Kapitel 15: Chapter 15
When Marcie opened her eyes again, she was in a hospital bed hooked up to all sorts of equipment. It was… a familiar sight. The sun was low in the sky and the window had glitter of dew on the outside. Marcie blinked a few times to refresh her eyes. A nurse was heading to a phone in the room.
"Dr… Jane Doe in 203 is waking up… yes sir…"
The nurse hung up the phone and grabbed a clipboard. She hastily found the side of the bed and started jotting down Marcie's vitals.
"Welcome back to the world miss. You had quite the ordeal."
Marcie took more time to gather her bearings, trying to move different parts of her body a bit to see what still works. Her back and neck were in a brace but she could move her arms at least. As for her legs… no success. Did she even still have legs?!
Marcie glanced down, relieved to see two long mounds under the covers that are complete legs and feet. She sighed a bit.
"The doctor is on his way over to speak with you, but we couldn't find any ID's on you so we don't know who you are. I will fill out the form for you, you just need to tell me the information so we can proceed further with your care, okay?"
Marcie grimaced with how the nurse phrased the request. In other words, they needed to know if she was someone with deep pockets. Still, regardless of how disgustingly corrupt the system was, her identity was necessary anyways. Marcie reluctantly told the nurse just the basic information.
"Miss Marcie, nice to finally meet you. I am Dr. Jandel. I am the one who has been in charge of your care since you arrived." His words and expressions didn't really feel like they matched well. Dr. Jandel dressed just like any of the other doctors in the hospital, but with a colorful tie unlike the other doctors. One would think he is a quirky person if it weren't for his monotone droning voice and chronically half-closed eyes. His eye contact made Marcie feel uncomfortable, not that she could do anything about that.
"You have been asleep for three days. When you arrived, your body was horribly crushed and mangled. The healer on-site was able to heal your damaged organs and stop any internal bleeding, as well as jump start the healing process of some of your broken bones. It was enough to stabilize you to get you to the hospital, however…"
The doctor paused, trying to work out how he was going to word things.
"Miss Marcie, your spine has received extensive damage that healing magic and basic potions were unable to heal. Spinal surgery is out of the question in your current condition as you need to heal more before we can even attempt anything. I'm afraid you are going to have to live with lower body paralysis for a while."
Marcie stared at him wide-eyed in disbelief for a moment, then started to cackle. The doctor was taken aback and completely confused. Marcie's voice was rough and hoarse and she desperately wanted a glass of water.
"I guess you haven't had a chance to look at my medical history yet. I was already partially paralyzed before I got swallowed by the dungeon."
The embarrassed doctor shifted slightly.
"Yes well, we will be sending you for more testing shortly and once we get the results, we can make a plan from there." The doctor left abruptly only to be replaced by the nurse from before, who had a gleeful smile on her face.
Marcie was confused. Why was she smiling? She asked the nurse for some water and when she came back with it and prompted Marcie up to a more sitting position, she could no longer contain her excitement.
"Miss, there is a super hunky man waiting in the hall for you with gifts!" Marcie started to cough mid-drinking. What?!
"What do you mean?! I don't know anyone like that!" Her voice got only a little louder and cracked up from the hoarseness.
"He says he is the hunter that rescued you in the dungeon, the one that reached you first. I guess he came to see how you are doing." The nurse was practically glowing. She must be one of those hopeless romantic types that watch too many dramas. You would think she was gushing about her own partner.
Marcie replied awkwardly and escaped to finish her glass of water, not realizing the nurse had ushered the man in.
"I see you're finally awake ma'am." A slightly familiar and very deep voice tickled her ears. She glanced over to the approaching visitor and was finally able to properly see the face of one of her benefactors.
"Y-yes… I feel like I slept too long." She shyly muttered, fidgeting with the empty paper cup in her hands. Next to her bed stood a tall, burly man. It was very obvious he spent a long time building his physique. His face was well chiseled but masked by facial hair that looked like it could grow into a full bushy beard if he left it for a few weeks. He looked to be in his mid-late thirties and sported short black hair with short-shaved sides. It was a very soldier-like appearance. Marcie definitely preferred his type to the more youthful girlie men with no body hair and slim figures that most women go for nowadays.
"Well it's been a few days, we were worried you would never wake up. People at the guild were starting to call you sleeping beauty." He handed her a modest bouquet of cut flowers and a small gift box. Did he come to the hospital every day with fresh flowers in hopes she'll wake up?
"Thank you… but, why are you here? Do all hunters visit the people they save?" Marcie took a light sniff of the bouquet and cradled them on her lap. The hunter scratched his head sheepishly.
"Ahhh n-no. I wanted to make sure you are okay. Out of everyone we rescued the other day, you were in the worst shape. We weren't actually sure you were gonna make it." The Captain pointed to the gift box. "This is a gift from everyone in the rescue team. We know a fighter when we see one. Open it later."
Marcie tucked the gift to her side as the nurse shuffled about to find a vase for the flowers. The Captain took a seat next to the bed and held his hand out.
"I'm Captain Richard Wells. I'm from the Atlas Guild." Marcie didn't hesitate to take his hand and he shook it gently.
"Marcie Bromley… thank you for saving me Captain Wells…"
"Please just call me Richard, or even just Rich if you'd like."
Marcie and Richard had comfortably chatted for well over an hour by the time the nurse came over to shoo him out.
"It's time for Miss Bromley to go for some more tests, Captain. You can visit her again during visitation hours tomorrow."
Richard reluctantly got up and bid the ladies farewell, promising another visit tomorrow. Marcie waved him goodbye while the nurse checked her over. Truthfully, she didn't really know how she felt about Richard, whether he was trustworthy or not.
"Excuse me…" The nurse paused momentarily to acknowledge her.
"Yes? Do you need anything?"
"No, but, what do you know about Captain Wells? I am just concerned whether or not he can be trusted…" Marcie fidgeted with the gift box. The nurse's expression hadn't changed from her gleefulness from before.
"You must not really follow the news about hunters then. Captain Wells is about as reliable and trustworthy as you can get. He has clashed with other hunters before when he caught them doing illegal things, and because he is really strong, most people won't mess with him."
The nurse patted Marcie's shoulder and gave her a huge grin. "And he's siiiiingle."
Marcie blushed and waved the nurse off from her teasing.
"Relationships are the last thing I have time for." The nurse shrugged and left the room as other hospital staff entered to begin her tests.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein