Descending Road - BEYOND PAIN by Dana W. Paxson

BEYOND PAIN

0 NC, Day 1, Hour 1630

He gagged. The tube down his throat burned in two places, and he tried to move his head.

“Lie still.” A woman bent over him, peered in his eye, rubbed a patch of his forehead. “We’ll get this stuff unhooked as soon as we can clear you, but give me a minute or two to run your numbers. Don’t even nod.” She turned away, out of his view, and Enrique loomed.

“Hey, Doug, you back, huh? What a way to lose your pants.” Enrique laughed.

The woman’s voice. “Time you were back on the job, sailor. Thanks for the help. I’ll send MacNee or whoever he is back to you as soon as we pump him back up again. Now go.”

Enrique‘s face came close to Doug‘s. “Don’t do that again, huh? Stick around, friend.” A pat of the hand, and he was gone. Doug stared at a gray bulkhead and tried to ignore the gagging feeling. It was even worse than the Hole.

The doctor said, “It’s bad, I know. We haven’t got the usual anesthetics, so try to hang with it the best you can. We’ve got you back up and running, and you’re doing fine, so you’ll be out to work in a half-hour. We crack the whip around here.” The doctor leaned close to him, face to face, and stroked his cheek. Her eyes were big and brown, and weary beyond pain. Still choking, Doug fell in love with her.

Story List	SURPRISE ME	Author Page
USER SURVEY	PUZZLE ME	MAKE ELM MARK

HOVER Lucida Bright BARE	HOVER Lucida Bright FULL	HOVER Palatino Linotype BARE
HOVER Palatino Linotype FULL	HOVER Times New Roman BARE	HOVER Times New Roman FULL
PAD Arial BARE	PAD Arial FULL	PAD Lucida Bright BARE
PAD Lucida Bright FULL	PAD Times New Roman BARE	PAD Times New Roman FULL


	BEYOND PAIN 0 NC, Day 1, Hour 1630 He gagged. The tube down his throat burned in two places, and he tried to move his head. “Lie still.” A woman bent over him, peered in his eye, rubbed a patch of his forehead. “We’ll get this stuff unhooked as soon as we can clear you, but give me a minute or two to run your numbers. Don’t even nod.” She turned away, out of his view, and Enrique loomed. “Hey, Doug, you back, huh? What a way to lose your pants.” Enrique laughed. The woman’s voice. “Time you were back on the job, sailor. Thanks for the help. I’ll send MacNee or whoever he is back to you as soon as we pump him back up again. Now go.” Enrique‘s face came close to Doug‘s. “Don’t do that again, huh? Stick around, friend.” A pat of the hand, and he was gone. Doug stared at a gray bulkhead and tried to ignore the gagging feeling. It was even worse than the Hole. The doctor said, “It’s bad, I know. We haven’t got the usual anesthetics, so try to hang with it the best you can. We’ve got you back up and running, and you’re doing fine, so you’ll be out to work in a half-hour. We crack the whip around here.” The doctor leaned close to him, face to face, and stroked his cheek. Her eyes were big and brown, and weary beyond pain. Still choking, Doug fell in love with her.