Page 121 of Akarnae

“Yes, I gave you quite a strong painkiller,” he said. “I’m actually surprised you managed to walk all the way back to your room. But Kaiden said you made it without incident.”

That was a relief, at least. She would have been mortified to find out that he had been forced to carry her.

“I can’t really remember much,” she said.

“That’s a common side-effect of the sedative,” Fletcher assured her. “But you’ll be fine now. Let’s have a look at how you’re healing.”

He used his MedTek to X-ray her again. After perusing the holograph he said, “Everything’s looking good.”

“How long until it’s healed properly?” she asked. “And until it stops hurting?”

“Is it hurting much?”

“A little,” she admitted.

“I’ll give you something to help speed along the healing now that I know it’s setting in the right position,” Fletcher said. “You should be back to normal within a few days. Until then, I’ll keep you on the pain meds.”

“A few days?” Alex repeated, wondering if she’d heard wrong. “That’s pretty fast, isn’t it? What sort of ‘something’ are we talking about?”

Fletcher walked over to his medicine cabinet and came back with two vials—one green, the other a dusky pink.

“This is a regeneration motivator,” he said, handing her the pink one first. “It’s commonly referred to as Regenevator.”

She peered into the glass. “What does it do?”

“It accelerates your body’s natural healing process just like the healing salve that we use on minor cuts, but this one is taken orally. As it enters the bloodstream it motivates an increase in bodily functions associated with healing. This particular dose is specifically for damage to the skeletal structure. Other Regenevators can cover a range of internal and external maladies where there’s a need for tissue, flesh and even organ regeneration. Some also motivate speedier white blood cell creation to aid against infection, which is necessary with some of the nastier wounds.”

“So, a few days, huh?” Alex said again, impressed.

“Just in time for you to finish your final week of classes.” He laughed at the face she made and then instructed, “Go on and drink that down.”

It was a testament to how much she’d learned to trust the doctor that she didn’t even hesitate before raising the flask to her lips and swallowing the pink liquid. Much like his other medicines, it had a nice taste to it, sweet and fruity.

“Since you haven’t actually broken anything you’ll only need one dose,” he said when she handed him back the empty vial. “But you’ll still be a little tender until it’s done its work.”

He handed her the green flask then, and she examined it before asking, “What’s with the different shades? I’m used to having the bright green one, but last night you gave me a dark green one, and now this is somewhere in between. Are they different strengths or something?”

He nodded. “They each have a different concentration of analgesic, and the darker ones have an added sedative to help with the pain.”

“Will this one knock me out again?” she asked, looking at the forest-coloured liquid warily.

“It’s nowhere near as strong as last night’s dose,” Fletcher assured her. “You’ll be a little sleepy for the rest of the day and you’ll probably need an afternoon nap later on, but that should be all. There’s only a minor sedative in it—just enough to help you relax—so you won’t forget anything and your coordination will be fine.”

Something about his coordination remark stirred a memory from the previous night, but Alex couldn’t quite remember so she shrugged the thought away.

“Okay,” she said, and swallowed the minty liquid. Immediately the throbbing in her shoulder disappeared again. Wonderful, wonderful painkillers.

“Now, best if you come back again tonight after dinner and I’ll give you another dose to get you through until morning. We’ll do the same again tomorrow, but by Monday you should be almost completely back to normal.”

“That’s good, since I doubt Finn will let me off in PE,” she mumbled, getting to her feet and moving to the door.

Fletcher chuckled but he didn’t refute her assumption.

“Thanks again, Fletcher,” she said. “I’ll see you tonight.”

Alex headed straight for the food court, absolutely starving after having slept through dinner the night before. She was just finishing off her second helping of breakfast when Jordan arrived and sat down beside her.

“How’re you feeling?” he asked, running his hands through his sleep-tussled hair.

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