Doctors And Pilots
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“I’m not sure how you’re going to get out of this one, Captain,” said the doctor. “You’ve been shot in both legs and your left arm is broken.” He looked at me with a sympathetic expression on his face as he examined my wounds. I could feel myself blushing from embarrassment.
The last thing that anyone wants when they are injured or sick is for someone else to see them like that. It’s humiliating enough being hurt without having other people witness it too. My mind was racing trying to figure out what I should do next but there wasn’t much time before we were due back aboard the ship so I had no choice except to trust him.
The doctor seemed surprised by my request since most patients usually want their injuries treated first rather than talk about something unrelated such as religion. But then again, maybe he thought that if he didn’t take care of my injury right away I might die which would make things more difficult later on down the road.
Either way, after examining all three bullet holes in my leg and checking over both arms he finally nodded his head once indicating that everything appeared to be healing properly although there still may have been some internal bleeding. As far as the break went though, it shouldn’t affect any future operations unless I wanted to try flying an aircraft carrier someday.
Then again, given my current condition, I probably wouldn’t even qualify for a position as a deckhand let alone anything higher up the chain of command.
He started wrapping bandages around each wound while explaining exactly what needed to happen next:
“We need to keep these clean until they heal completely otherwise infection will set in and you’ll end up losing parts of your body instead of just pieces of skin. You also won’t be able to walk very well because those bullets shattered several bones including two vertebrae in your lower spine. So here’s what we’re gonna do…”
As the doctor talked, I felt myself drifting off into sleep despite the fact that my eyes hadn’t yet closed. Maybe it was exhaustion or perhaps it was simply relief knowing that I’d survived another near-death experience only to come back home safely. Or maybe it really did have something to do with God answering my prayers. Whatever the case, I fell asleep shortly thereafter and never woke up again…
***
When I awoke four days later, I found myself lying inside a hospital bed wearing nothing but loose-fitting pajamas. There weren’t many windows in the room so I couldn’t tell whether it was day or night outside. All I knew was that it must have been early morning judging from the sunlight streaming through the window blinds onto my face.
That meant that I’d slept for almost twenty hours straight; long enough for my wounds to fully heal and for the doctors to remove the stitches from my leg. Although I hated hospitals, especially the smell of disinfectant and the sight of needles sticking out of flesh, I figured that getting shot twice in less than a week qualified me for admission under the Geneva Convention. After all, war is hell!
Although I tried to sit up, the pain made it impossible. Instead, I lay perfectly still waiting patiently for whatever came next. When nobody showed up within minutes, I decided to give it a few seconds longer before calling out for help.
Finally, after nearly ten excruciatingly painful moments, a nurse walked into view carrying a tray full of food and drinks. She smiled warmly upon seeing me awake and asked, “How are you feeling today?”
“Not bad considering the circumstances,” I replied. “But can somebody please turn on some lights? This place feels like a dungeon!”
She laughed heartily at my comment and said, “Sorry, sir. We don’t have any electricity or running water in this section of the building. What happened to your clothes anyway?”
I shrugged my shoulders and explained, “They got blown off during the explosion. Luckily, I managed to grab my gun and ammo pouch so I guess that makes me lucky too.”
After hearing my story she shook her head sadly saying, “That’s terrible news. Now I understand why you requested to stay here overnight rather than go back to camp where there’s plenty of light and hot showers available.”
I responded, “Yeah, I know. But I think that I’ll survive somehow. Besides, I already told everyone that I’d meet them back at base tomorrow afternoon. They’ll find out soon enough anyways so there isn’t much point in worrying about it now. Anyway, what’s on the menu?”
Her smile faded slightly as she pointed to the tray in front of me. On top sat a bowl filled with steaming oatmeal along with a small pitcher containing orange juice. Next to it rested a plate covered with scrambled eggs and bacon accompanied by toast and jam.
A glass of milk stood beside the breakfast offering alongside a cup holding coffee beans and a metal filter. The last item on the tray consisted of a large brown paper bag stuffed with assorted fruits and vegetables.
“This should hold you over until lunchtime,” she answered. “And speaking of meals, I’m afraid that you’ve missed dinner. However, I promise to bring you something special when you wake up in the morning.”
