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+--- Thread: Guess whose coming to dinner. (/showthread.php?tid=54057)
Guess whose coming to dinner. - Doc Holliday - 03-01-2011
A nurse entered the room when his call chime sounded outside his room. She saw Jim awake and in a lot of discomfort. Quickly, she got on the intercom, "Dr. Holliday, room 519. Your patient is awake." She then went over and moved the call switch from behind him. It took less than a minute for Doc to arrive, seeing Jim's discomfort.
He then pulled a large syringe tube from his pocket and put it where the old morphine tube was. Apparently, someone misjudged the amount as it was empty. Once it was in, the autopump kept it flowing at a comfortable but safe drip.
"Give it a minute, Jim," he said re-assuringly, "you were out for a good while AFTER surgery." As he waited, he checked his vitals himself and entered the information on a datapad. After Jim had settled a bit, he turned to him, "by now you should be feeling a bit better." Doc then took a seat next to him.
"It went well," he explained, "very well. The pain is from your back adjusting to the new discs. Usually for the first three or four days, you will have this. Gradually, I'll scale your drip off. I'm guessing that in about four weeks we can begin therapy which includes massage." He grinned, "the masseuse is quite pleasing to the eye."
Figuring the drip had taken full effect, he then asked him, "I can get you something to eat if you wish?"
Guess whose coming to dinner. - HuggieSunrise - 03-01-2011
The pain was getting to be a recent memory. As the sensation of peace came to the nerves he began to notice his mouth was.. Unbelievably dry.
"ah.. " Jim rasped.
he mouthed water and made a weak drink gesture with his right hand.
"Well I hope she is... the.. massage lady.. its a lady.. ...right.. you didn't hire a smart bear." He rasped.
Getting a little bit of water jim let everything soak in. It wasn't so much pain but a pressure now.
"I think you made me taller... remove any wrinkles? or find any money back there?" He didnt have his pitches and strength of voice back so it wasn't a joking voice but it was louder and rougher with water.
"Im oddly not vary hungry... Something simple.. and small.. I suppose im doped up pretty good and its screwed my appetite." jim remarked.
Guess whose coming to dinner. - Doc Holliday - 03-02-2011
Doc sort of chuckled at Jim's witticism, "No, no wrinkles removed and if you are taller it'll be because you find yourself able to stand straight without pain."
He then became a bit more "doctorish" as he continued, "you'll find the pressure decrease as the days pass. As I said, I think in about four weeks, depending on how you feel, we can get the therapy started."
"As to food, try to eat but I'll have the waitstaff keep the meals simple," he added.
Doc checked the equipment over and then walked over to the window. It was a nice day out on Canaria, drawing the blinds to give a nice view for Jim.
"I'll keep a good watch on you," promised Doc, "but for these few weeks, there's not much else I can do until your body adjusts."
Guess whose coming to dinner. - HuggieSunrise - 03-04-2011
Jim grinned.
"Aye. Ill keep myself occupied somehow. Thanks John." He looked about the room once before laying back.
"Oof.. that.. was certainly harder.. Im gunna.. drift off abit.. All his hard work... Killin meh." grunting.
Guess whose coming to dinner. - Doc Holliday - 03-07-2011
Little could be done while Jim recovered from initial surgery. Each day, Doc would check his progress and as allowed, reduce his anti-pain meds so that Jim could build his tolerance and get used to his "new back."
But Doc's best contributions came when he just came to visit, to help keep things off Jim's mind. They would tell stories of the past, laught about some of the stupid things they did growing up or saw in their travels.
Next to Jim's bed was a medium sized table. On it was a hand crafted chess board which the two men passed the time playing a few games. A deck of cards was there. Lucky for Jim, real money wasn't involved in their Poker games although Doc taught him a few tricks. Also to try and keep him comfortable, Doc allowed Jim some alcholic beverages, just enough to be at ease but not enough to interfere with medicines.
