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Strange Bedfellows
Simon
The Alliance ship was massive, probably eight to ten times the size of Serenity at least, and almost broken in half. Even a hundred yards out, Simon could smell the blood, bodies littered the ground, some of them Reavers, some of them uniformed and torn apart. Someone, somewhere was screaming: drawn, repeated screams, only pausing for breath.
"Those two little letters in front of your name really do change everything, don't they?" Keller asked. Simon nodded. Not because they wanted them to, but because they had to. They had to help, wherever and whenever they could. No matter how scared, no matter how tired, no matter how this was going to end, you were a Doctor first. There was still a guard at the ship's door, never mind that the ship was gaping open in the middle, never mind that the guard was sitting down, one leg obviously broken. "Leave it," Keller said. The guard lowered his weapon.
"This the outlaw medic?" He sounded like he was in pain.
"Yep. Now we got him, we might have the manpower to do something about you."
"That'd be good."
There was blood splattered and smeared across almost every surface inside the ship, dead Reavers were still lying on the floor. The screams grew closer.
"We were praying for another medic, you know," Keller said. "That somehow we might get help dealing with all this. You weren't what we expected." They rounded a corner. Men and women lay or sat along the floor on both sides of the corridor, some silent, some groaning, that one man screaming every breath. Crush injuries, misaligned limbs that had to be broken, great open lacerations, other ones that were just still and quiet… Where was he supposed to look first?
"Is any prioritisation done?"
"Minear!" Keller bellowed. A nurse looked up from a man who was curled up on his side, panting. "I got you a surgeon."
"Oh, thank God."
"Show him a couple of critical patients and get a theatre crew together." Keller ordered. She turned to Simon. "We can't save everyone; I know that. But we can try." Simon nodded once. At some point, his side was going to start hurting again. Eventually, his injuries would catch up with him. But not yet. For now he was okay.
He had work to do.
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