[Gift] Sprained Ankle

Being injured was never fun. Depths had slipped and fallen on one of the nukap hunts, and though he had tried to walk it off, it had become increasingly clear that something was up with his ankle. Pepper, curious about the outside world, was accompanying him on this trip. 

They were traveling to see Rubus, the same physician that had treated Glow, given they knew him and liked his work. He was helping out a colony in the ocean that was dealing with an underwater landslide, so they were going to him rather than asking him to come to them. Given Depths’ injury, it was fine for him to travel. 

The underwater transport docked with the colony, and Depths and Pepper stepped out, claws clicking on the smooth floor. Rubus was waiting for them in the hallway outside the lock, and waved. 

“Welcome to the ocean,” he said, sounding tired, and motioned for them to follow him. 

((The group walked down well-lit, clean corridors, with expansive views into the ocean outside. Creatures moved in the depths, only half-visible as murky shadows, while smaller fish flitted past on urgent errands. It was entrancing,)) and Depths had to pull Pepper away from the windows on more than one occasion. 

“So how are things going?” Depths asked Rubus. 

Rubus blinked tiredly, then motioned at the ceiling. “This place was very well-built, so there was only minor structural damage in the landslide. Most of the injured people came from those who were outside at the time… thankfully, nobody was hurt too bad, but.” he made a vague gesture, “we won’t know till everyone is dug out of the landslide.” 

Depths nodded, understanding, while Pepper made sympathetic noises. “Thanks for agreeing to see me, anyways,” he said, genuinely thankful. “I didn’t expect it… but it’s hard doing even everyday tasks when I can’t put my weight right. I’m surprisingly sore… everywhere else.” 

Rubus nodded, understanding, and gave his limping gait an appraising glance. “It’s because you’re compensating using muscles you don’t normally use. It should fade once we get that ankle set, though you’re going to have to break out of the habit of limping. While you’ll know that it doesn’t hurt anymore, your body will remember and try to keep up the limp to avoid causing pain. Something to keep in mind.” 

Depths nodded attentively, and set Pepper up in the waiting room with a book - though the whelp seemed to be far more fascinated by the wide windows, face pressed up against the glass. Depths shrugged internally, and followed Rubus into his exam room. He settled down on the bed and indicated the offending limb while Rubus put on some gloves. 

“I slipped in the mud,” Depths sighed tiredly. “Thought I could walk it off, but…” 

Rubus made a disapproving noise and began gently manipulating the joint. “Walking it off is a fiction parents tell their whelps so they don’t have to listen to their complaints. Tell me when it hurts.” 

The examination continued, Depths telling Rubus when pain shot through the joint, and what kind of pain it was. Mostly it was a dull, constant ache, that spiked when in certain positions or when he put weight on it. It was also a bit swollen, which Rubus waved off as normal. 

“It looks like a fairly decent sprain. I’ll wrap it with some support, and you’ll want to ice it regularly until the swelling starts to go down.” 

Depths nodded, and the two discussed some more, Depths writing notes down on a pad he had brought. While his memory was alright, for care details, he wanted to make sure he had it in writing to reference later. 

Rubus began to split and wrap the joint, pulling the bandages tight but not overly so. It was for compression, he explained, as well as making sure it wouldn’t split when Depths walked. As he worked, Depths watched the fish through the window outside. It was surprisingly peaceful, he decided. 

Once the wrapping and care details were done, they went out to collect Pepper and make their way back to the transport. Depths thanked Rubus, and the doctor nodded, smiling slightly. Pepper spent the walk talking both of their ears off about the things she had seen out the window, and the two adults nodded good-naturedly. It was nice to see him so excited.