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jeriendhalThis is scene is still nowhere done, but it's been too long since I've posted anything from this story.
Nan looked down at the little body in the case. Though there was the oxygen mask, there were no other indications that ferin doe was alive. Her skin was grey to the point of being nearly white and chest didn’t move at all. It’s a ferin protective coma, she reminded herself, she could stay like this for weeks. Except that didn’t explain the grave expressions on the First One and Dr. Pouncer’s faces.
The First One held back, watching silently as Pouncer spoke into the medical recorder clipped to his ear, noting a series of negative vital signs which Nez tapped into the palm comp she carried. Finally he said, “First One, I’ve covered everything I can see. What do you detect?”
The First One drew in a breath, eyes narrowing as he stared at the doe. “She’s still in there. Her spark is very weak, but it’s there.”
“All right then, let’s get her out of that packing case and onto the stretcher,” he said. “Nez, Miss Clawstroke, you stand on her left, Lady Brushtail and myself on her right.” They stepped into their places and on his command lifted the little doe up and onto the stretcher. It felt to Nan that she’d hefted cats with more mass. Underneath her fingers she could feel bone pressing against skin, with very little muscle in-between. While Dr. Pouncer and Nez moved the stretcher aboard the air ambulance and secured it, she watched as the First One spoke briefly to Lady Brushtail.
“You did good work, Meribeth,” he said softly, laying a four fingered hand on the bulky shoulder of her spacesuit.
She bit her lip, glancing at the tiny figure nearly engulfed by the ambulance’s medical stabilization equipment. “I didn’t do anything, except fly her here. Lady Flickear was the one that pried her loose from that pit she’d been in, and cared for her until I managed to come out their way. It doesn’t seem like I did enough, but I don’t what else I could have done.”
He favored her with one of his grim little smiles. “Welcome to my world. Now get yourself showered and changed, and then get some sleep. We can talk...” He glanced back at the little doe, his frown returning. “We’ll talk as soon I’m able, all right?”
“Yes, Uncle.” She hugged him again, then trotted off down the field towards the spaceport terminal, disappearing into the rainy gloom.
The First One looked at Nan, his frown holding. “If ya got nothing better to do than eavesdrop, get back into your seat in the ambulance, Vix.”
“Yes, sir. Sorry, sir,” she mumbled. She climbed back into her jump seat, buckling herself in as the First One hopped back aboard and Skyler powered up the anti-grav. His liftoff was as gentle as a mother’s kiss, so smooth that Nan didn’t realize they were in the air until Skyler began negotiating their flight path with the local traffic control net.
“All right, Nez,” Dr. Pouncer addressed his intern. “Now that we’ve established our patient’s baseline vitals, why don’t you tell me what you can find by physical observation?”
“Yes, Doctor,” the wazagan said. She loosened her straps and leaned forward to pull off the mirror bright foil blanket, letting Nan get her first glimpse of the little ferin’s uncovered form.
She nearly bit through her lip with her fangs, trying to hold back a shocked gasp. The little doe was emaciated, her ribs pressing almost through her flesh, her arms and legs knobby sticks. Her torso and thighs were covered with old white scars, with deeper scars at her wrists and ankles. At her crotch…
Nan closed her eyes and looked away, listening to her room mate’s recitation.
“Um, patient shows obvious signs of long term malnutrition,” Nez stumbled. “There is deep scarring at the neck, and ankle and wrist joints with underlying musculature degeneration, most likely from forcible confinement. Scanning with the gravitic resonance imager reveals multiple fractures in the ribcage, left and right forearms, left leg and ankle. There is repeated scarring in the anus and vagina, consistent with…” Her voice caught briefly. “Consistent with… with long term sexual abuse.”
“All right, that’s enough,” Dr. Pouncer said, his voice sounding perhaps more rough than he’d intended, talking above the roar of the atmosphere as they flew along. “Cover her up, please.”
“Yes, doctor,” Nez replied shakily. She pulled the thin foil blanket back over the little doe's body. “What do you want me to do now?”
“Nothing for now. There'll be work enough once we land.”
