[center][h1]Healing Wounds & Restoring Health[/h1][/center]

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/5M2xGq0.jpeg[/img]                                       [img]https://i.imgur.com/xjiMD7d.png[/img][/center]

Collaborative post with [@sail3695][hr]
Her patient had been prepped accordingly upon their arrival to the shuttle. Prior to the new cast replacing the temporary one, Alana had administered warmed IV fluids given the advanced case of hypothermia. She had also tended to his wounds and had him go through various scans to rule out any further serious injuries. Given the concussion he had suffered, Alana would remain within reach until she could talk to him, only leaving his side once he was in a stabilized condition so she could dry off and change into warmer attire.

Alana would occasionally glance over at the man to see whether he was lucid in any form. It was then she noticed him moving his arm as if to touch his head. Alana got to her feet and quickly walked over. "Hey, I'm gonna advise against that. Don't worry, you're safe with us now." Once she was standing over him, she gently guided his arm back down to rest by his side. "You were rescued from the shipwreck, do you recall?" Alana stared down at him, watching his expression to gauge his ability to comprehend what she was saying.

Yuri couldn’t stop trembling, held in the icy clutches of a cold which seemed to come from within his core. Consciousness was a slow process, another act of surfacing to perform...if that’s what he did.  Life aboard the Mick was never quiet; his shipboard quarters were nestled between the massive turbines whose reactor fed humming was a simple fact of life.  But this place was almost silent.  There was no sense of momentum, nor the sluggish roll of a great ship weathering heavy seas.  

[i]"You were rescued from the shipwreck, do you recall?"[/i]

“No...that’s wrong.  I…” His brow furrowed.  He’d been up at the stern rail, talking with Chief Edwards...wait.  The reactor.  He was shutting it down, hand cranking each rod to full insertion. Things tilted...that couldn’t be right.  He wouldn’t scram it while they were still at sea, unless...wait.  There was a storm... 

The woman above him shifted, her hair flashing gold in the overhead light. Yuri gave a start; he remembered her!   Here was was his savior, one of the angels who’d descended from a dream...he was certain he’d hallucinated...or dreamt it.   But no...the clothing beneath her white smock was soaking wet.  She and a man...they’d lifted him from a terrible sea…  So…it wasn’t a dream.   He squinted beneath the light, taking in the sight of her with new eyes.  She was a medic?  Aboard...what?  

Memories that had been dashed to tiny scraps were coming together, their patchwork incomplete.  Yuri fought to achieve the elusive ‘here and now’ amid the wreckage.   “Shipwreck?  Is that what happened, Doctor?”

Getting the response she feared, Alana broke her gaze for a moment, attempting to find the right words to communicate the tragedy. His eyes not fixated on any one single thing, it was obvious to Alana that the poor guy was trying to piece together what had occurred. 

"That much is right, your ship is gone," she responded, staring at him once more with her voice barely above a whisper. In the past, she's learned that her job could get exhausting in more ways than one because not only did she have to deal with the sick and injured on a regular basis, but she had to play that awful role where she delivered some bad news. And then there was the fact that every once in a while, the recipient did not take kindly to such news and took it out on her and whatever other poor soul was standing in their vicinity. Fortunately, that wasn't the case here, though that didn't mean it made the job any easier.

"I'm awfully sorry, please, if there's anything that I can do, just ask..." Alana would allow him whatever space he needed to deal with the news if he so requested it. She wasn't sure whom he had aboard the ship with him—family, friends, a significant other... and given everybody grieved in their own way, the least she could do was afford him such courtesy.

He listened; her words landed on his conscious mind like a bond, pulling together disparate images and bits of memory.  The patchwork they presented was by no means complete, but as the Doctor spoke, he felt the deep recognition of truth in her answer.

Yuri glanced downward, more to avert his eyes.  His left arm was bound; he must’ve broken it somewhere along the way.  Perhaps the cold numbed...the cold.  The raft.  It had been the Mick’s crew dining table.  He saw nothing more of his body, wrapped as it was in warming blankets...his hands had withered to claws in the icy torrent...the Mick on  her death plunge...ear splitting pressure...must’ve blown the reactor vent hatch and sucked him into the sea..

“Yes,” Yuri nodded his head in acceptance.  “Yes….we were taking water.   The pumps couldn’t keep up…”  His eyes lifted. “I was in the ocean, until the Firefly…”  The mechanic’s eyes glistened.  “Found me.  You found me.”  The gratitude in his gaze held firmly, until his struggling mind grasped the deeper implications.  Yuri glanced about.  The space was odd for a medical suite.  Equipment racks, some deck bolted seating...and flight controls.  A shuttle, and light duty by the looks of it.  “Did the rest get out?” He turned to the doctor again.  “How many survived?”

