Garth glanced down at his 'attire.' "When did you put me in a hospital gown?"
Terra waved the question off with a vague mumble. "I don't know ... earlier."
"Suddenly, I'm glad I'll be in the chair ... " Garth chuckled.
Terra assisted Garth into the wheelchair and then put some blankets around him. She stifled a laugh as she commented, "Nice legs, Commander."
Garth settled into the chair, and winked up at her. "Thanks, doctor..."
Obviously his sense of humor was intact and Terra laughed as she started to roll him down the hall.
Cloud chuckled as he followed behind them. Assured that his commander was recovering and in good hands, the young soldier explained that he'd left the troops on their own. Lowinn advised him to get back to them and Cloud made his exit quickly.
Terra wheeled Garth into the cafeteria and got him a glass of water. "I will be back soon." She reassured him with a smile.
The Commander nodded. "Just do your job, don't worry about me, okay?"
Terra glanced about the cafeteria and gave a friendly nod to those present. "Well, remember you are my patient." She smiled at Garth again and chuckled as she walked to the door.
==
Dracamasia found herself brought to this place once again. She wondered why it was becoming so popular in her reptilian mind, although this time she came for purely business reasons. Her wounded left arm was clutched in a clawed grasp as she stepped into the waiting room. Slit jade orbs passed slowly over those present. She paused to search out a person who might be able to help as dark blood slowly dripped from what might have been a slash-wound. Oddly, she didn't seem to notice that fact. Indeed she didn't even appear to notice the wound's existence.
The dull plodding of the metal against the floor sounded as the metal tipped end of his fetish spear, held in clawed hand, was heard as Sitharis stepped through the door. His serpentine tongue slithered between rows of razor-edged teeth as he tasted the air. His slit orbs rested on the first Syrynykk, Dael, and his heavy steps took him toward her.
Dracamasia glanced about casually. She caught sight and smell of another scaly one and her tail twitched. She nodded and a bit of a toothy smile was sent in Sith's direction. Her long tail slowly writhed at her feet and Dracamasia's tongue flickered out briefly. She spoke in a soft voice that was almost a hiss. "Is there a ... doctor in the house?"
There was disappointment in those scaled features, a slow hiss of exasperation slipped from between hundreds of needle-like teeth, and she crouched, passing her tongue over her bleeding wound, the dark blood already hardening into a coppery crust around the torn flesh. With a slow hiss, she rose to her feet. She spoke a bit louder so that perhaps she would actually be heard this time if there were anyone nearby. "Is there a doctor free to assist me?"
Mera entered the waiting room and glanced over the sign-in sheets. Her eyes trailed over the room with a warm smile on her lips as she looked about for those who might need some help. Mera noted the Syrynykk approaching with a purposeful stride. "Help you?"
With a flick of her tongue, indicating she wasn't exactly in the best of moods, Dracamasia put on a scaly smile all the same. Her teeth glinted as she glanced meaningfully down at the slash-wound on her left arm.
Mera peered toward the nasty wound and winced. "I see. Please, come with me."
Dracamasia cast a glance back to Sith, then she followed Mera into the ER like an obedient animal.
Sith's cold gaze was still on Dael as his scaled head nodded once and he moved into the room proper. With a testing sniff of the air, he moved out the door again.
Mera washed up her hands and smiled to Dael. "All right. Let me see your arm." She extended a hand to the Syrynykk.
Dael stood there a moment, blinked ... then nodded and offered her arm to Mera. The slash-wound crawled in a jagged slant inward and down from the back of her shoulder around to the front. The blood around it was mostly dried and crusted over her ebony and ash scales.
Mera dabbed a bit of antiseptic on a strip of gauze. As she carefully cleaned the wound, she noted that it would need quite a few stitches. "How did this happen?"
"In a fight...of course..." Dracamasia answered simply with an innocent look in her slit jade orbs.
"Of course..." Mera murmured, a bit taken back by the matter-of-fact comment. She threaded up a needle and prepared to suture the wound closed, knowing it would be tough with the scales. Familiar with the Syrynykk ways of dealing with pain, Mera nodded to herself as she saw her patient preparing. A scaled lip curled back slightly and Dracamasia's jade eyes half closed as she put herself in an absent state of mind. In many ways, a smaller piece of metal could be more painful than the blade of the largest sword. As Mera saw that her patient was ready, she began to close the wound stitch by stitch.
To Dracamasia's credit, not even a flinch touched her reptilian features. A Syrynykk would not have been pleased with such a show of weakness. She appeared to be almost daydreaming. Mera had always found it amazing how they could move their minds to another place without the use of medication. The girl made certain that each stitch was sewn cleanly, drawing both sides of the wound together. There were seventeen in all before she tied it off.
