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Grace leaned over the table. Head in his hands. He was supposed to be working on the fuel doubling calculations for Stratt right now, but he couldn’t think straight.
His back and shoulders were killing him. He knew he had the posture of a shrimp, but he didn’t think it was this bad. The all-nighters in the lab probably didn’t help him a lot either.
It was easier to pull all-nighters and have bad posture as a twenty-something year old student. Now it was all just pain and misery. Not to mention the stress from the weight of the world on his shoulders. As Stratt had said, he was the world’s leading expert on Astrophage.
Just the thought of it made his head ache even more. He just wanted all of this to be over so he could go back to teaching. He groaned into his hands.
“Doctor Grace.” Grace shot upright at the voice. Stratt was standing in the doorway of his lab, a stern look on her face.
“Yes— Hello— Sorry I was just—” Grace vaguely gestured to his white board of scribbles. It was honestly a miracle that his handwriting was still even remotely legible.
“We had a meeting with the science team two minutes ago.” Grace internally cursed, checking his watch.
“Oh God— I’m sorry I lost track of time— Let me grab my notes and—” Grace went to grab his already messy stack of notes but ended up sending them across the floor instead. Stratt simply stood there and said nothing.
Grace bent down to pick up his notes, but the sudden bend at his hips sent more pain to his head. Grace groaned again, his hand resting against his forehead. He dropped to his knees which didn’t really help given he was now arching his already aching back. He gritted his teeth and tried to breathe through the pain, but it wasn’t really working.
“Grace?” The sudden hand on his sore shoulder made him flinch inward, which put even more strain on his shoulders.
“Hmph— I’m fine. Just a headache.” Grace finished scooping up his notes, he could reorganise them properly later. “We need to get to the meeting—” Stratt shook her head, something Grace thought she would never do.
“No. You are ill. You need rest.” Grace shook his head.
“No, we don’t have time for that. We need to keep working on this, the planet is on the line—”
“Do you know what else I don’t have time for?” Grace looked Stratt in the eyes, unsure of what she wanted him to say in reply. Stratt both sensing he didn’t know what to say and getting impatient answered her own question. “I don’t have time for my lead scientist to be burnt out and ill from stress. So you are going to be sent back to your bunk to rest. I also want you to get checked over by a medical officer.” Grace opened his mouth to oppose being sent back but Stratt cut him off, pulling out her walkie-talkie from her pocket.
“Stratt to Carl, come in Carl. Over.” Grace couldn’t hear what Carl said to her as she had the walkie-talkie plugged into an earpiece. “Come down to Doctor Grace’s lab and escort him to the medical officer and then his bunk, over.”
Grace had to assume that Carl was nearby given how quickly he seemed to appear at the door of the lab. Grace was just finishing off packing his laptop and coffee flask into his bag. Grace could see the concern etched on the man’s face.
“What’s going on?” Stratt clearly noted the concern too and answered bluntly but also with concern laced in her voice.
“I believe the stress is getting to Doctor Grace, and I am giving the order for him to have at least seventy-two hours of rest. No laptop, no work. Just resting, whether that is in bed or relaxing in the crew areas, I do not mind but not working. I also want him to be checked over by the medical officer to ensure that he does not need medical attention.” Carl simply nodded in response. He knew that Stratt was telling him to accompany Grace the entire time and not just to the medical officer and then his bunk, not that Stratt would tell Grace that through. Although it didn’t look like Grace was up for much arguing right now. Carl could tell he needed the rest. He had kept an eye on the man and had noted the lack of sleep as of recent and the lack of leaving the lab for extended periods of time.
“Right then, to the medical officer first.” Grace sighed, he knew there was no arguing with these two.
The medical officer confirmed Stratt’s thoughts; he had over-stressed himself. His muscles were overworked from the stress and therefore giving him a tension headache. The lack of sleep and proper breaks also didn’t help the man.
Grace for his part didn’t fight back or argue with anything going on around him. He just let it all happen.
The duo were now headed back to his bunk. Grace gripped the bridge of nose and yawned. He patted his pockets down, looking for the key to the bunk room but struggled to find it. Carl held his hand out flat to the man with the key he was looking for in his own hand.
“Thanks.” Grace takes the key and floundered with it for a few seconds before getting his door open. Carl slips Grace’s bag from his shoulder as he steps into the room. Grace spins around to grab it, but Carl holds it too far from his reach. Like a parent would hold something a toddler shouldn’t have above their head.
“Stratt said no laptop, no work. Now lay down and sleep, you know you need it.”
Grace sighed and flopped onto the bed, Carl flicked the light off and closed the door, wishing him a goodnight.