No one here was her enemy. She had to remember that, even if pain made her crabby and she wanted to rip the head off the next person who asked her ‘how she was feeling’.

“Well, I have to say, you are without a doubt the worst patient I’ve ever had the misfortune to encounter.”

Enna blinked at the deep voice as a doctor appeared at the side of her bed. At least, she assumed he was a doctor given the white coat and the serious expression he levelled at her as he looked over the results of the readout above her head.

She half twisted to look up as well and he tsked at her, a little click of his tongue that somehow managed to convey irritation and censure all in the same, soft sound.

“Can you read a medical readout? Upside down?” he asked, a frown appearing between silver-streaked brows. “No? Then I suggest you lie back down so you don’t undo all my work there,” he said, waving vaguely at her side.

“What do you mean ‘I’m the worst patient you’ve ever had’?” she threw back at him, narrowing her eyes. “You look familiar? Do I know you?”

”Me?” He shrugged, still reading the screen above her head. “Not really? Not unless you count the time we spent together in theatre where I was trying to stop you bleeding out and you kept trying to punch me. While singing.” He grimaced.

She blinked at him. “It was a traditional Llanarian war song. Very patriotic.”

He arched an eyebrow, pulling a padd from his pocket to make notes on. “Don’t give up the day job. The physical violence I can forgive, but the crimes against music and my ear-drums were beyond the pale.”

She glared at him. “Are you saying I sing badly?”

He glanced up from his screen. Older, he was handsome, in an odd, craggy way.

“I’m saying your singing wouldn’t have been out of place in a herd of ducks with respiratory issues.”

He made a small sound she couldn’t work out and slid the padd into his pocket to give her the full force of his attention.

“I’m Doctor Ket. You were involved in rather a nasty altercation from the looks of it. My patients normally arrive with more of their circulatory system on the inside of them and far less internal lacerations.”

She nodded, already getting bored. She’d heard many conversations like this from medical officers over the years. “Yeah, yeah… so when can I leave?”

Ket’s expression set a little. “Lieutenant Mason, I don’t think you quite understand the gravity of the situation—“

”Oh, I get it. Totally. Got stabbed, internal injuries, nearly bled out, etc, etc.” She nodded, trying to look contrite about the severity of the situation. “But I’m good now, right? You patched me up?”

Sitting up, she made to swing her legs off the bed, eager to get out of here. She had to report to the CO, and then assess the hazard te—

“Not so fast.” A surprisingly strong hand landed on her shoulder and she found herself back flat on her back, the doctor pinning her with a hard look. “You came out of surgery less than twelve hours ago and I’m not even sure how you’re awake yet, but you—“

”Hardy species,” she told him, eyeing him curiously. He didn’t look that strong. He looked human.

“Indeed,” he nodded. “But that doesn’t alter the fact that you are still in recovery and not going anywhere until I’m satisfied that you are fully healed.”

”Pffft, for that little scratch?” she argued. “That was nothing. I’ve been blown up worse than that before.”

”You are aware that that is not a sentence a normal person would say, right?” The doctor’s expression was unyielding. “We were concerned about you. Enough that we sent a notification to your next of kin group.”

“Group?” She groaned, and dropped her head back to the pillow. “Oh lady… Please tell me you didn’t do the whole group? I have a designated contact… my brother.”

The doctor frowned and pulled the padd back out of his pocket. “Your brother? We have your next of kin listed as a spouse… Raath Veyr?”

She shook her head. “No… my designated contact is Raan Mason.”

Ket looked confused. “Over your listed spouses?”

She nodded. “Yeah. Definitely. I don’t want either of them knowing anything about my medical history. Put down Raan Mason. If you can’t get him, then Vix Bennett please.”

Both of Ket’s eyebrows winged up. “I wasn’t aware you were related to Commander Bennett.”

”Kind of and not.” She shrugged. “One of her parents was married to one of mine a few years back. We have… complex family arrangements.”

”So it would seem,” he commented as he made the change. “Now, are you going to behave yourself or am I going to have to get security in here to make sure you stay in bed? Doctor’s orders.”

She sighed and felt like punching the pillow for lack of other targets. “Yes, doctor.”