Doctor Ortkhat came by to check on his patients. The three informed him of their findings regarding the two.
“How much longer before they're awake?”, asked Craig.
“It shouldn't be too much longer. They're stable now, and their heart rates are much better than when they got here. They just need time for their bodies to heal. They shouldn't have any cognitive impairments. He definitely shouldn't. I'm not sure about the young lady though. Other than that, I fully expect them to make a complete recovery.”, he said.
Now that he knew his patients' names, Dr. Ortkhat called them by their names, as did Craig.
”Hello, I'm Dr. Ortkhat. It's a pleasure to meet you. You and Ke'zulah get some rest, Vo'ptinh. She's stable and her heart rate's much better, as is yours.
“Once you're awake, your catheter will come out and we'll get you something to eat.“, Dr. Ortkhat said, checking his vitals.
”I'm Commander Craig Poole, Commanding Officer of Interstellar Federation Starship U.S.S. Artemis.
“Welcome aboard, Commander Zha'tolhb. It's an honor and a pleasure to have you here.
“From what we've discovered from your ship's computers and Commander's Log, you've had quite a perilous time lately. I'm very sorry for the loss of your crew.
”I know it's something we Commanding Officers always think about in the back of our minds. We do all we can to protect our crew, even if it comes at the expense of our ship.
”Rest up and we'll talk more after you wake up.“, he said. He'd been holding Vo'ptinh's hand in his. Vo'ptinh's eyes fluttered abit, and he slowly squeezed Craig's hand.
”That's it, Vo'ptinh. You keep fighting. You're obviously a warrior, like I am. You and me... we're the same. We're just different species. You're Vh'rilot, and I'm human. You and me, we're the same.
“You and Ke'zulah rest up now and regain your strength.“, Craig said.
During the night, around 2am, Vo'ptinh finally woke up. The night nurse had been keeping an eye on them both.
When she saw he was awake, she immediately messaged Dr. Ortkhat then went over to Vo'ptinh and checked his vitals. He was nervous at seeing this alien woman, but soon relaxed. He'd never seen an alien like her before.
”Hello. I'm Nurse Baker. Dr. Ortkhat's going to be here soon to check on you. Could I get you something to eat or drink?“, she asked.
”Ke'zulah...is she alright? Where is she? Did she survive?“, he asked, obviously very worried about her.
”Yes, she did. She's in the bed right over there.“, she told him, pointing towards Ke'zulah's hospital bed. He heaved a sigh of relief.
Dr. Ortkhat arrived just then.
”Hello, Commander Zha'tolhb. I'm Dr. Ortkhat. May I call you Vo'ptinh?“, he asked genially.
”Yes, Doctor.“, Vo'ptinh said respectfully, nodding slowly. He'd never seen an alien like him before either.
”We were extremely worried about the two of you, Vo'ptinh. We weren't sure either of you would make it. I'm glad to see you're doing much better.“
Vo'ptinh looked over towards Ke'zulah.
”She'll be okay too. She was the weakest of the two of you. I'd classify you at this point as serious but stable, and Ke'zulah as critical but stable.
“Believe it or not, that's a great improvement over your conditions when you got here...very grave and unstable.“, Dr. Ortkhat said.
”Yes, that definitely is a great improvement. Thank you.“, Vo'ptinh replied slowly.
”You're very welcome, Vo'ptinh. I'm sure you've got plenty of questions for us. I'll answer what I can for you regarding your medical treatment here and things like that, but our fearless leader, as I call him, Commander Poole, will be here in the morning to answer the bulk of them.
“He and T'Planh, the First Officer, are better with the technical side of things regarding the ship. The commander is human, and T'Planh is Cardistanian.
”I do know that your ship's been secured with a tractor beam.
“What else they're doing about it, I don't know. I will say this, though. You and Ke'zulah are safe here.
”Oh, the med techs and T'Planh brought the tote bags with your belongings back from your ship, along with some technical stuff he and Commander Poole looked at earlier this evening.
“I'm Cardistanian and Nurse Baker's human. We have several other aliens here on the ship as well. The crew is a big mishmash of humans and aliens from all over the galaxy.
”Expect alot of visitors over the next several days. You and Ke'zulah are quite the topic of shipboard gossip.
“Folks are excited to get a look at two members of a heretofore unknown alien species. For all we know, you probably feel the same way about us.”, he said, chuckling slightly.
Vo'ptinh smiled ever-so-slightly and nodded in agreement.
“Could I get you something to eat? Our replicator makes a really good grilled sandwich with cheese and ham. I had a couple myself a few hours ago.“, he said.
”Yes, please.“, replied Vo'ptinh.
”Nurse Baker, will you get the Commander two grilled sandwiches with cheese and ham, two cranberry-orange nutrient bars, and a chocolate nutrient drink? Thank you.
”Let's have something to drink, shall we?“, asked Dr. Ortkhat, pouring him a tall glass of ice water.
Vo'ptinh quickly drank it straight down. Dr. Ortkhat poured him another glass. Vo'ptinh drank that one down as well, drinking it more slowly this time around.
