Human trauma, p.6
Human Trauma, page 6
part #1 of Human Trauma Series
Martinez was familiar with how to use the whole patient concept from his experience as a corpsman. The Galactic Union took that idea to a whole other level. They placed an astonishing amount of care towards respecting each species’ specific needs for care and recovery.
Whenever Martinez stood there reading, and his focus wandered, or he began to accidentally nod off out of sheer boredom, Shiksie quickly corrected him. Her cold demeanor and silent movements always startled him.
Martinez’s eyes would begin to sag, and only moments later, her warm breath rolled across the back of his neck, followed quickly by “What are you doing?” delivered in her icy monotone. No matter what answer or excuse Martinez gave, it never phased the tall, cat-like alien. She would glare at him with contempt for a few moments, her bright emerald eyes cutting through his reasoning like a knife. She then would nod and curtly tell him to focus more before returning to whatever she was doing.
After the third time, Martinez was surprised Shiksie had kept her approach the same. Then again, his heart still skipped a beat when they locked eyes. So maybe she knew how much she was freaking him out and got some sick twisted thrill of watching her new mentee squirm.
When the day rolled to an end, Therin fluttered out of the shop and wished him a good day. Meanwhile, Ivorn lumbered toward him and tapped him on the shoulder.
“How are you doing, buddy?” Ivorn asked.
Martinez tucked the datapad into the pocket of his scrubs and gave Ivorn his whole attention, “not that bad, better than yesterday anyways,” he said with a nervous chuckle.
Ivorn nodded his head. “That’s good. Come on, buddy, let’s go get dinner,” Ivorn said, a bright smile crawling onto his face.
“Yeah, that sounds good. Lemme just let Shiksie know I’m going to leave,” Martinez replied as he began to step toward her workstation in the center of the room.
Ivorn wrapped his massive arm around Martinez and pulled him into a half-hug escort.
“Nah, don’t worry about that. I got you,” Ivorn said. He looked over his shoulder and loudly announced, “Hey Shiksie, I’m taking Martinez out for dinner. Do you need him for anything?”
Shiksie’s saucer-like ears twitched under Ivorn’s booming voice. She never even raised her head from her datapad to look at them. She just raised her hand over her workstation and gave the two of them a shooing motion.
“See, she doesn’t need anything. Now come on,” Ivron said, turning his attention back to Martinez.
The two traveled out of the Trauma Center and into the busy city streets. Hundreds of aliens of all shapes and sizes moved throughout the afternoon sun. Weaving and ducking around one another, doing their utmost not to interfere with others as they go about their day.
Martinez had yet to get used to the cohesion and courtesy of the aliens of the Galactic Union. In any city of this size and density back on Earth, you would see people bumping into one another, fighting, and arguing. Yet these aliens seemed to have next to none of these issues.
Ivorn equally had no issues with moving about this city and crowded streets. With his hulking frame, he could quickly shove any aliens out of the way with little problem; instead, he carefully stepped aside and cleared the path before apologizing to others for being in their way.
Ivorn led Martinez to a park toward the center of the city. Its design and placement near the heavily built-up urban sprawl reminded Martinez of pictures of Central Park, at least what it used to look like hundreds of years ago.
Red concrete paths wound around large fields of lush grass, tall trees, and vibrant flowers spattered amongst the meadows, giving the park some much-appreciated color. In the distance, a glistening lake reflected the amber light of the setting suns. Weaving amidst the scenery, groups of aliens walked along the paths, happily enjoying the warm late summer breeze.
“Wow, I didn’t even know somewhere like this existed in the city,” Martinez said in awe, taking in the scene with childlike wonder.
“It is beautiful, isn’t it? I like coming here. It reminds me of home,” Ivorn said as he started down the nearby path, with Martinez following shortly behind.
“Oh, did you not grow up here?” Martinez questioned.
Ivorn gave him a hearty chuckle and shook his head. “No, I didn’t. I grew up on— Well, far away from here,” he said.
