Chapter Text
Gurathin wakes up confused and comfortable. Confused because he is comfortable. He's still muzzy from sleep but part of him is convinced that he ought to have a headache and feel nauseous from horror. Instead he is pain-free, relaxed, and comfortable.
“How did you sleep, Dr. Gurathin?” Perihelion says through a speaker above him.
Oh. Right. The reality of the past, how many did Ratthi say? Nineteen? Cycles drops back into his mind and he furrows his brow.
“How long was I unconscious?” Gurathin asks Perihelion.
Through the speaker Perihelion answers “You were unconscious from medication for approximately four hours, after which you transitioned into a natural sleep pattern for nine hours. Would you like me to tell you the time and cycle date?”
“No, thank you.” Gurathin answers, pulling up the information through the feed with his augments. This action which was normally habitual for him felt now luxurious after so many days of being mentally punished for trying even to think about it. He sighed. With relief or resentment he wasn't sure.
One thing he was sure of was that he was grateful. He made the right choice. His rescue had been real after all, as extraordinarily unlikely as it had seemed. Sitting up, Gurathin sees that he is alone in the medical bay, aside of course from Perihelion's ever watchful eye. Speaking of sentient transports…
“Perihelion,” Gurathin says “About yesterday. I swore at you because I was stressed and unsure of where I was, which is unlike me. I'm sorry. I had hoped to make a better first impression when I finally met you.”
“You have nothing to apologize for Dr. Gurathin” Perihelion responds. “But I accept your apology anyway if it will make you feel better. You did decide to trust me in the end after all. Or at least you trusted SecUnit and Rahtti. I want to assure you, Dr. Gurathin, that I intend to make a good first impression of myself as well, and I was telling the truth yesterday when I said my medical suite was fully certified in trauma recovery.”
Feeling anxious for the first time since he woke up, Gurathin ignores the implied offer there and searches for a misdirect. “Where’s Ratthi?” He asks.
“Dr. Ratthi is currently in his quarters, and he is awake. He specifically requested of me that I inform him upon your return to consciousness, would you like me to do that now?”
Gurathin takes stock of himself.
He’s no longer in the handmade clothes that SecUnit gave him during the escape yesterday, though he spots them folded neatly nearby. Along with soft-looking slippers. What he is wearing are the sort of medical patient scrubs that come standard printed by most medical suites. Which means that the suite had undressed and redressed him while he was unconscious. Gurathin understands the necessity for the purpose of treating him, but the thin gown makes him feel vulnerable.
“Could you wait to tell him that I’m awake? I’d like to freshen up a little and get dressed first.”
“Of course Dr. Gurathin.”
Perihelion directs him to bathroom facilities attached to the medical bay and informs him that the handmade clothes have been laundered. Once he is dressed– the slippers are as soft as they looked, if not his usual style of footwear– he assents for Perihelion to inform Ratthi. As he predicted, Ratthi immediately contacts him via the feed, asking if Gurathin would like him to bring breakfast along with himself to the medbay. Gurathin sends an affirmative and ten minutes later Ratthi walks in with two meals.
“How are you feeling?”
“Well. Much better than yesterday.”
“Does that mean that you don’t think– or you believe…” Ratthi seems hesitant to phrase the question. Slightly awkward in a way that he isn’t usually. I must have really scared him yesterday, Gurathin thinks and decides to save him from suspense.
“I know that it’s really you Ratthi. The rescue was real. I’m impressed, you and SecUnit managed to pull off the impossible again.”
“Well Tarik and Perihelion helped. I’m so glad you’re feeling better now.”
Gurathin digs into his food with a relish. Ratthi starts eating but then stops and says, “Is something wrong with your drink? Did I get the order wrong again? I thought I had it down this time.”
“Uh– no. You got the right drink.”
“But you’re not drinking it. And you didn’t drink the one yesterday either. What’s up?”
“They– um… also got my drink order correct. Pulled the info from my hacked augments. Probably trying to get me to ingest more of their substances.”
Ratthi’s face goes sad again. He slowly reaches out a hand to grip Gurathin’s forearm.
“Oh, Gurathin, I’m so sorry.”
Even being able to see it coming and though he knows that Ratthi is real Gurathin feels restless under his touch. Trying to lighten the mood he says,
“It’s fine. It’ll teach me not to drink so much of that old Corporate style extra-sweet crap. Maybe I’ll even take up a liking for that bitter tea you all drink finally, like a true Preservationer.”
The half-smile feels weak on his face. And Ratthi’s expression goes from sad to worse. He supposes what he said is not really all that funny. He never claimed to be funny, even at his best.
“You are a true Preservationer Gurathin.” Ratthi says. Like he should already know that. Gurathin nods and shifts his arm. Ratthi’s hand falls easily away, like a dropped glove, or a snake.
Ratthi spends the rest of the meal telling him the story (with many asides about how heroic, clever and resourceful SecUnit, Tarik, and Perihelion were) of how they found and rescued Gurathin. It’s pleasant, almost like old times.