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Doc listened to his concerns, nodding in sympathy and understanding.
"Sure, it will take some time but in the end, it will be worth it," he said, "just think, you'll be back on your feet and" he grabbed the cane, "you won't need this anymore."
"No nanites," he explained, "nanites would need some tissue left in which to work. As we have agreed, there is almost none left in your lower back. That's where I would use either a phenolic replacement or donated cartilage." He then put on a serious face, "Jim, don't you think it's worth a little down time to get yourself right again? I know I thought so when I got my lungs transplanted."
"Now, as to your wife, if you want her here while you go through this, I have a place she can stay on my Estate or she could easily lease a pretty nice condo here on Canaria," he explained, "either way, she would be comfortable and close by. I'll even set up the arrangements, whichever you prefer."
"The Estium? Well, big ships take awhile to construct so you would even have time there, too, before the details become a factor."
he really did squeeze every last bit dry out of his back...
His internal dialog went back and forth.
Angel: "I told you so!" Devil: "Yeah.. he did. the fairy was right. you old corpse."
" Alright. Alright.. alright.. I bought that woman a Heavy Fighter and a Luxury Liner but Im sure your going to meet here one way or another. I suppose Well be doing this here then? ... Yeah It.. I guess it makes too much sense to start now. "
He resigned himself. The business he wanted to get done was done..
" It was either this or cardamine addiction.. I was ready to have believed the magical healing witch doctor stuff about it too. When you have head splitting pain cause you fell off a step you do anything to stop it. " suddenly claustrophobic.
He looked around the diagnostic room.
" I guess if i have to reserve a room here with a terminal and.. a window.. and.. a stack of reading.. with anything youd suggest. I had been curious about Eris too. I study alot when there downtime.. and i sure as hell see a LOT of downtime coming. " scratching his head.
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Doc just nodded, "then consider yourself admitted here. I will get what you need to make you comfortable and keep you productive, well, as productive as you can be."
Doc then made a call on his com badge, "Prepare a room for Jim. He's going to be here for awhile so get him plenty of reading materials and a special com terminal, the type he can use from his bed."
Doc paused a moment, "Um...make it a recovery room on facing the East. The view is the best and on nice days, fresh air can come in from the windows."
He then turned back to Jim, "In about an hour or so, you'll have a home away from home. I just need to schedule your surgery. I have some arrangements to set up so I'll have the staff help you get ready."
As Doc was opening the door to leave, he turned back, "Oh....I'll have some material to read on Eris as well sent up."
Within the hour, Jim would find himself in a very nice which would include an adjustable bed facing some large, plate glass windows and all that he sought for his comfort. On the stand next to the bed was, just as promised, a book on the Temple of Eris.
The room was indeed nice... Jim looked at it found it larger then his rented loft where tinny was currently gathering his things.
He considered himself quite lucky and fortunate to have had the personal attention of a physician he personally respected.
He sent a hard wire message to Serenus... His rather... Alien looking wife... Life as a madam she full filled the tastes of many of the extremely affluent and useless individuals across the sector her 'Celestial Harem" was renowned and her events were even televised... She was ageless and strange looking... He had fallen in love with her a long time ago... but her larger then life exploits went on for hundreds of years... He still didnt know who or what she was.. and even as he got older she never mentioned once of divorce or unfaithfulness.
Serenus is.. the only other reason he strove to impress a good life out of what he had left.
He supposed she would read it between parties thrown somewhere between New London and Malta.
Turning his attention tot he book pile the Erisan text was ornate and beautiful. He made the adjustable bed into as much of a chair as it could become and got used to it.... almost too quickly.
It may not have been.. the surgery that really... scared jim.. it was maybe the time to think of his behavior. The self loathing of decades of trading this and that... Improving this computer program or that system for the Stepsons and their slave harnesses. ...All of this time... To.. somehow.. not crush under the weight of the devils positive credit in his name...
Thanks doc for the awesome story. This concludes this part of the story the next part will concentrate On his stay in medical prison (lol) between surgeries. And of course is underused journal.