The alien’s soft black eyes twinged as he finished that sentence. Martinez wasn’t sure, but the look that grew on Ivorn’s face reminded him of guilt.
Martinez wanted to respect his new co-worker’s privacy. If Ivorn wished to tell him more than that, he would have done so. Martinez tried to deflect the conversation away from that topic to something more pleasant.
“So where are we going for food anyways? Wouldn’t we want to go the other way to find a restaurant?” Martinez asked while gesturing behind them and in the general direction of the central business district.
Ivorn’s attention returned from whatever memory he had just gotten lost in. He looked back at Martinez, the sullen look in his eyes fading almost instantly.
“Normally, yeah, but I wanted to take you somewhere I think you would like,” he said.
“What makes you think that?” Martinez asked, raising his brow.
“Just trust me, buddy, you will like this place. It’s a special shop,” Ivorn said with a broad smile on his face as he looked off into the distance of the park.
“Alright, if you insist on keeping it a secret,” Martinez chuckled, his mind filled with all the possibilities of what the restaurant could look like.
They continued through the park, and Ivorn drew Martinez’s attention to the attractions the gem in the city’s center had to offer. He pointed out certain types of flowers and their history, the lake, and its fantastic fishing. There was even a statue of one of the same species as Ivorn, which Martinez now knew was called Rouqarin.
The small plaque that was on the statue’s plinth told a short story of how the alien it depicted had founded this city following something called the resettling. There were no other details about what “the resettling” was, and when Martinez asked Ivorn what it was, that sullen look drew across his face again, and Ivorn told him he would rather not talk about that. Martinez figured he should not press the sensitive topic. Ivorn had been nothing but kind and helpful to him; returning the courtesy seemed like the least he could do.
After a few minutes of walking in silence, Martinez was growing a bit worried he might have ruined Ivorn’s mood. Until they reached the park’s far end, there was another lush field with a small building just at its edge. It was built entirely out of some kind of pinkish wood, with a large deck out toward the meadows. Dozens of unoccupied tables were neatly arranged amidst it.
A large sign was atop an open entryway with writing in one of the dozens of alien languages Martinez had seen throughout the city. Written below that in Galactic Standard were the words “nested hen.”
A small alien darted out of the shop as they neared the entrance. The alien looked similar to Shiksie if she was only a meter tall and had brown fur. They wore a baby blue dress and had a bright white apron on over it. They rushed straight at them and leaped into Ivorn’s open arms, shouting gleefully, “Ive, welcome back!”
“Hey, Sursee, did you miss me?” Ivorn asked as he pulled the small alien into a gentle hug, her short tail swaying behind her as she buried her face in Ivorn’s collar.
“What kind of a stupid question is that? Of course, I missed you. You haven’t been here in days. I was starting to get worried you didn’t like it here,” Sursee said, looking up at Ivorn with a playful smile.
“Me liking somewhere like this? I could never. I hear the staff just jump out and grab random passersby,” Ivorn said with sarcasm oozing off him as he gently lowered the lithe woman to the ground.
She giggled and laid her head against Ivorn’s large frame, and he ran his hand through her long amber hair. Her tail swayed gently, and she pawed at Ivorn’s chest, seeming to enjoy the moment between them.
Both seemed to have forgotten that Martinez was there at all, content in each other’s presence. Martinez coughed into his hand, hoping to get Ivorn’s attention. Ivorn’s head turned to look over at him before he awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
“Sursee, meet my new coworker. This here is Martinez,” Ivorn said as he gestured his massive hand toward Martinez.
Sursee turned and quickly walked over to Martinez. He extended a hand for her, but she flowed like water around it and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. Sursee halfway buried her face into his stomach and looked up at him with bright gold eyes.
Wow! She is warm, Martinez thought, as her ludicrously high body temperature ignited a fire of embarrassment inside him.
Martinez froze in place as she nuzzled herself into his chest, taking a deep, drawn-out breath of his scent. Her tail swayed faster behind her, and his face flushed red. Martinez held his hands awkwardly to his side, unsure if he was supposed to hug her back.
