//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5: Hospital Exams, a Cute Nurse, and an Urgent Message 
// Story: Bermuda Beginnings 
// by ScarFox9700 
//------------------------------//

A little while later, the creature was delivered safely to the hospital, and at the insistence of Nurse Redheart, was moved to the ward that she oversaw. Sadly, once they got the creature to the ward, the hospital staff realized that none of the beds were quite large enough to hold him. To compensate for this, they put two mattresses together, and made him a sort of bed on the floor. 

Then, while Nurse Redheart began to administer medical aid to stabilize any damage, other doctors and nurses began to examine the creature. They found it to be about 5'8" tall, and weigh about 158lbs. Standing up fully, the creature would stand about a foot taller than they would, and they also discovered that it stood on two legs instead of four! The medical staff also found out just what was lurking underneath the wool and leather that the creature was wearing. 

Upon close examination, they found that it had very little fur or hair at all, and was instead covered in a fleshy skin. They also found that it was a male of about 25 years of age, and that its teeth were not made for tearing flesh, but rather for breaking food down into smaller pieces that could be swallowed. He had two lungs, a heart, was a warm-blooded mammal, had blue eyes, and could quite possible even grip objects with his odd appendages attached to his upper limbs. 

"Oh dear", one of the doctors mumbled after examining a sample of the creature's stomach contents. 

"What?" Redheart asked. She had stopped all of the creature's bleeding, and found no broken bones, or internal injuries. Instead, he had a series of cuts and bruises, as well as a minor concussion. 

"It seems that our friend here eats more than just veggies and cake." 

"What do you mean?" 

"Well", the doctor continued, "I mean that he has consumed what appears to be cooked pork, an egg, a drink that appears to be a variant of coffee, sunflower seeds, some bread and lettuce, as well as chunks of something that I couldn't identify, however, although if I had to guess, I would say that it appears to be chocolate. This creature is an omnivore; it can eat both plants and meat, as well as other organic substances." 

"Hmm", cooked pork", Redheart mused. "It may not be able to eat meat raw. Does this mean that it could be sentient?" 

The doctor shrugged. "We won't know for sure until we've completed our scans of the creature's brain, but it is possible I suppose." 





After looking over the scans once they were complete, the doctor found that the creature's brain was very similar to an equine's brain, and that it was rather large. So large in fact, that it took up almost all of the space inside of the creature's skull. The scan also revealed that the creature had an IQ of 120, so not only was it highly intelligent, but it was also most likely very smart as well. 

"So it is a sentient being after all. I just hope that we can communicate with him when he wakes up." 

"Good point", Redheart replied, stooping down to wipe some sweat off of the creature's forehead again. "He is stable though", she continued, "So he could be coming around any time now." 

Then, as if the creature had heard her, he began to groan, and he reached up an appendage to touch his face. His eyes were still closed, and he seemed to be mumbling faintly. 

Redheart put a hoof over his appendage, and spoke softly to him. "Shh, easy now", she whispered. "You've had quite a day with your accident. You're very lucky to still be here!" 

"Hmm", the creature sighed, before moving his appendage slightly to touch Redheart's hoof. "Wh...wha..t? What, happened?" He asked faintly. 

Gasps of shock filled the room. "He speaks our language!!!" 

The doctor was struggling to find the right words. "He, he is, more like us than I thought!" 

"You had a nasty accident." Redheart whispered to her patient, "You're ok now, I'm here to take good care of you." 

"Thanks", he whispered before opening his eyes for the first time. What he saw when he did, was quite beyond him!

He was looking up at a white-furred pony mare with a pink mane and tail, big, baby-blue eyes, a sweet smile, a nurse's cap, as well as soft, gentle hooves. 

"WHOA!!!!" He recoiled a bit, before the pain of his recent injuries arrested him, and he fell back down on the mattresses again. 

"Who are you? Where am I? And above all, why do I hurt so much?" 

Redheart giggled. "What's the matter?" She asked smiling, "Haven't you ever seen a pony before?" 

"Yes, yes I have, but they looked nothing like any of you! And where am I?" 

"You're in the hospital silly!" 

"Yeah, I know that!" He tried to smile. "But what country am I in? I don't think I'm in America anymore, or anywhere on Earth for that matter." 

"You're in Equestria!" Redheart answered proudly. "A magical land of ponies, Gryphons, Minotaurs, Dragons, and other wonderful creatures!" 

"Wow", the creature mumbled, "I must either be dead, or dreaming, I can't decide which." 

Redheart leaned in, and kissed him gently on the cheek. "Still convinced that you're dreaming?" She giggled. 

"Um, nope. I'm not dreaming. This really is real. You're not in pain when you're dead, and this is WAY to vivid to be a dream, so yes, I guess that this all really is real." He then took a quick look around at his surroundings. "Um, why am I practically on the floor?" 

"There weren't any beds big enough to put you in, so we had to improvise." The doctor answered. 

"I'm Nurse Redheart by the way" Redheart continued after the creature nodded at the doctor, "But you can call me 'Nurse'. What's your name?" 

"It's Taylor". He answered, "Lt. Charles Taylor. But you can just call me 'Taylor'. 

Taylor stretched for a moment. "So, um, can I stand up and walk yet Doc? Or better yet, how bad off am I?" 

"Well, you seem to be very healthy for a....a....um, what are you exactly?" 

""Um, I'm a human", Taylor replied. "And I hail from the country of America, on the planet Earth. I also still don't fully know how I got here." 

"Earth", the doctor mused, "I think I have heard of it. A terrible place filled with violence, death, war, and tyranny."

"Quite correct, I'm afraid." Taylor shook his head sadly. "We humans just wrapped up the worst war in our entire history, and the scars from it will still linger on for years, I'm afraid." 

Taylor looked like he was about to cry. Redheart sat down on the mattresses next to him, and leaned in close to comfort him. 

"Shh", she said softly, "The war is over. You're beyond it now. I'll be here for you." 

"You will?" 

She nodded. "Of course. I'm the nurse taking care of you. It's my job to be there for you." 

"I'd really like that", Taylor sighed happily. Then he looked back up at the doctor. "So doctor", he asked the unicorn with the brown mane and tail, lab coat, stethoscope, and spectacles, "Am I able to walk yet, or am I still stuck here in bed?" 

"Well, you seem to be alright, thanks to Miss Redheart, but you'll be kept here a while longer, just to be sure. However, if you feel like you're well enough to stand up and walk, you may attempt it. However, please try not to overdo it!" 

With that, Taylor stretched for a bit, then he pulled back the covers, and moved over to the left side of the mattresses as he sat with his legs out in front of him, ready to give it a go. He still had his pants and underwear on, but he was both shirtless, and barefoot. Then, with Redheart by his side, he made it to his feet, and began to move around the room a little. 

"If you think that you're ok for now, I'll leave you in the care of Miss Redheart. I'll check back in later." 

He and the other doctors and nurses then left, and just after he stepped out into the hallway and shut the door, the doctor turned to his nurse assistant. 

"I still don't think that I completely trust him. We need to inform the princess about him immediately! We'll let her decide what to do with him." 

(Yes, Celestia is the sole ruler, as Luna is still on the moon, with about 60 years left until she returned as Nightmare Moon.)

"Yes Doctor", the nurse then left to inform a messenger about their peculiar new visitor.