"Thirty minutes?" Rimmer rasped, his voice strained. A haze of confusion clouded his mind as he desperately clung to consciousness, fighting against the waves of darkness threatening to pull him under again. "I've been unconscious for a solid thirty minutes?" He swallowed, a painful gasp escaping his lips, while the holographic AI continued to assess his injuries as he lay on the cold, hard floor.
"I tried to warn you," Holly said, his voice tinged with impatience. He could hear Rimmer's soft whimpers, a mix of pain and regret. "If you had headed down to the sickbay before you blacked out, at least you wouldn't have had to endure this."
Rimmer fought against the persistent waves of nausea that overwhelmed him, his body wracked with pain and discomfort. He struggled to push himself off the ground, his movements unsteady and feeble. Holly watched with concern as Rimmer retched, the sound of his distress echoing in the empty corridor. Carefully, Holly noted the signs of a possible concussion, realizing that Rimmer had most likely sustained a head injury during his collapse.
"Rimmer, can you hear me?" Holly asked, his voice filled with concern. The room fell into a heavy silence, and for a moment, it seemed like Rimmer might not respond.
"I'm listening," Rimmer finally replied, his voice filled with vulnerability. It was as if he was a child seeking reassurance and guidance in a moment of uncertainty.
"I'm detecting a concussion," Holly asserted, his voice taking on a slightly softer tone, as if trying to offer some comfort amidst the chaos. Rimmer couldn't help but wonder if he was imagining the change in inflection from the holographic AI.
"A concussion," Rimmer replied, his voice tinged with sarcasm.
"It's a brain injury," Holly corrected, using a more clinical term. "You need to be careful and get proper medical attention."
Rimmer scoffed, though the pain in his head made it hard to muster much defiance. "Just another injury to add to the list, I suppose."
Holly sighed, his voice filled with a mixture of frustration and concern. "You can't dismiss this, Rimmer. It's important to take care of yourself, especially now that you're the sole survivor on Red Dwarf."
Rimmer's facade of indifference cracked for a moment, revealing the vulnerability beneath. "I know, Holly. I know," he whispered, his voice laden with the weight of loneliness and uncertainty.
"Can you move?" Holly inquired, his concern evident in his voice. He wasn't quite sure of the severity of Rimmer's head trauma. At least memory loss didn't seem to be an immediate concern, as Rimmer appeared to retain his recollection of the events leading up to his awakening.
"I'm... I'm not sure," Rimmer replied, his voice strained. He attempted to push himself off the floor, only to be met with a surge of dizziness that forced him back down again. The room seemed to spin around him, exacerbating his disorientation.
Holly let out a sigh. "You should try to stay still for now, Rimmer. Moving too much could worsen your condition. I'll try to access the ship's medical database and guide you through some basic assessments."
Rimmer nodded weakly, his head throbbing with each movement. "Alright... Let's get this over with," he muttered, bracing himself for the medical examination that awaited him.