THIRTY

There was a beeping coming from somewhere. Ty tried to ignore it and fall back into the blanketlike sleep he’d been in, but it continued in regular annoying intervals.

“Runa, turn off the alarm,” he tried to say, but his voice was a paper whisper. He was thirsty, and his head ached horribly. That was weird. He didn’t remember drinking too much last night, but he felt like he had a hangover.

He opened his eyes and saw an unfamiliar ceiling above him. He tried to sit up but couldn’t move. Was he a prisoner? The beeping began to increase with his heartrate. He couldn’t look down at his body, his head was strapped into something that kept his gaze on the ceiling, and he could feel cool metal across his forehead. Jerking at his hands, he felt straps holding them as well. He tried to kick his feet but couldn’t.

“Hey… Let me out of this!” he yelled, his voice gravelly and rough.

There were the sounds of running feet and then he saw a woman with short auburn hair looking down at him. “Take it easy, there,” she said gently, placing a hand on his arm.

“Where am I? Where’s my crew?” he asked. “Why do you have me strapped down?”

“Captain Bernon. Tyce. Listen to me.” She looked over her shoulder as someone else entered the room. “You’ve been injured, and we’ve had to keep you immobile. My name is Maddie Astrid, and I’m a doctor. You’re perfectly safe.”

He made a supreme effort to free his hands.

She placed a cool palm against his cheek. “It’s OK. You’ve got to stop moving or you’ll do more damage.”

He focused on her face. “Is my crew alive? Just tell me that.”

“Yes. They are. Your medic, Beryl, is on the way.” She glanced over at someone on Ty’s other side. “Just 3ccs. We don’t want him to go back under.” She turned back to Ty. “That’s it. Just look at me and breathe. That’s it.”

Ty felt a fuzziness spreading throughout his body, and the pain in his head eased off. The panic melted away like ice in the sun.

He sighed with relief when he saw Beryl’s concerned face above him. “How’re you feeling?” she asked.

He ignored her question. “Hal and Vivi?” He searched her face, “The… the ship? Everyone OK?”

“They’re fine. Everything is fine. Are you in pain?”

“Not anymore.”

His focus was fuzzy, and he was confused, but having Beryl there helped. If she said everything was OK, he could trust that.

The doctor spoke from his other side, drawing his attention away. “Do you remember how you got here, Captain Bernon?”

Ty tried to shake his head, but it wouldn’t move. “N- No.”

“OK. What’s the last thing you do remember?”

“Getting to Jaleeth Station. The ship…” Ty paused as he remembered moving through the ship with his crew. Something was wrong with the Loshad.

I am everywhere on this ship, a voice said. It was confusing; he was supposed to know the voice, but he didn’t. Different images flashed through his mind: wires, silver metal, Hal clutching at his head. “Hal… Hal was having trouble sleeping,” he remembered. “I think his interface… Wait, no. I’m not sure.”

Maddie looked up at Beryl, who nodded and took over. “Ty, do you remember being attacked?”

“No,” Ty whispered. “Where’s Hal and Vivi? Are they hurt?”

“No, Ty. They’re fine,” Beryl said, putting a hand on Ty’s arm. “I promise. Just rest now. We’ll talk later.”

“Beryl… Where is this? Why… Why can’t I move?”

“Ty, you were badly injured. We brought you to Al-Kimia.”

“They’re OK? Hal and Vivi?”

“Yes, Ty.” His eyes slipped closed at the relief he felt. Beryl said the crew was OK. He tried to hold onto that thought as their voices turned into murmurs, and he fell back asleep.

“Captain Bernon, can you wake up for me?”

He looked up to see the same auburn-haired woman from before looking down at him. She must be a doctor, he thought, noticing her lab coat again.

“Yeah…” He tried to move again, but his upper body was completely immobile. His hands were strapped to the steel rails of the bed.

“I’m here too, Ty.” He felt Beryl’s comforting touch on his arm.

“Beryl?” His eyes quickly found her.

The person on his other side spoke up. “I’m Dr Astrid, Captain Bernon. You can call me Maddie, if you want. We met last night. You’re on Al-Kimia, and you’ve been in a coma for over a week.”