”When can this come out?“, asked Vo'ptinh, asking him about the catheter.
”Probably later today or early tomorrow, once I know you're fully hydrated and your output's better, just as it will for Ke'zulah.
“You were both very dehydrated and malnourished when you were rescued. “, he said.
By then Nurse Baker was back with his meal.
While Vo'ptinh ate, Dr. Ortkhat went over to check on Ke'zulah. She was still comatose yet, very slowly but surely, she was waking up. Her coma wasn't as deep as it had been when she arrived in the hangar bay.
”Hello, my dear. I'm Dr. Ortkhat. I was just having a nice chat with your commander. He's doing well and having something to eat. He's very worried about you.
“You rest up now and regain your strength.“, he said, then whispered, loud enough for Vo'ptinh to hear him,
”That was a very courageous thing to do, young warrioress. You quite literally saved his life.
“You may be a mere ship's housekeeper but, in my eyes, you're one of the bravest, if not THE bravest, warrior I have ever met! You have my deepest and utmost respect!
“You rest now, my dear warrioress. Your battle to save your Commanding Officer is over. We'll do the heavy lifting for you now.
”Just rest and let the machines and medicines do their jobs. Now's the time for you to heal.“
Tears fell from her eyes at his words.
He patted her hand, covered her up some more, and gave a knowing glance towards Vo'ptinh.
”Your race is a warrior race?“, asked Vo'ptinh.
”Yes.“, Dr. Ortkhat said.
”I thought so, judging by your words.“, he replied.
Vo'ptinh took a bite of a nutrient bar and a sip of his nutrient drink.
”I've never seen nor heard of Cardistanians before, nor have I ever seen nor heard of humans before. They are an odd-looking race, aren't they?“, he asked, smiling ever-so-slightly.
”Yes they are. They have no ridges, no markings, and they come in different skin colors as well.
“Some have slanted eyes, some have flesh-toned skin, and some have black and even brown skin. They have several different accents as well. They're very interesting, though.
”I've found all the different alien races here on the ship to be very interesting. Commander Poole's wife is an anthropologist. She loves learning about other cultures!
“She'll definitely be stopping by to visit you and Ke'zulah and pick your brains.“, replied Dr. Ortkhat.
”Pick our brains? She's not coming near my brain...or Ke'zulah's! NO-ONE IS!“, Vo'ptinh exclaimed.
”Sorry...that's a human expression. It means to learn about you and your culture by talking to you. Humans have such odd sayings!“, Dr. Ortkhat replied, smiling broadly.
”Neither they nor you have ears like ours.“, said Vo'ptinh.
”True. You want to talk ears? Wait until you meet the Uugnan and Unzhans here on the ship! Marutans and others have pointed ears, but Uugnan and Unzhan ears are something else! Each ear looks like three or four ears!“, he exclaimed, laughing uproariously.
”Their hearing must be incredible!“, said Vo'ptinh.
”Yes it is... especially when I say something I don't want them to hear!“, he replied, smiling mischievously.
A little later Vo'ptinh pressed the call button. Nurse Baker arrived a minute later.
”How can I help you, Sir?“
”I need to use the bathroom. Could you take me there please?“
”That's what the catheter's for, Sir.“
”I know, but I have to do something else.“
”Oh, alright. Let me get a wheelchair and I'll take you there. I can get a bedpan if you'd prefer. That way we don't need to worry about the catheter bag and your intravenous line.“
”I'd prefer to go to the bathroom if possible please.“, he replied.
She smiled then went to get a wheelchair, returning a minute later. She helped him into it and, after taking care of his intravenous line and catheter bag, covered him with a blanket since he had no pants on due to the catheter, then wheeled him to the bathroom.
Nurse Baker helped him onto the toilet then waited just outside to give him some privacy.
He was done a few minutes later and pressed the button to let her know he was finished. She came back in, helped him back into the chair, and stopped at the sink so he could wash his hands. While there he took a good look at himself. The last six weeks had aged him. He'd felt as if he had the whole world on his shoulders and, in a way, he had.
On the way back to his bed he asked to stop by Ke'zulah's bed. He held her hand and said something tenderly in their language. Vo'ptinh then stood up and kissed her on the forehead. He sat down and Nurse Baker brought him to his bed.
After she'd gotten him settled, he asked if he could possibly wash up, explaining he hadn't been able to bathe or shower for weeks.
She brought him a basin filled with warm water, liquid soap, a washcloth and towel, dry shampoo, plus deodorant, a tooth brush, toothpaste, and a small bowl to spit the toothpaste out into. She also brought him a clean shirt. She washed his back for him, then washed his hair with the dry shampoo.
He decided not to shave for the time being. He was very tired by then.
When he was done, he thanked her and asked for an extra blanket because his legs were cold. She brought him a blanket, as well as a pair of slipper-socks to keep his feet warm.
Vo'ptinh soon dozed off for awhile, sleeping a good four hours. When he woke up, he looked over at Ke'zulah.
She was still comatose.
