[snip]

Faith acknowledged the instructions. The procedure was straightforward and she would now be able to repeat it with some practise. However, she remembered back to her days birthing children on Eta Cassiopeia, it was very different when the patient was someone you knew rather than a stranger. It was much harder, much more emotional.

Glen slept though not deeply. He was quieter now, except for a few seconds when he called out, “Sleeping? No, I wasn’t sleeping. Er! Why are those alarms sounding? “

Faith was initially concerned, but realised that he was still dreaming, or whatever it was that he was doing.

Faith sat again. Time passed. Eventually, she fell asleep in her chair herself.

‘’Poor child ‘’ Kate whispered to Hunter ‘’Yes indeed ‘’ he replied back ‘’Considering his promise to take responsibility for her welfare ,a promise which he kept. Kate how come the medical staff did not remove the worm from the Captain? ‘’ the doctor asked .
‘’ I don’t know ,as a junior nurse I was never on the bridge …you should ask Cross for she was there the whole time with another doctor ‘’.

Captain Glen stirred and the monitors showed that his consciousness was returning. Cross could open up the Captain’s medical records to show him that the worm was removed, and then much later a meeting with the [redacted] used a [redacted] medical scanner to (mostly) stabilize the lingering effects upon Glen.

When he woke, he was confused about exactly how much time had passed, but he actually felt better. It seemed like his own body might have finally fixed those lingering effects that had remained. He sat up and pulled his legs around before realising that he was connected to tubes and wires.

“Ugh! I feel like somebody’s been beating me with a stick for about six years. What time is it?” Glen asked.

• Glen, CO