happening once the meeting was over. He looked at the door and nodded gratefully at Joe Mullen as he joined them at the table.
“Doc, what’s going on?” Wilmington asked, a worried frown on his face.
“Gentlemen, This is a colleague of mine, his name is Joe Mullen and he’s head of the hospital’s Nephrology department.”
“Nephrology?” Standish asked.
“Kidneys. Dialysis,” Jackson answered automatically.
“What?” the ladies man snapped.
“That’s what Nephrology deals with Buck!” Jackson answered.
“But Why would Chris need someone from Nephrology?” Dunne asked.
“Why don’t we give Dr. Barrett a chance to explain,” Sanchez suggested, his voice deceptively calm.
“Thank you, Mr. Sanchez. Mr. Jackson’s correct in what Nephrology is. Now, I’d like Joe to explain what’s going on with Chris and what we’re going to do about it.”
Mullen looked from one serious face to another and realized these men had an idea how serious this situation was. He opened the file in front of him, folded his hands and spoke softly. “Gentlemen, as Derrick explained I specialize in kidneys and their function. The kidneys help to clean the blood and removes waste and excess water from the body. Right now Mr. Larabee’s are not working the way they should.”
“Why?” JD asked.
“This sometimes happens in cases like Mr. Larabee’s. He was brought in with significant injuries, in shock, and suffering from severe dehydration.”
“So what exactly is Mr. Larabee’s malady, besides the obvious ones?” the gambler asked.
“Mr. Larabee is suffering from Acute Renal Failure due to Acute Tubular Necrosis.”
“Dammit, Doc, that means nothing to me. What the hell does it mean in simple terms?” Wilmington asked.
“It means that we need to step in and help Mr. Larabee until his kidneys are able to function the way they should.”
“Dialysis?”
“That’s correct Mr. Jackson,” Barrett answered.
“For how long?” Sanchez asked.
“That depends on how much damage was done,” Mullen answered. “There’s no way to know for sure.”
“Doc, what type of Dialysis are you going to use?” Jackson asked.
“We’ll be doing Hemodialysis and by now the equipment should be on its way to Mr. Larabee’s room. So if you gentlemen will excuse us we’ll get everything set up and you may resume your visits.”
“We’re going to explain everything to Chris before we hook him up to the dialysis machine so it could be a while before you can visit him. Just remember when you do that he’ll be tired and he really does need to rest. We’ll let you know when we’re finished,” Barrett explained.
“Doctor, I’ll come with you and explain things to Vin.”
“Nathan, you’re going to have to explain it to the rest of us as well,” Sanchez supplied.
“I know, Josiah. You guys wait here and I’ll be back in a few,” Jackson said as he followed the doctors from the room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chris listened to Vin’s soft voice as he recited one of the poems he’d written for all of them. That the sharpshooter had a poet’s heart and a hero’s wisdom was not lost on the blond, and he could listen to Tanner’s voice and words for hours. The soft tones, the sometimes moody pieces were always well done and Chris knew his best friend was far better than most of the modern day writers. He opened his eyes and looked towards the door as a fair sized machine was placed outside the window to his room. One look at the sharpshooter told him he’d seen it too. He frowned as Barrett, Mullen, and Nathan Jackson entered his room.
“Mr. Tanner, would you excuse us for a few minutes,” Barrett explained.
“N...no,” Larabee said emphatically. “Stay, V...Vin.”
Again he noticed the depression and pain in Chris’ voice and he stayed where he was. “Ain’t going nowhere, Cowboy.”
“Mr. Tanner...”
“Doc,” Jackson interrupted Barrett and waited for him to turn away from the patient. “You might find it easier if Vin stayed while you explained what’s going on.”
“All right, Chris. Mr. Tanner can stay until we finish explaining what’s going to happen.,” Barrett agreed.
“Vin, I’ll wait outside the door for you,” Jackson explained. He saw the shaggy head dip once, read the worry on the handsome face and left the room.
“Find o...out what’s wr...ong?” Larabee asked softly.
“Yes, Chris we did,” Barrett explained. “Do you remember Dr. Mullen?”
Chris nodded once and answered. “Kid...ney doctor.”
“That’s right, Mr. Larabee. We have the results of all those tests we did on you and we know what’s wrong and how to treat it.”
“What’s wrong?” Larabee repeated.
“All your tests results show us you’re in Acute Renal Failure,” Mullen explained.
“Meaning?”
“Meaning your kidneys are not functioning like they should...”
“What are you gonna do about it, Doc?” Tanner interrupted.
“Chris, you understand how the kidneys work to rid the body of waste...”
