Doctor Richard Galen had never been a morning person. Even after over 600 years of sleep he still felt like death when they pulled him out of cryo, the world a blurry haze, and there was nothing on his mind except coffee. Well, he would have liked something a bit stronger, but that would have to wait; he'd be going on the clock soon. He knew the symptoms of extended cryo and what to look out for, but it was standard protocol to have another doctor check him out, so Rich just sat there at the edge of one of the beds, drinking coffee as he answered the other doctor's questions automatically.
He was on cup number three when he was finally left alone to recover after his checkup and, slowly but surely, the world was coming back into proper focus. It was strange to think that they were no longer in the Milky Way, far from anything familiar. Sure, this is exactly what he had wanted, but it was still hard to get his mind around. Deep thinking wasn't exactly his strong suit, however, so he decided to focus on his surroundings instead.
There were only a handful of people milling about, mostly doctors Rich had met before cryo. There was a big monitor on the far wall cycling through images, one even of a tropical landscape intended to depict one of the possible places humanity might be able to settle in Andromeda. Rich couldn't help but scoff. It was all bullshit, of course. There was no way to predict what would truly await them here and Rich doubted they'd be that lucky. The only purpose the image really served was enticing people to join and keeping spirits up. Rich took another generous sip of coffee burning his mouth a little but he didn't particularly care.
"Better take it easy," another doctor said as he walked passed, heading to the coffee pot located conveniently next to Rich's bed. "There's going to be quite the line to the bathrooms here pretty soon once we start waking more people up."
Rich's mind was too sluggish at the moment to really respond, but he drained his cup anyway as he searched his memory for the man's name. Harry Carlyle? That sounded right. They hadn't really had a chance to talk before they left. He held his empty cup out and the doctor laughed. Once he'd finished filling his own cup, he filled Rich's as well and headed back to his patient.
Rich only had a few minute left before he needed to get back to work so this time he tried to actually enjoy his last cup of coffee. At least the irritableness was beginning to subside. A little, anyway. His default was still generally grumpy. He looked around the room again, paying attention to where the different supplies were kept as well as watched the people, noting his new colleagues.
Somehow he kept finding his gaze pulled back to Carlyle though. The first thing Rich noticed about him was how soft he was, especially with his patients. Well, that wasn't true, the first thing Rich noticed was how attractive he was, but he was trying not to acknowledge that. Carlyle had a gentle way of teasing people to make them feel more at ease, yet there was also a slight sharpness and wit there in the way that he occasionally pushed a joke just a little too far, his deadpan delivery making him difficult to read in a way that Rich greatly appreciated.
Rich caught himself staring at Carlyle's jawline and forced himself to look back down at his mug. What was he doing? He'd only been awake for a few minutes and he was already crushing on one of his coworkers. Not exactly the best way to start his new life here. He had too many other things he needed to be focusing on right now. He should really get to his station and prepare for his first patient. He set his mug aside and stood up gingerly, trying not to groan at the stiffness in his muscles. He was definitely too old to make anymore 600 year journeys across space so this trip had better have been worth it. For good or ill, he was stuck with this life now.
The loud crash and the sudden loss of gravity definitely took Rich by surprise. He flailed about more than he'd like to admit and narrowly avoided hitting his head when the system was reset and gravity returned. He groaned, sore and bruised from the hard landing, something popping unpleasantly and he stood. At least his patient seemed fine. Rich scanned the room, but there seemed to be minimal injuries. Although he couldn't help but notice the grin Doctor Carlyle shot him before he got back to work.
Hopefully that wasn't going to be a regular occurrence. He didn't exactly want to spend his days making a fool of himself and coming away with more bruises. Lots of people were asking what had happened, but Rich just doubled down, focusing on his work and making sure his patients were doing fine. He knew how the military operated; they wouldn't be getting any proper information for a while. The next time he managed to get a break, he went straight for the coffee pot unable to resist another cup. He'd only taken one sip when a voice behind him took him by surprise.
"Looks like you got a few flips in back there," Carlyle said and Rich was just glad he didn't choke on the coffee.
"I hope you enjoyed it because there will not be a repeat performance," Rich said, stepping out of the way so Carlyle could get at the coffee pot as well. "I'm getting too old for stunts like that."