With that, she turned and left the room without giving me a chance to respond. For someone who had just woken up, I could hardly believe how fast I recovered from being shot multiple times. My mind raced trying to figure out if this was normal or not. Did most people recover so quickly? Was I even human anymore?
Regardless of what the answer might be, I wasn’t going to complain one bit. In fact, I was actually grateful that I didn’t feel sick or weak since I planned on doing quite a lot of walking once I finally escaped from this prison.
It took me another hour to finish eating everything on the tray which included three slices of bread, an entire banana, half a dozen strawberries, handfuls of grapes, carrots, cucumbers, celery sticks, radishes, tomatoes, lettuce, green peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, and several other items that I couldn’t identify.
By the end of it all, I felt completely satisfied and ready to take on the world. If anything, I probably ate more than anyone else in the whole damn army combined. Then again, they were soldiers while I was a civilian contractor. It was hard to compare apples to oranges.
Once I finished cleaning up, I pulled down the covers covering my legs and arms then laid back against the pillow. As I stared up at the ceiling, I wondered if I would ever see home again. Would I live to see my wife and kids grow old and die? Or did I only get married because I wanted children and thought that having a family was important?
Had I really loved my wife and son or had I simply followed society’s expectations instead of following God’s will? And what exactly was His plan anyway? Why hadn’t He blessed me with a child yet? Couldn’t I do better than marrying a woman whose husband died before we met each other? Maybe he was right after all. Perhaps I shouldn’t have gotten involved with his widow. After all, she was nothing but trouble from day one.
As these thoughts ran through my mind, I suddenly realized that I was no longer alone. Someone was standing behind me wearing a white lab coat. Although I could barely make him out due to the dim lighting, I knew instinctively that it must be Dr. Matherson. Without turning around, I spoke softly asking, “What is happening to me?”
He chuckled quietly saying, “You’re still alive and haven’t lost consciousness despite the serious injuries you sustained earlier today. That means that your body has been able to heal itself naturally. You are definitely unique among humans. Not many others possess such amazing healing abilities.”
“How long does it normally take for wounds to fully heal?” I asked curiously.
His response surprised me as he replied, “Normally, it takes anywhere between two days to four weeks depending upon the severity of the injury. Your case appears to be different though. Normally, you wouldn’t regain full functionality until sometime next week. Yet, you seem to be recovering faster than expected. This may explain some of the strange things that happened yesterday evening.”
My heart skipped a beat as I said, “Strange events? What kind of ‘strange’ things?”
Dr. Matherson sighed deeply as he continued explaining, “Well, let’s start with the obvious first. First Lieutenant Smith was killed in action shortly after you arrived here. We assumed that you were responsible since you were the only person present during the incident.
Unfortunately, our initial investigation proved otherwise. Apparently, he was ambushed by a group of heavily armed men who managed to escape into the woods. Our search parties failed to locate any trace of their whereabouts. Furthermore, we found evidence suggesting that they possessed advanced technology far beyond anything available to us.
While it remains unclear whether or not they came from Earth, the possibility exists that they originated somewhere within the galaxy.”
I gasped loudly exclaiming, “Are you telling me that aliens attacked the camp?!”
The doctor nodded slowly adding, “Yes, unfortunately, that seems to be the case. The question now becomes why? How did they know about the base? Were there spies amongst the troops? Are they part of a larger organization looking to steal military secrets? There are too many unanswered questions at this point. At least, that’s what I think.”
“So, am I under arrest?” I inquired nervously.
He shook his head replying, “No, not officially. But given the circumstances, I can understand why you’d ask. However, I’m afraid that I cannot allow you to leave just yet. For starters, I need to run some tests to confirm that you aren’t suffering from any lingering effects caused by the nanites.
Secondly, I want to perform additional research on your DNA so that I might discover how you were able to survive without receiving medical treatment. Lastly, I also intend to conduct further experiments to determine whether or not you truly possess supernatural powers.”
I frowned slightly as I muttered, “Supernatural powers? Do you mean like X-ray vision or super strength?”