Before the physical therapy was allowed, Doc did the other part of medicine that many doctors overlooked, taking care of the general well being of his patient.
Guess whose coming to dinner. - HuggieSunrise - 03-07-2011
his reading pile was dwindling...
he kept returning to the erisian texts. Dischordianisim had its points, they were few, but uncompromising.
The medical cruiser was coming along well zoners had shown their ability to stick to a construction estimate even in this case.
Jim was about to dictate into his journal when someone... From his past arrived.
The black skinned man had a bald head and graying mustache... about Jims age the man folded his arms and leaned on his door frame.
"Always thought you junkers needed a backbone." The black gentle.. not so gentle man said.
"Ho ho thats rich coming out of your mouth." Jim said.
Jim squinted his eyes to make sure he wasn't guessing incorrectly who it was.. it had been nearly 20 years.
"Mike?" jim guessed
"Your blind too? Crap you survive the years for what." Mike walked closer to Jim..
Confirming his suspicions it was none other then the most annoying LSF agent he ever knew... and ever met three times.. now counting four times in his life.
"So who do you work for now?" Jim asked.
"Myself. Ive been retired for about eight months and Ive been following a few leads that... have always... bothered me." Mike said rubbing his bald head
"So when the beard goes white you run out and they throw you out." Jim joked.
Mike smiled a little.. a facial expression that didn't last long outside a bar for him. Jim and Mike weren't friends... if anything there was a preceptive rivalry or antagonism but not even that flourished.
And now? Had he a gun Jim would have shot at him... but now? ... it seems age.. and time has weathered all that down.
"How many times I wanted to plant a bolt in yer arse for being such a... Agh.. yer tensing me up you blasted.." jim said half in pain.. he hit the button on his morphine but.. found the reduced doses John had him on didn't grant relief more of.. a removal of the edge.
"Relax Smith. I aint here to shake you down. I just have questions and then im gone." Mike had a data pad and put in in-front of Jims face. it was one of the new ones.. had a nice silver finish.
"I got problems with your kinda questions... but lucky for me my nurse thats doing a coat rack impression by the door there you walked past has had a stun carbine pointed at the back of your chocolate flavored dome the whole time... Ask away King." Jim relaxed.. opiates.. gotta love em.
The former navy man... turned lsf agent.. turned thorn in the side of profits looked back at tinny.. who had pointed said weapon at mike.. wih a pile of coats over its head.. the pair of robotic arms holding the stun rifle sticking out. Mike grinned.
"When we were younger and in our prime our first meeting was the result of something you and your boss Matthias had undertaken regarding some second hand shelters you delivered around.. oh 799 a.s. December?" Mike said straight to the point.
"Matty.... OH.. the Rhinelander dig..... delivered some mining equipment to Pygar during the lull, it was easy money.. Zoners, GMG, DSE, or course Junkers got paid a ton of credits because the sandstorms where down tot he point ships could land... Then.. well.. Trafalgar got torn up by some Wild.. you remember how wierd those times where." Jim said. Recollecting.
"Oh I definitely remember. Where you ever down on Pygar?" King asked.
Jim thought hard. So much happened in those years.. Pygars storms where in full swing in less then a year when they died down.
"I spent a whole of fifteen minutes down there picking up scrap from containers and such and Matthias and I basically left for Bretonia when the excavations stopped paying for tunneling gear. I remember Pygar smelled terrible... and a load of artifacts was already being pulled up marked crates with dirt. It seemed like they where just digging up dirt and dumping it into bins. We of course tried to get in on it... But Uh we heard stories about Corsairs ... like.. they'll eat you if you deal in artifacts that aren't theirs. So no money to be made.. we moved on home." Jims answer complete he looked at King wondering if such a person in the thick of it like he was.. Was was he chasing?
"You took scrap to New London? And then the wild attacked?" King asked further.
" I dont recall. Matty dropped me off at Leeds I heard about the Rhinelander ships everywhere and the whole war on the BBC." Jim said.
