[center][b][h2]The Right Hook[/h2][/b]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/TDWte1m.jpg[/img][/center]
[sub]Collaboration with [@Xandrya][/sub]

[color=fdc68a][b]Part 2 of 2[/b][/color]

The mild headache and nausea were a reminder of the previous night's fun. Alana wasn't sure how much she'd had, but it was enough for her to be unable to recall some parts. Against her better judgment, Alana decided to go for a walk. The headache would more than likely intensify, but hopefully some fresh air would relieve her nausea.

 Once outside, Alana nearly went blind, squinting her eyes against the rising morning sun. She nonetheless set off in no particular direction, hands in pockets and her head low. Some wisps of hair had fallen around her face, but the rest of it was secured in place by a hair pin which penetrated through the center of her messy bun. That was her go-to style most of the time; it was quick and effective.

As she continued her walk, she noticed something off in the distance, or rather, [i]someone[/i]. Alana's eyes widened momentarily before she broke into a full sprint. The body wasn't too far from the ship, so it was safe to assume that somebody could be one of their own. Once Alana approached them, she noticed it was Hook who lay unconscious on the ground. She sunk to her knees beside him and tried to shake him awake. "Hook! Hook wake up! Can you hear me?" She checked for a pulse, noting he was covered in mud and blood as she quickly examined him.

Joe could feel someone trying to rouse him. His eyelids were heavy, and his body desperately needed sleep. “Huh?” He moaned at the rousing. It was difficult, but he was able to open his eyes. The sun was on the horizon, not even quite up yet. It took several seconds for him to realize someone was there, trying to wake him up. Then he recognized Alana Lysinger. “Doc? Is that you? Where am ah? What’s going on?”

Joe struggled to get to his feet. He was unsteady and dropped to his knee on the first attempt. He paused briefly, feeling dizzy and nauseous. He regained his stance, climbing to his feet. Then dropped again to his knees. This time he vomited into the muddy morass that was his bed for the night. “Oh shit! Ah feel like crap.”

She couldn’t help but look him over once more, relieved he was alive and awake. Watching his futile attempts to get on his feet, Alana shook her head slightly and stood up over him, placing one hand on the side of his shoulder and the other one on his back to serve a dual purpose—offer some support as he vomited and prevent him from getting back on his feet. 

“You’re not all that far from the ship, but it looks like you never made it back in last night. You’re covered in blood, Hook. What happened?” Her expression now serious, she couldn’t help but feel concerned for him. “Come on, tell me about it on the way back. I want to run some checks and rule out any serious injuries.” Alana motioned for him to stand up, helping him slowly regain his balance. She bent down and placed one of his arms over her shoulders, using her free hand to help guide him along. “You were out by yourself, right? I don’t recall seeing anyone else leave." 

“We all gone out last night. The crew headed back to the ship, but ah didn’...” Joe admitted to the Doc. He had a hard time admitting to himself, let alone the ship’s medic, pausing and grunting as they went along. Primarily he felt shame for what happened. He knew that when he drank, he often lost control.

“Ah wen’ out fer another drink. I got into a fight. Most o’ the blood is his. I may have busted up mah knuckles a bit.” Joe tried to tell the story with brevity. “Ah am mostly thirsty and hungover. Ah guess ah got a bit drunk. Honestly, doc. Ah think he only landed one punch to the side o’ mah head ‘stall.”

As Hook went on detailing the events from the previous night, Alana looked away once he mentioned his fight, expressing disappointment the same way a parent would if they heard such story from their son. “I don’t mean to come down on you at all, but you’ve got to be careful out there. Never know who’s looking for a fight just ‘cause,” she went on, looking at him with a smile. “What would we do without the best chef one could possibly ask for? All kidding aside, I still want to make sure you’re okay,” Alana insisted, looking at the ship in the distance which was getting nearer. “If you ended up getting [I]that[/I] drunk, whatever hits he landed on you could’ve gone over your head. I’m not doubting your skills, but none of us are immune in a brawl. It’ll be quick, I promise. I’ll also get you hydrated so you feel better later on the day."

“Yes’m, doc,” Joe smiled at her. It was not his usual smile, more forced than genuine. “Thank you, Doc.” Joe resigned himself to allowing the medic to check him over. He felt run down. He knew it was from the alcohol and not the fight. But he agreed he would appease her curiosity.  He would definitely take a shower. He would also make a point to tell the captain he wanted to see a Shepherd.

The pair continued their walk to the [i]China Doll[/i]. The ramp was down, and no one was in sight. Joe was thankful for that. He didn’t want to have to explain himself to anyone beyond the doctor. She was bound by some Oath, right? Or at least he thought. They made it to her medical bay.

After reaching the infirmary, Alana motioned for Hook to take a seat. "Have a seat there and remove your shirt, please." Before walking away to fetch some items, she clicked on a switch to frost the glass and allow them their privacy from any passerby in the vicinity. The setting also implied she was occupied and wouldn't be able to see anyone unless it was an emergency.

Joe began unbuttoning his shirt. He removed it slowly. His shoulders were mildly sore, but nothing out of the ordinary or unexpected. He placed the shirt on a hook near the door and took a seat on the examining table ready to be poked. “Ah’m sure ah’m fine, doc.”

Soon enough, Alana was standing in front of Hook shining a light into each of his eyes. "From the looks of it, you did more damage to him than he did to you." Alana then reached for cotton squares with a solution to clean off the blood splattered throughout. "That's good news for you though." As she worked on cleaning him up, she realized that most of the blood was the other guy's as there were no serious injuries on his person. That and the bloody knuckles were the two indicators.

“Thanks, Doc. Ah knew ah was OK. Can I leave now? I really want to go take a shower. Ah’ll be up in the galley making coffee and preparing breakfast if you ah interested.” Joe was ready for that shower and a nap. But the nap could wait.

Alana smiled, grabbing a handful of used up items to discard them. "You may go, Mr. Hook. I don't want to hold you any as the crew and passengers will want their breakfast after the night we all had. I will see you soon."

Once the immediate work area had been tidied up, Alana removed her gloves to input the data for her first patient of the day.

Joe left the medical bay to get a quick shower before beginning his day in the galley. He was run down, worn out and hungover. He hoped he would not see anyone else, or more importantly, no one would see him. The idea made him feel embarrassed.

Within the hour, coffee was brewing and coffee cake was baking in the oven to be covered in a melted sugar glaze.