Date: 18 January 2010

Normal POV

The infirmary was silent except for the steady beeping of the vital machines attached to a man with a bandaged head; a casted leg and a casted arm with bandages wrapped around his chest. Sitting beside the unconscious male; Doc was keeping a close eye and had held on to the unconscious male's hand while his gaze set steadfast on the male's face where an oxygen mask covered his nose and mouth. A mew cut through the silence and Doc picked up the small kitten that had been staring at him from below. Sky sniffed at the male on the bed and mewed in recognition of her master and batted her master's hand with her paw. Doc continued to watch the kitten's efforts in waking the male up but to no avail. Doc sigh and placed his face in to his hands; not noticing the door of the infirmary being opened.

Doc snapped up when he felt the tap on his shoulder. "Flint...it's you..." The sergeant nodded and turned to stare at the male lying on the bed. "How's...Lifeline?" Flint had asked with slight hesitation while Doc sighed and stood up. "He's stable but the impact on his head is causing him to remain unconscious..." Flint watched as the medic picked up the kitten which was mewing sadly and stroked its soft fur. "I'm an idiot aren't I Flint...? I couldn't even tell him that I love him even when you told me to go for it. Instead I beat around the bush by dropping him off gifts secretly and kept him in the dark! Now he's lying there all battered up like hell...!" Flint placed a comforting hand on the older medic's shoulder as he watched the medic's shoulders trembled slightly. "There's nothing we can do except wait Doc. Lifeline would not want you to be in this state now..."

Doc sighed in frustration as he acknowledges the fact that Flint was right. Doc's heart sank in the guilt he was feeling as the confession played back in his mind and his grip on the kitten tightened causing the kitten to mew in pain. Doc immediately loosened his grip on the kitten and stared in to the kitten's blue eyes. "I'm sorry; Sky..." Doc murmured as he scratched the kitten in between her ears earning a soft purr. "Sky would need someone to love her you know...Lifeline would have wanted that." Doc remembered the warm attention that Lifeline had showered on the kitten when he was free. "Doc, could you please help me look after Sky when I'm not around?" Lifeline's gentle voice resounded in his head as the kitten mewed in his arms. "I know Sky...I miss him too but he will wake up... I'm sure of it..."

"General Hawk just told me to drop by to tell you to rest a little. You have not been sleeping for 3 days straight just looking after Lifeline." Doc nodded and Flint gave a small wave before exiting the infirmary. "Flint, wait." The sergeant paused and turned to face Doc. "Tell the rest that they should come over visit and talk to Lifeline. There is a possibility whereby the talking can improve his condition and quicken his recovery which will allow him to regain consciousness." Flint nodded and gave a small wave before exiting the infirmary.

Just outside; Flint nearly bumped in to Snakes Eyes who appeared from out of nowhere. "Still the same old condition...?" "Yeah...Lifeline's still not waking up...he got it pretty bad when the buildings collapsed on him especially since his head got injured badly so...its going to be a while..." Uneasy silence resumed as both males pounder the chances whereby Lifeline could pull through. "No point thinking on the bad side right?" The ninja nodded as both headed back to the main lounge where most of the Joes were hanging out and were also very worried over the medic's condition.

"Damn it! If only I wasn't hurt then Lifeline wouldn't have to be caught under that collapsed ceiling!" Ripcord shouted as he thumped his hand on the table while Dusty and Gung Ho tried to seat him down. "Calm down Ripcord. It's not your fault." Duke comforted by placing a hand on the male shoulder as he sat down with a defeated sigh. "When is he going to wake up?" Jinx asked which roused the attention of the other female Joes. "It's unknown. Lifeline may stay like that for weeks; months maybe even years..." The atmosphere in the room immediately turned sober as the reality of the situation is pointed out to the Joes. "Doc tells us to go and visit him more often and talk to him. He says that it will make him regain consciousness at a faster rate." Murmurs arose as the Joes decided who would go visit the medic on which day and some even dragged Beach Head to help earning a large uproar of protest from the ranger who attempted escape but was dragged in to help.

To be continued...

Meme12: Poor Doc...

Beach Head: You just love to torment me and the gang ain't that right lady?

Meme12: Whatever you mean old bones.

Beach Head: ME! OLD! THAT'S IT YOU'RE CROSSIN MAH LINE AND I AIN'T GONNA LET YOU OFF!

Meme12: Do that and I WILL stick a needle in to you!

Beach Head: (mumbles) Crazy, $%$, psycopath of an authoress...

Meme12: What's that? (Shows needle)

Beach head: Nothing!

This is Meme12 saying sayonara matta O!