Hungover and Playing Doctor

The sun beamed through the curtains and into the eyes, which led to a heavy throbbing in the head and me gritting my teeth in pain and holding my head, I looked at my watch and the alarm clock on the bedside table. My watch was four hours behind the clock.

I wake up at seven-thirty usually and the clock said eleven-thirty — clearly my body clock was out of whack and I was hungover, which didn't help at all as I tried to get out of bed. Fatigue, a hangover and travel lag made for a cursed time trying to wake up from a decent slumber.

I muttered to myself painfully, rubbing my eyes with my fingers "Fuck me..."

I then arose from my bed groaning like a necromancer's undead dog and shambling to the bathroom before I then hurled into the toilet bowl even though the only thing that was coming up was just dry heaves, there was a slight relief but my head was still throbbing as I picked myself up and then washed and gave myself a small trimming of the beard before.

I looked into the mirrored cabinet and found the usual, toothpaste and a few razor blades and a razor, beauty product tins before finally seeing the little tin medical box and began looking for some sort of painkiller.

I found a vial of a thick looking liquid that labelled "hangover remedy potion" and when I rotated and examined the vial, I saw a pipette and then looked for instructions which I could not find on the vial itself so I took a guess at the dosage and then dripped two drops on my tongue with the pipette and swallowed, the bitterness making me wince a little as I put the tin back with the vial.

Either it was a placebo of taking medicine early or it was instant, but I felt far better than I did waking up. I swiftly went to brushing my teeth and heading back into the bedroom, where I switched the radio on and listened while putting my suitcase on the bed and began looking through my clothes and putting some away, since the plan for sticking around in Neydren for a day will not happen.

The voice said through the radio, "This is the Isle news at eight. Today, in a stroke of luck, the brave soldiers have won the fortress town of Saint Gataneux Lux after a heavy firefight with orcish war forces. The continued united efforts of the Alliance have pushed back the orcish forces by a considerable amount into Stelzen territory, meaning the war could be over by New Dawn."

I was glad to hear such news considering the letters from friends I retrieved talked about them being posted in the forests outside the town after I left conscription with Ari, the poor lads have been trapped in trenches with snipers picking them off and constant attacks from the orcish army, I was glad I signed off before I had to be in that fight but I always doubted the false narrative of "the war will be over by New Dawn".

They always said that. After the fifth time you heard it after a campaign you realised that the propaganda broke itself and it was to keep us motivated but failed in doing so, it ground on our nerves more than anything.

I picked out something that would do nicely for the coldness, picking out an Aran jumper, some thick wool Pat Thirty-Fours. The one thing I bought a few of during my service was comfy wool Pattern Thirty-four pants because of the extra pockets and they kept you warm during the winter.

I also got a few pairs of service gaiters just to keep the warmth in. I put them on with a pair of brown hobnail boots, with some thick woollen socks and then heading out the door once I put my clothes away in the dressers.

I then headed up two flights of stairs quietly, before then knocking on the door to Irene's apartment and that voice answered in a pained groan "Come in!"

I walked in to see Aunty Irene on the couch, recovering from her injuries from last night's brawl and killing, still dressed in her stuff from last night "Guessing I'll have to play doctor then, eh?"

Irene laughed a little and nods "You deal with the cuts and bruises, I'll nurse the hangover, alright?"

"Sounds like a fair deal, alright auntie, don't mind if I take the shirt and suspenders off?"

"I'm your non-related aunty! How improper of you!" She said in faux shock, before saying with a smile, "just mucking with you! Get them off and the shirt open."

I was careful, gently taking off the leather suspenders and then unbuttoning the shirt gently as I then got the medical box from the cupboard that she pointed to and a bowl of water.

Then I swiftly returned to Irene's side, opening her shirt to expose her nude upper torso that was dotted with pink war scars and a few bruises. I examined her body; it had muscle definition — so it was clear Irene was still training her body, even if she was in her late forties, that most female soldiers my age would be jealous of.

I began with the nose, cleaning it of dried blood with a wet cotton bud and then asked her to breathe, which she did easily once I cleaned it. I then went to the bruises on her chest, touching over them to see if there was any damage to them. Most of the touches got a slightly pained grunt meaning it was minor damage before I touched under the breast on a rib, which gave a wince and a slight yelp "Son of a bitch!"

"There's a fracture here..." I said, before getting a layered swab of bandages into a patch and asked, "Got a healing potion cabinet anywhere?"

"Yeah, head into my bedroom, Joseph, right side of my bed."

I nod and then go to the bedroom and open up the glass-screened cabinet and looked for a healing potion concentrate that supports the recovery speed of the fractured rib. I returned and soaked the patch a little in the centre before holding it and taping it to the wound firmly with some medical tape that was in the tin box.

I then dripped the concentrate on a swab and then wiped the healing potion concentrate on the bruises before buttoning my aunty back up and put the suspenders back on the shoulders.

"Better?" I asked while putting the tin back together and then standing back up to put the tin away in the cupboard.

"I do, but my head is still throbbing from the hangover." She said, sitting up with a small grunt in pain as she held where the fractured rib was by putting her hand under her shirt.

"I suppose you want me to get the vial of hangover recovery remedy, eh?"

"Nah, I'll get that, you have higher priorities than looking after me after you showed that medical training you got from the Field Medic for the Twenty-Third Scout Corps." Irene smiled at me proudly.

"If you say so, Aunty Irene. Do you know where Ari and that dwarf headed to?"

"Yeah, they went to a climbing equipment shop on Sjorven Road an hour ago to get a catalogue and getting a few other catalogues as well from different supply and surplus shops." She mentioned, "Also, they said you never woke up after they knocked on your door and that's why they went without you. I had to stop them from calling a doctor a few times as well."

"Fair enough... why is that?"

"I mean, healthcare may be free but I hate the questions they ask."

"It's important to ask them though."

"Not when you have the police at your door every weekend."

"Yeah, well, I won't argue," I said realising that the former captain's point is stupid but also valid in her case since she gets very irritated by questions she answered multiple times, even if she is very patient.

"I know you think it's important, Joe, but I can handle myself." She declared firmly to me as I replied, "I know, I know you can but it still doesn't mean that Ari and I won't stop worrying for you."

"Look, I won't argue with you, Irene, it'll be pretty much a back and forth and we might end up falling out," I said to my non-related aunt, looking out the window at the ruby-shaded, messy streak that leads from the front door and into an alleyway with numerous police officers and cars at the scene, as Irene and I try to calm down from nearly outright arguing with each other.