"We met up some time after that that first load of artifacts you saw was what I was after. Turns out that load never made it to Freeport seven so its scattered out there still." Mike admitted.
"Well if Matty saw you he woulda shot you before coming int he room rest his soul." Jim said pointing a finger at him... Freeport seven was just a cathedral type with those bio domes added... It didnt surprise Jim when he heard it was blown to bits... Even a junker wouldn't have slapped those components together like that.
"I did what I had to do Smith... I dont know if you can appreciate that." Mike said almost apologetic like.. that pissed Jim off.
"Oh dont you start. Matty was a cleaner junker then I ever was we all ain't sinners and slavers I (he emphasis the I like it was a monument) tend to assume the best in people, you and your roughing up an old man... you luck he lived ten years after that... he was tough.. tougher then me." Jim said out of breath he had shouted much during that sentence but didn't have the breath.
King nodded and took his data pad that jim almost threw at him.
"Doesent take a genious to figure out if your coming to me for leads on something like this your chasing a dead trail. Whats the point in chasing the past Mike... Im just living to make up for mine." Jim said raspy still getting his breath.
The bald old man put his pad away.
"Almost the same... I followed many of orders back then went on tons of assignments. And in hindsight I guess Im making sence of it all now. This lead isnt cold though... The artifact trade is still held legally by Kusari and before I left that was a serious concern some beleave that its the artifacts themselves responsible for Nomads in colony space." King Stated.
Jim chuckled " Good luck there.. I know a few collectors that use that stuff as flower pitchers and they dont want to give them up cause a few space jockeys get scared witless int he void."
"They are the one true threat to humanity Smith and the sooner we figure out a solution..." king was inturrupted.
"The sooner we can all go back to killing each other.. Have you paid attention to the news? I dont think the colony's are worried about Nomads anymore... That crusade or whatever shat hit the wind tunnel in eight dubba zero but now the sooner we get the Boorman treaty resigned and everyone back to business without warring one another and expanding into space the longer we will survive as a species." Jim didn't shake his finger too much.. he was find of it.. if it was a cudgel King would have been a red puddle.
"Well Mr. James... I cant sleep at night because im sure this will sneak up and bite us all when we arent paying attention... but I thank you for not shooting me." King said.
"Well.. Fine.. Then.. let this old man fade away into history and if YOUR smart... you will to." Jim said to a so called hero of the nomad war..
He had known him in the LSF during his time with the mind control and conditioning programs He had actually performed quite a few interrogations in the late 790's so while King was a navy officer and a new lsf kid Jim technically outranked him.. They were roughly the same ago too.. Jim didnt get along with anyone his age or older. Unless excessively older...
When the fat lady sung on Jims career and he went "native-junker" he had the honor of running into king on New London when they needed smelted scrap for alloys for replenishing the fleet over the Artifact trade.
Every time Jim had a run in alone or with his "mentor" Matthias (whom jim inherited a salvage frigate and later.. was blasted in half) it was over those stupid million year old trinkets. It basically lead Jim to never trade in it... Ever for fear some Ninja bad ass would fly out of jims closet at night and beat his routes out of him.
he turned to a life of supplying militant kusarian lesbian political action group with a poem as a mascot with feminine hygiene products because a.) it was safe and b) none of the other junkers THOUGHT of it as a priority. Jim had a sister he grew up with.. and later lost touch with cause of... Him being a space fairer and her being a much larger fan of ground based living.
Jim looked at his journal... calmed his mind.. and started his log as usual.
Guess whose coming to dinner. - HuggieSunrise - 03-12-2011
More time had passed.. Jim had gotten to a point where he can waddle around with a cane..
Not one of the cool ones mind you.. the kind that has a four legged table at the bottom for "EXTRA STABILITY".
He was.. intent on speeding up his return.. so he would waddle in circles when he could.. then rest.. and when the sponge bath phase was over.. showers where an exquisite.. and familiar thing.
Tinny watched him as he hoveled about, ever vigilant.. always there. As programmed.
