Sunday Snippet: Therapeutic Recuperation

January kind of flew by for me and I'm not quite ready for February yet. That said, I did establish a few new habits or routines and I'm a little thrilled I kept them up for the entire month.

Had a very solid week of television viewing. I kind of let the housework slide to stay caught up on work projects and had a chance to cycle through a bunch of shows.

Ended up getting in three episodes of Chicago Med. I'm almost finished with the third season and I'm still thoroughly enjoying this show so much.

Watched three episodes of Snoopy in Space: The Search for Life. These little shorts are fun and quick to get through. Nice to have something that works as a timed break when it's needed.

Finished up The Madame Blanc bonus episodes and eagerly await another season of this super engaging mysteries series.

Ended up catching three episodes of Silent Witness. The "Fear" two-parter ended up being really terrific and I don't remember watching it before. Looking forward to the next two-part episode.

Enjoyed the final two episodes of the Classic Who arc with Two and Six. Kind of fun to revisit the former doctor, especially since many of Two's episodes are lost to time.

Got two more episodes of The Alaska Triangle in. One focused on a lost flight and the thunderbird legend and the other about Mount Hope and a possible secret base, which had remote viewing involved and that subject fascinates me.

Watched two more episodes of The Muppets. I'm still finding my way with this show. It's entertaining but really lacks the charm of the original.

Finished up Fosse Verdon. Even though I knew how things ended, I still felt like someone punched me in the gut when the final moments aired. Hat tip to the cast of this terrific limited series.

Caught the final episode of Peak Practice season six and started season seven. Sad to see Erica no longer with the practice but looking forward to some new interactions with whoever takes over for her.

Watched two more lessons of MasterClass with Bill Nye. I have a bonus episode to watch then I'll start a new class. No idea what I'll pick up next but look forward to diving in.

Enjoyed a couple of extras for The Witcher. Started out with the making of season two and then caught the characters of the continent special. This week I'll probably dive into the beasts and monsters they deal with.

Caught a couple episodes of Classic Rugrats. Season two ranks as probably my favorite overall. That might change as I get further along, but right now, I'm remembering how many of my faves are in the second season.

Watched another episode of The Brokenwood Mysteries. I like the new guy even if he's not quite as quirky as Breen. As always, it's fun to see recurring characters pop up in the course of the investigations.

Star Trek: Discovery continues to amaze me. I'm enjoying the red angel saga and how intertwined everything is. Nice to have Hugh back even if he's not quite himself. Should be fun to see how that plays out.

Started the second season of Queens of Mystery. I'm rather disappointed that Matilda and Daniel aren't anywhere close to being together. Miscommunication can be a blessing or a curse and I'm hoping it ends up being a blessing. We'll see how the season goes.

That's pretty much it for the television update this week. Tonight's post is from Therapeutic Recuperation, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

An accidental blast on the hangar deck lands Nadine Hewes and Hall Pullion in sickbay. The ship's doctor gets them stable then puts them in the same alcove so they don't drive everyone else nuts while they recuperate, leading the pilots to discover all kinds of interesting things about each other.

And a sneaky peek…

Year 3952

Base Infirmary

Day after the blast

 

Nadine woke up, groggy, throat dry, and connected to an IV. She shifted and gasped. "Damn." Her voice sounded like broken glass lodged in her throat.

A cool hand touched her wrist. "Hello, Lieutenant. Glad you decided to rejoin us." Layne Walsh, a med tech, jotted a note on a chart. "Doc Masters needs the bed." She reached for a glass of water and held a straw to Nadine's lips.

Nadine blinked and took a long swallow of the blessedly cool liquid.

Layne pulled the cup away. "You've got a sprained wrist and elbow. A bunch of bruises. And we think you might have some damage to your shoulder but it shouldn't require surgery."

Nadine closed her eyes. "Aw, crap." I'll be out of commission for a while. "Hall? The chief? Did anyone die?" Geez, it hurt to talk.

Layne filled her in. "Hall is still out. Sedation to help him heal. Chief will recover, but he's got a long road ahead. Two deck hands died." She busied herself rearranging the pitcher and cup.

Nadine absorbed the information, very happy about Hall, glad about the chief, and sad for the loss of life. Too many mistakes. Look where they ended up.

Doc Masters entered and checked her over. "You're going to be moved to a recovery room. Pullion's already there. Any objection to sharing space with him?" He raised his eyebrows.

Nadine shook her head. "No, we'll be fine." If she had to pick someone to recuperate with, she could do worse.

Masters grunted. "Good. Didn't care if you had a problem, but not having one makes my life easier." He scribbled notes on her chart.

Nadine rolled her eyes. "You've got such a kick-ass bedside manner, Doc." Good thing his skill made up for the lack of good grace.

Masters smirked and hung the clipboard on the end of her bed. "The only class I failed in medical school."

She had no problem believing it. "No shock there."

Masters nodded to Layne and she released the brake and started moving Nadine out into the corridor. A little woozy, Nadine didn't encourage conversation and Layne stayed quiet until they entered the recovery room.

She eased the bed up close to the bulkhead. "Okay, Lieutenant. This is your home away from home for now. I'll have a physical therapy schedule for you by tomorrow." The commotion of getting her hooked back up to the IV woke her roommate.

Hall, still loopy from the sedatives, slurred his words. "I'm glaaaa you okaaaay. How's e'rybody else?"

Nadine gave him a brief smile. "I'll fill you in later."

Layne checked Hall's vitals, got Nadine settled, and then exited.

Nadine took stock. Her heart ached for the lost souls. She hoped Ben wouldn't be out of commission too long. Glancing to the neighboring bed, she smiled. As far as roommates went, Hall would be a good one.

Yawning, she eased back on the bed and dimmed the lights. With the door closed, only muted sounds carried through the bulkhead. She might as well get some rest while she could.

I like Nadine and Hall being assigned to the same space. Gives me all kinds of ways to let them get to know each other in a new capacity.

 

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye