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“This tastes bitter…”
Frank placed his fork down, meeting the food dispenser plate with a clank.
“That’s nothing new,” Dave replied, “This stuff wasn’t supposed to be gourmet.”
“Yeah, but the ‘chicken’ tasted a lot different yesterday.” Frank commented with a grimace. He wasn’t really sure how to describe it other than bitter. There wasn’t really any flavor but for a paste it was considerably dry on top of it. Frank had never been a fan of the food on board the Discovery but today something was just off.
“Perhaps you have developed an illness, Frank.” Hal replied from his fixed position in front of their dining table. “Often being sick can dull the taste buds.”
“Well, I certainly don’t feel sick, Hal. In fact I feel fine.” Frank looked up at the unit mounted on the wall, even though he would admit there was really no reason to make ‘eye’ contact with Hal, but it was just a habit that seemed normal to both him and Dave.
“I understand, and while it may be true that you feel fine, there is definitely no question in my mind that this may be the beginning symptoms of a sickness you may develop in the near future.” There was a pause and before Frank could interject his own opinion on the matter, Dave spoke up.
“I agree with Hal, Frank. If this is the beginning of just a cold or something, I think we should probably help treat it before it can turn worse.”
Frank sighed defeatedly. It was two versus one, he didn’t feel like he stood much of a chance against them. He smiled bitterly at Dave.
“Alright, well what do you suppose I should do then, Doctor Bowman?” Frank chaffed.
Dave appeared not to mind the sarcastic remark, that or he didn’t take it as sarcastic at all. After all, he was technically a doctor, just not one suited for health concerns. Rather, Dave smiled softly at him.
“Well, I would suggest some extra rest, I won’t mind taking over some of your duties for you, if it will help you get better.”
Hal interjected, “Yes, and along with rest I would advise for you to keep hydrated, and should the event of a cold arising, I can dispense some ibuprofen for you to help alleviate some of the symptoms that may come with it.”
Frank couldn’t help but laugh, which seemed to confuse Dave quite a bit. Hal was probably just as confused but lacked the same bunched up eyebrows, head tilt, and slight frown that Dave could project, which made it hard to tell.
“What seems to be funny, Frank?” Hal asked, confirming his own confusion in the matter.
“It’s just…” Frank took a moment to catch his breath, “... it’s funny… how you guys are acting like my parents when I was sick as a kid.”
“Dave and I were simply concerned for your health, that is all Frank.”
Frank collected himself and smiled gently at Hal’s monitor, “I know, Hal. And I really appreciate it, I do, it was just kinda cute of you guys to be so fussy over me.”
Dave rubbed the back of his neck, “We have to look out for each other, I mean, it is just us all the way out here. I know you would be concerned for me too, if I was sick.”
“I agree with Dave. Although I cannot contract any illness as a human would, I am sure that in a case where I needed assistance or care, you would make it a priority to see to it that I would be back to normal functioning.”
There was a silent agreement from Frank. He knew he would. If Dave ever fell ill, he’d be sure to let him rest, and help him out around the ship as much as he could. He wasn’t too sure on how much he would be able to help Hal, with whatever computer virus he would be able to get, but he’d like to think that he would try something. After all, he was like a sixth member as he and Dave had told the reporter earlier in their journey.
“Well… I really appreciate it you two. It means a lot to me.” Frank flashed them both a toothy grin, before picking up his tray to dispose of the now cold paste. He wasn’t too worried about the matter, after all, supposedly the Poole family line had a very good medical history of having strong immune systems. He rarely fell sick as a child, and when he did his parent’s attention to him was a bit suffocating.
But sure enough, in the span of the next few days, the Poole blessing was broken; Frank’s illness arrived. He currently was laying inside of his sleeping pod, as Dave relayed his status to Mission Control.
His body felt so tired, so heavy. Every other breath seemed to come out as a cough, and his nose stuffed for so long he couldn’t quite remember what it was like before, when it had been clear and he had been breathing clean, sterilized air. He overheard Mission Control’s relay to the commander, not to get too close to Frank while he was sick, god forbid the only other human currently conscious contract this sickness as well. This warning of course did not stop the commander, he felt the overwhelming urge to care for Frank like his mother would for him. It didn’t seem fair that Frank should need to suffer like this, while he was perfectly healthy himself.
Hal admitted internally that he also felt bad for the astronaut, as he would never have to suffer such a thing in his entire operational lifespan. To see Frank in such a pitiful state irked him. And while it did remind him at how fragile and weak the human body is, it also reminded him that this was his crewmate, somebody who he regarded as more of a close colleague now. So to see Frank in such disarray, troubled Hal to say the least. He couldn’t quite put his metaphorical finger on this feeling, but he decided the official name of such a feeling did not matter as so much as him acting upon the situation at hand.
Hal dispensed some ibuprofen for Frank, which Dave gladly brought to his bedside along with some water. Hal helped adjust the heading of the pod bed to a comfortable height for Frank, and Dave brought over his blanket for Frank when he appeared to still be cold. They doted on him for a while before Dave had to attend to his daily routine and duties.
“Is there anything else you need, Frank?” Hal asked once Dave walked away to another area of the carousel.
It was faint, but Hal could make out a slight head shake from the ill fallen astronaut. He supposed he should just let Frank rest, they had attended him enough. The sleeping pod’s glass cover closed, and Hal dimmed the glass.
“Sweet dreams, Frank. Get well soon.”