Progress

Posted on Mon Sep 29th, 2025 @ 1:59pm by Lieutenant Patrick Ryan M.D. & Lieutenant JG Elara Vasquez

373 words; about a 2 minute read

Mission: A Silence of Friends

Patrick stirred long before he opened his eyes. His hand shifted against the sheets, fingers twitching as if reaching for something unseen. Elara, who had been monitoring him from the chair beside the biobed, straightened at once.

“Patrick?” she said softly, leaning closer.

His brow furrowed before his eyelids flickered open, slow and heavy. The room’s lights seemed to startle him, and he squinted before his gaze finally landed on her. For the first time in days, there was clarity in his eyes rather than fever’s haze.

“Elara…” His voice was hoarse, rough with disuse. “What—how long…?”

“You’ve been out for several days,” she explained gently. “We administered the serum. It’s working. Your fever’s broken, vitals are stabilizing.”

Patrick blinked at her, as though piecing it together, and then let out a small laugh that quickly turned into a cough. She steadied him with a hand on his shoulder until it passed.

“I suppose I owe you my life,” he rasped, half-smile tugging at his lips.

“You’d have done the same for me,” Elara replied, though her tone carried the unspoken relief of someone who had been on the edge of losing him. She gave him a measured look. “But don’t get any ideas—you’re still weak. No heroics until you’re cleared.”

Patrick sighed, but the smile remained. “So… the others?”

“They’re holding,” Elara said, her expression softening. “You were the first to receive the cure. If your recovery continues like this, we’ll begin full treatment across the ship. You’ve given them all a fighting chance.”

His gaze softened, lingering on her. “Not me,” he murmured. “You did.”

For a moment, silence settled between them, broken only by the quiet rhythm of the monitors. Then Patrick’s eyes closed again, though not in weakness this time, but in peace. “Thank you, Elara,” he whispered.

She squeezed his hand gently, a rare smile curving her lips. “Rest now, Patrick. Let us handle the rest. You’ve done more than enough.”

And as he drifted back into healing sleep, Elara remained at his side, watching—not as a doctor this time, but as a friend finally able to believe in hope again.

 

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