Sol got up the stairs with an epic effort, having trouble carrying his giant boots as they hit the stairs with every step. He passed a woman and a strange looking guy by the enterance, paid no mind to them, had no energy left for that. As he entered the building, Sol's head got dizzy, his eyes blurred, struggled to keep himself from falling down. Remembered the time he tried to go on without cardamine as he held his forehead... It was terrible... Wondered how he lost the track of time like this and forgot to take cardamine.
Took a deep breath from his cardamine mask, regaining himself slowly and managing to stay standing. When he felt confident, slowly started to walk towards the reception area once again. He passed a man with doctor whites on the way. Sol was on the lookout for Anna though... Worrying that she could still be around, and considering the situation he's in, it could be dangerous. Sol could wait no more however, losing more time was also dangerous, and death from cardamine withdrawal wasn't fun... he already knew how it felt, and he didn't want to have it again.
Got to the reception area, spoke slowly and reluctantly...
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It was a new day and Canaria Medical was busy per usual. As always, Doc started his day at his wife's bedside, reading yet more pages of the book Spoon River Anthology. Still, it was another day where she didn't wake-up. "Maybe later," he said as he went about his day, if nothing else to clear his mind.
He also walked by the his newborns in the incubators. They were doing OK. Still, it hurt that he hadn't yet touched his children. Again, keeping busy kept his mind occupied.
During the overnight, freed slaves kept the staff busy. Most of them checked out OK needing nothing more than a hot shower, fresh clothes, a hot meal and some rest. All of those were provided as was basic medical to those who needed it. As they were released, local shelters took them in to help get them re-settled. Some of the men who rescued them also received treatment for minor wounds received during the raids. The staff was also told that more of them were likely coming soon.
He finally made his way to the room where Anna Prentice was staying.
"Good morning, Anna," he said as he came in the room, "let's get some scans and see how things have gone for you."
With Anna laying down, he used his scanner to check her over. By his readings, his treatment was working. Only time would tell however as to whether things were a success.
"I'll give you a few minutes to get yourself together," he said, "I want to get a couple of things to give you before you leave."
About ten minutes later, he returned to find Anna waiting.
"I'm giving you some of these," he explained as he handed her a bottle, "if you feel any signs of nausea, take one as needed but don't take more than one within an 8 hour time frame." He then handed her the bottle and took a seat next to her.
"Anna, for the next couple of weeks, try not to have an empty stomach. Keep a few crackers to munch on if nothing else and do eat 3 good meals a day. You will find this to help you. IF you still have any trouble with addiction, please come back. Regardless, I'd like you to check in either here or at Med.Force.One, depending where I'm at."
With that, he removed her wrist ID, "You, Anna, are discharged." He then gave her an escort to the front lobby. As he signed her release, the receptionist spoke to him softly,
"Doctor, that man over there is looking for you."
"Did he say what he wanted?" he asked.
"No, he just said he was looking for you," she replied.
"Good luck, Anna," he said as her release was complete, "now if you'll excuse me, someone else needs my help." He then went to the strange man.
"I am Doctor Holliday," he explained as he approached the man, "how may I help you?"
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Well, well, well, looks like your dressed for a date," is what she heard from the strange man. Exhausted and her hair somewhat a disarray, she just looked at him, "Hardly!"
She then did a double-take, trying to see who the man was. As she figured it out, she just smiled.
"Christopher!" she said in a loud whisper, "my God where have you been? I was worried sick about you."
She looked around, "Listen, I'm exhausted from surgery but we can visit for a bit at my home if you want. I know you would like the seclusion from everyone."
She then put down her coffee cup and gave him a gentle hug, "It's good to see you again," she whispered.
Anna listened carefully to the words Doc told her. And what she had to do to get
totally well again. She felt rather well, relieved everything would be going to be ok.
As she walked with Doc towards the lobby, she noticed the man waiting in the lobby.
It didn't take her long to recognize him...
"Sol..."
She shook her head a bit and kept a straight face. As soon as Doc told her she
could go, she left trying to not to pay attention to Sol. She walked out of the CMC
in a quick rushed pace, towards the landing pads where her ship was. The thoughts
shooting through her mind.