Sursee looked up and fluttered her ears in confusion. She stared intently at him as if absorbing every minute detail of Martinez. The way she stared was eerily similar to Shiksie, but it did not feel anywhere as predatory. It felt more akin to her trying to understand how some puzzle worked.
“Is something wrong?” She questioned as she canted her head. “you are very tense.”
“Why–why are you hugging me?’ Martinez awkwardly questioned.
Sursee’s ears twitched, and her eyes narrowed as she thought about the question, as if the reason why was some complicated thing to explain. Ivorn interrupted her train of thought when he started laughing. Both Martinez and Sursee turned their heads toward him. Ivorn nearly fell over, his hands resting on his knees, and his chest heaved.
“Martinez, you should see the look on your face. You look like you just got attacked by some monster,” Ivorn barked through his deep, echoing laughter.
“I am not a Monster, Ive,” Sursee pouted.
“Sursee, his species doesn’t embrace like mine. I think you might have made him feel awkward,” Ivorn said, waving his hand toward them.
Sursee looked back towards Martinez, and her ears folded flat against her hair. She let go of him and stepped back. “I’m sorry about that. I figured since Ive brought you here— Well, I’m still sorry,” she muttered, avoiding eye contact with Martinez.
“It’s alright, I just wasn’t expecting that,” Martinez said, trying to reassure her.
Her demeanor did not change much; she at least made fleeting eye contact with him again, but her ears did not flutter happily around like they had before Ivorn gave her the realization that she might have made a social faux pas.
“Either way, Sursee, can we get a table? I wanna treat him tonight?” Ivorn asked as he took a deep breath and wiped a tear from his cheek.
“Of course, I always have a table for you, Ive,” Sursee said as she turned back towards him.
Sursee guided them into the small restaurant. The inside was lavishly decorated, with short tables surrounded by soft cushions, each with a small grill in the center. The walls were painted to look like a desert. Rolling dunes stretched across their surface, with light green trees and bright blue lakes placed just over each of the tables.
Once seated in the plush cushions, Sursee brought out some platters of meats and vegetables. Martinez found it curious because Sursee never offered them a menu; she just served them. He wondered if there would have been any options at all.
Alongside the food was something that looked like it might be a type of beer. The black liquid had a frothy top and reminded Martinez of Guinness. Before Sursee left, she hugged Ivorn and whispered something in his ear. Martinez could not tell what was said. But he knew Ivorn must have liked what he heard since a subtle grin curled up on his mouth as Sursee gracefully sauntered to deal with other customers.
“How are you feeling about the job so far, buddy?” Ivorn asked as he placed slices of meat atop the grill.
Martinez thought about the question for a few seconds before answering. “Honestly, I feel a bit out of my element here. I was an excellent corpsman, but I feel lost with what Shiksie has me doing. Most of the time, I’m just reading, and at least half of the things you had me help with earlier, I had no clue what was going on,“ Martinez complained.
Ivorn nodded while listening to Martinez, hanging onto every word and trying to pick apart the answer.
“Well, you will understand most of the work in time; you have made a big jump from species-focused practice to general treatment,” Ivorn replied calmly.
“I get that. I’m dense but not that stupid. Have a little faith in me,” Martinez replied.
“I do have faith in you. I’ve read up on your species, and the whole department was briefed on your background before you arrived,” Ivorn said as he grabbed some tongs and flipped the sizzling meat over.
The smell of the burning fats dripping off the food and burning made Maritez’s stomach growl. Martinez tossed some additional food onto the grill so he could also have something to eat.
Martinez did not know what the team knew about him before his arrival, and he was glad Ivorn gave him some insight into the matter. He had been worried all they knew was whatever Harnsis had managed to dredge up from the data net about Humanity or what limited knowledge there was about Humans in the hospital’s database.
Both sources of information were either extremely limited or woefully enthusiastic. When Martinez looked Humans up in the hospital’s database, he was surprised that no other Humans had ever arrived on the station since he had been there. His surgery and the documents he provided from the Human Navy were the only things on the record.
