The procedure would be a tricky one. Not because the operation being performed was particularly tricky but rather because the man performing it was on edge. As calm and collected as he appeared on the outside, [url=https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/3e/05/f8/3e05f8dfd38a640cc74d504f527aafc6.jpg]Doctor Caleb Jakande[/url] felt like a complete wreck on the inside. Despite his skill, his years of experience, Caleb still felt emotional during things like this. Standing here, with a man's life in his hands, it was difficult not to feel somewhat uneasy. His parents had always taught him to be humble and he always was. Sometimes even to the point of being self-critical. That was not good in his current situation. 

He was in the process of removing a section of ensign Haywood's skull to relieve the pressure in his swollen brain. The laser scalpel in his hand was a small device but for some reason it felt so heavy. He knew his own self-doubt could result in a mistake that could cost the ensign his life, so he did his best to push his parents teachings to the back of his mind. He couldn't be that humble man from Ghana. He had to be confident. He was the best at this. He would make this look easy and he would save this poor boy's life damn it!

Caleb's self-reassurance worked and he began the procedure, choosing to perform it manually, rather than rely on a machine. Caleb was somewhat old school in his approach to things like this. Allowing machines to do such potentially dangerous work never sat well with him. If something ever went wrong, he didn't entirely trust a machine to adjust on the fly and correct itself to save the patient rather than simply following a set of instructions. He didn't speak a word to his team as they worked. They had all form such a close working relationship and were all skilled enough to know exactly what needed to be done. It was why they were all selected for this job after all. Caleb had to remember that more often.

Removing a portion of ensign Haywood's skull was done quickly and the bone was taken away to be stored, ready to be replaced later. Removing the blood clot beneath proved to be more time consuming but this too was completed efficiently and without incident. Ensign Haywood was then fitted with a special helmet which would protect the area around the skull that had been removed but would also leave enough room to let the brain swell upwards without meeting resistance.

Caleb breathed a sigh of relief once the job was done and thanked his staff. As the others prepped the patient to be moved to recovery, Caleb turned to leave, stopping for a brief second when he spotted the two young women standing on the other side of the operating theatre's window. He gave them a friendly and reassuring smile before he made his way through the doors to meet them.

He had always liked Amara and Clara, despite what many people said about the former. Clara was a perpetual ray of sunshine in an often dark galaxy. Just being around her often made people feel better. Someone had once joked that she was a natural painkiller and referred to her as "morphine in human form". While Caleb himself would never use that term, he had to admit that they were sort of right. Amara was not so generally friendly but Caleb nevertheless instantly noticed her determination to help others.

"Is he going to be okay, Doc?" asked Clara as Caleb removed his gloves. Her eyebrows raised and she got that puppy dog look she normally got whenever anyone else was suffering. Amara simply stood by the window with her arms crossed in front of her as she watched Haywood.
"Well we need to watch for further issues." Caleb began. "Hopefully there's no infection..." He trailed off as he noticed Clara get increasingly sad. He felt like he was telling a child that her puppy was dying. He decided that instead of telling her all the things that could possibly go wrong, it was best to just give her a reassuring hand on the shoulder and say "Given time and care, he should be fine."

"We don't know if he has any brain damage yet." Amara decided to ever so helpfully chime in as she looked over her shoulder at Caleb and Clara. Clara seemed to shrink in on herself at that statement like it was a physical blow and she wrapped her arms around her chest and pulled her shoulders up around her neck. Caleb knew she hadn't said it to make Clara feel bad. It was just a matter of fact statement to her. She obviously realised the impact that her words had on her friend though and she opened her mouth to say something but apparently didn't know what she could say to make it better.

Caleb decided to save her and replied "We won't know that [i]for sure[/i] until he wakes up. We've induced a coma for now until the swelling goes down but when he wakes up we can perform some tests."
"Brain scans?" asked Amara, this time in a genuine attempt to get some information that could be positive.
Caleb recognised this and replied "Showed some minor contusions but nothing I'm immediately worried about."
Clara began to relax her posture and wandered over to stand beside Amara and watch Haywood be whisked away through another set of doors to the recovery room. Amara looked like she was again searching for something to say but all she could come up with was "He's lucky he had you, Jak."
The compliment, and Amara's pet name for him, made Caleb smile. But he countered "Me? He's lucky he had you two. If you hadn't treated him on the scene or if you hadn't gotten him here so fast...he could have been a lot worse off."
Clara turned and gave him a gentle smile, which he realised was her saying thank you for trying to make her feel better. He returned her smile before he threw a thumb over his shoulder and said "I should go check on my other patients."
"Thanks, doc." Amara offered and was quickly echoed by Clara.

Caleb turned and left, leaving the two medics quietly staring into the now empty operating room. Hopefully it would remain empty for a while.