Id like to thank those that gave their feedback and Doc especially for being his frontier space doctor moving my oldest and most loved character along.
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In his office:
Doc made a review of Jim's charts as he got his surgical team together, making plans for the surgery. It wouldn't be difficult but would be lengthy as it was decided to get a few visuals on some questionable areas. Doc was concerned but confident, confident of success of the procedure and confident that Jim would walk tall and proud once again without pain. After a couple of hours of planning, Doc locked his office door and headed down to Jim.
Jim's Room:
Doc gave Jim a full explanation of what they would do, explaining the two discs that would be replaced and a few in question that they would visually inspect as a precaution. He expressed confidence as he spoke and introduced him to the team that would make things right. Once he did, the team left and Doc spent a few minutes alone talking to Jim.
"We want to do this tomorrow. The sooner we start, the sooner you recover," he explained, "I have no doubt whatsoever of the success of this operation nor do I have any doubt that you will walk tall and proud again with no pain. If you have no questions of me, I will get some rest for tomorrow and then next time you see me, you will be coming out from under anesthesia."
Doc sat with his hands on his lap, waiting for any questions Jim may have.
Jim was skimming design manuals when doc dame in and explained the whole process.
"Im just eager to get this process going John... Do what you can to..keep me from being a cybernetic head in a jar..." He ..didnt seem to be joking there...
A white blank was mostly all jim exsperienced while under...
Staring at it he wondered... almost like.. being stuck in a waiting room without a body or sences.. just a 'presence'.
-Yo. Joshey.
Jim struggled for a moment to figure out what.. just the hell that was.
-Josh come on. Snap out of it.
Jim was a little perturbed here.
'Snap out of what?'
there was a chortle.
-So what happened to writing books about complex dissociative disorder, personality disorder, sociopathy, and all the other '¦
'Ugh Christ I don't get enough of this **** from my parents ghosts and their surviving siblings.'
-eat the bugaboo out of a dead mans nose is what they'll say. You have Two phd's and here you are in the crap floating through the universe.
'Oh I get it.. this is some sort of personality crisis.' he thought 'Who are you then?'
-God. Duh.
'Uh.. huh..'
-Explain yourself. What happened there?
'Am I dead? Did John laser my brain in half?'
-You had clients, you had a practice waiting... Yet the assignment in space....
'Had four times the cash... Surely the all knowing one didnt need an idea of how money works.'
-Oh yes my greatest adversary.. the credit..
'I think it was space... The fact I got to fly, be trained to fly, license to kill etc. Excitement. He driving force of life.'
-Your father said that. So that's all? The excitement?
'I hadn't felt that way before.. Sure I accomplished a lot but.. What do you do.. what do you pay to feel alive? '¦ Cant justify it any other way..'
-Thoughtful... A questionable life.. and furthering even more questionable gains... You tell me Joshua.. Are you going to hell?
'Back-pains hellish lord.'
-I have a few ideas about that sonny. Don't you have yourself to blame for that? Also.. Remember Dante.
'Ugh creepy god reads books. Remember Job?'
-It was his idea.
'What about Eris?'
-That was her idea.
' I think this is an manifestation of a conflict... '
-What isnt a manifestation? What isnt in conflict? I think were getting off point. You dropped what you were good at for what was exciting? Is that about right?
'Well I've been practicing a little with a few cases I've come across. Most of these kleptomania or idealists with laser cannons don't have the tools to change.. '
-Oh indeed?
' You take the adrenaline rush of raiding some traders out of life and these guys fall flat c-.. Ohh... I think I understand.'
-So.. how about writing fiction?
'Perhaps.. I'm going to be on my back recovering... I hope..'
-You shouldn't write anything on anesthesia or on pills. Or make decisions. Trust your droid.
'God..'
-Yes?
'Do robots and A.I. Have souls?'
-That's complicated.. Humanity should figure that out.
'Do those half animal furry humanoids have souls?'
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2 hours into surgery
Jim lay face down under anesthesia, the lower part of his spinal column exposed.
"My, my," commented one of the residents, "I guess those discs are gone. My goodness!"