Martinez took a sip of whatever the ice-cold drink was. It had a tart and nutty flavor. Considering how much it looked like Guinness, it was not what he assumed it would be, but it wasn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination.
Martinez looked puzzled at the glass and asked, “What is this?”
“As I said before, I read up on your species. You, Humans, drink ethanol as a type of bonding ritual. Sursee does the same thing, so I wanted to come here so you could have some Jurtoi,” replied Ivorn, grabbing his glass.
“It’s the only ethanol drink I knew wouldn’t kill me. It’s low enough in ethanol I can have some, but I still should not drink much of it,” Ivorn said as he took a tentative sip.
“Thanks, Ivorn, I appreciate it. I haven’t been able to find beer since I got here,” Martinez said as he took another swig.
If Martinez had to guess, Jurtoi was nearly zero percent alcohol. He doubted he could get drunk off it unless he were trying to, but the gesture was very caring either way. Martinez scooped some of the now-cooked meat onto his plate, the rendered fat pooling off it onto the polished surface.
“It’s no problem. I want you to feel welcome,” Ivorn said with his usual bright smile.
Martinez chuckled at the idea. “yeah, you guys certainly are doing that. Did you see the apartment Harnsis decorated for me?” He asked before taking a deep swig of the Jurtoi. Ivorn watched in shock as half the glass emptied in one motion.
“I did see the dozens of boxes he had delivered to the Shop, but I didn’t help move them. He and Shiksie moved whatever he found for you,” Ivorn said before taking a bite of his food.
“Shiksie helped move that stuff in? Are you sure we are talking about the same woman?” Martinez asked. Martinez could see Ivorn or Harnsis helping with his move. He could see the Director helping out well before Shiksie ever would. It was a surprise that she would do anything for him other than intimidating, threatening, or glowering at him.
“Of course, she would. Shiksie wants you to feel welcome, too,” Ivorn said, pointing his hefty finger at Martinez to drive his point home.
“You could have fooled me. I figured she wants me just to leave like the last guy,” Martinez sighed before polishing off his Jurtoi.
Martinez thought of her cold gaze staring into his soul, and the mental image sent a frigid shiver down his spine. Years of combat training had him instinctively tense his muscles as if that demonic feline would appear out of nowhere.
Ivorn laughed and called Sursee, “Sursee, can you get him another? We might be here for a minute.”
Sursee quickly swung past and grabbed the empty glass, her tail wistfully flicking across Ivorn’s shoulder, with him teasingly poking at her side before she was out of reach.
Ivorn took a slow sip of his drink, a slight grimace coming across his face before he resumed speaking. “You got it all wrong, bud. Trust me, she really does want you to do well. Shiksie is just— well, different in how she teaches.”
“Yeah, have me stand in the corner and read out of a manual all day while vaguely threatening me. I would call that different,” Martinez scoffed. “Why does she want me to stand anyway?”
Martinez certainly understood the good that can come from book studies but that all is worthless without being hands-on in some regard. Shiksie seemed incredibly focused on the former and neglected the latter altogether. Without Ivorn and Harnsis, Martinez would not have even been in the same room as a patient yet.
Sursee flowed back to their table as silently as a leaf on the wind. She gently placed another Jurtoi in front of Martinez and gave the two of them a gentle smile before she went off to attend another group. Ivorn’s eyes lingered on her as she sauntered away. Martinez slightly wondered if there was more to their relationship than just being friends, considering how they seemed extremely comfortable around one another.
After Ivorn’s wandering gaze returned to the food in front of him, he continued. “Ah yeah, that was different for me too. It took a few weeks, but eventually she let me start sitting down. Something to do with ‘not having earned that,’” he said while flipping his hand lazily.
Having not earned it? Martinez wondered what sort of Lord of the Flies hierarchy he walked into. Sure, he had heard of some military units doing weird initiations for new arrivals, but he had never heard of a medical shop doing that. It seemed like a waste of time.
