Coming Around (Day 1 - Evening)

Adler returned to the infirmary, coffee in hand, with the intent of preparing his own incident report.

Upon approaching, the medic caught sight of a young woman he didn't recognize as she emerged from the space. She wore coveralls, and her general appearance was ordinary for that of a person who put her back into her profession. Rumor circulated among the crew about a new deckhand having been hired just before upthrust. He conjured this woman to be her, in the flesh. “Excuse me,” he said as the woman attempted to make a nondescript exit, “Ah don’t believe we’ve met. Dorian Adler, ship’s medic,” he offered his hand.

Tag Elle>>

A quick glance toward the open infirmary door told him all he needed to know about the stranger’s visit . The fresh stack of laundry, Serena’s clothing, no doubt, sat upon the foot of the table, a neat stack of well folded clothing. “Ah conjure Miss Serena would appreciate what yah’ve brought her,” Dorian nodded approval at the woman’s consideration. “Ah’m also sure she’d appreciate a visit tomorrah? Yah welcome tah come by an’ check on her,” the medic offered. “Nice tah meet yah, Miss Elle.”

Tag Elle>>

Once Elle had quietly excused herself, Adler took his seat before the workstation. He called up Serena’s file, and began the latest entry.

Patient 02-423:

Adolescent female, age 16, 5’1” and 96 lbs.

INCIDENT: Gunshot wound, point of entry approx. 5 centimeters above the right iliac crest. Exit point in the lower right abdomen, between the large and small intestines.

DIAGNOSIS: Examination revealed a laceration to the small intestine, and soft tissue damage to the dermal and Areolar layers. Bullet puncture to the abdominal wall.

TREATMENT: Removal of tissue debris and scraps of fabric from within the wound. Complete flush cleansing. Soft tissue bonding to repair the intestinal lac, the areolar and abdominal walls, and all dermal tissue. The remaining internal bullet cavity was filled with biostimulant gel.

PROGNOSIS: Patient is young and in good health. Complete recovery anticipated.

ATTENDING PHYSICIAN: Adler, Dorian, pgm #001. Schnabel, Yeva, pgm #002, Giu, Lyen, pgm #003.

Dorian tapped at his keyboard, careful to include the details of Serena’s injury and the medical team’s approach to healing her. The girl lay on the treatment table, nestled under a blanket, as the display screen above reported her steady improvement.

*Six centimeter laceration to the small intestine was repaired with standard bonding application,* he wrote. *After cleansing, the bullet’s path was filled by…*

“Mistah Doctah Adluh…” Serena said quietly, her voice raspy as a lazy eye opened to see him sitting in front of his keyboard. The gentle click click clack was one of her favorite sounds to sleep to, soothing, comforting - more so than the blanket she snuggled into. Her brain felt funny, not yet awake, much like when she sat on her foot for too long and it’d grow numb with pins and needles.

“Well!” Dorian rose from his workstation. “Look who’s awake!” He leaned over the table, smiling down upon the tiny girl. “How yah feelin’, Mei-mei?”

“Thirsty,” she replied, the fog starting to lift as the other eye opened. “But ah woke up, just like you said I would, on ‘count of you said --” She couldn’t remember what he said, not exactly, everything that happened was hazy. Her eyes searched left and right for the answers that floated like balloons just out of reach. “You said.” She concluded.

A cup full of cool water found its’ way toward her lips. Dorian bent a straw to permit her not having to lift her head as she took her first swallows. “Just little sips tah start,” he said as he pressed the straw to her lips. “Swish tha watah around in yah mouth a bit, first. That’ll help.”

As she drank, he took a moment to glance upward toward her readouts. Heart rate was still within “resting” range, though it had ticked up slightly with her awakening. Pulse ox, BP, respirations, all looked good to his eye. “Yah came through with flyin’ colahs,” the medic’s gaze landed upon Serena’s face once more. “Now Ah’m gonna make yah lie right here...all tha way tah Beaumonde.”

