Invasive Procedures by Card Orson Scott & Johnston Aaron

Author:Card, Orson Scott & Johnston, Aaron [Card, Orson Scott & Johnston, Aaron]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction, thriller, Fantasy, Mystery, Suspense
ISBN: 9781429966566
Amazon: 1429966564
Goodreads: 9659712
Publisher: Tor Books
Published: 2007-01-01T08:00:00+00:00

21

HEART

Frank awoke coughing a deep phlegm-filled cough that squeezed his lungs so tightly and pained him so gready that he was sure for a moment that he was dying. A gentle hand on his shoulder and a voice in his ear made him think otherwise.

“Cough into this,” the voice said, and Frank felt a bowl at his lips.

He coughed again, a long chest-compressing cough that made his eyes water and left him gasping for breath. When it passed, he sunk back into the mattress, utterly wasted, the blood flowing back to his face.

“I know it hurts,” said Monica, “but coughing expands your lungs and helps prevent infection.”

Frank tried sitting up, but Monica stopped him with a delicate hand. “You need to rest. You’re healing remarkably and it’s probably safe to move around, but give the medication a moment to wake you thoroughly. You’ll be a little unsteady on your feet if you get up too fast.”

He lay back and looked up at the ceiling, planks of polished hardwood upon which danced the flicker of firelight. “Where am I?”

“Safe for now.”

His mind was clearing. The operating room. The Healers. The restraints. Panicked, he lifted his arms and saw that leather straps no longer held him. He was free, but an IV tube was attached to one wrist.

“Lie still,” said Monica. “Relax. Try not to excite yourself.”

“Where am I?” he repeated, trying to get up again. A sharp pain in his chest hit him like a javelin and he fell back onto the bed.

“Please,” she said. “You shouldn’t make any sudden movements. I think the staples are nearly ready to come out, but you don’t want to risk reopening the wound.”

“Wound?” he said absently.

“I’ll be back shortly. Do you think you can be still for a few minutes?”

He was hardly hearing her. “What? Yes. I’ll be still.”

“I’ve given you something for the pain, although if you’re anything like the others, the pain should go away soon.”

“Yes,” he said blankly, staring up at the ceiling.

Dr. Monica Owens left him, and it was quiet for a few minutes. Frank stared up at the ceiling as his thoughts began to organize themselves. In a moment, the fog of anesthesia lifted, and he felt awake.

He turned his head to one side and saw the source of the light. A fire crackled softly in a large stone hearth nearby. The chimney above it rose a good fifteen feet before disappearing into the ceiling. The furniture around the hearth was rustic and inviting: a leather sofa, a Native American rug, an end table that appeared to be made entirely of deer antlers, a large stuffed chair with a matching ottoman. Throw blankets. Throw pillows.

It was a cabin.

Frank felt the urge to urinate and threw back the blanket that covered him. He wore a hospital gown tied loosely in the back. A catheter tube snaked out from under his gown and into a bag at his bedside. Wincing, he pulled out the catheter and slowly sat up on the side of the bed, his bare feet just touching the cool hardwood floor.

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