Sam Fisher- Medical Shape post-Brass Punch

  “Okay, I guess.” I try to sit up and realize I’ve got an IV in my hand and there’s a tight bandage wrapped around my middle. “What’s going on?”

  “We’re building up your strength, Sam. You were dehydrated and had gone without substantial nourishment for what, a week?”

  “Something like that.”

  “You’ll be happy to know that your insides are all right. Nothing badly damaged. You had a ruptured peritoneum but by some miracle you didn’t develop peritonitis. The doc says you should have received a very bad case of it and perhaps even died, but someone upstairs is looking after you, Sam. The tear in the peritoneum began to heal on its own and you’re well on the way to recovery. Doc says it’s most likely due to your healthy lifestyle, the fact that your abdominal muscles are in tip-top shape and you do a million sit-ups a day, or whatever it is you do. You’re living proof that exercise and diet can save your life. What happened to you, anyway?”

  “Andrei Zdrok punched me in the stomach with brass knuckles.”

- Operation Barracuda, Chapter 37