Chapter 229 Can You Save Her?

Chapter 229: Chapter 229 Can You Save Her?

Laurel stopped immediately and reassured her before continuing. The tenderness suggested an injury to the supporting tissues, but she wanted to exclude a fracture before deciding how much movement to allow.

The imaging showed no obvious broken bone. Further examination suggested damage to a ligament along the inner side of the knee, accompanied by considerable swelling. Laurel explained the findings in simple terms while fitting a supportive brace that would protect the joint without placing unnecessary pressure on it.

"You won’t be running around for a while," Laurel told Tina gently as she adjusted the straps. "Your knee needs time to heal, and I want you to tell me whenever something hurts instead of trying to be brave."

Tina looked towards Jack. "Can I still sit with him?"

"Of course," Laurel answered. "We’ll arrange things so you can stay close without putting weight on your leg."

She also checked Tina’s head injury, paying attention to her responses, balance and whether she felt nauseated or dizzy. Tina complained of a mild headache but answered Laurel’s questions clearly, and the examination revealed no immediate sign of serious neurological deterioration. Laurel nevertheless arranged continued observation because of the blow Tina had suffered.

By the time she finished, Tina’s eyelids were growing heavy. Laurel adjusted the pillow behind her head and covered her with a blanket, then moved her bed closer to Jack’s so she could see him without straining.

Laurel was reviewing Jack’s monitoring records when the door opened abruptly.

Stefan stood outside, his face tense. "Commander, you need to see Ida. She’s still unconscious, and something isn’t right."

Laurel looked up immediately. "What happened?"

"The nurses say she’s been like that since they brought her in," Stefan answered, struggling to keep his voice steady. "Her breathing is weak, and she looks much worse than when I left her."

Laurel turned towards the doctor beside Jack’s bed. "Keep him under continuous observation. If his pupils change, his breathing becomes irregular, or his responsiveness deteriorates, call me immediately. I’ll be in the adjoining ward."

She gave Tina’s hand a brief squeeze before following Stefan.

Ida lay on a bed near the far end of the ward. The moment Laurel saw her, she quickened her pace.

The woman’s skin was unusually pale, and her lips had taken on a faint bluish tint. Several dressings covered her arms and torso, but one near her side was stained dark red. Her breathing was shallow, and the monitor beside her bed showed a rapid heartbeat and dangerously low blood pressure.

Laurel placed her fingers against Ida’s wrist, then checked the pulse at her neck. It was weak and fast. She examined Ida’s pupils, assessed her breathing and looked at the intravenous line connected to her arm before turning towards the attending nurse.

"When was her last blood pressure reading taken?" Laurel asked, already reaching for a pair of gloves.

"About twenty minutes ago, Commander," the nurse answered nervously. "It was low then too."

"And how much blood has she received?"

The nurse’s expression changed. "She hasn’t received a transfusion."

Laurel’s hands stopped for the briefest moment, her expression turning into a frown. "Why?"

"We requested blood when she arrived," the nurse explained, lowering her voice. "But the request wasn’t approved. We were instructed to reserve the available blood for wounded soldiers returning from the battlefield."

Laurel looked towards Ida again. The woman’s pulse was racing because her body was struggling to circulate what little blood remained, and the soaked dressing suggested that some bleeding might still be ongoing.

"Who issued that instruction?" Laurel asked.

"The acting commander’s office," the nurse replied. "We were told to manage the other patients with fluids and basic treatment until the fighting ended."

Laurel’s expression hardened, but she did not waste another moment discussing Margaret.

"Bring Ida’s blood-group records and prepare compatible blood for transfusion," Laurel ordered. "I also want a complete blood count, clotting studies and a blood gas. Prepare oxygen, and have another doctor assist me. We need to identify whether she’s still bleeding internally."

The nurse hurried away.

Laurel adjusted the oxygen delivery while examining Ida’s chest and abdomen. The woman’s injuries had been caused by claws and teeth, and several wounds were deep enough to damage organs internally. Laurel gently pressed along the abdomen, feeling for abnormal firmness or swelling, then examined the wound near Ida’s side.

The dressing came away heavily stained. Beneath it, the wound edges were swollen and poorly cleaned, and fresh blood slowly welled from one section when Laurel removed the inner packing.

"Hold pressure here," Laurel instructed the assisting nurse, guiding her hand to the correct position. "Firmly, but don’t press across the entire abdomen."

She cleaned the surrounding skin and examined the wound under stronger light. Part of the bleeding appeared to come from damaged tissue that had not been adequately treated during the initial treatment. Laurel cleaned the damaged tissue, then continued evaluating whether there might be deeper injury that could not be reached through the wound itself.

The doctor arrived as she was working. Laurel briefly explained the findings and asked him to prepare the ultrasound equipment.

Laurel gently moved the scanning device across Ida’s stomach, watching the screen beside the bed. As she examined the images, she noticed something that made her frown. Blood had gathered inside Ida’s stomach, close to where she had been injured.

She moved the device again to get a clearer view, hoping she had made a mistake. But the second image showed the same thing. Ida was bleeding inside her body, and if they didn’t stop it quickly, she could die.

"She’s bleeding inside her stomach," Laurel told the doctor beside her, her expression serious. "We need to operate on her immediately. Prepare the operating room while we get her ready."

Stefan had been standing near the doorway, watching everything with growing fear. When he heard that Ida needed surgery, his face turned pale.

"Commander, can you save her?" Stefan asked, his voice trembling as he looked at Ida’s unconscious face. The image of his sister flashed through his head, almost knocking the breath out of his lungs.