Hawk's Fight with Buck

        (Alternative version of the fight scene from "Time of the Hawk")

by

Teresa Spanics

Chapter Ten

"My dear boy, you should not be out of bed!" cried Dr. Goodfellow, going after Hawk who turned to face the surprised doctor and the nurse.

Realizing that the two healers had seen him, Hawk backed painfully away from both of them until he bumped into the door.  Reaching around frantically for the release button, Hawk finally found it and backed out while still facing the two healers.

The two security guards at the door, who were nearing the end of their shift, were surprised to see the birdman backing out of sickbay.  Hawk turned just in time to be grabbed by the two guards at the door.  He tried to fight off the male guards.  Then two more of their male colleagues, who had been coming to relieve them, came running up to help subdue the birdman.

Even though he was caught off-guard, Hawk struggled with both guards as he tried to break free of their grasps regardless of the throbbing agony that raced across his chest along his right side. He almost succeeded when the other two guards joined in.  Then Hawk tried to kick one of the guards with his good leg, but was unable stand too long on his injured leg and it collapsed under him causing him to cry out in pain.

Dr. Goodfellow cried out to the guards as they struggled with Hawk.  "Be careful with him.  Hawk is still badly hurt.  He is not yet fully healed." 

Despite the excruciating pain that was threatening to overtake him, Hawk continued to fight the guards even though he could hardly stand up.  The struggle continued until one guard managed to grab him by his good leg and the other guard grabbed his injured leg before Hawk had a chance to get to his feet again.

Then all four guards carried the struggling birdman back into the sickbay and tried to put him back onto the medi-bed.  Hawk continued to thrash around in their grips.  He had to get free.  He just had to.  There was no way he was going to lie down and let the humans do whatever cruel deeds that they had planned for him.  None at all.  But the extreme agony that coursed through him left Hawk weak and gasping in exhaustion.

Once Hawk was inside the sickbay, Dr. Goodfellow called, "Nurse Jensen, get me one vial of the tranquilizer for Hawk.  We need to calm him down before he seriously hurts himself.  We don't want him crippled for life."

Gesturing Nurse Jensen to stay back after receiving the tranquilizer, Dr. Goodfellow was about to approach Hawk to inject him, when one of the guards cautioned.  "Stay back, doctor.  It's not safe.  We haven't got him into the restraints, yet."

Realizing that the elder healer held some importance to the guards, Hawk looked at him and desperately begged him.  "Elder healer, tell them to let me go!"

Before Dr. Goodfellow could answer him, two of the guards pushed Hawk back down onto the medi-bed where they held him down by the shoulders.  Hawk struggled to break free of the guards' grip, but the pain of his injuries had begun to take their toll on him.

Hoping that his cries to be released would prompt the elder healer to force the guards to let him go, Hawk tried to continue breaking free of the guards' hold on him and cried out.  "Let ... me ... go! ... Let ... me ... go!"

Meanwhile, one guard managed to pin Hawk's good leg as well as his injured leg down on the medi-bed so the second guard could put the metal restraints on both of Hawk's ankles.  The guards used padded metal restraints which were designed to hold down an unruly patient for the medical staff's safety.

The two guards were then able to help the other two guards pinning Hawk to the medi-bed by his shoulders until Hawk's wrists were finally placed into the arm metal restraints.  Once Hawk was securely restrained, the guards felt that they could leave him alone.  There was no way the birdman could get loose again now.

Finding himself back in restraints, Hawk began thrashing around in the restraints trying to break free despite the pain wracking his body, but was unable to and finally had to stop moving.  Seeing that the birdman could not break free of the padded metal restraints, all four guards were finally able to relax and back away from the medi-bed. 

"Okay, doctor.  He is safely restrained so you can treat him.  One of us can stay inside for your safety," One of the guards told Dr. Goodfellow .

Dr. Goodfellow told the guards.  "You can all go now.  There is no need for a guard inside the sickbay.  Besides, you already scared this patient half to death with your manhandling, even if it was necessary."

"We will be reporting this incident to Admiral Asimov and Colonel Deering, doctor," informed one of the guards as they all left the sickbay.

"As you wish, but lock the door so I won't be disturbed while checking my patient," Dr. Goodfellow told the guards as they closed the door to the sickbay.

With his chest heaving from all his exertions, Hawk watched the guards leave.  Once he was sure that they were gone, Hawk tried to hide his pain from view as he turned to the elder healer in hopes that he would take pity on him and release him.  He pleaded once again.  "Elder healer, I won't hurt you.  Please let me go."

"I'm sorry, my dear boy.  I can't let you go until I have seen how badly you may have re-injured yourself," apologized Dr. Goodfellow as he gestured for Nurse Jensen to approach Hawk's medi-bed.