“Yeah,” Larabee answered impatiently. He was growing tired and wanted to know what was happening before he succumbed to the call of sleep.
“Well, because of everything you’ve been through yours are not doing what they’re supposed to,” Mullen explained. “They need help for a little while so they can heal up and get strong again.”
“What are you going to do?” Tanner asked noting the weariness on Larabee’s face.
“We’re going to use a dialysis machine to do the job of your kidneys for now. There are two types of Dialysis. One is called Peritoneal Dialysis, the other is called Hemodialysis. The one I propose to do is Hemodialysis.”
“Hemo...dialysis?”
“That’s right, Mr. Larabee. Hemodialysis means cleaning the blood and that’s exactly what this treatment does.Blood is circulated through a machine which contains an artificial kidney. It has two spaces separated by a thin membrane. Blood will pass on one side of the membrane and dialysis fluid passes on the other. Basically the wastes and excess water pass from the blood, through the membrane and into the dialysis fluid which is then discarded. The cleaned blood is returned to your bloodstream.” He could see the fear in Larabee and Tanner’s eyes and continued before they could voice any questions. “This is not permanent by any means, Mr. Larabee. It’s only until your kidneys are ready to take over the job they normally perform.”
“How long?”
“Probably a week, maybe a little longer.”
Chris stared through the window at the machine sitting there. Something about it scared him, but he wouldn’t let it show. “How do you ho...ok it up?”
“You would be hooked up through a central venous catheter, which you already have. The treatment lasts approximately three to five hours and will be done three times a week. As I said, I’m hopeful that it will only take a week, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be up and around after that. We will need to monitor you closely until everything is as it should be. Now, I’d really like to get you set up here...”
“Will it hurt him, Doc?” Tanner asked, truly concerned about how much more pain his friend would have to endure.
“There may be a little discomfort, but hopefully it won’t be too bad,” Mullen explained. “Mr. Larabee, there are some papers you need to sign and then we’ll get started. All right?”
“...okay...” Larabee agreed tiredly.
“Mr. Tanner, if you would leave us for a while,” Barrett said as Mullen showed the papers to Chris and explained what they were for.
“Chris...”
“Go, Vin...I’m okay,” Larabee sighed as he listened to the doctor and wished he was once again listening to his friend reciting poetry instead. He signed the paper as Vin left and finally gave into the pain and exhaustion racing through his body.
Barrett and Mullen took advantage of the patient’s unconscious state and had the Hemodialysis machine pulled into the room. They worked steadily to hook Larabee up to it and ensure that it was working properly. With Anne’s help everything was connected and running smoothly. The two men made notations on the patient’s chart before leaving the room.
‘So much pain heaped on one man,’ Anne thought as she watched the machine performing its task. She looked to the door as Josiah Sanchez and Vin Tanner came into the room.
‘Too much pain. Just like his ancestor,’ whispered a soft voice. The shadowy form of a long ago Josiah Sanchez shimmered as it faded from the room, knowing he was leaving this Chris Larabee to the protection of his friends.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
Vin was once more seated beside Larabee’s bed. The others were in the waiting room because the dialysis machine took up extra room and they were forced down to one visitor at a time. He’d relieved Buck about an hour ago and was stiff from sitting in the uncomfortable chair. Anne assured all of them that Chris was sleeping comfortably and was in no discomfort from the treatment he was undergoing. She’d bid them all goodnight, and again Vin couldn’t help but notice the sympathy and caring on her face as she looked at the injured blond.
The new nurse introduced herself as Melody before checking her patient’s vitals and making sure the Hemodialysis machine was still working properly. She knew he still had another hour before the portable machine could be removed and her eyes turned to the young man sitting beside the bed. His hair was unkempt, as if he’d been running his fingers through it continuously. The blue eyes were shadowed with dark rims and showed just how hard this was on him.
“Vin, you need to rest.”
“I’m okay, Melody,” Tanner said and quickly stifled a yawn.
“I don’t think so, Vin. Your friends are in the waiting room and I think you need to get one of them to take you home and put you to bed. From what Anne told me you’ve been here all day and I can see you’re far from well yourself.”
“Just need to know he’s gonna be all right....”
“I’m fine, Vin. Go....sleep...”
“Hey, Cowboy.”
“Where are the others?” Larabee asked tiredly.
“In the waiting room. They...we’ve all been worried about you.”
“Don’t be...I’m fine...just tired...thirsty.” He felt a straw placed to his lips and sucked at the cool water. “Thanks...”
“My name is Melody, Chris. You let me know if you need anything at all. Okay?”
“...okay...” Larabee sighed heavily as he turned back to his friend. “Get the others and go home, Vin.”