A half-smile for a moment followed by a solemn expression. She briefly looked over at the screen above her patient’s head. He was still medicated, though the dosage was wearing off as made evident when he woke up a few moments ago. “Unfortunately, we didn’t find anyone else, but I can’t say with certainty whether they... I can’t say whether they survived or not because I’m not sure. The storm gave us quite a challenge while we were working to rescue you, but we didn’t pick up anyone else.”

Alana gave him a moment then went on with her speech. “When we found you, you were rambling on incomprehensibly. You suffered a concussion and an extreme case of hypothermia. You also have a broken arm and various minor injuries which have all been addressed in order to get you stabilized.”
 
Giving him a moment to take it all in, Alana gazed down at the cast on his arm. “I’m sorry, I wish I had better news for you at this time."

Though Yuri had to  squint upward, he didn’t need an explanation to understand the magnitude of loss.  A subtle stiffening, a change in tone were cues by which anyone might comprehend that which people were reluctant to say.  He knew it.  He knew it from the moment he’d burst to the surface.  The angry waves hadn’t been littered with the flickering lights of life vests.  He hadn’t heard a cry for help, seen another soul, or even a body.    Though someone might’ve gotten out, he now faced the reality of memory crashing swiftly into place.  The Mick had plunged, rapidly, to her end.  Most likely, all hands were still with her.  As he should’ve been, but for a lucky fluke of science.

“I’m alive,” he eventually replied.  “Without you, I wouldn’t be.  I think that’s as good as it gets.”

“Not to be the type but that’s the best way to look at it,” she responded, nodding slightly. “You’re currently aboard the China Doll in one of the shuttles. We moved you here to keep you warm due to some of the cargo needing to be kept at a certain temperature far too cold for any of us to comfortably sit in.”

Alana thought about Hook for a moment, noting she should at least check in on him to make sure he was okay. 

"I’m sorry, I haven’t properly introduced myself. I’m Alana Lysanger, the ship’s medic. Both myself and Hook were the ones to pull you out of the water. Joe Hooker is our cook and also a deckhand, you’ll meet him soon, as well as Captain Strand and the rest of the crew and passengers."

“Yuri Antonov,” he offered his right hand.  “I don’t think I can ever repay you all for this, Dr. Lysanger.  I’ll look forward to meeting your cook, and shaking his hand.  Your captain, also.”  The survivor laid back on his stretcher.  “Can you tell me where you’re taking me?”

She shook his hand in return, exchanging quick pleasantries before responding to his question. "We're off to Greenleaf, shouldn't be too long from what I heard. Would you like something to eat or drink? Perhaps a warm tea?"

He could still feel the cold embedded deep within, a burrowing parasite that refused to be dislodged.  Yuri’s right hand clutched the side rail.  Taking care for the IV tube dangling from his forearm, he slowly pulled himself to sitting position.  “Yes,” he smiled weakly as first one leg, then the next, moved to dangle over the stretcher’s edge.  “Warm tea sounds fantastic.”

Thus began his self examination.  The left arm, bound as it was, hung in a fabric sling draped round his neck.  The pressure of rising set his head to throbbing, the location matching a bandage taped to his forehead.  He blinked, and was rewarded with both eyes reacting.  A tightness across a shoulder blade announced another bandage. As Yuri glanced down his chest, he took note of three more.  The sight of two legs extending from the sheet around his waist came as good news, made all the better by ten toes that wiggled on command.  “Banged up,” the mechanic delivered his assessment, “but all in one piece.”

She smiled; at least he was in good spirits. 
Alana had watched as Yuri worked to sit himself up. She would have offered a hand but figured he was fine helping himself. The extent of his injuries would not have prevented him from getting up and she didn't want to impose unless he hurt himself in the process and needed her help.

"One tea coming right up!"

With that, she walked away from her patient, leaving the shuttle and the warmth it provided. Alana closed shut the door behind her, the sudden drop in temperature making her shiver involuntarily, and that was enough to get her to pick up her step on the way towards the galley.

Once there, she greeted Cyd and Penelope who just so happened to be in the galley as well and informed them she too was getting some tea. Alana figured she would bring back some flavored tea just in case the taste of the ocean lingered in Yuri's mouth. Alana had learned some time ago that someone's sense of smell had the strongest link to memory and emotion, and since smell and taste were entwined, maybe the cup of tea would bring more comfort than intended.