"Did he really change?"
"Why is he here?"
"What caused him to change?"
She shook her thoughts out of her head, now to Liberty and talk to Nicholas again
that everything went well.
Shortly after she left Gran Canaria's orbit with her Roc.
As his attention turned to Doc Holliday, he didn't see Anna who snuck past him. Sol scanned the doctor from head to toe. Could this guy really cure him, or would Sol be wasting time?
He hoped that Concordia is right as there wasn't much cardamine left.
"Doctor Holliday... I need your help... this problem, people say there is no cure for it..." pointed the cardamine breather. "But I heard that if anyone can help me, it is you... So I am here..."
Still on the lookout for Anna he didn't feel confident standing by the entrance, and also he wanted to sit somewhere as he was barely able to stand.
"Can we talk about this in a more private place? I... I have a long story to tell."
*Henrique, maintaining his noble pose, normal for a former bretonian Sir, saw the scene of that man in need*
- Henrique - Miss! * to a nurse that was passing by* Please i have here some patients that need care. Can you please help me?!
* The nurse look at him and to Doc. Holliday* - Yes of course! Please follow me!
* Henrique follow the young nurse to the reception desk, he delivered all papers and pointed all most urgent cases. Few moments later, the patientes started to leave the Dromedary, and enter the hospital where more medical staff start to direct then to proper locations. Very politely thanks the nurse for her help, and as he moves away, he makes a small gesture of greetings to Doc. Holliday, and heads to the Dromedary, that soon after leaves to New Lusitania.
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Although busy speaking with Sol, he acknowledged the nod from the Dromedary pilot and returned it. He momentarily excused himself and gave instruction to the staff, letting them know that he was busy and that there was enough staff on duty to handle the newly freed slaves. With that, he returned to Sol and escorted him to the Conference room where he began speaking to him.
Doc poured himself a cup of coffee, offering one to Sol who didn't appear to be immediately interested in it. Doc sat in the chair and took out his datapad, "I will record our conversation so that I can better assist you. Don't worry, no one else will hear of it."
He crossed his right leg over his left, took a sip of his coffee and gave Sol his full attention, "I'm not sure how much of a help I'll be but for now, I'm listening."
Sol was untrusting by nature... When he heard that his story will be recorded, he felt uneasy. Yet, there was no other choice, no other options, the only lead he had to his freedom was this man. Knew too well that this could be a waste of time, like many others before.
But this one was like a light in a dark tunnel... was it leading to the outside or was it only a candlelight?
Stared at the cup of coffee in front of him for a while... His weak body was still disturbing him. Gathered up his strength, a long breath from his cardamine mask. He started to speak slowly about things he never forgets.
"My first memories... I woke up in a 'cage', my hair covered in dried blood, my body full of bruises, feeling weak and small... There were many people around me, they were terrified, nervous, some were angry... But none of them dared to speak a word, not even with a hushed tone or with a shout charged with anger. The guards on the other side of the metal bars were laughing about their catch merrily, other's misfortune was their fortune..." he let out a silent sigh. "I don't remember a thing before that, don't know my exact age but I must be around five or six years old when I got captured..." he was avoiding eye contact while speaking.
"When we reached Malta, we moved from town to town, city to city, stopping in each of them, and there were less of us everytime... A don called Leon bought me, I was helping his servants in his villa until I grew up enough to work in the plantations. Made a friend there, he was like me... slaves also gave us names since we didn't have any, they called him Seth, I was called Sol... He was someone I could truely call a brother... But one day..." he stopped there for a second. "One day an 'assassin' attacked our master Don Leon. I saw the assassin, in his hand a gun pointed at the Don who was sitting next to a fireplace totally unaware of the danger... I jumped in front of the bullet, don't know why I did that... risking my life to save the master, it was not something I did knowingly... The assassin seeing me hit was taken aback, he couldn't move or run. I killed him. I saw his face later, he was Seth, I don't know why he tried to kill the master, and why I didn't realize who I attacked." no expression could be made out of Sol's face.
