In spite of his preoccupation with Volgin, Alexei found it strange seeing Ocelot, and finally putting a sharp-featured, striking face to the name.
He kept silent, smoothing back the Colonel's pale hair, as a frown creased his face.
There was no way he could leave Zhenya's side to CODEC Leshovik without arousing suspicion in Ocelot.
But waiting was killing them both.
He was about to demand that Ocelot find this pathologist himself, when the door opened, and a woman flew in, pulling on a dressing coat as she did, the young night nurse trotting anxiously in tow.
She was probably no younger than forty, and slightly matronly, wearing a long, demure nightdress. Her brown hair was set in exacting pincurls for the night. Though she was unremarkable in every way, something about her suggested maternal authority, and every man in the room suddenly looked guilty, fidgety like a small, bad boy.
Everyone stepped back, out of simple surprise, and she crossed past Ocelot and directly to Volgin.
"Hands off, Mamontov," she clucked, and Alexei paused, bemused.
"Shto?"
"Hands," she repeated, not unkindly, looking him in the eye, and peeling his giant fingers away, "off. I need to examine him."
Startled, Alexei stepped back, looking up at Ocelot, whose face was a priceless mask of uncertainty and indignity.
"And you are?" the young major finally asked, bowing sarcastically.
"I'm the head nurse," she said crisply, without turning. "How long has he been unconscious? Stomach pains?"
"Poison," said Alexei, hesitantly, averting his eyes. "Confirmed."
Her gaze was sharp as she turned to him.
"I see," she said, slowly.
"And he hasn't been this way long," he added, quickly. "I brought him here as soon as it began."
She looked Volgin's face over, opening his eyelids, looking at his eyes. They were slightly red, and glassy.
"He coughed up blood," Lynx said, suddenly. "Right before he collapsed."
The nurse immediately looked at Volgin's lips, and her eyes narrowed.
"Arsenic," she said crisply, to the night nurse, who hovered anxiously like a headless butterfly.
"Poison," exclaimed the younger woman. "I'll get the charcoal."
"Njet, Svetlana," the head nurse interjected reprovingly. "Surely you know that arsenic is a metal- and charcoal won't absorb metals and alkalids."
"It won't," said Night Nurse, lowering her chin and searching Head Nurse's eyes carefully.
"No," said the Head Nurse tolerantly. "We'll need to begin chelation."
"Oh!" The aforenamed Svetlana brightened considerably and ran into the supply closet.
The Head Nurse addressed the rest of them with a sweeping, efficient glance.
"If it was recent enough, simply evacuating his stomach contents and using chelation treatment to remove the rest should suffice."
She busied herself setting up an IV and a saline drip.
"And I can get back to my book," she added, taking Volgin's limp arm and swabbing it briefly with alcohol, then inserting the IV needle without ceremony.
no subject
He kept silent, smoothing back the Colonel's pale hair, as a frown creased his face.
There was no way he could leave Zhenya's side to CODEC Leshovik without arousing suspicion in Ocelot.
But waiting was killing them both.
He was about to demand that Ocelot find this pathologist himself, when the door opened, and a woman flew in, pulling on a dressing coat as she did, the young night nurse trotting anxiously in tow.
She was probably no younger than forty, and slightly matronly, wearing a long, demure nightdress. Her brown hair was set in exacting pincurls for the night. Though she was unremarkable in every way, something about her suggested maternal authority, and every man in the room suddenly looked guilty, fidgety like a small, bad boy.
Everyone stepped back, out of simple surprise, and she crossed past Ocelot and directly to Volgin.
"Hands off, Mamontov," she clucked, and Alexei paused, bemused.
"Shto?"
"Hands," she repeated, not unkindly, looking him in the eye, and peeling his giant fingers away, "off. I need to examine him."
Startled, Alexei stepped back, looking up at Ocelot, whose face was a priceless mask of uncertainty and indignity.
"And you are?" the young major finally asked, bowing sarcastically.
"I'm the head nurse," she said crisply, without turning. "How long has he been unconscious? Stomach pains?"
"Poison," said Alexei, hesitantly, averting his eyes. "Confirmed."
Her gaze was sharp as she turned to him.
"I see," she said, slowly.
"And he hasn't been this way long," he added, quickly. "I brought him here as soon as it began."
She looked Volgin's face over, opening his eyelids, looking at his eyes. They were slightly red, and glassy.
"He coughed up blood," Lynx said, suddenly. "Right before he collapsed."
The nurse immediately looked at Volgin's lips, and her eyes narrowed.
"Arsenic," she said crisply, to the night nurse, who hovered anxiously like a headless butterfly.
"Poison," exclaimed the younger woman. "I'll get the charcoal."
"Njet, Svetlana," the head nurse interjected reprovingly. "Surely you know that arsenic is a metal- and charcoal won't absorb metals and alkalids."
"It won't," said Night Nurse, lowering her chin and searching Head Nurse's eyes carefully.
"No," said the Head Nurse tolerantly. "We'll need to begin chelation."
"Oh!" The aforenamed Svetlana brightened considerably and ran into the supply closet.
The Head Nurse addressed the rest of them with a sweeping, efficient glance.
"If it was recent enough, simply evacuating his stomach contents and using chelation treatment to remove the rest should suffice."
She busied herself setting up an IV and a saline drip.
"And I can get back to my book," she added, taking Volgin's limp arm and swabbing it briefly with alcohol, then inserting the IV needle without ceremony.
Alexei and Ocelot both winced.