Mera wrapped the arm in a clean length of gauze and smiled at Dracamasia. "There you go. You should come back in about a week and we will see if they can be removed."
The Syrynykk blinked a few times as she brought herself back to the present. She nodded once and replied in a low voice, almost a hiss. "Doctor knows best, no?"
Mera smiled. "Well, we try."
Dracamasia's lips twisted in a smile, touched with amusement. "Do you require ... payment?"
Mera's brown eyes blinked as she heard her question. "Payment? No ... No payment is required, but ... We are always looking for things to trade for medical services."
Dracamasia nodded as she slipped a hand into a pouch and retrieved something wrapped in a cloth. With a claw, she tore the string and removed the cloth. She held up a vial of some clear liquid. "I do not know what it is but, if you can find that much out and would like it, you may have it." She wrinkled her snout. "It is not water. Something ... Medicinal ... I think." She did not say just how she got it.
Mera's eyes trailed toward the cloth-hidden object and she smiled brightly to the reptilian female. "You are most kind. I'm sure there must be some way we can find out. Thank you." She accepted the vial. "I'm sure we could use this."
"I would not mind knowing what it is ..." The Syrynykk returned, with a scaled smile. "When and if you find out."
Mera nodded. "I shall let you know." She smiled warmly again. "Well, I should be checking on others, I suppose. You are free to go. Just return in a week so we can check those stitches."
Dracamasia nodded. "Farewell. And thank you again." She turned and headed out of the ER.
Terra stepped back into the waiting room and looked down at the patient sheet. She nodded and entered some information based on patient comments and her own observations. The young woman sat back wearily and wondered when she would hear back on some tests. She sighed and began scanning through patients files again. Her attention was caught when she saw Shad's complaints. They seemed rather similar to Garth's complaint. "Hmmm ... now that's interesting." She murmured. Terra looked about and tried to see who was handling his case. She sat back, tapping as she looked over the file. Later, after she finished reviewing the files, she called out, "Mera, going to get a tea!"
Mera stepped in from the ER. "All right." She acknowledged and smiled as Terra headed down the hall to the cafeteria. Another yawn escaped Mera's lips to be caught by her cupped hand as she sank behind the massive desk. She once more turned to the required reading pages in her text and began to study.
Terra walked through the cafeteria doors, glancing about as she headed over to where her patient was. "Hey there. I am getting a tea. Want one? And, you feeling okay?"
"Hm?" Garth looked up as she entered. "Yeah, feeling fine. No tea, but some water would taste good. My throat is really dry." He watched her nod and head to the counter to fill a tall glass with ice water as she prepared a tea for herself.
Terra found she was running on pure nerves now. She walked back to the table and set the glass down as well as the cup. "You know. I have seen a rash of gunshot wounds lately."
Garth picked up the glass and drank nearly the whole thing. "Thanks. Oh yeah?" He smiled at her.
"Want more?"
Garth looked down at his nearly empty glass. "Um ... nah." The sound of his voice told a different tale, however, rasping as though his mouth were as dry as a desert. "Terra, did you get any rest last night?"
"Rest? Well, a bit." She smiled ruefully.
Garth frowned. "I'm starting to worry about you."
"Me?" Terra shot him a surprised look. "That's my line!" She sipped her tea and then smiled reassuringly at him. "I am fine and -- You do need more water ..." Terra got up and strode over to refill his glass.
When she returned, the commander couldn't suppress a smile. "Terra, I think you're a bit overworked, and its all my fault."
She smiled at his comment. "I am fine ... and this is what I do."
Garth sighed. "I know that, but I also know that you're worried about me. I can see it in your eyes."
"I am fine." Terra reassured him. "And well .... Yes, of course I am."
Garth sighed, an indication of weariness, or annoyance.
"Garth," Terra smiled encouragingly. "We will get through this. I promise."
His head dropped to his chest. "I know, Terra ... I know." Garth mumbled something about promises that couldn't be kept. Then he grabbed the glass of water but merely sipped it this time.
Terra glanced over to Cypress as she heard him take in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Are you feeling better? Any pain?"
Cypress looked up. "I feel all right miss. Thank you." The Syrynykk nodded slowly to her.
"Good glad to hear it." Terra smiled.
A reptilian smile curved his lips as he muttered, "Had worse." He sipped from his glass.
"Well, let's not try to seek worse."
"Of course, miss."
==
An old man slowly made his way up the steps of the building. A few knew his name was Albertuss. His steps were strained as he made his way into the waiting room. Albertuss tugged slowly on his long silvery beard and the wrinkled creases around his eyes hardened as he peered about at the faces inside.
