Bus ride

[Shalin 0]

Shan opened his eyes slowly, his head fogged and his thoughts blurry. The last thing he remembered was crawling in his quarters in a world of pain. His body still hurt, but not nearly as much. Looking about, he could see he was on a shuttle. He also felt an ache in his chest, encouraging him to stay still. His change of awareness, however, didn't go unnoticed.

 

The wide eyes of Ensign Khole fell gently on him. "Lie still; you're going to be fine."

 

Shan did his best to comply, but curiosity got the better of him. "Wha' happen'd?"

 

"Well: you suffered a bit of transporter distortion followed by a misdiagnosis and an excessive application of medicine. It's nothing to worry about: you've received proper care, the over-abundance of drugs in your system has been neutralized, and a proper medical protocol has been established."

 

Shan nodded slightly. "Wh ... why the shuttle?"

 

"The doctors all agree that you should avoid the transporter for a bit while your body re-adjusts. We did have to beam you over to the Comanche Creek, as the Imperious didn't have a suitable surgical facility, but since your surgery we can be more careful with moving you. It is agreed that you should be under the care of Lieutenant T'Aral. She is the most recently certified of the medical staff, and she has reviewed all of the Erickson protocols regarding distortion syndrome ..." Khole smiled softly. "... and she can keep it all in her head. The rest of us would have to keep looking back on the manuals."

 

Shan sighed and settled. He would've preferred the care of one of the other nurses. T'Aral was a bit too stiff, and all the others were back on the Comanche Creek. Returning to the Imperious meant being within shouting distance of the Captain and the other staff officers. The only thing that had spared him from being torn apart up to this point was a simple blessing of unconsciousness. Now that he was awake and apparently stable, there was nothing to be done but to stare at the wall and wait until the shouting began.

 

He flopped back on the gurney and stared at the shuttle ceiling. It wouldn't be so bad - being busted down to a shuttle jockey meant less interaction with command staff and easier orders. He'd miss the helm of a starship, but that's the price he knew he'd have to pay for following his heart.