A Worker's Compensation - Chapter One
Manehattan Hospital, 7:30 A.M.
A pair of eyes fluttered open, greeted by the stark white if clean tile and bright lights. A groan resounded, to which a soft sound responded.
"Are you okay, sir?" a voice rang out, bringing the human fully awake and yawning. He sat up, rubbing his eyes, when he coughed painfully.
"I'm going to ask you a few questions, okay?" the voice came again, to which the human nodded slowly. A satisfied hum was made, and the human looked to the source.
At the hospital bedside, a white-coated, pink-maned earth mare laid out her materials, humming a tune as the human lay in his bed. The smell of sterile air hung around, stinging the human's nose.
"So, your name, please?" The nurse asked, hoof on a clipboard at the bedside.
"S-Sebastian, ma'am." the human answered, wheezing and putting a hand to his chest, grasping at the silky cloth over it, as his body was wracked in a coughing fit.
"Here," The nurse quickly hoofed over a small plastic cup. "Drink."
Sebastian did so quickly, downing the chilly water in one go. He gasped for a moment, before breathing out steadily.
"I'm f-fine now, thank you." he said, clearing his throat after.
The mare nodded with a smile, before looking back to the clip board and grasping a pen in her jaws and writing. She then added, "Age?"
"Twenty-seven."
She quickly jotted down his information. "Sex?"
"M-Male."
"Species? Oh, hang on." The mare immediately added "Human" to the sheet. "That one was even more obvious than the last."
"Mm-hm," Sebastian quietly agreed, massaging his chest to ease the soreness.
"Do you live in Equestria at the present moment?" the mare asked, biting the pen once again.
"N-No, ma'am." Sebastian quickly answered.
"Okay," The nurse proceeded with more questions, to which the man answered with quick, straight information.
"Now," she paused, setting the clipboard and pen to the side, "is there anything you can tell me about your injury before the doctor examines it? Like how you got it?"
The patient nodded. "Well, I'm in the c-c-construction business, a-and I think something f-fell on me, hit me in the ch-chest, while I was doing some lifting... That's all I really know for sure..." he trailed off, his breath shaking as his torso flexed uncomfortably.
"Uh-huh." The mare had started writing again. "Well, I'll leave the rest to the doctor. He should be with you shortly." She gave a friendly smile, before gathering her items and leaving the room.
The man fidgeted in his bed, sweating in the uncomfortably warm room. He twiddled his thumbs and wiped away sweat, his hands shaking, then his body, as another coughing fit hit him.
A shiver ran down Sebastian's spine as the door creaked back open. In came a white-furred unicorn stallion with a black mane, rounded spectacles perched atop his snout. He deposited a familiar clipboard and tools on the bedside table, his lab-coat flowing lightly.
"Uh," Sebastian spoke up, "you're the d-doctor?" he asked.
"Ah yes," the stallion responded with a thick, unfamiliar accent, "and you are mein patient, yes?"
"Er..." Sebastian looked himself over. He looked back to the doctor. "I guess so, s-sir."
"Ach, don't be so formal, mein freunde. Call me Sawbones." He smiled back to the human with a glint in his eye.
"Y-Yes, S-Sawbones, sir."
Sawbones rolled his sky blue eyes with a private sigh. "Well, herr- Vait, you're full name vill be needed, Sebastian." The stallion grabbed the clipboard and a pen.
"Oh, sorry, i-it's S-Sebastian T. B-arf-ford. Sir." he complied, nervous jitters present in his limbs.
"Okay," Sawbones wrote down the name. "Vell then, Herr Barford, I just need to ask a few questions, zen ve can begin your examination."
"So, Sebastian, it says in this report zat you were given emergency treatment after somezing crushed your ribcage. Apparently, no time for ze usual treatment. Can you tell me the reason you are here?"
"Oh," Sebastian thought back to his recent injury, "well, I was carrying s-some heavy g-g-gear, when... I think something swing int-to m-me... That's all I-I know, sorry..." Sebastian looked down, rubbing his hands.
"During your work, it also says..." Sawbones added. "Vell, you'll be surprised by this; it seems that you're the first human to be sent to zis hospital, and the sole inhabitant of zis entire wing! How lucky!" He chuckled to himself. "Vell, zere seem to be quite a few fractures in your ribcage, and your lungs are having trouble taking in air, am I correct?"
"I guess so, sir."
"Sawbones, if you would."
"Sorry, Sawbones."
"Now zen," Sawbones continued, "I shall commence vith ze examination. Stand still, please, zis will only take a minute."
Taking several steps away from the end of the bed, Sawbones set a stable stance and tilted his head forward, pointing his horn at Sebastian as it sparked purple. A thin wisp of purple vapor flowed out, connecting to his patient's chest. The pain of breathing softened for Sebastian, replaced with a cool, calming sensation.
It ended abruptly as the purple vapor retracted quickly into Sawbones' horn.
"Oh dear," he started, grimacing at Sebastian. "It vould seem zat you have more than a few simple fractures. You seem to have a bad case of vhat us doctors call 'flail chest'."
Sebastian gripped his chest as the pain flashed, increasing exponentially for for a moment before receding.
"F-Flail chest?" he asked with shaky breathing. "Is-Is it f-f-fatal?"
Sawbones blinked. "Not in zis case, no." he answered. Sebastian let out a painful breath. "But we need to keep you in zis room for an uncertain amount of time."
"Why is that?"
"Vell, for one zing, us Equestrians still aren't too sure about how much direct magic you can take, or how effective our healing magic is," he tapped his horn with a hoof, "on you, plus ze fact zat you're ze first human patient in my care, much less ze first vith this type of chest fracture."
"O-Oh..." Sebastian wasn't too comfortable with the information. It was frightening to be the first experimental patient of a doctor. "Will I be f-fine?" he questioned, rubbing his arms nervously.
"Of course, Herr Barford! Ve vill just need to take this slow. You're in good hooves, Sebastian, don't worry." The doctor smiled, then retrieved a notepad from his labcoat, levitating them in front of him. "Now, you 'll need a few prescriptions; some painkillers, healing salves, and, of course, your daily magical allergy medication. Is zat fine?"
"Yes, Sawbones."
"Very good!" Sawbones jotted down the prescriptions in the notepad, then tore off the page, shoving it into a different pocket. "Vell, zis is ze first day of your recovery! You'll have the complete attention of Miss Redheart and I, so don't be worried about bothering us." He gathered his belongings, storing them in his coat. "Try and get some rest, mein freunde." He departed with those words, the door closing behind him.
Left to himself, Barford quickly laid back down, closing his eyes, waiting for sleep to take him.
