He was nearly to sleep again when Urish'tal came in and gently replaced the respirator. He opened his eyes and gave her a tired look as she did so. She nodded down at him.
"I suspected as much. I've been monitoring you from afar, trying to make sure those two didn't get you too worked up. You have a knack for overdoing it you know." She held up a hand, suggesting he needn't bother trying to respond. He realized that with the respirator in he couldn't anyway, as Kir'let still had his datapad.
"This will help you rest easier," she told him, giving him an application of something into the skin on his arm. It didn't take long before his eyes grew too heavy to keep open any more. She had been going over things on her datapad for a few moments before she turned and left the bubble just as his eyes were closing.
This time, rest was easier. He only dreampt once before waking, and it was a pleasant enough dream. In it, he found himself recalling some of the interesting things he'd learned about the Rich'ti people to his sister, back home. His dog had been in the dream as well, and he threw a ball over and over again, watching as the huskie bounded through the shafts of sunlight after it, bringing it back to him and excitedly waiting for him to throw it again.
He was almost regretful when he woke and had a difficult time convincing his eyes to open and drag him out of the fog of sleep. The nagging reminders of all he still had to do to try and smooth things out between the Humans and the Rich'ti eventually gnawed away at the dream until it sifted away, replaced by his mind making the usual lists of things he wanted to get done next. He settled his mind, reminding himself that he was still injured, as evidenced by the respirator and the dull aching still in his chest. He was thirsty. In the end, that was probably the thing that finally opened his eyes. The realization that he wanted nothing more than a glass of water just then.
