A little more than an hour after they left, Ke'zulah finally woke up.
She'd been showing signs of aggravation, which Dr. Ortkhat told Vo'ptinh occasionally happened to aliens when they were coming out of such a deep coma. The nurse had been keeping a close eye on her.
When the nurse saw she was awake, she messaged messaged Dr. Ortkhat then went over to Ke'zulah and checked her vitals. Ke'zulah was nervous at seeing this alien woman, having never before seen an alien like her.
”Hello. I'm Nurse Ponce. Dr. Ortkhat's going to be here soon to check on you. Could I get you something to eat or drink?“, she asked.
”The Commander...is he alright? Where is he?“, she asked, obviously as worried about him as he was about her.
”Yes, he's alright. He's with our commander and First Officer. They went to your ship about an hour ago. He wanted to retrieve some important things from the bridge.“, she told her. Ke'zulah heaved a sigh of relief.
Dr. Ortkhat arrived just then.
”Hello, Ke'zulah. I'm Dr. Ortkhat.“, he said genially.
”Hello, Doctor.“, she said respectfully. She'd never seen an alien like him before either.
”We were extremely worried about the two of you. We weren't sure either of you would make it. I'm so glad you're doing much better. I've messaged Commander Poole, and he'll let Vo'ptinh know you're awake.
”You were the weakest of the two of you. I'd classify Vo'ptinh as in fair condition at this point, and you as serious 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.
”I'm sure you've got plenty of questions for us. I'll answer all I can for you regarding your medical treatment here and things like that.
“I'm Cardistanian and Nurse Ponce'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.
”Like I told Vo'ptinh last night, expect alot of visitors over the next several days. You and he are quite the topic of shipboard gossip.
“Folks are excited to get a look at two members of a heretofore unknown alien species. I'm sure you probably feel the same way about us.”, he said, chuckling slightly.
She smiled nervously and nodded in agreement.
“Could I get you something to eat? Our replicator makes delicious chicken strips and cheesy pasta.”, he said.
”Yes, please.“, replied Ke'zulah.
”Nurse Ponce, will you get Ke'zulah some chicken strips and cheesy pasta, two cranberry-orange nutrient bars, and a strawberry nutrient drink? Thank you.
”Let's have something to drink, shall we?“, asked Dr. Ortkhat, pouring her a tall glass of ice water.
Ke'zulah quickly drank it straight down. Dr. Ortkhat poured her another glass. She drank that one down as well.
“Your catheter will come out tomorrow as long as your output's doing well. You were both very dehydrated and malnourished when you were rescued. “, he said.
By then Nurse Ponce was back with her meal.
”You said you are a Cardistanian, Doctor, and the nurse is human?“, asked Ke'zulah.
”Yes.“, Dr. Ortkhat said.
”I've never seen nor heard of Cardistanians or humans before. Do you like living on a ship with other aliens besides your own kind?“, she asked, taking a bite of her cheesy pasta.
”Yes, absolutely. I've found all the different alien races here on the ship to be very interesting. We all learn from each other.“, Dr. Ortkhat replied, smiling broadly.
A little later, after finishing her meal, Ke'zulah pressed the call button. Nurse Ponce arrived a minute later.
”How can I help you, Ke'zulah?“
”I need to use the bathroom. Could you take me there please?“
”That's what the catheter's for, hon.“
”I...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.“
”No thank you. I'd prefer to go to the bathroom if possible please.“, she replied.
Nurse Ponce smiled then went to get a wheelchair, returning a minute later. She helped Ke'zulah into it and, after taking care of her intravenous line and catheter bag, covered her with a blanket since she had no underpants on due to the catheter, then wheeled her to the bathroom.
Nurse Ponce helped her onto the toilet then waited just outside to give her some privacy.
She was done a few minutes later and pressed the button to let her know she was finished. Nurse Ponce came back in, helped her back into the chair, and stopped at the sink so she could wash her hands. While there Ke'zulah took a good look at herself.