"It was very impressive," Carlyle said, chuckling. "I hope you didn't hit the ground too hard."
Rich couldn't help but get distracted by how pleasant it sounded. He had a gentle voice, deep and calming, one you couldn't help but trust and Rich felt a pleasant warmth in his chest at the sound. Stop it, he told himself. Focus. I came here to work, flirting isn't going to help, it'll just bring more disappointment and heartache.
"My old bones will definitely be feeling it for a while," Rich said, thankful he wasn't prone to blushing. "So, any idea what the plan is for the rest of the day? It doesn't sound like we have too many more sleepers to wake up."
"I don't know about you but I'm going planetside shortly," Carlyle said, flashing him a smile.
"Ah, part of the Pathfinder team, then? I didn't realize I was in the presence of such an important person."
"I'm really not," Carlyle said, laughing again. "I'm just there in case someone stubs their toe."
"Well, while you're out there having fun, we'll be here doing all the real work. Just do us all a favor and make sure they don't set up shop in a swamp or something. Not exactly the best place for an outpost."
"Make sure they set up in a swamp, got it," Carlyle said with another smile as he set his empty cup down and headed for the exit with a friendly wave.
Rich watched him go, hoping he and the others would all make it back in one piece. But then, when did these sorts of things every go smoothly?
It was late as Rich made his way down the corridor, although you couldn't exactly tell from the lights. They were always kept bright, simulating sunlight for those working opposite shifts, but it definitely confused one's internal clock. He was exhausted, though, and he would be sleeping except he'd left his jacket in the med bay. Maybe his memory was going. Either way, he was sure he'd forget it entirely if he didn't grab it now so sleep would have to wait.
As the doors to the med bay hissed open, he was surprised to see Carlyle there apparently deep in thought. He looked surprised at being interrupted and rubbed at his face quickly, either trying to get himself to return to reality or compose himself. Not exactly a good sign.
"Didn't expect to see you back so soon," Rich said lightly, pretending not to notice as he went to retrieve his jacket, giving him a bit more privacy if he needed it.
"Yes, well, I guess out here things never quite go as planned," Carlyle said distractedly.
"Things went that well, did they?" he asked sarcastically.
"Habitat 7 isn't going to be our new home if that's what you mean."
"Well, I'm sure you'll find us some place better," Rich said. He stood awkwardly, not sure if he should leave, but Carlyle spoke before he could decide.
"Someone else will be doing that. I'm too old for all this. I'm not sure when that happened but I guess it's better I realize is now. A lot went down out there. We lost a lot of good people. There are better hands than mine they should be relying on."
"I seriously doubt that," Rich said automatically. He wasn't exactly one for this type of encouragement, but somehow he couldn't help himself. Besides, he'd read all the other doctors' qualifications before joining up and his was definitely the most impressive so hopefully this wasn't all sentimentality. "If I ever stub my toe, I'd rather you be the one to patch me up. Still, if you think it's best. I know I've been too old for all that excitement for a long while now."
"I'm pretty sure I'm older than you," Carlyle said with the hint of a smile and that made Rich more relieved than it should have.
"Not by much You wanna talk about what happened out there?"
"I suppose you'll be hearing about it soon enough," Carlyle said with a sigh. "The Pathfinder is dead."
Ah. The words fell from Carlyle as if he had been trying to hold it back but couldn't any longer. They sat heavily in the air and Rich new the implication was that Carlyle hadn't been able to save him. They were both doctors, they knew they couldn't blame themselves for every death if they wanted to last for any length of time in this job and they were both old enough to have gotten used to it all, but Rich had gotten the impression that he and the Pathfinder hand been friends. That always made things more difficult.
Rich wasn't exactly sure how to respond to that. He wasn't any good at this stuff. He supposed a 'that's rough, buddy,' wouldn't exactly help the situation and any reassurances would just sound insincere. They both knew it wasn't technically his fault but that wouldn't stop him from beating himself up over it. Awkward silence wasn't going to help either though and he wanted to do something to help. Too bad his style of coping wasn't exactly healthy. Still, worth a shot.
"I brought some whisky here, pretty much the only thing in my personal effects," he said instead. "Soon there won't be any left in Andromeda. Care to share a bottle or two?"
"Well. I can't exactly turn an offer like that down, now can I?"
