Antumbra - A Lost Cause

Barricaded - Chapter Sixty Two

Arva tapped her foot impatiently as the medic looked her over, eager for the indignity to end. She wasn't very comfortable standing in front of a total stranger in just her underwear, let alone being poked and felt up like a piece of meat. She had a hole in her side, she figured that was obvious, and all the probing was only making it hurt worse.

"Not used to doctors, I presume?" The base medic asked. It helped that said doctor was a woman, but Arva still felt uncomfortable, and she desperately wanted to leave and find Marcus. To her this was a waste of valuable time.

"Not really," Arva admitted. Medical assistance was not a luxury many in the Lows could afford. The most recent encounter with any sort of medical professional was when Marcus first brought her to the Habitat. It was different then, and she wasn't as impatient to get through it.

"It'll be over soon," the medic said. "I'm going as fast as I can, but I need to make sure there aren't any other injuries or abnormalities that may impede treatment."

"What kind of abnormalities?" Arva asked, worried.

"Don't take this the wrong way," the medic explained, "but I've never practiced on a Hybrid." She pressed into Arva's side just below her armpit, and she winced.

"Understandable," Arva said, flinching at all the prodding.

"Of course even if I had," the medic continued, "your physiology can be quite unpredictable. I have the records from your visit to the general hospital, but I still have to make sure." Arva couldn't help but let out a gasp of pain as the doctor kept feeling, and she sighed as she finally ended her inspection. Arva sat down on the bed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Scans showed signs of rib fractures," the medic explained. She was tall with dark skin, and her even darker curly hair was tied back in a bun. She reminded Arva of Deborah, and her thoughts wandered to the well-being of her brief employer in all this turmoil.

"A fracture?" Arva asked, "I have broken ribs? Can you fix them?"

"They'll fix themselves," the medic explained, "you'll just have to take it easy, rest up."

"I can't," Arva said, growing more impatient, "the IRT are at the border, they almost got into the Lows, and Captain Wilhelm is-" Arva stopped herself. She knew Marcus was innocent, obviously, but she wasn't sure what the average Eclipse soldier may have heard, or what this medic's opinion of his charges may be.

"Arva, you need rest," the medic insisted, ignoring her protests. "I can give you some medicine for the pain, but you can't wear a pilot suit without possibly making it worse. On top of that you have some pretty bad bruises along your back and legs, and that wound will need to be stapled."

"Stapled?" Arva cocked her head, imagining a literal stapler used for paper, "is that medical slang for certain bandages or something?"

"No, it's slang for stapled," the doctor chuckled, "and before you ask, it's perfectly safe. We can do it right here and you won't feel a thing."

"You're going to staple it shut!?" Arva reflexively leaned back, "won't the staples just make me bleed more?"

"They're not like office supplies," the medic assured her, "they're specially designed for wounds and will dissolve over time. They even come in various flesh toned colours, though I suppose that's not much help for you." Arva gave the doctor a bemused look, and the woman shrugged. She tapped the side of the counter and a previously unseen seam appeared to reveal a drawer. It slid open silently, and the doctor retrieved two objects. One was some kind of tube, the other looked a bit like a brush without bristles.

"Now lay down and hold still," the medic instructed. Hesitant, but compliant, Arva did so as the medic began to peel away the bandages. Arva winced at the sharp pain as the skin was tugged and could feel coolness against the exposed flesh. She peeked down to see the doctor squeezing the tube over the cut, clear gel oozing out from around a ball-shaped end. She pressed it around the wound, liberally applying the cool gel, and Arva felt her whole side get cold before going completely numb. She felt nothing more than a faint pressure as the doctor pushed the second device against her gently several times. It didn't make any noise, but a green light went off each time.