Being a woman who always kept her hair styled, even if only in a ponytail, she was frustated at being so disheveled.
After she'd gotten back into bed, she asked if she could possibly wash up. Like Vo'ptinh, she hadn't been able to bathe or shower for weeks.
Nurse Ponce brought her 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 Ke'zulah a nightgown. She washed her back for her, then washed her hair with the dry shampoo.
”You have such beautiful, long hair, Ke'zulah!", said Nurse Ponce.
“Thank you.”, she replied.
Nurse Ponce then helped her put on the nightgown.
She thanked her and asked for an extra blanket because her legs were cold. Nurse Ponce brought her a blanket, as well as a pair of slipper-socks to keep her feet warm. Ke'zulah thanked her once again.
By then, Ke'zulah was very tired. She dozed off after awhile, sleeping a good two hours.
After she'd been asleep for an hour, Vo'ptinh returned to sick bay from the bridge.
Dr. Ortkhat told him that Ke'zulah had come out of her coma and updated him about her condition. Vo'ptinh was greatly relieved that she was doing better.
He'd needed some good news after what he'd had to do regarding his ship.
He asked to be able to sit by her until their dinner arrived, just in case she woke up from her nap before then.
After checking his vitals, Craig wheeled him over to her bedside. Vo'ptinh held her hand the whole time he sat there.
A myriad of thoughts went through his head. For one thing, he and Ke'zulah were in uncharted, for their kind anyway, space. For another, they were surrounded by alien races they knew nothing about.
While he'd been able to secure sensitive information from his ship, he'd made the painfully difficult decision to scuttle the ship, setting into motion the ship's self-destruct mode and causing it to vaporize itself, as well as everything and the bodies of his crew aboard it, not quite 30 minutes after their return to the Artemis. It was a decision no commander of any ship ever wanted to have to make.
The only remnant of his world, his kind, his life both past and present, was Ke'zulah. Everything else he'd had was gone. He had no idea how to get back to his territory from wherever they were, or even if it still existed.
Vo'ptinh was alone. Yes, she'd smiled at him and caressed his cheek seconds after he'd kissed her before slipping into her coma, but he had no idea if she still felt that same way about him or if their particular circumstances at the time had caused those feelings in her.
Other than Dr. Ortkhat telling him she'd asked about him when she woke up, he had no idea if she cared about him other than as her Commanding Officer.
While he was very strong emotionally, he was now a broken man. He'd reached the end of his rope. A proud yet humble man, he kept it all inside rather than showing his pain and anguish to the aliens on the Artemis, just as he'd hidden his despair and concern from his own crew.
She woke up moments later.
“Vo'ptinh.”, she said, smiling tenderly.
“Sa-wad-dee-ka. Khun-sa-bai-dee-mai-ka?”, she asked him in Vh'rilot. (Hello. How are you?)
“Chan-sa-bai-dee ka. Khun-sa-bai-dee-mai-ka?”, he asked her. (I'm fine. How are you?)
“Chan-mai-koi-sa-bai-ka.”, she replied. (I'm not well.)
They continued their conversation in Vh'rilot for a good fifteen minutes straight as he explained where they were, who the aliens were, and what he'd done with the ship.
At one point, the two hugged and let the tears flow freely. While visibly shaken at times by what he'd seen on his ship, and as he vaporized it, Vo'ptinh had kept his emotions in check the whole time.
It was clear now that he only truly felt comfortable letting his emotions out in front of Ke'zulah.
Craig, T'Planh, Dr. Ortkhat, Nurse Ponce and Kate, who'd just arrived in sick bay wanting to meet and talk to their guests, observed them through a window from the next room, giving them the privacy they agreed the two needed.
They knew that, as her Commanding Officer, he would be telling her their situation. Craig wanted to give Vo'ptinh the dignity and respect of doing that as privately as possible. He knew it would be a very difficult and painful conversation for them, and he was absolutely right.
Even though they were now under Craig's command, Craig respected Vo'ptinh enough to let him fulfill his duty as Ke'zulah's Commanding Officer.