Mera glanced up at the swish of the door. She allowed a glance up from her med book. The aide frowned slightly and her gaze lowered quickly once more.
Dracamasia crouched against a wall of the waiting room to examine several items in her sole pouch with a curious eye. Her jade eyes flicked briefly to the old man entering, then back to her 'collected' items. The female Syrynykk pulled something out of her pouch and examined the small, odd-looking metal object and tossed it back in. She pulled out another 'item.' Ah, now *this* was valuable, a dagger. Decent quality too. She could sell this. A few other items were examined, then she stood and, tail swaying slowly, she headed on out.
Mera rose slowly. She closed her text, and signed out in the book. The aide moved down the hallway and peeked within the cafeteria. With a smile to those assembled she called out, "Terra, I'm heading off."
Terra smiled back at Mera. "Okay. I need to go to the ER now anyway."
Mera nodded and continued her way down the hall, glad her night of bullet wounds and plasma burns was over.
"Garth," Terra leaned in and spoke quietly. "I am very optimistic over the latest results. I wouldn't give you false hope. That would be cruel."
Garth looked at her, his tone low, almost accusing. "No, but if you tell a lie enough times, it becomes the truth."
She caressed his shoulder. "I will be back in a bit and then we will go see what we can find out. Okay?" Terra smiled softly.
Garth didn't smile back. He merely nodded and sipped the water, refusing to look at her as she moved out the door and to the ER waiting room.
The old man meandered into the halls of the hospital, looking for a place to sleep. He found an empty room in one of the wards. He pulled himself slowly up onto the bed and sat contemplatively for a few moments. Slowly he began to chant a few words in a language long forgotten. His eyes squinted and his jaw tightened as the internal pain wracked him, but the arcane phrases were finished eventually and a ward was placed over the door of the room he had commandeered. The sweat poured off his body as he collapsed back onto the bed, gasping for breath. Sleep took him quickly, and for that he was thankful.
From the lingering shadows of toppled walls, the near wraithlike figure of a woman slipped while making her way up the steps of the hospital. Some called her Raggie Maggie after the tattered shreds of her soiled cloak which reeked with half a dozen unpleasant odors. Her left foot dragged slightly as she pushed the doors open and made her way within. As the light of the hall hit her features, the rouge almost caked and crusted upon her cheeks was quite apparent, as her one hand held the other tightly.
Terra moved to the ER, with a weary sigh. She glanced at the chart to see who needed treatment. The young woman spoke to one of the medics as they discussed general topics, almost as an escape from the constant, never ending traumas.
A man simply called, CB, stepped in the entranceway to the hospital and glanced about as an impish smile lingered on his lips. He looked pointedly from one attendant to the other. Eventually he made his way over to one of the younger nurses. He smiled winningly and arched a brow as he made his inquiry. "Might you be able to tell me where Gabriell is?"
Terra glanced at CB. "I haven't seen her this evening." She smiled. "Can I help you?"
He smiled slyly. "Well, I was wondering if I could take anoth'r shower?"
Terra nodded. "Sure ... let me get you a shower pass. You know the routine I take it?"
He smiled briskly and shrugged. "She didn't like me stripping in the corridor ... that's all I know."
Terra let out a chuckle. "Ohh, I can just imagine!" She walked to the back and returned with the requested pass. "Here you go." She glanced to the woman down the hall.
Raggie Maggie seemed to mumble to herself almost unceasingly. Her words were harsh and guttural in their tone. She held the grimy unwashed length of a finger ... the blood encrusted upon its surface. Maggie's blue eyes, lined well past their years, darted this way and that distrustingly as she mumbled and she kept a distance away from any of the others. She sank into one of the chairs in the waiting room, and the movement sent an invisible cloud of acrid stench drifting upon the air.
CB sniffed. His brows furrowed briefly as one of the more sickly occupants of the entrance area coughed her way by. He yawned and went about removing his desert gear. He seemed very much aware that he was still in the hallway, though, as he gave a passing nurse a suggestive wink.
A young woman known as 'Arty' entered quietly, the sleeve of her jacket stained with blood. She looked about and quietly leaned against the wall. Arty continued to glance about with a somewhat uneasy expression. She watched the tattered woman out of the corner of her eyes, and clutched her arm tighter.
A medic approached Arty. "Need some help?"
"Yes, I have a bad cut on my arm. Could you take a look at it?" The woman sighed.
The medic led her back to the ER. "Terra, here's one for you."
Terra offered a smile:: "Right this way." She gestured to a treating cubicle.
"Thank you." Arty nodded and began to follow her.
"Now, what happened to you?" Terra smiled, encouraging the girl to tell her as they disappeared behind the curtain.
| home | main | back | next |