"The don was impressed, he made me a bodyguard of his... He was a bit adventerous, smuggled cardamine to liberty so I was taught to fly a sabre to keep him safe in his travels. He died of old age, his son Rodrigo however was nothing like him, couldn't manage the wealth passed down to him by his father. He lost everything to the master of XTF while gambling... I must have made a name for myself as a sabre pilot, he decided to recruit me to the private militia he owned. I followed orders, they told me to shoot, I shot. They told me to kill, I killed... No questions asked, no reasons given... I was doing what I was taught all my life, follow orders... it was easy."
"I was not happy one bit however. Still felt a slave, I kept my contact with the communities formed by slaves secretly, helping them however I could. There was a man, a leader, who preached that one day we would be free. I was there listening to him from afar, as the heavily armed men came and shot him down, no one could do a thing... Hired guns were laughing, like they enjoyed it..." Sol's face became grim after he said this...
"They enjoyed doing something I was forced to do all my life... But I wasn't innocent either, what I did - hurt people... It is easy to hide behind that, 'I am following orders, I am a slave' thing. But I know, that's a lame excuse. That day I decided to leave Malta."
"I don't know if it was by luck or if it was a test of some power, I stumbled upon a slaver putting down a slave riot harshly. I destroyed her escorts and disabled her ship, slaves heartened by this took her down. I carried the slaves to the freeport all day long, bought them a way back to home with all the money I had, savings earned from the militia. There was no going back now, I was an enemy of Maltese. I thought I could free myself though."
"As I got further away from Malta, I realized that I still needed Maltese cardamine to survive, I was not free of the Maltese yet. I asked around, they first told me that there are facilities that could help me in Liberty. Went there, nothing... For some time I have been asking everyone how to get the cure, for myself... but also to help my people to get cured..."
"Luckily I met Concordia, who has been very helpful for some reason, even brought me here herself. She told me that I should find you, and there is a possibility that you could help me, even if it is slim..."
With this he shot a glance at the doc, then moved his eyes back to the cup in front of him.
"Doc... can you help me?"
Sol straightened his back on his seat, nervously waiting Doc's his reply. His answer would probably seal the fate of this lost man. He somehow heard a sound resembling the one made by chains as slaves moved around... Wondered if his mind was playing games with him now.
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There was a minute of silence after Sol finished his story. Doc sat in thought at the story. He was also filled with some skepticism and a bit of being nervous. "Concordia," he thought to himself, "her running her mouth could get me into trouble with the Outcast nation. I'll have to address that."
He looked up at Sol, trying to read him. He could tell that he was uncomfortable with the datapad. Doc could understand as he himself was uncomfortable talking to an Outcast who worked on orders. Was he a spy? Was he sent to see how much he knew and would he try to kill him for it? After a minute that seemed like an hour, Doc leaned forward.
"Sol, you tell a very intriguing and harsh tale," he explained, "Forgive my skepticism but how would I know that you're not an Outcast agent, here to find out what I know of cardamine, it's mysteries and addictions? What can I get as a re-assurance that you seek a way out and to bring no harm to me or my family?"
Doc sighed a moment before continuing, "I'd like to help you. Really I would but I will admit that what I do know is very limited and largely unproven. But, before I say more, I need to know that you are genuine and not someone out to cause harm to me or anyone here."
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Outpatient Services:
Freed slaves, some 150 of them, were each checked out. Asides some malnutrition issues, dehydration and minor injuries, they were in good shape. As the staff checked them all out, healed wounds of whips, burns and other methods of torture were found. As they were found, hatred of slavery began to grow. For those who already hated it, it only compounded the hatred. For those who didn't have an opinion, they did now.
Despite the hurt, the freed were in good spirits. Maybe it's because they finally received a good, hot meal. Maybe it was because someone they finally got treatment that was much needed but for all, it was because finally someone cared.
As the day went on, most were released to people who would help them get settled or even local half-way houses. Still, all of them walked nervously, worried that someone may try to re-capture them. Asides a few patients being admitted for other issues, the day went well.
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