Post by dj1678 on Apr 27, 2010 20:23:01 GMT -5
Aurem awoke to the sound of a vase smashing on the floor. An older man in a white lab coat with only thin wisps of white hair covering his head, who Aurem could only presume was a doctor, cursed quietly.
"Stupid ship! If big waves like that keep hitting us and knocking that thing over, she's going to keep making me spend my breaks replacing it. I don't have that kind of time, even if she is paying for it!" The doctor said to nobody in particular.
Aurem wasn't sure who the doctor was talking about, but it sounded more like his personal problem, and less something that Aurem should care about. Instead, Aurem quietly took stock of where he was, and tried to recall how he'd gotten there.
The doctor mentioned something about a ship, and now that Aurem was paying attention to it, he could feel the gentle rocking and smell the faint scent of sea salt as waves from the ocean pounded against the sides. There weren't too many ships large enough to warrant having a doctor on board, which narrowed the options for Aurem a good deal, but still not enough to tell him conclusively where he was.
Aurem decided that where he was wasn't so important as why or how he had gotten there. He had almost no recollection of going to sleep, a natural prerequisite for waking up, and the bandages on his arms, chest, and around his forehead bore further evidence of involuntary unconsciousness. Aurem tried to check his face for evidence of further scarring, but found it too difficult without a mirror.
It seemed that the best option was just to ask the doctor. He was there anyway, might as well make use of him. Aurem tried to sit up to position himself better for a conversation, but immediately felt sick to his stomach. In a panic, he looked around for some place to heave and found a trash can, looking to be intentionally placed, next to his bed. Aurem emptied his guts. There wasn't much in him. It felt like he hadn't eaten in days.
How long have I been out? Aurem wondered.
The doctor, who Aurem quickly noticed to be wearing a Federation uniform under his lab coat, moved to replace the trash can when Aurem had finished.
"Looks like you're awake. About time." He glanced down at the bucket, wrinkling his nose. "And that, is pretty much normal for a man in your state."
"What happened?" Aurem asked, finally feeling like the master of his stomach again.
"Well, the short version is that after the nuclear explosion, which I assume you remember seeing as you were the one that shot the missile down int he first place, you, another guy and two girls were immediately rushed to the hospital. We were told that one of them was rather 'special' to you, so we kept you two together. Oh, and you have radiation sickness. That puking you had earlier was probably a good way to purge yourself." The doctor only smiled as if he had finished announcing Aurem inheritance and that it was all good news. Aurem was pretty sure the old man was senile.
A sudden flash of panic gripped Aurem. "Arieta was hurt too? And she's here? Where? How bad is she? Can I--"
"Whoa, slow down son. She's right next to you, didn't you notice earlier?" The doctor said calmly interrupting Aurem's flood of question and pointing to the bed next to him.
Arieta lay sleeping, also covered in almost as many bandages as he was. Aurem looked back down at his arms. Maybe not quite as many. He didn't like seeing her hurt like that. She was smiling though. Aurem couldn't quite figure out why that seemed odd to him.
Turning back to the doctor, Aurem began his onslaught of questions again. "Is she going to be alright? How long will she be-"
Aurem was interrupted again as he was near tackled from the side. He looked down and saw Arieta doing her best to hold her tears back.
"Since when do you talk so much anyway? Give the poor doctor a break. How can he possibly answer so many questions at once?"
The doctor cleared his throat while looking out the window. "I seem to recall a certain girl who had about a million questions about another certain boy when she first woke as well."
Arieta blushed, struggling to come up with a a defense for herself when she noticed the vase missing. Again.
"What happened to the vase and flowers this time?"
"Ahm...Err...It would seem..." Now the doctor was struggling to defend himself. Arieta made it seem like the doctor was being pushed out the door just by the sheer force of the glare she gave him.
The doctor sighed. "I'll replace it, but not before I see my two patients safely back where they belong."
Arieta huffed and flounced back onto her bed. "There, happy? Can we have visitors now that we're both awake?"