Serena sipped the water just like he said, her head still feeling heavy as it lifted up off the pillow placed on the safest place on the boat. She was more than happy to hear she’d get to stay there all the way to Beaumonde. Nothing bad would happen as long as she were there, meaning even with a shot wound, she’d be just fine. Once her throat felt less dry, her hand found it’s way to the bandage on her hip, which she was happy to know was held in place with tape. “Ah don’t want to drink too much.” She told him - her ‘Hera drawl’ becoming more prominent. “On account of it might leak out. “

“Yah all patched up,” the doc chuckled in response. “Yah’ll be right as tha mail in a couple days.” He removed the water, turning back toward her as his hand found her own. “Promise me yah’ll get more sleep, *dohn mah?”*

“Ah promise.” She said, squeezing his hand and pressed it to her cheek. “And thank yah - for makin’ it all patched up, an’ yah used tape, jus’ like Gil had. Ah’ knew you’d fix it an’ make it all bettah. It’s what yah do.”

“Oh, Ah did some,” he nodded, the smile never leaving his lips, “but Doctah Yeva an’ Sistah Lyen did tha real work. An’ we wrote our names on yah tape,” he grinned. “Ah gave yah a nerve block, so yah shouldn’t have pain fah a couple days. Tell us if yah do, alright? “

Serena smiled back, chuckling a little. “Don’t worry, Mistah Doctah Adluh, stayin’ quiet about somethin’ is not somethin’ Ah’m especially good at, Ah’ll holler if it starts tah hurt.Sometimes things hurt an’ it just means they’re healin’ up.” She squeezed his hand again, contently.

Dorian nodded. “That’s right,” he agreed. “Yah’ll be a little stiff fah a few days. Not tah worry, yah off workin’ til we leave Beaumonde. Til then, Miss Elle has three helpahs keepin’ everythin’ done.” He leaned closer. “Ah hear there’s a festival goin’ on when we get tah Beaumonde. Hope yah’ll let me take yah?”

“Ah almost got tah go to tha festival on New Kasmir, is it solstice on Beaumonde too?” She asked.

He shrugged. “Yah know?” Dorian replied, “Ah’m not rightly sure. Doctah Yeva said somethin’ tah me in passin’. Ah’ll find out fah yah.” He glanced down at the blanket. “Yah warm enough? Pillah okay?”

“Plenty warm an’ plenty soft.” She replied, snuggling her head down into the comfortable pillow for emphasis. “And Ah...:” Her eyes went wide as if she’d just remembered something. “Did anyone else get shot? Riley? Crew Chief?”

He shook his head. “They’re fine. Everyone’s fine,” Dorian said, “just worried about you, is all.”

“Did yah tell ‘em ah was on the safest place in the boat an’ that meant you wouldn’t let nothin’ happen tah me?” She asked. “On account of you wouldn’t, no lie.” She dropped her eyes from his. “Did Crew Chief kill Amos?”

“Everyone knows yah here,” he nodded, “and no, Amos is alive an’ well. We put ‘im off tha boat.”

“He shot me.” She informed him, as if it were news. “He was robbin’ Riley an’ Vas an’ I turned around to get you on account of you got guns too, an’ he seemed real nice up until that point. Now Ah don’t know how ah feel about him.”

“Ah do,” His expression grew serious. “He shot someone Ah love...someone Ah think of as family. There is no place on this boat fah a person like that,” he said.

“Ah love you too.” Serena said, a smile crossing her face, that being the important take-away she heard. “Honest an’ swear.”

Dorian hooked his little finger around Serena’s. “Honest an’ swear,” he smiled affectionately.

“Thanks, Mistah Doctah Adluh,” the teen replied with a yawn, letting her tired eyes start to close. “For savin’ mah life, for givin’ me tape, and for account of you love me. Can yah stay with me an type some so ah can sleep bettah?”

“Yes Ah will.” Adler kissed the girl’s forehead. “Now get some sleep.” He returned to his stool, and the unfinished report on the workstation screen. There’d be plenty of typing left for the soundtrack of her dreams.

Serena closed her eyes. The vision of Amos with the gun, of the mask covering her face to sleep before surgery, the panic slipped away with each key stroke, replaced with memories of long chats in the medbay and Adler’s kind words. A smile crossed her lips as she drifted off. “Ah love you too, Da Ge.” She whispered. “Ah love you too.”