Open Eyes, Closed Mind

Posted on Tue May 26th, 2015 @ 2:23pm by Major David Lorenz & James Holbridge
Edited on on Tue May 26th, 2015 @ 2:25pm

Mission: Breaking New Ground
Location: Piper Medical Center, Private room.
Timeline: 25 min after Last Dance....

Lorenz walked out of the Medical Center infimrary and over to Jim's private room , looking silently at his friend. In all of the time David Lorenz had known Jim Holbridge, he had never seen the man looking so weak and helpless. David looked on as the nurses and orderlies changed the dressings on Jim's extensive wounds. The stab in the side of his chest and the loss of his eye were the most serious injuries, and the drainage from them was considerable. Despite modern medical advances, the severity of Jim's injuries, coupled with his age made for a slow healing time.

There was something missing, Dave thought as he looked at his friend's passive features. There's no fire, no zest, no hell-bent-ass-kicker in the eye that was left. David lowered his head to study a tidbit of information that came across his tricorder. =/\= Packages secure, awaiting delivery to secondary drop point Beta Z. Q-Ball=/\=, was the clumsy attempt at a coded message from Quentin. Harrison had come up with the idea of escorting the Holbridge's to Betazed, but David had assigned Matt Collins and Sam Elliott of NGSC that task. Quentin would be needed back on the station, along with his rowdy band of Recon Marines

Lorenz's mind drifted back to his past, back to a time when he had been forced to take self-defense classes from old Gunny Lemire, the crusty old sergeant-at-arms of his father's guard force. Gunny Lemire had shown the boy various holds, fighting techniques, and painful locks all based on the principles of Jeet Kune Do. Dave did a daily workout to keep his skills sharp, and was known as a deadly opponent in martial arts.

"Hey, jarhead, wake up! A third-grader could kill me with a lollipop stick and you would be in la-la land!" Holbridge grumped.

"Quit whining, ya lay-abed! Beefing and bellering for special treatment because of a scratch! What a pussy-ass pilot you turned out to be!" Dave shot back, glad to see Jim shooting him a little shit. "I had a talk with the medicos, and your gonna be here awhile. Your attacker chopped you into hamburger, but I hear they stitched you back together."

Jim closed his eye. "Did they find all the pieces?""

Dave shook his head, "Your eye was too badly mangled, so they are making a cybernetic replacement for you. Or you can wear an eye patch and get a parrot."

Jim smiled weakly. "Fuck you. How's your hand?"

Dave held up his bandaged limb. "No meet-and greets for a couple days. But that's not why I am here. I got this hand bringing your attacker in." Dave held up his lacerated hand for Jim to see.

Jim turned in his bed, facing Dave. "Did you kill her?"

"No, she's in custody in the Brig. I hear that that place is filling up with the nuts who tried to frag the admirals." Dave said conversationally, paying attention to his friend's demeanor.

"Should have wasted her," Jim said simply, the hate glistening in his eyes. "I would have."

Dave shook his head. "I don't think so, buddy. You couldnt harm a woman anymore than I could wrestle a targin rut, I don't care how much she hurt you..."

"Dave, can you get lost for awhile?" Jim asked suddenly. "My pain meds are kicking in." Holbridge's voice was weak, almost quavering.

Lorenz nodded and left the room, beginning to grow concerned for his friend.

******************************

Major David Lorenz
Minor Booboo Boy

&

Jim Holbridge
Losing His Way