"Fine, fine, do what you want." The doctor said wearily on his way out the door.
Under his breath he mumbled, "Don't pay me enough to keep up with young'uns like her..."
"Stupid ship! If big waves like that keep hitting us and knocking that thing over, she's going to keep making me spend my breaks replacing it. I don't have that kind of time, even if she is paying for it!" The doctor said to nobody in particular.
Aurem wasn't sure who the doctor was talking about, but it sounded more like his personal problem, and less something that Aurem should care about. Instead, Aurem quietly took stock of where he was, and tried to recall how he'd gotten there.
The doctor mentioned something about a ship, and now that Aurem was paying attention to it, he could feel the gentle rocking and smell the faint scent of sea salt as waves from the ocean pounded against the sides. There weren't too many ships large enough to warrant having a doctor on board, which narrowed the options for Aurem a good deal, but still not enough to tell him conclusively where he was.
Aurem decided that where he was wasn't so important as why or how he had gotten there. He had almost no recollection of going to sleep, a natural prerequisite for waking up, and the bandages on his arms, chest, and around his forehead bore further evidence of involuntary unconsciousness. Aurem tried to check his face for evidence of further scarring, but found it too difficult without a mirror.
It seemed that the best option was just to ask the doctor. He was there anyway, might as well make use of him. Aurem tried to sit up to position himself better for a conversation, but immediately felt sick to his stomach. In a panic, he looked around for some place to heave and found a trash can, looking to be intentionally placed, next to his bed. Aurem emptied his guts. There wasn't much in him. It felt like he hadn't eaten in days.
How long have I been out? Aurem wondered.
The doctor, who Aurem quickly noticed to be wearing a Federation uniform under his lab coat, moved to replace the trash can when Aurem had finished.
"Looks like you're awake. About time." He glanced down at the bucket, wrinkling his nose. "And that, is pretty much normal for a man in your state."
"What happened?" Aurem asked, finally feeling like the master of his stomach again.
"Well, the short version is that after the nuclear explosion, which I assume you remember seeing as you were the one that shot the missile down int he first place, you, another guy and two girls were immediately rushed to the hospital. We were told that one of them was rather 'special' to you, so we kept you two together. Oh, and you have radiation sickness. That puking you had earlier was probably a good way to purge yourself." The doctor only smiled as if he had finished announcing Aurem inheritance and that it was all good news. Aurem was pretty sure the old man was senile.
A sudden flash of panic gripped Aurem. "Arieta was hurt too? And she's here? Where? How bad is she? Can I--"
"Whoa, slow down son. She's right next to you, didn't you notice earlier?" The doctor said calmly interrupting Aurem's flood of question and pointing to the bed next to him.
Arieta lay sleeping, also covered in almost as many bandages as he was. Aurem looked back down at his arms. Maybe not quite as many. He didn't like seeing her hurt like that. She was smiling though. Aurem couldn't quite figure out why that seemed odd to him.
Turning back to the doctor, Aurem began his onslaught of questions again. "Is she going to be alright? How long will she be-"
Aurem was interrupted again as he was near tackled from the side. He looked down and saw Arieta doing her best to hold her tears back.
"Since when do you talk so much anyway? Give the poor doctor a break. How can he possibly answer so many questions at once?"
The doctor cleared his throat while looking out the window. "I seem to recall a certain girl who had about a million questions about another certain boy when she first woke as well."
Arieta blushed, struggling to come up with a a defense for herself when she noticed the vase missing. Again.
"What happened to the vase and flowers this time?"
"Ahm...Err...It would seem..." Now the doctor was struggling to defend himself. Arieta made it seem like the doctor was being pushed out the door just by the sheer force of the glare she gave him.
The doctor sighed. "I'll replace it, but not before I see my two patients safely back where they belong."
Arieta huffed and flounced back onto her bed. "There, happy? Can we have visitors now that we're both awake?"
"Fine, fine, do what you want." The doctor said wearily on his way out the door.
Under his breath he mumbled, "Don't pay me enough to keep up with young'uns like her..."
