Dr. Nambu needed to quickly assess Joe. Which would not be easy. Joe had lost a lot of blood just in the God Phoenix. From what Jun described he had lost quite a bit at the accident scene as well. Joe's body, especially, his brain were very quickly becoming oxygen deprived. Joe wanted to just sleep. Nambu knew that but he couldn't let Joe sleep until they could get him in an OR room and hooked up to monitors.

"Joe. Look at me." Joe had closed his eyes.

Nambu started pounding the floor in front of Joe to get his attention. Joe was having a hard time doing anything. Nothing was going on automatic.

" Loud." Joe mumbled.
( How bad did I get hit?) Joe thought.

" Joe. Look at me."

Joe opened his eyes and tried to focus on Nambu.

" Blurry."

" I'm all blurry?" Nambu asked.

(No I just said that for the hell of it.) Is what Joe thought.

" Hai." was what passed from his lips.

" Joe I really need you to focus as much as you can on me right now. Understood?"

(You want me to focus? My head is splitting and I can't see and you want me to focus?)

"IIE, hurt."

" Joe you can't focus because your head hurts. Correct?"

" Hai."

" Joe I'm going to touch you and you tell me where. Ok?"

(What the hell are you doing Hakase?)

"Joe! Ok?"

Nambu looked at Joe's hands. They were closing into fists.

" Joe I know this is frustrating and you want me to stop."

" Kudasai." Joe answered.

Nambu got real close to Joe's beak and said, quietly:

" Joe you are really hurt. I know you can tell that also. Because your body and brain aren't working together. Are they?"

"IIE."

" Ok, I need to check you over to see what the next step is going to be. This is really important. Just hang in there for me, Kudasai."

For emphasis, Nambu grabbed both of Joe's hands and gave them a small squeeze.

"Hai." Joe said and returned the squeeze.

Nambu stood up and walked to Joe's side and sat down.

" Jun get down and watch his face for me. Don't let him fall asleep." Nambu ordered.

Jun laid down facing Joe. Jun flashed Joe a quick smile. Joe returned the gesture.

"Koko?" Nambu asked as he grabbed Joe's left ankle.

"Ankle." Joe mumbled.

"Which one?" Nambu said with an exasperated sigh.

Instead of answering Joe wiggled his left leg. Nambu wasn't going to push him. Nambu went up his body touching Joe and waiting for a response. Nambu noticed that when Joe got it wrong the team started giving hints.

"Everybody listen. This isn't a test. If Joe can't feel something I need to know. Ok?"

Nambu received a collective " Hai." in response.

Nambu was up to Joe's torso. Nambu grabbed his right ribcage and squeezed.

"Koko?"

Nambu was confused with Joe's response. Joe didn't flinch but he started laughing.

" Yeah. No cheating." Joe was exhibiting a case of the giggles.

Nambu got in front of Joe again.

" Joe what are you laughing about. What I said or where I touched you?"

(Hakase, you know I'm not ticklish. But this is starting to remind me of ...)

Joe's mind wandered back to a crazy training exercise that Ken and Joe used to do, when they were kids, that they started calling " Itsy, bitsy spider".

"Cheating, spider funny."

Jun, Ryu and Jinpei all looked really confused.

"He has lost a lot of blood and isn't making sense anymore, Hakase." Ryu said concern and fear evident in his voice.

"Yes, Ryu he has lost a lot of blood but he is making sense." Nambu had totally forgotten about that exercise.

They turned toward Ken for some sort of validation. The veiled fear on Ken's face gradually washed away. Their was a smile starting to tug at his lips and in his eyes. Nambu could see what was about to happen and tried to stop it.

"Ken don't you dare start laughing. Because if you start he will start and Joe can't lose that much oxygen right now."

(Too late.) Joe thought and started getting the giggles.

"Stop, I mean it." Nambu punctuated this with a quick swat to Joe's rump.

"Ass" Joe said and then quickly dissolved into laughter and took Ken with him.

"I have got to hear this one." Ryu said with a smile.

"Later, everybody." Nambu said as he reached for the bag he brought with him. "Joe open your mouth."

Nambu put in mouthpiece hooked to a small oxygen canister.

"Just breathe normally. Ok?"

"Hai."

Ken and Joe forced themselves to calm down.

Nambu produced a knife and cut the board away from the floor. The team joined Nambu and Joe to exit the ship. Ryu and Ken each grabbed an end of the board and flew Joe off of the ship. Ken and Ryu didn't give Joe up to the medical team. They took off towards the medical section at a trot.

"Where Hakase?" Ken shouted.

Nambu waved off the team and motioned them to follow.

"OR room 1." Nambu shouted back.

"This has been a long day already." Nambu thought " And it's only 6:30 am."