ways_infirmary | (no subject)

(no subject)

[OOC: Following this.]

Zhaan is making preparations when Jordan arrives in the infirmary. "Please, sit down," she says, indicating one of the beds. "Deactivate any components of your equipment that you can. Then we can see whether the scanner works."

[Tinytag: Jordan Kennedy]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Jordan walks in wearing cargo shorts and another tank top, having taken a quick shower. She glances around, before nodding to Zhaan.

Turn off her arm, disconnect the prosthesis, set it aside. She feels naked without it, but it is even worse when she turns off the interface cap and the throbbing pain of 'phantom limb' comes creeping back.

The exact reason why she needs an upgrade.

Zhaan turns on the medical scanner: stats such as Jordan's heartbeat, blood pressure, EKG, et cetera appear on a display above the bed. She checks the system diagnostics: everything seems to be in working order.

Just to be sure, she resorts to more low-tech equipment to check the readings she's getting. She uses a stethescope and sphygnomanometer to check over Jordan, then matches up her readings to those on the scanner.

"It seems that the scanner is working properly," Zhaan says as she removes the blood pressure cuff from Jordan's arm. "We can begin. If you anticipate some kind of change in your status that comes with this procedure, then please tell me now. If any unaccounted-for changes happen, we will stop."

Deep breath... this is the point of no return.

Jordan releases a couple of hidden catches, and the whole cap can be released and removed, revealing more circuitry and the ends of the titanium rods she reinforced her bones with; there she needs a second pause, as the memories of the first operation come back.

Nine years old and fitting herself with embedded metal, how's that for a test of a will to survive?

Zhaan clamps Jordan's arm into place and uses a local anesthetic solution to paralyze and numb it. Jordan will have to stay as still as she can. Zhaan doesn't like not being able to use general anesthetic for this sort of procedure, but Jordan needs to be awake.

Once she's confirmed that the anesthetic is working, she begins the procedure, cutting around circuits and other bits of cybernetic equipment at Jordan's direction. (Performing an operation according to directions from one's patient is more than a little unnerving, but Zhaan manages not to show it.)

Everything goes about as well as can be expected: Zhaan gets to the point where the prosthetic can be entirely removed.

Jordan undoes the connections to nerves and tendons, and the mess can be extracted. Halfway there. Even if the sight is very discomfiting.

She pulls a few small plastic boxes from the pockets of her cargo shorts, and after some cleaning up and control of bleeding, the next stage can start: connecting the new parts. While Zhaan did most of the work in the removal episode, now the bulk of the work falls to Jordan; the doctor is left with the simpler work of closing up cuts on flesh and skin that were made for the removal.

Zhaan elects not to use the skin fuser here. All of Jordan's equipment is in places where tissue would normally be, and most of it is directly adjacent to recently wounded flesh. Using the fuser could easily be counterproductive, even dangerous. Zhaan uses dissolving stitches and organic sealants instead.

"There," she says, once she's bandaged everything. "I would not try testing that arm just yet. Give everything time to heal." She goes to the sink and washes her hands, then gets out a bottle of pills. "Painkillers," she says, "if you need them. Take no more than one every twelve hours. Come back to the infirmary at this time tomorrow so I can make sure you are healing well and not developing any infections. The local anesthetic should wear off completely in an hour or so."

Jordan gives a sigh of relief when it is all done. Done, and she will not have to do it again for some years at least.

She takes the painkiller bottle, nodding to the doctor. "You have an incinerator here?" The girl indicates the old implant.

"The chute is near the cabinets," Zhaan says, waving to it.

The evil genius will drop the old components into the chute, with determined moved.

Out with the old. Getting better.

As soon as she finishes going over the three or four weeks of healing, before she can wear her arm again.

... "Thanks."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only