TBC
Nan looked down at the little body in the case. Though there was the oxygen mask, there were no other indications that ferin doe was alive. Her skin was grey to the point of being nearly white and chest didn’t move at all. It’s a ferin protective coma, she reminded herself, she could stay like this for weeks. Except that didn’t explain the grave expressions on the First One and Dr. Pouncer’s faces.
The First One held back, watching silently as Pouncer spoke into the medical recorder clipped to his ear, noting a series of negative vital signs which Nez tapped into the palm comp she carried. Finally he said, “First One, I’ve covered everything I can see. What do you detect?”
The First One drew in a breath, eyes narrowing as he stared at the doe. “She’s still in there. Her spark is very weak, but it’s there.”
“All right then, let’s get her out of that packing case and onto the stretcher,” he said. “Nez, Miss Clawstroke, you stand on her left, Lady Brushtail and myself on her right.” They stepped into their places and on his command lifted the little doe up and onto the stretcher. It felt to Nan that she’d hefted cats with more mass. Underneath her fingers she could feel bone pressing against skin, with very little muscle in-between. While Dr. Pouncer and Nez moved the stretcher aboard the air ambulance and secured it, she watched as the First One spoke briefly to Lady Brushtail.
“You did good work, Meribeth,” he said softly, laying a four fingered hand on the bulky shoulder of her spacesuit.
She bit her lip, glancing at the tiny figure nearly engulfed by the ambulance’s medical stabilization equipment. “I didn’t do anything, except fly her here. Lady Flickear was the one that pried her loose from that pit she’d been in, and cared for her until I managed to come out their way. It doesn’t seem like I did enough, but I don’t what else I could have done.”
He favored her with one of his grim little smiles. “Welcome to my world. Now get yourself showered and changed, and then get some sleep. We can talk...” He glanced back at the little doe, his frown returning. “We’ll talk as soon I’m able, all right?”
“Yes, Uncle.” She hugged him again, then trotted off down the field towards the spaceport terminal, disappearing into the rainy gloom.
The First One looked at Nan, his frown holding. “If ya got nothing better to do than eavesdrop, get back into your seat in the ambulance, Vix.”
“Yes, sir. Sorry, sir,” she mumbled. She climbed back into her jump seat, buckling herself in as the First One hopped back aboard and Skyler powered up the anti-grav. His liftoff was as gentle as a mother’s kiss, so smooth that Nan didn’t realize they were in the air until Skyler began negotiating their flight path with the local traffic control net.
“All right, Nez,” Dr. Pouncer addressed his intern. “Now that we’ve established our patient’s baseline vitals, why don’t you tell me what you can find by physical observation?”
“Yes, Doctor,” the wazagan said. She loosened her straps and leaned forward to pull off the mirror bright foil blanket, letting Nan get her first glimpse of the little ferin’s uncovered form.
She nearly bit through her lip with her fangs, trying to hold back a shocked gasp. The little doe was emaciated, her ribs pressing almost through her flesh, her arms and legs knobby sticks. Her torso and thighs were covered with old white scars, with deeper scars at her wrists and ankles. At her crotch…
Nan closed her eyes and looked away, listening to her room mate’s recitation.
“Um, patient shows obvious signs of long term malnutrition,” Nez stumbled. “There is deep scarring at the neck, and ankle and wrist joints with underlying musculature degeneration, most likely from forcible confinement. Scanning with the gravitic resonance imager reveals multiple fractures in the ribcage, left and right forearms, left leg and ankle. There is repeated scarring in the anus and vagina, consistent with…” Her voice caught briefly. “Consistent with… with long term sexual abuse.”
“All right, that’s enough,” Dr. Pouncer said, his voice sounding perhaps more rough than he’d intended, talking above the roar of the atmosphere as they flew along. “Cover her up, please.”
“Yes, doctor,” Nez replied shakily. She pulled the thin foil blanket back over the little doe's body. “What do you want me to do now?”
“Nothing for now. There'll be work enough once we land.”
TBC
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Date: 2010-12-30 10:05 am (UTC)Poor little one...
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Date: 2011-01-02 07:26 am (UTC)And congrats on jumping back into this. I'm itching to keep going with reunion.... maybe when we have a few less people cluttering up the house.