Kadance

Prelude Ship

The doctor is brought out of her deep concentration as she is notified that Thompson was done with surgery. She absently looks at the clock, shift change. She takes a deep breath. She never felt that she was a coward before this, but now she recognizes the truth. She can't tell her father the truth.

Sighing she gets up and goes over to Jayse's bed. "Sgt., Corporal Thompson is out of surgery now and returned to his room. I can take you to him now if you wish."

Jayse still half asleep and immersed in nightmares only notices that someone is standing over him and quick as a snake has a knife to her throat. Before he kills her, her words penetrate the fog of his mind and he lets her go and drops his knife. Sickened that he almost killed the doctor that saved his and Thomson's lives.

"Sorry doctor. Damn! That shouldn't have happened." Jayse is furious with himself for having attacked like that.

The attack happened and ended so quick the doctor didn't even realize it happened until after it was over with. She feels her neck where the knife had been and feels a bead of what could only be blood.

"It's alright Sgt. I'll make sure to note that we shouldn't wake you like that again. Frankly I'm just glad you stopped on your own. I'd have been dead before I even knew I was being attacked." The doctor positions the wheeled chair so that Jayse can get himself into it.

"Can you manage on your own Sgt? If not, I'll be happy to help." The doctor is actually using this as a test. She knows that Sgt. Jayse would do it on his own if he can. He hates showing weakness. If he asks for help then he's still in too bad of shape to be discharged.

In response Jayse swings his legs over the edge and forces himself to sit up. Sweat breaks out all over but he doesn't say a thing. He just sits on the edge of the bed for a bit to get the pain under control. Then he swings himself up out of the bed and over into the chair.

The doctor can see that he is still in a great deal of pain and makes a mental note of that even as she adjusts his feet and gets behind the chair. She also makes note of how damp his hospital gown has become.

"I'll get you some clean clothes for later. I think the second surgery found the remaining shrapnel and you won't need anymore surgeries at this time." Her voice is very dry on that last part. Jayse has a long medical history. All of Sigma does, did. Being the elite fighting force for the United Planets they are sent into impossible situations and pulled off miracles. But miracles cost. This time the miracle cost too much, the death of Sigma.

"That's good to hear. The less time I'm under the knife the better." Jayse replies absently lost in his own thoughts. He doesn't like the weakness of body that comes by being wounded. He hates feeling this weak and vulnerable and is aghast at himself for attacking the doctor like he had.

"Sgt. after what you've been through it's only natural for you to wake up ready for action like you were. It's my fault for waking you like I did. Please, don't blame yourself." The doctor accurately reads Jayse.

Jayse smiles bitterly. "Doctor, are you a mind reader? They are my actions, I am responsible." He likes her being able to read him even less. He doesn't like being so open.

They come to Thompson's room. "They didn't leave much of his arm did they?" Jayse says sadly looking at the lower arm. They had removed the arm just below the elbow.

The doctor looking at the arm is actually quite pleased. They had left him far more than she had hoped for. "Actually I'm surprised that they left him this much. They must have been able to rebuild more than they had thought they could."

Just then the surgeon comes in. "Well I guess we were both right Alicia. He didn't need to lose the entire arm like I had thought when I first saw it, but we did need to remove a significant amount." The surgeon didn't like eating his words but the fact that Alicia was partly wrong helps.