He smiled wryly shaking his head and replying, “Not quite. In fact, those types of abilities don’t exist in nature. They are purely fictional creations created by Hollywood. No, I believe that you possess something much more powerful. Something that goes well beyond the realm of science fiction.”
After pausing briefly, I added, “Like telekinesis?”
Without answering directly, he responded cryptically stating, “That sounds plausible enough. It certainly fits with the rest of the bizarre occurrences that occurred last night. Still, I’ll reserve judgment until I’ve completed my own investigations. Until then, please remain calm and try to relax.
If necessary, I promise to keep you safe while you recover. Now, I’d like to begin administering another dose of nanite medication. Once that is complete, I’ll remove the bandages covering your torso. Then, I’ll check to ensure that everything looks normal.
Please remember that you should never attempt to move unless absolutely necessary. Otherwise, you risk causing yourself permanent damage.”
With that, he turned away from me leaving me alone again. As soon as he left, I began thinking back over all of the strange things that had taken place recently. I wondered if perhaps there really was an alien conspiracy going on. After all, it made sense considering the number of unexplained incidents occurring lately.
Why else would someone have tried to kill me? Wasn’t it possible that the same people responsible for killing Major Smith were trying to do the exact opposite? Maybe they wanted to save me instead! Or maybe they simply didn’t care one way or the other.
Either option seemed equally likely. Regardless, I couldn’t help but wonder what exactly was happening around me. I felt as though I was caught up in some sort of elaborate game where everyone involved knew nothing except what they needed to know.
And even then, most of them probably weren’t aware of the entire picture either. So, could I trust anyone anymore? Probably not. Even Dr. Matherson wasn’t completely trustworthy. He clearly lied when he told me that he hadn’t known about the attack before it took place.
That meant that he must already have been suspicious of me. Perhaps that explained why he kept asking me such personal questions earlier today. Could he possibly suspect that I was somehow connected to the attackers? Did he think that I might be working with them against him? Well, whatever the reason, I doubted that he trusted me. Not after discovering my true identity anyway.
As these thoughts ran through my mind, I grew increasingly anxious. My heart pounded rapidly inside my chest as I struggled to breathe normally. Eventually, however, I became tired of waiting. Despite the pain, I decided to get out of bed and take a look outside.
To my surprise, I discovered that the sun had set long ago. A cold breeze blew across the open field surrounding my room. The air smelled fresh and clean despite the thick layer of dust coating everything nearby. It reminded me of home. I breathed deeply inhaling the crisp evening air hoping to clear my lungs of the foul odor emanating from beneath the bandage wrapped tightly around my neck. Unfortunately, the smell remained unchanged. It still stunk horribly.
Feeling somewhat better, I sat down on the edge of the bed and removed the bandages covering my torso. Immediately, I noticed several large bruises forming along both sides of my rib cage. Thankfully, none appeared to be serious. Yet, I worried that they may grow worse during the coming days.
After all, I had no idea how badly injured I actually was. All I knew for certain was that the doctors wouldn’t let me go anywhere near a hospital until they determined that I was fully recovered. At least, that’s what they said. Obviously, I intended to find out otherwise.
Once I finished removing the bandages, I examined myself closely. Surprisingly, I found that I looked pretty good. There weren’t any major wounds visible on my body aside from the ones inflicted upon me by the bullet wound. Although, I did notice that my right arm now appeared smaller than usual.
Apparently, the nanites had shrunken it considerably. I guess this was supposed to make me feel less self-conscious about having only half of my original limb. However, I preferred to think of it as being a sign of progress rather than regression. After all, I was finally starting to heal properly.
Looking at my arms, I realized that I was missing two fingers on each hand. This surprised me since I remembered losing three digits altogether. But apparently, the nanites had repaired the severed ends of my finger bones and reattached them to their proper locations.
I suppose that was yet another example of just how advanced the technology behind nanotechnology truly was. In fact, I suspected that it was so far beyond anything we currently possessed that it bordered on science fiction. Of course, the real question here was whether or not humanity would ever develop something similar.
After all, I doubted that our current civilization could afford to invest billions of dollars into research projects without seeing results. Especially given the economic crisis that plagued the world.
The End