2023-10-16: Bedside Manner
- Log: 2023-10-16: Bedside Manner
- Cast: Lina Lombardi, Shigeru Akamatsu (NPC)
- Where: Alba City - Hospital
- Date: U.C. 0097 10 16
- Summary: Lina wakes up in the hospital after the fight against the Syndicate, bruised, battered, broken, but not beaten.
Lina's eyes crack open, squinting at the harsh flourescent light above her. Wait...hadn't she been outside? As her pupils contract and her vision clears, she sees an unfamiliar ceiling. This definitely wasn't the cathedral...wasn't anywhere on the train, either. She lifts her head. She's in a hospital bed. The gentle buzz of the lights and the rhythmic beeping of a heart monitor beside her ground her in the waking world. She had been out all night, judging from the light streaming in from the room's window.
She attempts to sit up, and is immediately accosted by a shooting pain in her side. "MERDA!" She hisses and falls back down onto her back. The expletive gets the attention of a nurse outside the door, who summons a doctor to come in and give Lina a run-down on what happened.
After the explosion in the cathedral, Lina had been taken to Alba City's hospital for aid. According to the doctor, she had three broken ribs, which would explain the pain in her side, a sprained ankle, several scrapes and bruises, and a bit of singed hair. They expected her to stay for at least a couple more days until they could discharge her, but she would survive.
"She's speaking with the doctor right now, I'll ask if you can come in," a voice says from outside the door. A nurse pokes her head in. "Doctor, the patient has a visitor."
"They can come in, I'm finished here. I'll check up on you later, Miss Lombardi."
The doctor steps out and nods his head to the still unseen visitor, though a second later, the familiar large frame of Shigeru Akamatsu walks in, taking a seat next to Lina's bed with his arms crossed. Lina holds her breath for a few seconds, waiting for him to yell at her. When he doesn't, she decides to break the silence. "I--"
"Lombardi, you can be a real pain in the ass sometimes, you know that? It's good to see you okay."
"Good morning to you too, Chief. Where are the others?"
"Shouldn't you be asking about yourself, first? Hm. Liam and Lucine managed to get out with only minor injuries. They're back on the Train. Jana had a gunshot wound, but managed to stem the bleeding. She's being treated by some of ours."
"And Spike?"
"The bounty hunter. He's alive, but still out cold."
"Sounds like the best outcome considering the situation."
Akamatsu grunts. Lina often found herself frustrated that his big mustache kept covering his expression. Made him hard to read.
"Chief, if you're gonna chew me out, just do it already."
He sighs. "Why would I yell at you for doing the right thing? Especially if Ikari doesn't have to hear about it. Just try not being so reckless next time. I don't intend on losing anyone else under my watch."
Lina knew what he meant. It was clear that Sakura's disappearance was still getting to him, as it had a lot of GGG. "Heh, I'm not going anywhere, Chief. They had to blow up a whole damn church just to break a few ribs. I think I can take anything that Genesic can throw at me."
"...That's what I like to hear." Akamatsu gets up with a grunt that could only come from an old man. "We'll get a bed for you ready on the Train once you've been discharged. You'll have to take it easy for a while as those bones set. Thankfully, we've got plenty of time before we get to Jupiter. That'll be all."
As Akamatsu heads out, Lina attempts to sit up to give him a salute, but...
"AAH! CAZZO!"