Fifteen
He wasn't expecting death to be so…short.
Is this it?
I mean, I don't know what I was expecting, but this is…underwhelming.
Almost as soon as he collapsed - or so he thought - he found himself becoming aware of multiple stimuli.
Despite his brain feeling like it was trying to swim through gelatine, he managed to determine he was lying on a rather uncomfortable surface, which seemed to have multiple appendages that continually poked into his body.
He thought he could hear voices at one point. But they didn't sound like what he'd expected to hear in the afterlife; he was sure they didn't discuss how many CCs of adrenaline one had administered during their lifetime.
In addition, everything seemed to hurt.
Julian wasn't aware that it was possible for a human body to experience this much pain at once. Am I even in a body?
He could feel himself teetering on the brink of consciousness, but his strength seemed to fail him, and he fell once more into the abyss, waiting for death to finally arrive.
"…lian?"
Ah. Finally the voices of the afterlife have come to greet me.
"..ulian?"
"…brain.."
"..ve more time…"
Everything hurt.
Yep. I'm definitely still in my body.
Every vessel in his body felt as though it was on fire, corrosive acid being pumped into every single vessel.
He wasn't sure if it was his voice that was screaming, but the others that he'd been hearing had suddenly gone silent.
Is this meant to be a test or something?
He thought he saw a light.
Let me go…
"...Julian?"
The voices are back!
Not sure if that's a good thing though.
"I think he's nearly there…"
But that…that's not-
It felt as though the fog in his brain had suddenly cleared. Dax!
So I'm not dead after all!…I think?
"…another dose, ten micrograms…"
No! No, don't send me back under! I just got here…
He heard a faint whoosh, a sigh escaping his lips as he felt no more.
This is starting to get irritating.
He gingerly reached out to the rest of his body, and was immediately relieved to find the agony had disappeared. Why does it ache though?
"Lieutenant! He's waking up!"
Is that Nurse Jabara?…
His desperation for answers was finally powerful enough to overwhelm his fatigue, and he managed to force his uncooperative eyelids open. A strangled gasp caught in his throat as the white light above him came into focus, soothing his concerns as he recognised the ceiling of the med bay. I'm alive…
"Julian?"
He blinked tiredly, his retinas struggling to focus as a brown and blue humanoid came into view. Dax? Dammit, why can't I see her?!
"It's alright, Julian. You're alive," Dax's voice was low and soothing in his ears. "You and Garak have been in the med bay for a while."
Garak! Julian realised he had physically relaxed at hearing those words. He's alive!…I didn't kill us both…
He felt Dax's delicate fingers working their way through his hair, the therapeutic gesture causing his eyes to grow heavy within milliseconds. "You can sleep a bit more, Julian. It's okay."
Although he had a thousand questions he desperately wanted answered, Julian found himself being lulled by the blissfulness of unconsciousness, and reluctantly allowed it to take hold once more.