“Why am I strapped down?” Ty asked. His fingers never stopped roving over the bedrails. His legs hurt. It was like a burning sensation from the soles of his feet to his hips, and he tried to ignore it, focusing on the doctor instead.

“You suffered a spinal cord injury. We had you immobilized to reduce any further injury to your neck or spine. I’m sorry you were a bit frightened last night when you woke.”

“How… How did I get hurt?” Ty asked, his brow furrowing. He didn’t remember anything.

Maddie looked to Beryl, who spoke up. “Ty, an ACAS agent – a vat – attacked you when we were on Jaleeth. You were stabbed.”

“Stabbed?” Ty asked. “Stabbed?”

“Yes. I’m going to undo these straps.” Maddie freed his arm and laid his hand on the mattress. “Do you feel up to doing a few tests for me?”

He nodded, taking a deep breath as Beryl released his other hand from the restraints. He reached up to his face, finding the head and neck brace. His fingers moved over it, reaching for the clasps. He felt like a dog being kept from licking his wounds.

“I’m sorry, but the neck brace has to stay on. May I call you Ty?”

“Yeah,” he said, letting his hands drop from the leather and metal contraption. “My legs hurt.”

“What kind of pain are you feeling?” Maddie asked.

“Like a burning. What’s wrong with me?”

“Let’s see if we can lift you up a bit.” Maddie adjusted the controls of the bed until Ty was almost sitting up, but not quite. He could see better, which eased some of his anxiety.

Maddie folded the sheet back, and he got a look at his legs and feet. With the pain he felt, he expected to see burns. But they looked totally normal. He went to move them but realized quickly that something was wrong.

“I… I can’t move,” Ty said.

“Try to wiggle your toes.” Maddie suggested.

He tried, but they didn’t move. “I can’t,” Ty said, feeling his frustration rise.

“Can you bend your knees?”

Ty gave it all his effort and his legs shifted on the bed just a little.

“OK, I see some movement, and that’s good,” Maddie said. “Close your eyes.”

Ty did as he was asked.

“Can you feel that?”

He shook his head.

“Here?”

“Nothing.”

“What about here?” It felt like she was lightly brushing the outside of his upper leg.

“A little.” Ty frowned, sensing that they were all skirting some issue. He fixed his gaze on the doctor. “Whatever it is, just tell me. I can take it.”

“I just ran my finger along your sole, and then your calf, but you didn’t react to either stimulus,” Maddie said matter-of-factly. “Tyce, the type of spinal cord injury that you have usually causes paralysis from the waist down. It seems that you have a little movement left, which is a good sign.” She laid her hand on top of his own.

Ty felt like he’d been hit in the solar plexus with a pry bar. He struggled to take it in as Beryl placed a hand on his shoulder. “So, I’m not going to be walking any time soon, is what you’re saying?” he asked hoarsely.

“Your motor and sensory function may improve some, but it will take time. A long time. Rehabilitation takes work.”

“Yeah. So, again, what you’re saying is I’m probably not getting out of this bed…” He looked up at her, trying to wrap his mind around what he’d been told.

“That’s not what I’m saying, no.” She moved so she was leaning forward and he could see her better. “It’s not what I’m saying at all, Tyce. If you decide you’re not getting out of this bed, then that’s where you’ll stay. If you decide to fight like hell… there’s no telling what you might be able to do.”

Ty closed his eyes, feeling a rising sense of panic. It was as if all the air had been sucked out of the room. He needed her to leave and now. “I need time to… to process all of this, OK?”

“Of course,” Maddie said, glancing at Beryl. “I’ll come back and check in on you a little later. I’ll take the time to gather some information about what our next steps are.”

“Where’s Hal?” Ty asked unsteadily. “I know you must have told me… I keep forgetting.”

“It’s OK,” Beryl reassured him. “They went on a mission. Seren took us in, then asked Hal if he’d go on a mission to rescue a vat researcher on Chamn-Alpha. He agreed because of all they’d done for you. He… He went because he knew it was what you would do.”

Ty nodded, his eyes still closed. “I- I’m glad he isn’t here for this.”

“What can I do for you, Ty?” Beryl whispered softly, taking his hand.

There was a long moment of silence, then Ty whispered, “Just… just be here. That’s all.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” she promised him. “I’ll be right here.”