Patient

The dark bitter liquid Thana had given me soon took effect, making me fall into a deep sleep. If she returned during the night I didn't notice, and by the time I woke she was gone. I stretched my muscles and hissed when the sores on my back rubbed against the cot. I carefully settled back down to avoid aggitating them further, wondering how bad they must be to hurt so much.

From this position I was able to take a look at most of my body and saw that the majority of the unopened sores were starting to flatten which was a positive sign. The opened wounds on my chest were beginning to crust over and heal. Things were progressing well from what I could see, but the occasional sting on my back nagged me. I did my best to ignore it and rest, but the quiet room provided no distractions.

I scanned the room in search of anything reflective and stopped at a tall metal cabinet. I could see the rest of the room within its polished surface, and while the image was slightly warped and dull, it was better than nothing. After taking a moment to gather myself I slowly sat up with a grimace on my face. In the corner of my eye I saw the red and yellow stains on the sheets which only made me want to see my reflection even more. I stood up and steadied my wobbly legs, weak from several days of bedrest. The weakness was all too familiar and I was disappointed I lost the progress I made after getting out of hibernation.

After shuffling over to the cabinet I took a deep breath and loosened the tie at the front of my patient gown. I let the gown fall off my shoulders as I held the rest of it around me tightly to keep out the cold. I glanced over my shoulder and my breath caught in my throat. The sores were large, raw and red with a halo of pink surrounding them. I knew that even if I were to recover they would undoubtably scar, memories of the disease forever etched into my skin. Silent tears started to fall down my face surprising me, but I couldn't look away.

"Flora?" I heard, snapping me out of my trance. Geo was standing at the door watching me, his face full of worry. "Are you in pain?" he asked as he stepped towards me. I quickly wiped away the tears and shook my head. He looked from me to the cabinet, and I saw him stare at my reflection for a second before turning me around. He gently pulled the gown further down to see more of my back, and I could hear him take a sharp breath. A sob escaped my lips as I put my hand over my mouth to muffle the others that were bound to follow.

"Let's get you cleaned up," Geo gently said as he guided me to stool to sit on. I buried my head in my hands and took calming breaths as I waited for him to return with medicines. I felt him gather my hair and sweep it over my shoulder to give him better access to my back. When he touched my neck a shiver ran down my spine. "Sorry, cold hands," he chuckled awkwardly to lighten the situation. A small smirk pulled at my lips knowing that it was not just the cold that caused it.

He began to lightly dab the salve on my sores which quickly eased the stinging making me sigh with relief. "Do not worry, these sores will heal," Geo said in an attempt to soothe me.

"I know," I whispered.

"In a couple of weeks they will be gone. No need to worry."

I nodded my head but said nothing for a while. I looked over my shoulder at Geo. Even though I knew the answer I felt compelled to ask. "It is going to scar, isn't it?"

Geo looked up at me and hesitated for a moment. "Yes, it will scar," he finally admitted. My lips pulled together tightly as I fought back the need to cry again. "Try not to be upset, Flora," he said softly. "You will heal soon and be able to go back to normal."

"Normal means nothing!" I snapped. I could tell my outburst shocked him because he had stopped applying the salve. I turned to look at him and sighed. "I am sorry, Geo. It's just that I haven't had any normalcy or routine since I came out of hibernation, and the last thing I need is to have permanent reminders on my skin. Reminders that I am an outsider and expendible."

Geo's brows knitted together in confusion. "What gives you that idea?" he asked with a hint of anger in his voice.

"Thana admitted to me last night that she chose not to give me the vaccine because I was not a full member of the pod." I could see Geo's jaw clench with anger.

"She told you that?" he asked. "Is that why you rejected her help last night?"

"It was one of the reasons," I admitted. I did not want to go into how I had thought she was trying to poison me.

Geo sighed. "I know that this is hard and awkward, but you need to let her help you if we are going to heal these wounds. It is the only way we will all make it through this."

I didn't want to give in, but I knew that he was right and nodded. A small smile broke out on his face. "Thank you, now let me just change the bedding, and we will have you lay back down." I watched him as replaced the sheets. The dark circles under his eyes and light scruff on his chin gave away just how tired he was. Despite it he gave me an encouraging smile once he was done prepping the cot that warmed my heart.

I slowly layed down on my side in an attempt to air out my back and winced as weight was placed on new sores. "Are you ok?" Geo asked as he reached out for my hand, rubbing his thumb in small comforting circles.

"Mhm," I hummed. Once I got in a comfortable enough spot I looked up to see that he had taken a seat in the chair next to the cot, his hand still clasping mine. "You should get some rest. I know you were working all night," I said as I tried to withdraw my hand. Instead he held onto it even firmer.

"I am fine," he said. "I know there isn't much to entertain you in here. And besides, I wanted to see you," he smiled.

"Thank you," I said returning his smile. "I am still feeling tired though. Do you mind if I close my eyes for a bit?"

"Not at all," he said as I closed my eyes. Truth be told I was not very tired, but one look at him and anyone could see he needed rest. After a while his slow circles on my hand came to a stop and I could hear a soft breathing beside me. I looked up from my cot and smiled to myself when I saw Geo slumped over slightly in his chair fast asleep.