Recovery...

Posted on Fri Dec 3rd, 2021 @ 6:25am by Captain Mattias Richardson [Reece] & Commodore Phoenix Lalor-Richardson

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: Starfleet Medical, Earth, San Fransisco
Timeline: 2391
1863 words - 3.7 OF Standard Post Measure

It had been nearly a week since Starfleet Marine Captain Mattias Richardson had been brought to the main hospital complex for Starfleey Medical. While his injuries had been partially stabilized enroute, he was still fighting for his life when he arrived.

Following the disastrous mission to ***CLASSIFIED***, His body was a wreak. His right arm broken, both legs smashed, three vertebrae broken, four ribs broken, his lower jaw cracked, plus numerous other internal injuries to his organs. Most damaging of all, was the damage to his spine. From his hips down, he had zero sensations or control.

It would take a miracle to put him fully back together.

Thus, his delivery to Starfleet Medical, the best place to recieve medical treatment in the entire quadrant.

He had been rushed to surgery, the first of many to come, to fully stabilize him. The first set of surgeries rook nearly twenty hours, with three different teams working on him in shifts.

Finally, stabilized, he was sent to recovery, while the next set of surgeries were planned out.

Saundra Willmingham moved into the ICU recovery ward. A nurse of 10 years experience, she had seen her fair share of injuries and the marine they were wheeling in right now, was near the top of the worst she had seen. She had helped in the surgery and knew the extent. Once the bio bed was in place she set up the equipment to monitor the man's vitals. She checked the read outs and then did her own visual assessment of his condition. She had been taught to use her eyes not just machines. She was checking his pulse the old fashioned way, and made sure the IV was set up properly.

Mattias slowly started to awaken. As he opened his eyes, he thought he had seen an agel standing over him. "Hi..." he said weakly. "Am...am I in heaven?"

"No" Came the reply "Starfleet medical, Earth. Welcome back Captain." Saundra was briskly professional.

"Earth...?" He seemed confused for a moment. Then his senses returned to him. "Tim! Where's...urg....!!" His eyes clenched shut as pain washed over his body in waves. His vitals started to go a little erratic.

"Breathe" She ordered briskly. "You are safe and your team is also safe. Now lay still so you can heal." She pushed on his shoulders. She checked the readings and sighed before pressing a button, releasing a low level sedative into his blood stream. Not enough to knock him out but just enough to calm him down.

As the meds entered his system, Mattias instantly started to relax. His eyes opened slowly and he took in the vision above him. "Thank you, Ma'am. My name's Mattias, by the way. My friends call me Matt."

"I am Nurse Saundra Willmingham. You are lucky to be alive, Captain. And if you do as you are told, you will be walking out of here in a few months."

Smiling softly, the drugs starting to make him a bit foggy, he replied. "Saundra, that's a lovely name. Please, call me Matt. I will do whatever you tell me, if it makes you smile."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "For a man almost dead, you seem to want to flirt."

His smile growing to a full lop-sided grin, he replied. "Well, a guy can't be blamed for flirting with such an attractive woman, such as yourself."

She considered her next move. "Captain, you are severely injured. I suggest you lay there heal. And then when you are better we can look into getting you some help with the flirting." Her lips quirked

Smiling his best boyish grin, despite the sedatives, he replied. "Call me Matt and I'll consider it."

"That would be against regulations" She replied.

A slight mischievous grin crossed his face. "Then.." he whispered so only she could hear. "Consider it an order."

"You are not my CO. And while you are here, your orders are moot" Saundra replied smugly.

Mattias's eyes lit up at that. "Oh really?" He asked groggily as the drugs continued to work through his system. "And if I ask you very nicely?"

"No not even then. Now are you in any pain, Captain?"

Mattias sighed. This lovely lady would be difficult to win over, he could see that now. However, that could wait. "Yes, actually. My back and legs are killing me!"

She nodded and picked up a hypospray and adjusted it and pressed it to his neck. "There"

As soon as the strong meds hit his system, Martias was on cloud nine. "Ohh...." he sighed in relief, his eyes slowly closing. "Thank..." he drifted off to sleep mid sentence.

Smiling Saundra fixed the blankets and dimmed the light to let him sleep.

===Two days later===

Mattias was sitting up a bit more today. His body still hurt, but he was trying to cope with the pain and not be a bother to the attractive and whip-smart nurse, Saundra Willmingham.

Saundra came in carrying a large vase of flowers. "Delivery for you, Captain." She handed him a sealed envelope. "Fancy paper that, looks like parchment."

