//------------------------------//
// Chapter One: Learning the Ropes - Part II 
// Story: Trauma Center: Equestrian Opinion 
// by Legion222 
//------------------------------//

Trauma Center: Equestrian Opinion

Chapter One: Learning the Ropes - Part II

Location: Ponyville Medical

Doctor Styles sat in Doctor Stables's office with both the doctor himself and Nurse Redheart. The room was rather large for one pony, but with three present it seemed just right. Other than the ponies, most of the room's space was taken up by a large wooden desk, a few filing cabinets, and four chairs, one behind the desk and three in front. Doctor Stables sat behind the desk, looking through a stack of papers with one ear cocked to listen to Redheart. The head nurse, sitting next to Direct in front of the desk, was, as usual, talking. Equally as usual was Doctor Styles's staring off into the distance, completely tuning out Redheart. "...any questions, Doctor Styles?" she finished, turning to face him.

Jolting out of his reverie, Direct whipped his head back around to face the nurse, and gave as generic an answer as he could, hoping to cover the fact that he had not been listening. "Uh, no. I'm good."

Redheart facehoofed. "Doctor Styles, were you even listening?" His expression answered for him. "You need to stop slacking off. I know you're stressed about the operation, but this happens to be your job. These ponies are depending on you!"

As Direct withered under Redheart's glare, Doctor Stables piped up. "Don't forget about our follow-up appointment with Mr. Trip later today. Did you read the report?"

Direct tore himself away from Redheart's glare to cast a sheepish look at Doctor Stables. "Actually, no. I haven't."

"You need to shape up, Direct. This is real life, not some game." Doctor Stables said, frowning. "You aren't a resident doctor anymore, you should know that." With a final look of disapproval, Doctor Stables turned his attention to Redheart. "By the way, Redheart. I spoke to Doctor Healing for you."

She gave him an appreciative nod. "Thank you, Doctor Stables."

Direct, meanwhile, was quite confused. "You spoke to the Director? What for?"

"Never you mind, Doctor Styles," Nurse Redheart dismissed his question.  "It doesn't concern you."

"It's a personal matter; forget I mentioned it," Doctor Stables added.

"Are you going on a vacation or something?" Direct pressed. "I wouldn't mind a break myself."

"Alright, that's enough of that. We do have an operation to perform, after all," Redheart rolled her eyes as she walked out of the room.





The nurse and two doctors were once again seated in the O.R.'s briefing room. The room featured windows covering most of the longer walls of the rectangular room, but the blinds were all drawn for privacy. The doctors were both seated at a long table, and Redheart stood at the head of it. She had a set of charts for their new patient, and gestured to them as she spoke. "Our patient is a twenty-five-year-old Unicorn, Dawn Blossom. She recently began experiencing abdominal pains, and was admitted to the hospital after tests found a number of tumors in her pancreas. The MRI confirmed that they are currently benign, but it was decided to remove them now, lest they become malignant. Any questions so far?" Redheart turned to Direct expectantly.

Direct Styles shook his head. "Not really, but maybe you could go over the procedure we'll be using?"

"Indeed," added Doctor Stables. "A refresher would be most welcome."

"Certainly," Redheart nodded. "We'll be using the Powell Procedure in this operation. The first step is to locate the tumor with an Ultrasound Spell, then use a scalpel to open it up. From there, we'll drain the tumor's cytoplasm. This significantly reduces the tumor's size, and makes it both easier and safer to remove. After that, we excise it, and cover the wound with a synthetic membrane. There is just one objective for this operation: excise all of the tumors in the patient's pancreas."

Nodding as he and Doctor Stables stood, Direct concluded the conference. "Alright, let's begin the operation."





The mare who lay unconscious on the white operating table was a pale blue in color, with a golden mane and tail. Her coat had been shaved away from a small area of her lower chest, and a faint line was drawn through the middle of the cleared area. The entire operating room was a pristine, sterile white, and it was very well lit thanks to a number of magic-powered lamps around the room, including an extra-powerful one directly above the table.

As Doctor Stables took his place on the other side of the table, once again supervising the procedure, and Nurse Redheart wheeled the cart of supplies into position, Doctor Styles mentally prepared himself. He did his best to calm his nerves, and went over the procedure once more. When Redheart was ready, she began instructing Direct.

