The halls of the hospital were pure white. Impeccably stainless, it seemed to be a place just for show, not a functioning recovery ward. The crew was recuperating here, for those uninjured it was mandatory to have their psychological well-being assessed through private discussions and group debriefs. There were a few injured far worse located in specialized emergency wings.
Hithon sat on a steel bench in the hall, his bones ached and his body was tired . The silence of his room was overwhelming, over the years he had grown fond of the constant buzz of crew-mates popping in and out of his kitchen. After everything that happened, people weren't interested in talking much. It wasn't the same.
A familiar sound caught Hithon's attention. The gentle whir of gears and fans muffled by synthetic skin. "03!" He perked up.
She closed the distance between them. "Data logs show that I was powered down for a month. I have undergone upgrades before rebooting my systems."
He smiled, a short flash of his onyx colored teeth. "I cannot tell what they changed, but you look as good as ever."
"Logging upgrade review for manufacturer feedback." The Android stated.
Hithon flushed with embarrassment.
"I was updated with your medical files. You sustained a dislocated shoulder and multiple fractures to your left arm. You are at an 80% healed rate, despite it being less than a week since the incident."
"That is one perk of being Nyctcemmerian." He brushed his hand over his arm. "We heal quickly with the right moisture content in the air. I only wish the others were the same way. Do you know how they are doing?"
"Physically stable, all will live. There is an outlier. Lieutenant Elekasya has not woken up."
A fragile stillness dampened the room. The moment was etched into his psyche. The flash of the guns, the screams, the coppery taste of Tymalian blood in the air.
"The trauma is fresh in your mind." 03 placed her hand upon his shoulder, initiating a comforting touch.
"Yes, ah.." Hithon's pursed lips acted like a faltering dam, struggling to hold back the weight of a lake. "I've never been through something like this. It is- you know my sister lived these things, as common as the sun on this planet rises." A heavy tear dripped from his dual lidded eyes, overwhelmed by the foreign sense of emotion and the stinging embarrassment that came with it. Such displays on his home planet were shunned. "I fear I understand a fraction now of what she went through-" Hithon faltered, turning his face from the android. "I'm sorry."
03 furthered comfort protocols, the touch of her skin warmed, arms wrapped around his body applying gentle pressure. She was much shorter than the foreign alien, her head resting on his heaving chest. "You have context for your sister's trauma, it brings you pain. It is healthy to cry, it assists in processing your grief." Gently she stroked his back.
"I hope the ice planet has treated her better than the ship did us." He breathed a heavy sigh, curling into the gentleness of her touch.
"Heya." Thea interrupted, limping down the hall with a pair of crutches to assist. Her typically cheerful voice held a new melancholy, her smile half as bright.
"Thea, where are you off to in such a rush?" Hithon let 03 go, swiping away the tears.
"I just came from a chat with the lawyers, I'm going to check on Kasya now, see if she's woken up yet."
"Elekasya is still comatose." 03 informed.
Without missing a beat, Thea answered. "Well then I'm going to visit her bedside and say hi."
"We will come with you." Hithon agreed.
Quiet and still lay Kasya, the only movement the gentle rise and fall of her chest. Around her bed were flowers and cards adding touches of colour to the otherwise white room.
"Hey Kasya." Thea greeted, taking a seat at her bedside. Hithon and 03 remained by the door, less comfortable than the short Rosian. "It looks like Xin brought you more flowers." she said, inspecting the swooping Tymalian letters on the tag. "03 and Hithon are here too."
Thea hummed, gently unwinding the short braid that held Kasya's hair back. "I check on her every morning and evening when no one else is here," she explained.
"That's really nice of you." Hithon commented, keeping his distance. The sight of the machines reminded him too vividly of the sight of his sister in the hospital. He nudged his hand into 03's, seeking support. "I hope she wakes up soon."
"The statistics are impossible to predict." 03 chimed. "Despite the triumphs of science, we understand little of what pulls the mind from a comatose state."
"Well I hope it's soon." Thea said. "It would be nice to see her better before we get redeployed. Or to even have her testify at Litvak's trial. I bet she knows so much that could really help."
"It is my recommendation that you all remain grounded for at least a month, despite Jezebeth's desires to put the Nebula Cruiser back out to clear up public images."
"That means we will all get to stay together." Hithon mumbled to himself, excited by the prospect of returning to normal. He glanced at the time. "I have to get going, I have a donation to make."
03 turned her head to him, quiet for a moment, typical of her when she was processing the logic for something she didn't understand. "You are not well enough to donate."
"Not entirely, but I am close enough. Every three days I go to have them harvest stem cells from me, it is necessary to help our crew heal faster. Nyctcemmerian medicine has been difficult to get since the crack down on illegally harvested trade."
"The standard donation period for a healthy Nyctcemmerian is at a minimum two weeks."
"I am great," he reassured. "Everyone is doing what they can to help right now." Hithon quickly left, not wishing to be scolded any further. He wasn't doing great, but he was better than most, and because of that he would help.