While resting and coming towards physical therapy Jim had been given pictures and reports on the construction of the Corvo Cruiser... Called Estium.
Pentagons adorned the side with a "spinning wheel" cross inside as was the new logo of the Psychology and medical practice he had designed.
"I like that logo..." jim reflected..
Tinny spoke up. "You did create it, sir."
Jim looked at the nurse bot and his now.. constant companion.. "Eris helps those who help themselves." he quoted.
Estium was a vague unused word meaning "right and just action" and under the name print on the vessel the figures ΚΑΛΛΊΣΤῌ appeared.
it referenced an old story of a golden apple to be given... To the most beautiful...
The story itself meant something personal to him, often chasing his own golden apple.. The ship "Estium" now had more meaning then it ever had in its planning.
He understood dischordianisim... mostly... it seemed to be more of an ongoing competition to stretch ones self and realize it... at all times.
With buzzwords. Then again what spirituality or religion lacked jargon?
"Remember tinny.. king Kong died for your sins." jim said before eating dinner.
Guess whose coming to dinner. - Doc Holliday - 03-12-2011
As the days passed and subsequently, around four weeks or so, Doc would keep his multiple daily checks on Jim. He did as he did with all of his patients.....keeping a good watch upon them. When he came in and found Jim hobbling about with a cane, he crossed his arms and smirked, "I guess this means that I can step up your therapy." He then went over and encouraged his patient to sit while he checked him over.
He looked over at the morphine drip, "I think at this point that you don't need this anymore." He disconnected the drip, first removing the syringe from the pump and then totally removing the I.V. from Jim himself. With that, he then paged the therapeutic nurse.
"Michelle, your patient is ready to begin his therapy," he said over the comm.
"I'll be there shortly, Doctor," came the reply from a soft spoken female voice.
Doc then sat next to Jim, looking at his patient now free of the I.V., "Things look very good but the big question is, how do you feel?"
Guess whose coming to dinner. - HuggieSunrise - 03-12-2011
he looks at his friend and caretaker.
"Well.. John henry. I wake up.. without pain.. and that is the biggest difference. Now when I push meself to walk around.. I start to feel a little pressure and.. stinging.. and for while.. It gets worse.. my head swims and I sit down." Jim sighed
"I suppose I didnt have to push it that far so.. lately if i feel uncomfortable I just stop. And read a little or watch some programing. And i find myself actually taking it easy." Jim looked at him..
"I think I found something in that... I dont have to have.. a knife's worth of pain in my body before I stop." he huffs a laugh.
Jim wanted to ask John about his position and thoughts of Discordianisim... but he figured a letter would work best his mind was on what tortures where... awaiting him in therapy.
"I just didn't want to get sluggish.. I haven't slept so much in my life.. And I guess its time to get daily work-overs in the Bastille section of the recovery ward...?" He posed.
Guess whose coming to dinner. - Doc Holliday - 03-12-2011
Doc just gave a laugh, "Well, I hadn't planned on you putting your full body weight on your back just yet. You did that to yourself. Now, relax." He then had Jim lay back down.
"All of your treatment will be done here," he explained, "that is partially why I chose this large room for you."
As they chatted, Michelle arrived and smiled.
![[Image: top-5-ali-larter-heroes.jpg]](http://www.beyondhollywood.com/gallery/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/top-5-ali-larter-heroes.jpg)
"Hello, Dr. Holliday," she winked, "always a treat to see you."
"And to you too, Michelle," Doc answered professionally, "I'd like you to meet your new patient, Jim. He's just had major back surgery so be kind."
"Oh, I promise," she smiled.
"Well, I'll leave you two alone," Doc said as he left the room to tend to some other matters.
Michelle assisted Jim to laying flat on his stomach. Slowly, she started to gently work his back.
"Let me know if it hurts," she said kindly, "I'm here to help, not hurt."
With her hands open, he worked the muscles around the surgical area and upper back. She would adjust as needed to keep him comfortable.