"Mmmmmhm," replied Doc who was examining the whole area, "gone indeed."
He took a measurement with some precision laser tools measuring bone density and overall health. All checked good. He examined many of the other discs within his back, some of which were slipped or herniated. Using a plasma suturing tool, those that were herniated were repaired. Therapy would do the rest and also take care of those that were slipped but that was for after surgery was completed.
Doc picked up the first phenolic disc. As he examined it for defects, he made a request for vital.
"Patient is stable, Doctor," replied the nurse.
"Nor will he be waking up anyday soon," quipped the anesthesiologist.
"Good," answered Doc sharply, "getting these discs in shouldn't be terribly difficult."
The disc itself had a strong phenolic exterior surrounding a gel like substance. Doc examined one and then the other. Both were in good order.
The first of the two vertebrae were gently wedged apart, far enough to slip the new disc in. The disc had a notch to allow for the disc to be slipped in place around the spinal cord and then to allow it to move freely in place. A coating inside the notch ensured there would be no chaffing against the spinal cord itself which was naturally lubricated. On either side was a thin layer of adhesive to secure it.
"Just like......" Doc said as he began sliding the new disc in place. When it slipped with relative ease into place, he finished the quote, ".....that!"
He then removed the instruments that gave enough space between the vertebrae. They gently settled against either side of the disc. The segment was complete without a hitch.
He then did the same to the next segment, wedging the next two vertabrae and inserting the new disc. As with the first, there were no issues.
He then gave a final check of the area. Confident with his work, he turned to his resident assistant, "All right, let's close him up."
Using the plasma based suturing tool, the opened area was slowly closed. When he was finished, it appeared as if nothing had been done. No marks, no scarring of any kind. Holding up the tool, Doc pointed at the area closed and stated, "now you know why I love this tool so much."
He then addressed his staff, "Leave him laying this way for four hours before letting him out of anesthesia. Don't let him move for twenty four. When he wakes up, let me know. I have to go do some logs."
Doc left the room and removed his surgical coverings.
He was satisfied and smiling at the success of his team. What he was more satistfied with is that he made life easier for a friend. The worst was over. How much time in therapy he would need depended on Jim's strength and cooperation, the latter he knew he would have no trouble with.
under and out still.. James had been exsploring the void like spaces of nothingness...
Much goes unremembered in these state humans sleep can reach these levels quite regularly.. we dream or hit theta wave activity that our conciusminds cannot comprehend nor remember.
The ID.. they call it. the template for relating everything else.. into what we know..
In these strange unconscious states its difficult to relate what could be.. what might be and what is.. When the id is confused.
Surely the ego of the ID knows and brands things as confusing.. but there are some stimuli.. too choatic.. that the mind blocks.
Some folks pry this slit.. this envolpe of what the mind can handle with hallucinigens or drugs.. others seek it via meditation and self actualization..
In this case.. Jim probably wont remember alot of it..
Except the hill
This green grassy hill with a rock on it..
He pushed the rock.. ever so slightly.. and it rolled down... and came to a stop at the foot of the hill..
"Hey.. you old ass.." a voice called.
Jim looked down.. and there was a hole in the top of the hill.
"You.. Shut the door." The voice commanded.
Jiim looked at the rock he shoved.. He meandered down the hill.. positioning himself behind the rock finding pushing it.. wasent so hard..
"I know your out there.. Close the damned door." the voice..taunted ..
jim was half way up the hill when the rock got.. heavier.. and his back.. started hurting him..
"Oh.. sweet jesus.."jim grunted.
Shoving and digging into the ground to force the rock up to the top... was.. nigh impossible.. susing the last of his strength the rock slid back over the hole.. ..
Jim panted.. and stared at the rock.. ....
He has a notion.. a terrible.. sinful notion to push it Again...
"Dont even think about it... Git your flappy elderly behind off my house." the voice taunted further..
Jim poked the rock..
Nothing happened at first.. .....
With a sudden whoosh and slamming noise the rock sunk into the hill like a meteor through a tin roof.
