The Bubble:
Shortie by Lone Wolf

~We'll check up on him in fifteen minutes~

	His world had become a lot warmer and slimier. All he could feel was 
the warm gel that surrounded his body, flowing through his fur, the wires 
that were attached to his body, each with it's own function, and the plastic 
mask that was firmly attached to his muzzle, pumping pure oxygen into his 
body. That was all he could feel.

	He knew he was in one of the medi-spheres aboard the flag ship 
Empyrion. The six foot diameter plastic shell was only one of five miracle 
machines on the ship used to nuse those who were critically injured when out 
in space. The goo merely suspended what he suspected was his battered body. 
He was curled up slightly, just so he would be comfortable.

	He couldn't open his eyes. The goo denied him that right. His eyes 
were somewhat glued shut. All he could smell, all he could taste, was the 
oxygen being forced into his system. There was nothing to feel. All he could 
do was listen to the muffled sounds, hampered by the thick gelatin, outside 
the bubble.
	"How's he doing, doctor?" the soft voice of his girlfriend, a 
beautiful young wolf from engineering, asked.
	"We've stabilized his vitals signs," the doctor told her. "His bones 
are mending nicely. However, we have had little brain activity."
	"D-doctor?"
	"He's still alive and functioning. He's just out cold."
	She sighed. "Please, honey, get better." He could feel a little 
pressure on the shell.
	"Please don't touch the shell," a third voice said. "This is very 
delicate machinery."
	He tried to move his mouth to say something, but was too weak to do 
so. He gave up on that idea and relaxed again.
	"Hold up," a fourth voice said. "I just saw something." Keys were 
pressed in rapid succession and monitors were checked. "Brain activity is up 
20% since she touched the shell.
	"Honey?!" his girlfriends voice called out. He forced himself to reach 
blindly in her direction. The gel presented extreme resistance for his 
ruined system. "He's responding! Honey!"
	"His muscular structure is highly damaged. He shouldn't move unless he 
wants..." The rest of the sentence was lost to him in a wave of pain. He 
could feel two hands placed up against the bubble.
	"Please, don't hurt yourself." He stopped almost instantly. The goo 
pushed his arms back into place. The effort to move, to respond, was far too 
much for him....

	When he came around again, the tough, unyeilding gel had been replaced 
with a warm, less restraining water bath. His body remained - not forcably 
curled up - but suspended freely in what seemed to be space. He slowly 
opened his eyes - it was still an effort to do so - and saw his world. The 
water was a shade of light blue he never knew existed. Everything looked 
distorted, warped by the liquid. His surreal world was filled with white 
coated blobs moving about, watching their post-modern art looking machines. 
But one thing stood out and looked almost as it should have.

	His girl.

	She watched him silently, her eyes locked on his body. He could see it 
in her eyes - she was worried for him. Despite the warping of the liquid, he 
could tell her face was matted with tears. Her hands were held together in 
silent prayer, hoping he would become better. He couldn't see her like that. 
He had to let her know he was fine.

	He started a labored attempt to move a hand. It wasn't much at first, 
but soon it was enough to catch her attention. He smiled - though she 
couldn't see it though the mask - and waved. She smiled a bit and waved 
back. He shut his eyes and moved his hands, speaking in sign language:
	"I...love...you..."
	She smiled, tears coming to her eyes, and signed back:
	"How do you feel?"
	"I...feel...wet...and...warm..."
	She giggled, catching the attention of one of the techs. She continued:
	"Other than that, silly."
	"Lovely..."
	"Why?"
	"I...can't...hold...you...in...my...arms..."
	She smiled. "I miss you."
	"Me...to...lover..."

	By this time, a whole bunch of techs and medics had gether, watching 
them as they had their conversation. When they finished, the head tech 
smiled and said something. He couldn't understand it - the water did a 
fantastic job at warping his hearing as well as his sight. The tech looked 
to his girl and said something to her. She nodded and signed:
	"He wants to know if you're feeling any better?"
	He looked at him and gave him a piece of sign language everyone knows.
	She smirked. "I take it that's a yes."
	"Yes...it...is..." The tech laughed and said something. His girl 
smiled and looked to him. "What...did...he...say?"
	"He said you should relax. You'll be into a regular medical unit in a 
week."
	"Oh...great...I'm...going...to...smell...like...a...dead...wet...bear
...when...I...get...out...of...this...thing..."
	She laughed, the sound making everything vibrate warmly. "Stop that."
	"It's...true..."
	"Relax and try to stay calm."
	"Please...visit...me..."
	"Okay. You rest now."

	He shut his eyes and let his muscles relax. Again, he was suspended in 
seemingly nothingness. His mind even stopped for a moment as he tried to 
collect himself. He had a week to float around and do nothing. He started to 
fall asleep. His dreams would be his companion until the next time the 
hottie from engineering stopped by to say hi. He knew that they would stir 
up another sign conversation. But he knew it was well worth the wait.

	It was either that or just float there.

End
This material is © <([ Lone Wolf Studios ])>