New Dawn
MOTE Week 15, 2026
This week on MOTE, my prompt came from Fiona Grey: It was a new dawn, in more ways than one.
—
Fred woke up, momentarily confused about where he was. Then he remembered and the whole nightmare returned.
Yesterday – it seemed such a long time ago, so much had happened since – he had been happy, so happy. He had dropped the kids off at school and headed out to work. He was looking forwards to his wife coming back from her work trip abroad that evening.
His parents-in-law picked up the kids from school because he needed to work his full hours. He was preparing to leave when his communicator rang.
It wasn’t a number he recognised. The associated name was ‘Familial Communication Department’.
“Is this Mr Fred Destin?”
“Yes, speaking.”
“I regret to inform you that there was an accident at the airport. Your wife was rescued from the wreckage and is being taken to Soul’s Anchor Hospital.”
Soul’s Anchor was the best hospital in the region, but the costs would be much more than he could afford if the insurance didn’t pick up the tab.
“I’ll need to get on to our insurance provider.”
“You needn’t worry, Mr Destin. Your wife is a government employee, and under such circumstances qualifies for the Emergency Government Insurance Scheme. The various insurance companies have already discussed the matter and have agreed that the EGIS will be liable for all costs where the victim qualifies. You need only sign the paperwork to confirm your acceptance on your wife’s behalf.”
Fred stammered his thanks and verbal acceptance before hanging up.
After calling his parents-in-law to inform them of the situation and request that they look after the kids for the night – they agreed – he headed off to the hospital himself.
One glance at the projected costs, and Fred signed the paperwork without delay or question. The EGIS had a reputation for stings in the tail, for payments in kind after the fact, but the costs of the medical procedures his wife required were far more than they could repay in a decade. Since the other insurers wouldn’t pay, the EGIS was the only option.
On seeing the surgeons, Fred almost despaired. The damage that the accident had caused was extensive. She was being kept alive by emergency systems that had were limited. If she didn’t have a series of emergency operations, she would die by the end of the day. Having the operations would be only the start. It would be a long process to bring her back to a point where she could leave hospital and restart her life outside.
The operations were her only chance. Fred gave his permission without a second’s thought.
She had been taken in to theatre before he had any chance to see her, and he had waited in the Family Room for news on how it had all gone. He had fallen asleep, and now it was about six in the morning, and there was still no news.
A nurse hurried in. “Mr Destin, your wife is out of surgery. As you know, it’s only the first stage, but she will live. You can go see her now.”
Fred followed the nurse through the corridors to the ward, and then the private room where his wife lay. On seeing her, his heart almost broke.
Gone was the vivacious blonde that had ensnared him as a student. Her long, luscious locks had all been shaved off, and the skin of her skull was scarred from all the operative work they had had to do overnight.
The sheet was covering her body all the way up to her neck, but he knew what would be beneath the sheets. Crude first-stage prostheses on all four limbs, metal plates covering portions of the torso where the surgeons had had to replace organs and bones with artificial replicas. She was now more metal under the sheet than flesh.
This was only the first stage. There would be more operations to come, gradually replacing the crude prostheses with more advanced versions that looked and felt like flesh, replacing the metal plates with flesh-covered protective material. Each of the new prostheses required more advanced connections to be made in and to her brain.
She stirred. As the sun peaked its disc above the horizon, she saw him and smiled. All his fears for the future temporarily vanished. She was still Dawn, she was still his Dawn. Whatever happened, whatever was still to come, she was still the woman he had fallen in love with. However much her body changed, however much it needed still to change, it was still her inside. That was all he needed to know.
—
My prompt this week went to nother Mike.
I’m looking forwards to reading all the responses, you’re welcome to pop over to MOTE to read them, and join in if you’re so inclined.