The doors opened, and troops rushed in with various degrees of injury, Some hardly conscious on stretchers carried by other troops. Some were limping in, or aided by other troops. The group of us immediately hopped into action, guiding the injured to beds in the main room and the rooms in the hallway, depending on the injury. There were just enough beds for the wounded troops, and hardly enough of us to tend to every one promptly. We dealt with those who had the most severe wounds. Broken bones, shrapnel caused injuries, gashes, blaster shots. From there, we dealt with those who had less severe injuries and triaged them. It was a fast-paced environment, and I could tell the new medics were not up to the challenge quite yet. I would have the train them more and help them find ways to manage their stressors do avoid them being overwhelmed while working.
Noticing Ratha freeze near the centre of the room, I excused myself from the patient I was dealing with who had a minor injury and approached her. "Ratha," I started, my tone concerned. This sometimes happened with new medics. They would get too overwhelmed with the amount of work in front of them. They didn't even know where to start, or they would forget what to do.
"Everythings okay, but listen to me, we have no time. You have no time to freeze up like this. We have people to help. One person out of time, focus on the task on hand and don't take on more than you can handle- even if you think you can handle it, don't." I paused for a moment, examining her expression. She looked guilty. She probably thought she was letting me down or messed up.
"You're doing everything right so far, keep up the good work. We can talk about this later but get back to work. we have more patients to help." With that, I moved away from her and back to my patient. It wasn't that she was a good worker, she was, and her help was much appreciated, but you can freeze up during these times; people's lives were on the line.
Pulling the curtain away for a second, I entered the little space designated for them and plopped down on the wheely chair and pushed myself to the bed, so I was in front of him. I smiled at the young trooper. He didn't have any severe injuries, thankfully. Looking him over, he didn't have any severe injuries, but a nasty gash to his chest that extended from around his collar bone to just below his rib cage. It was nasty looking, but it could have been worse. "Alright, WE-4499," I greeted, "Got a pretty nasty looking gash there but didn't worry, we'll patch you up right quick. I'm just going to clean the wound with some alcohol, which will sting, not going to lie... and then we'll give you stitches... Okay, I'll be right back with my supplies."
Getting up from the chair, I moved passed the dark curtain quickly and jogged over to the medical supplies station. Browsing over the numerous shelved for the tools I needed, I grabbed a needle, thread, rubbing alcohol, and bandaging- those packs I stuffed in my pockets; next, I grabbed a small bowl on the lower shelf and filled it up with some water at the sink that was built in and rushed back over. Opening the curtain once more, I placed the contents of my pockets on the little table along with the bowl of water before turning back to the patient.
"Okay here we go." I took the white bowl into my hand for a moment and dipped the cloth into and gently wringing out the excess water. I turned towards the patient and reached down to gently clean off the surrounding area of the wound, along with any debris that was inside. I could tell he wasn't comfortable. The expression on his face said every emotion he felt. I felt terrible for him, but there was no point in saying anything further to comfort him. "And now time for the fun part." I placed the soiled clothing in the bowl once more to soak, and then changed my gloves for fresh ones. Grabbing the sterile package, I took the needle and tongs out of it and began patching the trooper up with ease. Once I had finished stitching him up, I put bandages over the work. "Okay, you're done here. Take things easy and try not to break any of the stitching." With that, I left.
The day went by fairly quickly, and by the end of my shift, I was more than exhausted and overworked. There were more troops injured that other missions we had this year, and because we never had as many troops go on a mission and come back injured, we weren't equipped with enough staff to effectively treat everyone. After I had briefed the overnight team, I left medbay and began my trek back to my quarters. It was a bit more lively than earlier, but not as it usually was. Spotting the all to a familiar redhead of my brother, I approached him,
"General Hux." I greeted, more so as a formality than anything else. If we were in a private room, however, it would have been different.
"Colonel," He greeted back, continuing walking. I could tell he didn't have the time for me, nor did he want to speak with me. Typical, I thought. He was always busy with things alongside the supreme leader, Kylo Ren. I hadn't pursued becoming a general as he had; he wanted to be on top. He wanted the power and glory that Kylo Ren had. I wanted to help people, but I also wanted the control and respect that he had. I would never have that as long as I worked in the Medbay, but I wanted it nonetheless.
"I don't have time for your idle prattle. I have things to do." He spoke up, confirming my thoughts
"Yeah, no, okay, but listen." I grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop and listen to me.
"We need more medics and more supplies, and if you have more troops coming back out like you did today, we won't have workers to keep up or supplies. I'll send an order out in the morning for that, but -" My sentence was cut off when I saw him walking down the hallway. Kylo Ren. I immediately let go of Armitage's arm and straightened up. I had never seen him this close before, regardless of how close my brother was to him. The way the whole atmosphere of the hallway changes as he came walking through. His very presence was intimidating. There was no way to know what he felt when you spoke to him, his masked concealed any expressions he had, and his voice cloaked into a mechanical one. He was a mystery. His very presence made me uneasy, nervous even. He had a reputation; I had heard many stories about him and his tantrums, even cleaning up injuries they had caused to other members on the fleet.
"We'll continue this conversation later, General." I looked at Armitage for a moment before greeting the masked leader.
"Sir." I moved away from my brother and began my journey to my quarters once more. The walk back was uneventful, but my mind wandered with thoughts on the masked man. Kylo Ren. Who was he underneath the mask? Was he even a man at all? Was he as bad as everyone claimed him to be? He certainly was intimidating.
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"A lover, Hux? Surprising that anyone would consider you." The voice said, resulting in a glare from Armitage.
"My sister." The General corrected. "As if I'd tell you if I had a lover or any of my personal affairs."
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Finally reaching my room, I entered and let out a tired sigh. I was completely and utterly exhausted. Before heading to bed, I opted to have a shower tonight instead of the morning. Changing my out of uniform, I opened my closet to hang it up instead of laying it out for the morning, then headed into the small bathroom.
Closing the door behind me, I flicked on the fan so the steam wouldn't fog up the tiny room. Turning to the little shelf above the toilet, I grabbed two fluffy white towels—one of them smaller than the other for my hair. Placing them on the lid of the toilet, I then reached into the shower and turned on the hot and then cold water. The taps coolness was refreshing. Reaching out into the stream of water, I checked the temperature. It was perfect. With a noise of satisfaction, I entered the shower, letting the warm water envelop me. It was relaxing. Just standing under the water was enough to wash away the stress of the day behind me. Knowing I couldn't stay in the shower the whole night, I proceeded to wash and condition my hair and then scrub my body with a small cloth.
I turned off the water, immediately met with a cold breeze. That was the worst part of hot showers. Bending over slightly, I took my cooper hair into my hands and squeezed whatever excess of water remained before stepping out onto the shower mat. I then grabbed the smaller towel and wrapped my hair up into a plop on my head, and then wrapped the other fluffy one around my thin frame, goosebumps forming on my freckled skin. Opening the door to the bathroom, I walked over to my wardrobe and took out my nightgown and a pair of clean underwear, put them on and went to bed. I pulled the satiny sheets over my still slightly damp body and curled up on my side. I fell asleep shortly after.
YOU ARE READING
To Heal & Grow
Fanfiction"A lover, Hux? Surprising that anyone would consider you." The voice said, resulting in a glare from Armitage. "My sister." The General corrected. "As if I'd tell you if I had a lover or any of my personal affairs." ---- Amara Hux Head Medic aboard...
