Deep

Chapter 44 Return to the real world.

I leapt through the barrier, not knowing what to expect. 

There was no grey 'Container space' on this trip. Instead, I went from Bob's prison to full consciousness the moment I leapt through the horizon. 

 I awoke to a mask and hands on my face, and instinctively I raised my hand to move the mask. 

'Doctor.' called the muffled voice of corporal Humar. 'He's conscious.' 

 I felt movement around me. 

Humar looked down at me, her eyes filled with concern. 'Captain, do you know where you are?' I gave her a thumb-up as a yes.

 'Okay,' she said with a smile, and her face withdrew, to be replaced by Cassandra's. 

'Captain, are you with me?' I gave her a thumb up to show I understood. She retrieved a torch, flashed it into my left and then right eye. After she finished, I could not focus my vision and everything became blurry.

 She looked up at Humar, and the mask disappeared. 

'Captain. You gave us quite a scare. ' 

'I did? How?' My eyes still refused to focus, and I had a painful headache.

'Your brain function became abnormal, your intracranial pressure spiked, and you were unresponsive.' 

'I see. Sorry about that,' I said. Doctor Figueroa gave me the calm smile of a professional.

'How are you feeling now?' She asked.

'I am having issues focusing my eyes and I have a headache.'

'Okay, I am going to raise you up.' The surface I was on lifted my torso to forty-five degrees. I realised I was not in the HXS and more medical personnel in the surgical theatre. 

'Gilroy, get me a twenty-five-gram mannitol IV.'

'Twenty-five-gram mannitol. Understood,' he said and went to retrieve the kit. 

'Captain...' Cassandra started, but she got interrupted.

'Sorry, captain, excuse me.' She said and answered a comm call.

'He is conscious... Yes...' She turned her back to me.

'Doctor?' said Humar.

'Yes, corporal?' Cassandra asked and turned to Humar.

'I'll prepare the IV kit in the meantime?'

'Yes, of course, corporal, please go ahead.' Humar slid an IV pump stand to my left side. Satisfied with its location, she pressed a button near the top, and there was a low click as the device secured itself to the floor. Humar was busy with the IV array when Gilroy returned with the requested medication.

Nothing better to do. I became acquainted in an unfocused way with the ceiling. Try as I could, my eyes just refused to adjust, so I gave up. I was getting frustrated with the current situation, so to calm myself, I closed my eyes and took slow, deep breaths.

'Sir.' 

'Yes, Mr Gilroy?'

'Are you feeling worse?'

I opened an eye to peer at him and, to my frustration, my vision remained blurred. 

'No, Mr Gilroy, I am the same,' I said, my voice tinged with irritation.

The tone of my voice made him flinch out of reflex. Irritated captains have that effect on their crew. I always tried my best to not take out my frustrations on my crew. Right now, however, I am not at my best. 

'Why?' I asked, my tone as neutral as I could manage.

'Sir, eyes are an indicator of the state of brain function, and given the circumstances, we prefer you keep them open.'

'I see. Okay, Mr Gilroy, I will endeavour to keep my eyes open.'

'Thank you for understanding, Sir.'

'Smart is a captain that defers to those with expertise, Mr Gilroy,' I said, eyes staring unfocused at the ceiling.

'Aye, Sir,' Gilroy said as both he and Humar chuckled. 

Cassandra had completed her call and returned. 

'I'm back, sorry about the interruption.' 

 'It's alright doctor, disturbances happen.' 

 'Where were we?' she asked. 

 'You were about to explain a medical procedure to me.'

'Ah, yes. We are going to give you medication to lower your ICP.' 

'Okay, doctor. Let's circularize this thing.'

'Good. Is everything ready?' she asked. 

'Yes, doctor. We've prepared everything,' Kumar said.  

'Corporal Gilroy, I believe you have some continuing education to complete?'  

'Yes, Doctor, I do.' 

'Then he's all yours.' 

'Thank you, doctor,' Gilroy said and prepared his kit. 

'Let me give you a hand,' Humar said and assisted him.

I'm in the room, you know. I thought as I listened to their banter. Cassandra looked in my direction. 

 'Are you okay?' she asked. 

"No. I'm not alright Doctor," I itched to retort, but that would not be fair, as this situation was my fault. 'I can't focus my vision and the headache is still there,' I said instead. 

 'Okay, this medication should assist with that.' She then got that distant look of somebody using their internal visual. 

'Yes, your inter-cranial pressure is still elevated, but it has decreased somewhat since you've regained consciousness.' 

'At least there's some good news,' I said. A blurry Cassandra gave me an apologetic look. Well, I think she did. I still couldn't see but a fuzzy image of her. 

 'It's been that sort of day.'

'Yes,' I sighed. 'It is the kind of day that happens when you think you are clever.'

'It happens to the best of us.' Her voice low, soothing. 

'It does,' I agreed. 

She touched my arm, leaned in, and said. 'We will get this sorted soon, your crew needs you.' 

I felt heat rise in my ears. What she said and how she did it buoyed me, and it also embarrassed me, as Cassandra always seems to elicit something primal.

'Thank you, doctor,' was all I could squeak out. Corporals Gilroy and Humar completed their preparations just in time to save me from me.

 'Okay, captain, are you ready?' 

'I am Mr Gilroy, let's get this over with.' I offered my left arm. He smiled and brandished a piece of gear.

Time for some medicine. I thought and wondered what was next.