Merge

6 - The Test

I turned to follow Maru out the door, but a sharp stitch in my abdomen reminded me of my battle wound. Maru's brow furrowed, and she put a hand on my shoulder, "What's the matter?" she asked.

I sucked in a breath as I pulled up my shirt, revealing the still-raw wound that had begun to bleed again. Maru gasped and whipped out a cell phone, her demeanor noticeably less jubilant than before.

"We need a medic. Room B27. I think it's a stab wound," she guided me to the chair, where I sat back down, "Yeah, it's her," Maru said into the phone before flipping it shut, "What happened to you, Esper?"

The pain dulled, "When I escaped from the Doctor, he was trying to perform surgery on me while I was still conscious, " Maru gasped, "I managed to escape to a warehouse and close the wound with some tape."

She was quiet for a moment before she put a hand over my wound and whispered, "Oh my goodness, you poor girl. Did you fly with this thing?"

I nodded, and she shook her head in disbelief, "Well, I think I hear the medics coming. Just sit tight."

Just as she spoke, I heard the wheels of a gurney echoing down the hallway, and a small team if people suddenly flew into the room, picked me up and placed me on the still-moving gurney that thundered past the door. We turned and began racing down the hall towards what I could only assume to be some sort of medical ward. I looked up to see who was pushing me, and I saw a lizard man, his green scales blurring in my vision. I didn't see Maru anywhere, and I became worried; I didn't like hospitals anymore.

Calm yourself, hatchling. You're making yourself lose blood faster,  Caminai chastised. I only then realized just how raised my pulse was, and I close my eyes, making an effort to calm myself. Before I knew it, we had stopped. I opened my eyes to see various hybridized hospital staff rushing about. In mere seconds, my wound had been detaped and sterilized. I felt a pinch and looked to see the lizard man injecting something into my side, and a numb sensation invaded my midsection.

"What was that?" I asked quietly, mostly to distract myself from the fish woman approaching me with a needle and surgical thread.

"A 2-minute numbing agent," he said, backing up to give the fish woman space to begin stitching the wound. I wanted to look away, but I could only watch with morbid fascination as she deftly inserted the needle into my skin and closed the wound, finishing in under a minute.

"Time!" she yelled, backing away with her hands in the air

"332.6 seconds from original call!" yelled a voice from across the room.

I paused, "What?"

The lizard man chuckled, "You caught us during class. We've been working on speed treatment of possible war wounds. You were the perfect test subject. A plus, Laska!"

The words "test subject" brought back stinging memories of The Doctor's experiments, but I managed a small smile as I slowly sat up, "Well, glad I could be of service," I slid off of the gurney, the numbing agent already fading. I slowly began to walk, but was intercepted by the fish woman, whom I could finally see clearly. her head was sleek with a colorful fin running along it and disappearing into her blue scrubs. Her neck was lined with gills, and her ears had become small fins.

She spoke shyly, "I-I was wondering if I could look at your wings."

"Laska, don't bother the patient," said the lizard man.

"No, it's okay," I said, sitting on the nearest bed and stretching my wings. Laska reached out gingerly with webbed fingers, softly touching the thin membrane of my wings. I resisted the urge to pull away as her fingers trailed my wing.