Jim looked inside.. to survey the carnage to find what looked like fine porcelain plates and service pieces strwen about.. Some broken many fractured.. And a pair of feet sticking out from under the rock..
He heard sirens.. he knew he had to escape.. so he turned to run only to find the hole had some invisable force slowly pulling him in the faster he ran away.. And falling so slightly off the endge of the hole grasping at turf and taking a piece with him... he plummited for what seemed forever..
Jim figured it was over.. this fall had to be hundreds of feet high.. ...... he sturggled a moment before landing on the floor with a feathers touch of impact....
The sirens where louder... and looking around in the dark there was the customary red and blue lights.. strobing out int he darkness of this.. cave he fell into...
Jim winced as the lights came in closer flashing .. the siren getting louder... and louder...
until it stopped short of the light from his.. un intentional skylight pouring down from the ceiling..
A 20 foot tall brown rabbit with a siren strapped to his head and lights flashing revealed itself and it opened its mouth in a ghastly display.. revealing two floating doughnuts... oddly police.. blue themed.. floating towards jim..
"Oh look at this aye? We got ourself a junker.." Cop doughnut said in a thick Irish voice.. it had red and blue sprinkles on it...
"Uuhmm HMM causing trouble.. I suppose he needs to be punished don he?" the other doughnut explained.. it was surprisingly plain..
Jim looked annoyed.. at the pastries..
"I aint no Illegal Danish Go on and help me get this boulder off of..." jim was cut off mid sentence by the fact the police rabbit had begin laying cad bury eggs...
Wrapped in tinfoil at a terrifyingly great speed.. jim found himself enveloped within a few short moments.
There was great darkness again.. Relived of the dramatic play beset upon him..
There is a price.. for the evil paid.
There is a debit.. For the good done..
The thoughts followed one another in his mind.. His back felt strange..
"Ugh.. This crap is becoming torture.." He mumbled.
His brothers voice seemed to call for him.. He looked...
"Oh your docked and drinking the cheap cider at the Hood then... Wheres Packie...." Drifting he saw a small villa on a planet with slightly purple haze and a clear view of stars..
It looked like Malta to him.. Patrick.. seems to be the only one in a Hawaiian shirt on the entire planet...
"Lad.. better not get drunk down there.. Irish and outcast im sure dont mix." He left like a specter haunting the living...
Flitting about.. he sensed fire.. and pulled away from it.
he felt so tired.. ..yet not.. there were no burdens here.. but the few thoughts of exhaustion where great in themselves..
yearning for comfort also brought a sensation of it.. it grew in intensity until his perspective was one of utter.. sleepy.. unconsciousness.
Jim was standing before a large forum.. white greco roman columns... No roof... In a large circle...
The sky had crisp cool air.. and a white haze the seemed o exsude light from the air itself... kept the sky from being viewed.
Anti fog..
The stone felt soft to his bare feet... he was free of garments but the concern wasn't so much on being decent as it was..
"Great.. Im dead." He shouted as if he expected the worst scenario.
"No hellfire... No burning lake... No picnic tables filled with starving people.. with four foot spoons.... Father Creedy would be disappointed..." mumbling along.
Jim wondered to each column... Their craftsmanship was fresh... There had been recreations of these structures form "earth" history but he hadent bothered to see such or feel such before.
Even here he had a suspicion it was all a hallucination. Proof was the god of the agnostic... which Jim fervently expressed himself when cornered on the subject of... spiritual natures.
He also blamed the skeptical irish nature of his family of good things.. There was a certain work ethic upheld as a genetic truth that there is some sort of equal exchange for any gain... The typical biblical and quasi pagan belifs held amongst the mollys where diverse and rich... sometimes (but rarely) caused fights at bars... And if you werent a freedom fighter... you where a roking man. Long hours.. much toil until death.
Jims often been privy to good deals before however... the murphys law that he both wished for and gravely feared that it was all a matter of choice.. rather then a debt of labor.
Again.. the eternal agnostic.. lacked proof.
he began to walk along from column to column.. and found a labyrinth of tiles in onyx he didn't follow the line he came across.. he merely followed the design to the center.
