Red Horizon (The Martian Fanfiction)

Chapter 54

It had been a few days since Olivia had woken up in Med Bay. The initial wave of panic, the vulnerability of seeing herself in such a fragile state, had passed. She wasn't the same person who had broken down, overwhelmed by the sight of the central line in her chest. Now, as she sat up in bed, propped against a few soft pillows with the hum of the Hermes filling the background, Olivia felt much more in control. The haze of panic had lifted, and in its place was the calm, clinical focus that had served her well through countless surgeries and crises during her military days.

Beck had pulled up a chair next to her, his demeanor as steady as ever. His focus shifted between the tablet displaying her vitals and her face, watching for any signs of distress. But Olivia wasn't panicking anymore. She understood exactly what she was looking at. Every piece of equipment tethered to her—every line, every monitor—made perfect sense to her now.

"How are you feeling today?" Beck asked, his voice calm but full of warmth.

Olivia glanced at him, her gaze sharp but thoughtful. She looked down at the cast covering her leg, the central line in her chest, the small movements of the IV drip beside her bed, all with the discerning eye of someone who knew exactly how all of this worked. She was assessing, categorizing, and processing.

"I'm feeling better," Olivia said, her voice clear. "I've had some time to think. I know what I'm looking at now."

Beck nodded, his gaze softening. He could see the change in her demeanor, the professionalism and calm that had replaced the emotional storm from before. "You've always been the strongest one in the room, Liv," he said quietly, but she could hear the respect in his tone.

Olivia let out a small breath, her eyes flicking down to the cast again. "The fracture... it's a malunion," she said, her voice steadier now. "I knew the moment we got on the Hermes that it wasn't aligned properly. But without imaging, without a surgical team... I know we can't fix it here. Stabilize it, sure, but it'll have to wait until we're back on Earth."

Beck's lips tightened into a thin line. He respected her honesty, her ability to look at her own medical condition with the same level of detachment she'd likely applied to countless patients in her past. "You're right," Beck confirmed. "We can't do the realignment surgery up here. The best we can do is manage the pain and keep the bone stable so it doesn't worsen. Once we're on Earth, they'll have the tools to fix it properly."

Olivia nodded, accepting the information easily. "And the osteopenia," she continued, her mind moving forward with its own assessment. "We can manage that with supplements and resistance exercises, right? I don't have a full DEXA scan to look at, but I can feel the loss in my bones."

Beck smiled softly, impressed by her clarity. "That's the plan. We've already started you on supplements, and the equipment we have here should help prevent any further muscle loss. We're managing your malnutrition carefully with refeeding protocols to avoid refeeding syndrome, and as for the osteopenia—you're right. Supplements and exercises should keep things stable."

Olivia shifted slightly, testing the limits of the cast without causing too much discomfort. "I've treated fractures like this before. Seen worse, in fact. I know what we're dealing with. It's not going to be easy, but I can handle it."

Beck leaned forward slightly, his eyes focused on her. "I don't doubt it for a second," he said, his voice filled with quiet admiration. "But you're not handling this alone, Liv. You don't have to. I've got you covered on this."

She looked up at him, the weight of his words settling in. There was a moment of silence between them, a shared understanding of just how far they had come. Olivia wasn't the broken, fragile version of herself that had emerged from the MAV—she was a fighter, a survivor, and most of all, a surgeon who knew exactly what her body was going through.