Unicorn Riders - Pinch (English)

Chapter 15: Back again

To Vera it was like dejá vu. The darkness covering all of her senses and just starting to dissolve very slowly was broken by faint sounds she could not identify. But this time those sounds weren't telling of some disaster that had happened, and she didn't feel like lying amidst a field of rubble. It was a soft underground she felt, and she herself was covered with something equally soft. She didn't notice any smell of burning - in fact she didn't smell anything but a faint odour of some odd chemical substance. Those sounds that she had noticed at first turned out to be some electronic beeping. The circumstances were much better than before, so she opened her eyes.

Her headache was gone.

This was the first thing she came to realize, even before she could perceive her surroundings. White walls, bright artificial lights, several devices all around her. She looked down on herself. It was a real bed she was lying in, and she was covered by a real soft blanket. All in white. As she was moving, a blue ray of light went over her body and seemed to scan her. A computer next to her had several lights blinking, but when the scan was complete, many of those lights switched from yellow to green. A good sign. Vera examined the machines and devices around her, and as the mist in her head vanished completely she knew that she was in a hospital. Apparently it was the medical centre of Coock City. She had been here before.

When she turned her head to the right she found that she was not alone. "Hey, you're awake" a happy voice came from the bed to her right. She glanced over there and saw a skinny blond girl with a broad smile looking herself over to Vera. "I was afraid you'd sleep through the whole day."

Vera blinked at the girl. The memories of past events were still persistently staying out of her head. "How long have I been sleeping?"

The girl shrugged. "They brought you in this morning. Now it's almost dinner time. Shall I get the nurse?" she then asked helpfully.

This wasn't necessary anymore. The door at the far end of the room opened, and a tall bulky figure stepped in. For a short moment Vera's heart stopped beating - she feared that Whitmore had found her. But this person wasn't Whitmore. The beard was as bushy, but carefully groomed and cut, and instead of a clean shaven skull this man had hair that ended in a tiny plait on the back of his head. In addition his face was far more friendly, and Vera found that he smelled a lot better.

"Well, someone has awakened" he stated with a friendly smile. He took a quick look at the displays beside Vera's bed before turning to Vera herself. "Do you know where you are? And can you tell me your name?"

Vera looked around. "I'm at the Coock City Medical Facility, and my name is Vera Lippson. Why? Are you going to quiz me afterwards?"

The big man laughed. "No, no quiz, Vera. But you have been suffering from a head concussion and several other small injuries when you were taken here. I just wanted to make sure that nothing worse has happened to you." He offered his hand. "Call me Chris! I'm the nurse around here."

"Hi Chris!" Vera took and shook his hand.

"So, how do you feel?" Chris gazed at the displays again. Vera could see them, too - the medical personnel used several kinds of scanners to examine and survey every aspect of her body. Some of those displays she couldn't understand, but from what she could gather she was in pretty good shape.

That was what it felt like, too. "Pretty good" she answered. "Nothing hurts, I'm not dizzy... Concussion, you say?"

"Yep." Chris pointed to one oh the displays showing her head. "Don't worry, we had that cured very quickly. Hopefully you won't feel any of it anymore. Your hands should be back to good shape as well, although the fingers of your right hand may seem to be a little stiff for a while. I hope you won the fight." He winked at her.