He heard speaking..
Came across a group of white haired men discussing something in a language that was literally greek. A few of the men had scrolls and one was holding a tablet. Nine men in total..
Jim sat with the majority of the figures to listen to the five men speaking in turn... Jim didnt understand it at all but the manner of thier speech was... flowing.. like music almost. he was almost caught up into it fully.. almost seeing the figures dissolve into light.. and one of the men sitting next to him poked him rather forcefully snapping him out of it.
"Oh you bugger!" he said bringing the process to a complete halt.
Jim... well... wished he had either imploded and shrank from view as everyone looked at him.. Some.. with blank stares.. and a few smiles..
"Heh.. erm." Jim.. rubbed his poked shoulder.
The discourse continued.. and shortly after the younger man who poked him started to speak to him softly.
"We dont usually get guests." he said.
"Oh.. So that was a formal hello then.?" Jim barbed.
"My name is Ezekiel.. and your James.." The young man stated.
"More like.. Im lost.. confused and.. wondering." jim corrected.
Ezekiel looked at the men speaking.. then to jim.. he began to explain they where channeling.. Jim was skeptical.. pointed out that channeling through trance has not been proven to be "universal knowledge" because of unusual brainwave activity.
Ezekiel grinned and nodded to him.. "Granted the proof here.. or.. anywhere maybe as real as you make it. Perhaps your personal issue of... proof is whats making it a mystery to you?"
Jim stopped. Squinted his eyes.. "You you saying believing is preferable to a skeptical mind?" he was reluctant... vary reluctant to listen and it showed.
"Do you doubt your breakfast in the morning? Do you doubt your cooking?" Ezekiel posed to jim.
"That aint the same laddy. I practiced getting both of those up to snuff for years." Jim rebuffed.
"I have to disagree that its different father James. The idea one doesn't -practice- belief or anything else is a pointless omission. These "fruitless" or.. in your case unproven facts drive your existence dont they?" Ezekiel merely looked at Jim faintly.. with a kind of dreamy stare.
"Alright ill bite. Why the gibberish?" Jim asked.
Ezekiel stood up. and led jim over to a sitting area farther away from the speaking men.
"How did the gibberish feel?" Ezekiel asked.
"Well it was rather pleasant I felt.. er.. w-well.. I felt enlightened.. i.. I SAW them swell in light. then." Jim was cut off
"I poked you so you could figure it out." Ezekiel mimed with his finger Jim winced away as it looked like he was going to receive another assault to his shoulder.
"Yes.. Whats the point?" Jim asked and wondered.
"Your suffering some duality... you believed yet not and your skeptical yet not.. There is a process.. There are ways of distinguishing resonance with an idea.. and falsehood in a mutation of truth." Ezekiel explained.
He continued to explain that... while jims solution to finding truths were valid and scientific using real weights and measures, the ephemeral and ideal of information resonates. And that because it resisted or felt wrong or resonated or felt right did not mean either were true... Merely practice in ones own experience is true but even then it wasn't the end of "lessons".
"You've sensed deception, felt situations and their wrongness. Trusting yourself should include the universe as well but dont fault the rough course for being right or wrong... if anything the Universe is INCLUSIVE..not exclusive... So putting all parts and pieces into a box without the knowledge of each peace and how they are kept is the same sin as.. Prejudice in fruitless ideas." Ezekiel lectured.
Jim nodded.
"Well. I guess that would be the point then. Not shutting and locking the open doors.. blah blah." Jim tried listening again..
Trying his best to be open... He felt the words take shape in his mind as ideas.. ideas that filled the mind...
It felt as if weeks or days had passed.. Simply listening the flow of ideas..
Then there was pain...
Things went dark and then he felt weak and heavy eyelids opening...
The recovery room he was assigned.. Tension and pain in his back.. He fumbled at what looked like a nurse call button...
He didnt have the strength to push it...so he raised his hand a few inches.. as high as he could and dropped it on the control ... he hoped it would alert someone he was awake.. or.. had more morphine then what he was getting.
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