"Alright, let's begin. We will be performing a laparotomy, so the first step is to disinfect the incision area. Apply some Antibiotic Gel." She passed him the gel, and he did as instructed. "Good. Now, use the scalpel," She hoofed over one of the sharp, knife-like instruments as he returned the vial of Gel, "and carefully incise along the guideline."

Taking the tool in his magic, he made a quick, clean incision along the predrawn guideline. It was a strange feeling, to be cutting somepony open, and he had not quite gotten used to it.

The incision had been placed almost directly over the pancreas, so they had a clear view as Direct went to work. Giving the scalpel back to Redheart, he performed an Ultrasound Spell several times, pinging different parts of the organ in his search for the tumors.

Before long, he had found one in the lower portion of the pancreas, and quickly took a fresh scalpel from Redheart to cut it open, spilling a bit of cytoplasm into the surrounding area. Redheart gave him the end of a long drain tube, which he used to suck up the cytoplasm, greatly reducing the size of the tumor down to a little lump of cells. Bringing the scalpel back in, he excised the tumor, then used the forceps to pull it out of the patient and place the little ball of cells on a tray. A small hole was all that was left, and Direct used the forceps to cover it with a synthetic membrane.

Synthetic membranes, like Antibiotic Gel, were a marvel of modern magic and science. They were created via a spell that synthesized proteins, then shaped them into a thin sheet of flesh-like material. They covered and protected wounds, giving the body time to repair itself while minimizing complications. The pure protein composition made rejection of the tissue impossible, and it would slowly break down, providing the body extra materials for its repair.

With the membrane in place, Direct applied a dab of Antibiotic Gel to hold it in place as he began casting the Ultrasound Spell again, searching for more tumors. He found one near the middle of the organ, and one in the top-right corner. Each was treated in the same way as the first: drain, excise, remove, and cover the hole.

While the procedure had been going on, Redheart had been checking over the instruments giving a readout of the patient's vitals. When the third wound was treated, she proudly announced, "The patient's vitals have stabilized; looks like that's all of them!"

Pushing his glasses back up his muzzle with a flicker of magic, Direct returned the forceps to Redheart, and took the sutures in his magic and closed up his entry incision. Next, he applied a generous amount of Antibiotic Gel to sanitize the wound, then covered it with an adhesive bandage. Stepping back from the operation table and wiping a little sweat from his brow with a hoof, he declared, "Operation complete."





"You're what!?" Direct nearly shouted. Back in Doctor Stables's office, the two doctors and one nurse had met for a short debrief after the successful operation.

Nurse Redheart cringed a bit, but replied as calmly as ever, “You heard me, Doctor Styles. I’m leaving.”

He had already heard it once, but he could still only stand there for a few moments, jaw agape. Finally, his overloaded brain managed to push one question through: “But- But why?”

This time, it was Doctor Stables who responded. “Because she’s needed elsewhere. Hospitals in Manehattan have been extremely understaffed as of late, and the Equestrian Medical Association has been requesting volunteers to transfer to help relieve some of the stress in those hospitals.”

Redheart nodded. “And I have chosen to accept the call. I will be transferring to Manehattan Medical, the largest hospital in the city.”

While they had been explaining, Doctor Styles had calmed down considerably. So that's what she needed to speak to the Director for...  "But, what about here? Who will take your place as head nurse?"

Redheart smiled, "Well, that's not up to me, but I'm sure they'll pick someone who's up to the job." She shared a look with Doctor Stables, who spoke up.

"On a related note, Doctor Styles, with Nurse Redheart gone, you'll be needing a new assistant."

Direct tilted his head in thought, then answered with a rather lame "Oh, yeah. Hadn't thought of that. So, what, am I supposed to pick somepony, or..." he trailed off.

Redheart giggled, "She's already been hired, and she should be arriving just before I leave tomorrow."

"Oh," Direct rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Then, he turned to face Redheart directly. "Tomorrow, huh? Then, this was..."

Redheart finished his thought for him. "Yes, this was my last time assisting you with an operation, and I was quite happy to see how well you did. I think you should be fine without me," Redheart smiled.

Direct was taken aback for a moment, but finally smiled back. "Thanks, Redheart. I'll try to live up to your expectations. Oh, and good luck in Manehattan."