Night City Aliens: The Wandering Planet

Ch 23: Dawn of a New Journey

V slowly crawled her way back into consciousness. Everything hurt, but she kept moving with the familiar comfort encouraging her forward. Once she passed the precipice of darkness, she became aware of where she was. The green woman was laying in a bed, the soft beep of a heart monitor preventing her from falling back to sleep. She felt a slight chill but lacked the strength to pull the blanket higher. There was also that familiar comfort, that she eventually recognized as Jackie.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," Jackie said nonchalantly once he was sure she was awake.

V didn't respond right away. Keeping her eye closed, the woman let out a pitiful groan as she rubbed her head. She had the worse migraine. The kind that made you want to pull the sheets up over your head and forget about the world for a few hours. V attempted this but was only able to pull the blanket up to her chin.

"None of that, chica. You need to eat first."

With a heavy sigh, V struggled to push herself into a sitting position, being careful to not put too much weight on her left arm. She forced her eye open to find herself in the same hospital room that she was in when she went unconscious. The only other person there was Jackie, who had moved one of the chairs and small tables to the window. V watched him read his book, opened out on the table so he could more easily turn the page with his broken arm.

"How long was I out?" V eventually asked.

"Little more than a day. Doctors said it was most likely exhaustion," Jackie explained. "You sort of woke up last night but were too out of it to be responsive." He placed a bookmark on his current page before closing the book. Jackie stood from his chair and strolled over to the door. He stepped out for about a minute before returning to his chair.

"What was that about?"

"Letting them know you're awake," Jackie smiled. He went to scratch his right arm, but he stopped when his hand met the cast. "I'm never going to get used to this thing," he mumbled.

"Sorry," V apologized.

"It's all right. You've said sorry enough to me." Jackie readjusted in his seat as he shrugged off her concern. "Besides, the nurse said I'll be all healed up in a month. And those corporate pendejos are paying for everything thanks to you."

"Uhhg," V groaned, dropping her head back against the back of the hospital bed. "I forgot about those jerks."

"That Vinny character filled me in," Jackie continued. "Making a deal with Arasaka to save my life? Got to admit, I'm flattered."

"Trust me, I wouldn't have if I had a better option. But Vinny did save my butt a few times on our journey, so I can't complain too much."

"Really?" Jackie tilted his head. "I thought he was embellishing. Maybe he isn't so bad after all."

A knock on the door pulled them from their conversation.

"Good morning," the nurse greeted in a monotone voice. She was typing on a tablet and only looked up for a second to give Jackie a judgmental glare. "Mr. Welles, why are you out of bed?"

"Because it's uncomfortable, and the chair is better for reading," Jackie said matter-of-factly.

"Need I remind you that you were in a coma for four days? Remain in bed unless supervised by medical staff."

"Alright, alright," Jackie griped. He stood up and made his way back into the other hospital bed. "Grupo de perras tensas."

The nurse recorded various vital signs from V: blood pressure, heart rate, cognitive functions.

"Are you experiencing blurry vision, double-sight, or any other visual impairment?" the nurse asked.

"Nope. My eye is working fine," V said.