A short time later, Alana returned with the kettle in one hand and two cups in the other. She would join him momentarily before leaving him be to get some rest, unless of course Cal wanted to have a word with him now that he was up.

[i]Greenleaf,[/i] Yuri considered.  His ship was on the bottom.  By now, the NMMP would have search and rescue vessels on the scene.  He should reach out, let them know he was alive.  They’d likely find it odd that a survivor was offworld instead of being delivered to local authorities. But that was out of his control.  Instead, he thought to contact his employers.  They could handle the details, offer him further instructions.

His reverie ended as the doctor returned with tea.  By the looks of things, she’d be joining him, a thought that Yuri found cheering.  Now awakened and somewhat trusting of his senses, he found her pleasant nature and the warmth of her smile to be a comfort.  Thank you,” he accepted the offered cup  Wrapping his hands around the little vessel,  he took a swallow and luxuriated in the heat which travelled down to his core.  “It’s good,” the young man smiled his gratitude.  “Doctor, is it possible for me to send a wave to my ship’s owners?  I’m sure they'll have questions for any survivors.”

After pouring some tea for Yuri, Alana did the same for herself. She took a moment as she brought the cup up near her face, watching the steam rise as if it were dancing before bringing the cup to her lips. The liquid was quite hot, and so she took a little sip followed by another. Her hands had warmed and Alana was enjoying the moment for the time being before she had to be out in the cold again.

The tea was indeed good, As Yuri had pointed out. She hadn't tried this one yet while aboard the ship but it may very well be her new favorite.

[i]"Doctor, is it possible for me to send a wave to my ship's owners? I'm sure they'll have questions for any survivors."[/i]

Looking up, Alana met his gaze. “Yeah, I don't see why not.” Alana took another sip, longer this time, as she rose to her feet to fetch the cortex for Yuri.

“Please,” Yuri lifted a hand.  “There’s no rush.  I’m pretty sure they think I’m dead right now.”  A thin smile touched the corners of his mouth.  “My resurrection can wait while you enjoy your tea.”   One by one, the final pieces of his memory knitted themselves into place, and Yuri now understood that but for a happy accident of physics, he’d be lying in his grave at the bottom of an ocean far from home.  The peace of this moment, shared with such a lovely person as the doctor, still seemed illusory.  While awaiting death on the tortuous sea, he’d first thought her heaven sent, along with a man he had yet to formally thank.  While the dull ache of a fractured arm and apparent concussion reminded him of his corporeal nature, this bit of quietude still gave him to wonder at the definitions of heaven versus the hot place.  That he should be so fortunate as to sit here, sipping tea with a guardian angel, was a fate both surrealistic and undeserved.  

Despite the feeling of loss which slowly settled into his bones, Yuri Antonov smiled into his cup.

Chuckling at Yuri's comment, Alana sat back down, both her hands wrapping around the cup. "I'm sure they'll be surprised to hear from you regardless of whether you reach out to them now or later." She took another sip, unsure of how to proceed with a conversation fearing she might bring about an unpleasant thought.
-----
Some time passed before the two finished whatever tea remained on their cup. Alana broke the silence, looking up at Yuri. "Can't beat a good cup of tea... Anyway," she went on, getting back on her feet to clean up, "I'll leave you to your privacy now but I'll let the captain know you're stable and resting. He's a tad...unpredictable therefore I have to warn you that he may pop in unannounced," she shrugged, followed by an apologetic smile. " He may be unpredictable but he's a decent man, so you're in good hands."

Alana reached for his empty cup, trading it for her cortex. "Here you go, as requested," she handed off the device to Yuri before grabbing what she needed to head out. "I'll be checking on you periodically to make sure your vitals are good, and in a while I'll bring you something to eat. Do you need anything else before I leave?"

He accepted the little device.  “Thanks, Doctor.  Short of getting my clothes back, I can’t think of a thing.”  After a grateful nod, Yuri’s eyes followed the healer as she made her way through the shuttle’s hatch.  A sudden cold blast of air entered the shuttle, loosing a deep shiver from his core. [i]Odd,[/i] he thought.  [i]Could their cabin heat be out?[/i]  He’d ask the doctor, or perhaps the captain.  But now, there was a final duty owed his ship.  Yuri tapped the contact code for the corporate offices of Ogilvy-Norton.