As soon as he held the card, and smelled the soft perfume that emanated from it, he knew who it was from. Smiling softly, he said, "It's from a very special friend. More than special, in fact." He held the card, unopened, close to his heart, as he thought of Phoenix.

Saundra smiled at that. "Well I can tell you there are two more vases like this outside."

Mattias chuckled. "Yeah, that sounds like Phoenix," he said with a warm grin. "We were an item, and before that, I saved her from her father, the king of her home. He was whipping her in public, tied to a post." He paused, reliving that day in his mind. "Later, we became..quite close. Our service took us to seperate ships, however, and we haven'tseen each other in a while."

Saundra raised an eyebrow "She must hold you in very high esteem."

"The feeling is mutual." He paused, unsure how much to say. However, there was something about this woman that made him trust her. It was more than just her being his nurse. He felt something, deep inside, that told him that Saundra was very special. So, he decided to be honest and see where things went.

"When our eyes locked that first day, when she was tied to the post, I felt an overwhelming ugre to save and protect her. Being forced to stand by and watch as her father whipped her, in the middle of the public square was one of the hardest things I ever had to do."

"The king was going to kill her," he said somberly. "All because her piece of shit brother betrayed her. Of course, that part, I didn't find out until later." He took a breath to calm his rising anger. "When the king paused in his beating, I finally acted. Stepping out into the square I fired a warning shot and as everyone started to scatter, I reached Phoenix, cut her down, and got her safely to our embassy."

"Needless to say, I kicked a hornets nest. But, my commanding officer stood by my side and ensured that nothing happened to either myself or Phoenix. The ambassador, he was fit to be tied. He wanted my head on a plate in the worst way. But, in the end, my commanding officer had much more clout. So, instead, I was given orders off world. Phoenix, once she recovered, was granted asylum and we went our seperate ways."

"Little over four years later, I'm a captain myself and in command of a marine unit onboard the USS Montgomery Scott, an old Ambassador class ship. One day, a new batch of freshly graduated officers comes aboard via shuttle and, to my suprise, she's one of them."

"Suffice to say, our reunion soon turned into one the most important, and romantic, relationships I've ever had. I..uh..I was her first." He blushed slightly, hoping Saundra wouldn't laugh at him. "We were together for a year, growing closer and closer together. And then," he sighed sadly, "she recieved new orders to a smaller ship. Unfortunately there was no way I was going to be allowed to transfer with her, as there wasn't a position available for someone of my rank snd experience."

"I asked her to marry me, thinking it would force personnel to recind her transfer. However, she gently refused. She was right, of course. It wasn't the right time for it. But, we swore to each other that we would always remain very close. We would live whatever life Fate put before us." He took a deep breath and chuckled softly. "Sorry, you probably don't care to hear my sob story. I'm sure you hear plenty of them." While a part of him felt totally alone and brokenhearted, thinking of his lost love, another part hoped Saundra didn't think any less of him for dumping his emotional baggage on the deck in front of her.

Saundra merely smiled. " Well, she still thinks of you, it's clear." She put the vase down and said "I'll bring in the others."

"Thank you," he said softly. As she moved to bring the vases in, he opened the card and read the beautiful words written inside.

Thiramen,

I wish I could be there with you, but I am unable to get away. I have been transferred again and I am so sorry that I cannot make it. Get better Thiramen, I love you, I miss you. I pray to the Triad every night for your health.

Phoenix

Mattias's heart warmed at the loving words Phoenix had written. Carefully, he refolded the parchment and slid it back in the envelope. After placing the envelope in the drawer of his small bedside end table,he took a momentto silently send his love out to her, wherever she was at that moment. Then, looking up, he watched as Saundra carefully placed the beautiful flowers around his room. "Thank you," he said softly. After taking a quiet breath, he asked, "Um, perhaps later, if you'd like, would you care to have lunch or something with me?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "A woman sends you flowers and you ask me to lunch?"

Mattias chuckled softly. "She and I have a special relationship. She wouldn't be insulted if I asked you out. In fact, she would support it."

"Oh yeah, before or after she stabs us both?"

He chuckled again. "No. So long as she sees that I'm happy, she would support whatever happens."

"Well we shall see if the doctor lets you out in regards to lunch."

He grinned softly at this. "I'll make sure they clear me." He had a tone of determination on his voice.

Over the next several weeks, Mattias and Saundra grew closer and closer. She started spendibg more of her off duty time by his side. They would talk, laugh, cry over each other's past pains, all the while, their hearts grew stronger together.

Only Fate knew what would happen next for them.

~OFF~