Into the Wasteland

Chapter Five

Gen's eyes slowly opened and as she let out a loud, pained groan Doctor Jackson hurried over to check on his patent, he took a penlight out from his pocket and shone it in her barely open eyes.
"Get that out of my face you lunatic!" Gen snarled, shoving him aside violently and sitting up to take in her surroundings. Jackson backed off, not pleased with her decorum but she was strong enough to shove a fully grown man back several feet and the motion was quite fluid. A positive sign.
"You're fine. Good." He said before dismissing nurse Raymond who had been waiting beside him. He came back towards her and produced a stethoscope, he began the usual checks and Gen took a moment to admire the bandages wrapped snuggly around her chest and leg, choosing to ignore the fact that she was otherwise naked. When Jackson was finished, she looked over at him and cocked an eyebrow at him. She could deduce from the coat and tool that he was probably her doctor.
"I take it you're the one who put me back together?" She asked, turning to get off the bed before Jackson stopped her.
"Yes I am, and I think you would benefit from a little more bedrest. You lost a lot of blood yesterday and threw up at least twice whilst I was tending to you so there is probably a decent amount of dehydration to worry about." Jackson informed her though he could tell by the look in her face that Gen was not overly concerned.
"Please, doc. Believe it or not I've had worse." She said, stretching her arms and then wincing from the pain about half-way through the motion. She looked back at the bandages that covered her. "But, not by much..." she conceded.

Jackson fetched a plastic bottle of water from one of his pockets and handed it to Gen who did not waste time and downed it in a single mouthful, letting out a relieved if dramatic gasp.
"Cheers. So, where is she?" Asked Gen, coughing from downing the water too fast as her eyes looking around the room for Izetta, hoping that she had remembered her dragging her yesterday correctly and that it wasn't a trauma induced hallucination.
"The soldier?" Jackson asked, patting her on the back as she continued to splutter. She shot him a questionable glance.
"No, the talking lizard in the sunhat. Yes, doc, the solider. Where is my knight in camouflage?" she asked. She handed Jackson the bottle, though gave it a shake to indicate that she wanted a refill. Jackson whistled for one of his nurses, Raymond returned with haste and the doctor handed him the bottle forcibly.
"Fill it." He ordered. Raymond hurried off without a word and Jackson ambled over to grab one of the chairs from by the wall and dragged it to the side of Gen's bed. "She went out to pay off your debt, my dear. My service wasn't free as much as I'd like it to be. I should tell you that if she doesn't come back then I am selling you to make up the loses." He explained, bluntly. He had expected more of a reaction and was disappointed by the look on her face that told him that this was not news to Gen. She had been to see doctors out here before and most of them made the same threat. A patient that could not pay would be sold and she found that at least 2 made good on that.

"Well, wouldn't be the first time." Gen sighed, with an air of cheek to her tone. Raymond returned as fast as he had left with the water and handed it to Gen. She nodded her thank you and again downed the drink in one go, though this time remembered to avoid tyring to breathe at the same time. "You're a saint. If it's cool I'll have one more, please." She asked, handed him the bottle back.
"Not a problem." Raymond said, cheerful before taking off again in a hurry to fill it.
"So, where exactly is she now?" Gen asked, it was a little bit concerning that she was not here to at least make sure that her employee had not died.
"She went to clear out a mutie nest. Some wolfies set up nearby." Jackson explained briefly. Gen responded first with a concerned look.
"You guys sent her out alone to hunt wolfies? Are you fucking serious?" she snarled, sitting upright again and reaching to grab the doctor who managed to evade her grasp and slid his chair back, shaking his head.
"It's okay, we send a meat shield with her. If anything goes wrong, then he can keep them busy for her so she can get out of dodge or put them down." Explained the doctor. This satisfied Gen enough for now, she was not exactly attached to Izetta but again she was basically her boss right now, and she did feel like she owed her now and would rather she did not get herself killed before she could make it up to her.
"Now, please. You need your rest. Raymond will bring you your water and once your friend comes back, we will talk some more." Jackson said, he could see Gen wanted to ask more questions and had already had enough, so he turned his back to indicate the discussion was over and left the room quickly, silently thanking god that he did not have any other patients at the present. Gen lent back and embraced the silence for a moment before Raymond returned with water again, though he brought a larger bottle this time. He placed it on a small table and moved it to her bedside.
"Thought this would be a better idea." He said, smiling. Gen grinned back, taking the water, and thanking the man before she took a long swig. Raymond stayed in the room for a moment in case she polished this off and needed more.
"Do you mind my asking, where are my clothes?" Gen asked after she finished her drink. He pointed towards a metal clothes rack that been set up on the other side of the room. All of her garments were pegged to it, dripping wet having been recently cleaned, they were sat next to the only window in the room and in direct sunlight.
"Your clothes are there, miss and the armour is over at with the lovely Sira in the gun shop, she is better at getting dings and grim off those bits anyway. I'll send for it when you are up and about, don't threat." Assured Raymond. Gen thanked the man for his help, and he was on his way.