Trip woke up to find his daughter collapsed on the floor. //Shit.// he
thought to himself. He got down slowly onto the floor, for his head was
pounding. Hael hadn't taken his medic kit away, so Trip was suspicious. But
he needed to kit to save Kah'Li, so he used it anyway.
He knelt by her side, running his scanner over her. //Damn. It's worse than I thought.// Her left ribs were badly bruised, while some of the right ones were actually broken. Her injuries had caused massive internal bleeding, while barely missing her right lung. //Thank God for small miracles.// he said to himself.
He patched up as much as his skills would permit, slowing down the internal bleeding and bracing her ribs against even more injury. She also had long abrasions and discoloring along her sides, presumably the remains from what caused her internal injuries.
Trip felt extremely guilty. //This probably could have all been prevented if I had just found her earlier...// He put his face in his hands. //What if she never wakes up again?//
He shook his head, as if that would help clear those thoughts from his head. //I can't think like that. I can't. I've got to be positive, for... for the sake of my daughter.//
Those words still felt foreign in his head and on his tongue. His daughter. The concept almost seemed surreal. Like it was just a dream and he would wake up the next morning and it would all be over.
But then again, this entire thing had started with his dreams of Kah'Li. He still didn't understand how he had dreamed of her. Maybe she was telepathic. Or maybe the connection between father and daughter ran deeper than anyone had ever thought. It didn't really matter. All that mattered was that he was here with his daughter.
He didn't feel complete, though. Jon wasn't here, offering his advice. Nor was Malcolm, to poke some fun at the 'Yank', as Malcolm jokingly called him. Just thinking of his friends cheered him up.
There was also someone else missing: Ah'Len. He may not have known Ah'Len very long, but she had played a major part in his life. Without her, he wouldn't be where he was right now. Neither would Kah'Li.
Trip sighed. He felt very alone, and very sad. He pulled the blanket off the bed, wrapped it around Kah'Li, and lay down to sleep on the cold, barren floor of his prison...
He knelt by her side, running his scanner over her. //Damn. It's worse than I thought.// Her left ribs were badly bruised, while some of the right ones were actually broken. Her injuries had caused massive internal bleeding, while barely missing her right lung. //Thank God for small miracles.// he said to himself.
He patched up as much as his skills would permit, slowing down the internal bleeding and bracing her ribs against even more injury. She also had long abrasions and discoloring along her sides, presumably the remains from what caused her internal injuries.
Trip felt extremely guilty. //This probably could have all been prevented if I had just found her earlier...// He put his face in his hands. //What if she never wakes up again?//
He shook his head, as if that would help clear those thoughts from his head. //I can't think like that. I can't. I've got to be positive, for... for the sake of my daughter.//
Those words still felt foreign in his head and on his tongue. His daughter. The concept almost seemed surreal. Like it was just a dream and he would wake up the next morning and it would all be over.
But then again, this entire thing had started with his dreams of Kah'Li. He still didn't understand how he had dreamed of her. Maybe she was telepathic. Or maybe the connection between father and daughter ran deeper than anyone had ever thought. It didn't really matter. All that mattered was that he was here with his daughter.
He didn't feel complete, though. Jon wasn't here, offering his advice. Nor was Malcolm, to poke some fun at the 'Yank', as Malcolm jokingly called him. Just thinking of his friends cheered him up.
There was also someone else missing: Ah'Len. He may not have known Ah'Len very long, but she had played a major part in his life. Without her, he wouldn't be where he was right now. Neither would Kah'Li.
Trip sighed. He felt very alone, and very sad. He pulled the blanket off the bed, wrapped it around Kah'Li, and lay down to sleep on the cold, barren floor of his prison...