“Not gonna leave you here alone.”
“Won’t be alone. Melody is here. I gotta be here, Vin, you and the boys don’t. I’m not gonna be much company anyway. Just gonna go back to sleep.”
“We can watch your back, Chris.”
“I know ya can, but I won’t sleep if I know you boys are not taking care of yourselves and get s...sick be...cause of me.”
“We’re o...kay...”
“No...not...you boys are...worn o...out. ‘Sides, Vin, I got the others here with me. Saw Josiah in a funny get up earlier and I think the others are still around. Nothing’s gonna happen with them here, Vin.”
“Who?”
“You know as well as I do who. They were there when M...Maguire tried to kill me...”
“The cowboys...”
“Don’t call them that,” Larabee said with a grin. “Least not my great, great, grandfather. For some reason he never took kindly to being called a cowboy.”
“Sounds like someone else I know. Least now I know where you get it from.” Tanner unconsciously rubbed at his head. The headache was there, but not the debilitating kind he’d recently suffered from.
“Go home, Pard. Sleep, eat and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“You sure you’ll be okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine, Vin, really I am.”
“I’ll get the others so they can say goodnight to you,” Tanner told the rapidly tiring blond.
“Okay,” Larabee answered and smiled as Vin walked out of the room.
Chris felt someone looking at him and turned towards the nurse. He smiled under the oxygen mask at the look on her face.
“You know him very well, Mr. Larabee.”
“Chris...”
“Chris it is. You’re a good friend.”
“No...I have good friends. The best,” he told her as Buck and JD came into the room.
“Vin tells us you’re kicking us out, Chris,” JD said.
“Yeah, Stud, ya tryin’ to give us a complex,” Wilmington commented.
“No...just trying to let you get...beau...ty sleep...need lots...”
“Ah, hell, ya wound me, Chris. I don’t need no beauty sleep. The ladies just naturally flock to my animal...”
“Give it up, Buck, it ain’t working,” JD observed. “Chris, I’ll be back tomorrow, okay. You need something you tell them to call me.”
Larabee smiled as he looked at the kid from Boston. “I will, JD, thanks.”
“Same, here, Chris. Anything, you hear me, anything at all.” Wilmington squeezed Larabee’s uninjured shoulder in a gesture of the long time friendship they shared. He could tell by the green eyes that he understood the silent vow.
“Thanks, Buck.” Chris watched the two men leave and two more take their place.
“Mr. Larabee, I am looking forward to the day you get rid of these accessories.”
“Not as much as I am, Ezra.”
“I think it will be a day of great celebration, Mr.” He stopped and swallowed the painful lump in his throat. “Chris, Please, no more complications. Okay?”
“I’ll try,” Larabee said as the gambler left the room, but not before Chris caught site of the watery eyes. He sighed heavily as he looked at the medic. “I’m okay, Nathan,” he answered the unspoken question.
Jackson knew that was far from true, but he smiled at the injured man.
“I’m glad to hear that, Chris.”
“Make sure Vin gets some sleep. Looks t...terrible...all do,” Larabee wheezed as he fought against the oncoming coughing attack.
“I’ll see that he gets some rest, Chris. The others too,” the medic assured him.
“Thanks, Nathan.”
“Anytime, Chris. Take your own advice and sleep.”
“I will,” Larabee said, closing his eyes for a second. He heard someone stand beside his bed and smiled without opening his eyes. “Hello, Josiah.”
“Hello, Chris. I won’t ask how you feel right now. I don’t think you’d answer honestly if I did.”
“Probably not,” the blond answered as he opened his eyes and looked up at the older man.
“I wanted you to know that we are here for you. If there is anything I can do to help you just let me know what it is, and I will do everything in my power to see it gets done.”
“Make Vin stay home and rest tomorrow,” Larabee said with a slight smile.
“Now, Brother, I said ask for anything, but I didn’t say ask for something we all know is impossible. That would be like him asking me to keep you from visiting him when he’s a guest in a medical facility. Sleep well, Chris, things will get better.”
“Thanks, Josiah, think I’ll do just that. Goodnight.”
“Sleep, well, Chris Larabee, you’re not, nor have you ever been alone,” Sanchez said as he felt a strange warmth in the tiny room. A smile formed on his face as he turned away from the blond’s bed, knowing he would not be alone through the long night.
Melody watched her patient sink into a deep sleep and once again ran through his vitals.
Chris slept through the night, unaware of the Dialysis machine being unhooked, or blood and urine samples being taken. His dreams were easy and sometimes a smile would turn up the corners of his mouth.
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