Waste Deep

Waste Deep Chapter 4: "Fughing Thenibeeb"

Harvels eyelids felt as if they were made of sand paper, his eyes an unfinished wood floor. He could see the white, occasionally yellow stained, ceiling of the pump station infirmary above him. Indistinct shapes of people, their faces blurred like an amateur watercolor painting, were moving around at the foot of his bed.

His back felt like someone had pounded on it with a hammer. The ribs on his left side weren't much better off it seemed. Every breath felt like he was pulling his ribcage open, then letting it snap back into place when he was done. His options were between being in pain or being in slightly less pain. Not a lot of variety there, but the false sense of personal choice was nice to have.

After shining his eyeballs until they practically gleamed, he tried to speak. The anesthetic he was on must have been good because all he got out was: "fughing thenibeeb." before he gave up and concentrated on breathing again. 'Fucking centipede' He finished, allowing his thoughts to include every drop of extra venom his tongue had denied him.

Through the haze, he allowed the uninhibited portions of his brain to meander along. This was a fine mess he'd gotten himself into this time. He had insurance, he knew, but it wasn't very good by any measure of the word. He was still paying off the bills from the solvent incident last year.

He could only imagine just how large the bill was going to be. How long had he been out? Just how fucked was his back? Would he even be able to go back to work at all? He heard the EKG machine begin to speed up as he let the possibilities swirl around in his brain.

The largest of the shadowy forms which had been previously shifting around the room, came into focus as it approached the machine. It didn't take more than the hint of yellowish orange skin for Harvel to know who it was. He was suddenly in much better spirits.

"Iddech!" Harvel flubbed, a goofy smile spreading across his face. He tried to shift his head using his limited motor skills, putting a little too much force into it and whipping his temple into the handrail. As things were this left him somewhat unfazed.

"Ok bud. Aaaalrighty then, lets just, uh huh, yep, just uh. There you go." Yiddek said, using his claws to gently shift Harvels head back onto his pillow. Harvel immediately undid all of his work, grabbing Yiddeks arms and pulling himself up.

"Buggy! Buggy? Bubby?... Waiy, no... Uh... Buddy! Thas duh won... I kiwd... a zenipeeb." He gibbered, spraying spittle on Yiddeks fingers. 

"Yeah bud, you did didn't you?! You got that centipede well and good! Now, just lay down and stop giving me an impromptu shower." Yiddek replied, peeling Harvels hands away carefully and lowering him back onto the bed.

Harvel didn't quite understand his aversion. Personally, he would have really enjoyed a shower right about now. He had the sneaking suspicion that he was well overdue.

"I'm gonna lower your anesthetic a bit so you can talk. You gonna be alright with that?" Yiddek said, patiently waiting for his response.

"Huh? Oh... Oh yeh I guesh." Harvel replied, giving an exaggerated nod. As much pain as he was in, he was starting to get annoyed with the feeling of being a set of eyeballs floating through the cosmos. Yiddek promptly started tapping away on the little console. As Yiddek was throttling his happy juice, another shadowy form entered at the far end of the room. 

"Doctor Valez, Mr. Gillis' insurance agent wishes to talk to you." Said a voice that must have been one of the nurses. 

"I'll be right there." He replied, pushing up the tiny reading glasses he wore on the tip of his snout. As he turned to leave Harvel gave him a noodle armed salute.