Text - OTA

[not_as_i_do]

Sometimes I'll be in the middle of a day of work and forget all of this. You have to be able to ... to put it away somewhere, just to focus on what needs doing.

But then some strange little random thing will remind me, and it all comes crashing back. Today, it was a young man's eyes, on the subway home. They were so blue, and I thought, 'my son has eyes like that'. But I don't have a son. Not here. But I do in the memories.

I know I should probably save these things for group, but ... somehow it's easier putting them here in writing. I feel like ... it should still all be secret. Like I should be used to keeping secrets.

I've never been secretive in my life.

Does anyone else have moments like this?

Comments

[not_as_i_do]

Not the analogy I would have gone with, but it's certainly apt, dear boy. ... Are things like that commonplace in your memories, then?

[darkforcerising]

It's common place in my now life.

Though it wouldn't surprise me if it's in my memories, I'm forced to do a lot of dangerous things. It's surprising I'm not dead yet in my memories.

[not_as_i_do]

Really! That's fascinating. Do you work in some sort of rehabilitation field?

[medical curiosity quite piqued]

Forced to! That must be unsettling as hell when those memories come back.

[darkforcerising]

I lost my right arm in a jet crash.

My memories are a real hoot.

[not_as_i_do]

A jet crash, goodness. That's a terrible amount of rehab. Are you doing alright?

[he's a doctor, he feels he needs to ask on sheer principle. the boy does sound like he's not keen on discussing his memories, though, so he'll let that lie]

[darkforcerising]

Physically? Unless Earth figures out how to regrow limbs, I'm as healed as possible.

Mentally? I am a wreck up there.

[not_as_i_do]

I can imagine. I've heard my share of war stories from the family... I'm sorry you had to go through it, but glad you lived, for whatever it's worth.

My name's Martin, by the way. Dr. Martin Whitly.

[darkforcerising]

You can't change the past.

I'm Anakin.

What kind of doctor are you?

[not_as_i_do]

Indeed. Glad to know you, Anakin.

I'm a cardiothoracic surgeon. Bit specialized, but I've done general rotations before as well, when places were understaffed.

[darkforcerising]

You deal with stuff inside the chest, ya?

[not_as_i_do]

Chest and throat, yes. Anything related to what helps you breathe and circulate blood. [he says it almost cheerfully, in the cadence of someone who's used that explanation countless times before]

[darkforcerising]

So... blood vessels, too?

[not_as_i_do]

Oh yes, definitely. You have to be able to work with the vessels to deal with the heart. It'd be like being a gardener and not knowing what to do with a root system. Why do you ask?

[darkforcerising]

Curiosity. I don't really know much about medicine outside of basic training first aide.

[not_as_i_do]

That's a very solid start, though. I started my own medical training in the army, actually. The cardiothoracic speciality came a while after. I'm happy to discuss just about any aspect of it you like - curiosity may have killed the cat, but I've never seen it do the same to a human so long as they're not reckless about it.