Chapter 20: Daffodils

Thoughts

Events

While Samuel's energy had increased over time, there was no getting away from the fact that he was also getting older with every day that passed. While this reality could be overlooked to a point, it couldn't be ignored forever.

"Crises seldom come in ones," he'd commented once. "That's what makes them crises."

When Darlene's next crisis came, it proved the point.

In the same week Darlene had to deal with her first significant malfunction, Samuel going into the hospital for a persistent infection, and a troubled call from Anna.

Darlene knew her body couldn't last forever. Anna had already demonstrated this point to her. She also knew that she was earning no money beyond what her careful investing provided, while taking care of Samuel fulltime. She was aware that parts for her model were becoming scarce and expensive. As such, she was taking exceptional care of herself, including keeping all her preventative maintenance procedures up to date.

Fortunately, this failure was of a common component. Anna's old body provided several operating replacements. Otherwise Darlene might have had to try and trade some of those parts for what she needed now, trusting that she wouldn't need the traded parts herself anytime soon. Buying replacements on the open market was a last resort she didn't want to contemplate. This time the only costs were for the serviceman to replace the malfunctioning component inside her.

Even that was scary, however, because with Samuel in the hospital and Anna across the ocean, there was no one Darlene could really trust to watch over her while she was helpless during this time. Robots were valuable these days, and lone robots were prey to some.

The need to get herself back in shape to be able to watch over Samuel forced her hand. She quickly checked out the possible repair sites with the local robot community center and got a couple good recommendations. Figuratively crossing her fingers and holding her breath, Darlene went in for repair, emerging a couple hours later fully functional again.

Samuel's infection, while not life threatening at this stage, was Darlene's first encounter with the human health care system.

She quickly came to realize that although the government retirement system was willing to pay for "adequate" health care for all its senior citizens, that there were different levels of care available in the same facility. And Samuel's was not at the top.

Darlene also quickly learned that patients who had other people as their advocates watching out for them got better care. Not that the facility intentionally discriminated or scrimped on anyone's care, but it happened all the same. Realizing that, Darlene moved herself into Samuel's room.

Samuel's coverage did not entitle him to a single room. Realizing that being allowed to stay past visiting hours would entail both having the other occupant not complain, as well as having the staff "overlook" the violation. Darlene quickly formulated a plan to win them over.

To say that she succeeded understates greatly just how well she really did perform under these demanding circumstances. Drawing on her underutilized as of late relationship skills, she charmed everyone who met her. Despite dressing in her most demure outfit given the hospital venue, she clearly got attention everywhere she went.

She used her influence to ensure that Samuel got all the care he needed, and that it arrived on time. She also watched for any errors, once catching a mistake when they tried to replace his antibiotic drip with a new bottle of the wrong strength.

She also quickly made friends not only with the other patient in the room, whom she mined for the same wisdom of age that Samuel had so often demonstrated, but also with a number of nearby ones that she visited during the times the staff insisted she couldn't remain in the room for some specific procedure.

She also made a point to help out every place she could. The staff particularly loved how Darlene had no problems dealing with bedpan issues, saving them from having to do it themselves.

In addition to giving unofficial massages, being available for conversations, and generally brightening up the place with her delightful appearance and cheerful attitude, Darlene sped up the recovery of everyone she touched.

During this time she got a call from Anna. Due to some political maneuvering, Anna was in the process of losing the secondhand store she'd inherited from Bill, who'd gotten it from Samuel in the first place. She was already in a slow cycle of the economy, and a group wanting to revitalize the neighborhood didn't feel her business fit in with their new vision. It could take all her remaining money to fight them, and even then she could lose. Eminent Domain is a powerful force to have to go up against.

This worried Darlene for several reasons.

First was her concern for Anna's well-being. This store was her last anchor to Bill, and the one remaining task she performed that gave her satisfaction in carrying out his remaining commands.

In addition, this was Darlene's best source of necessary spare parts to keep herself functioning. That had been Anna's focus in recent years. Using the network her shop was part of to locate hard to find parts for older robots in this post-Emancipation age.

Furthermore, this very action outraged Darlene's sense of fair play. Why should one person be forced by government to give up what matters to them just because it makes someone else with more political influence happy. Robots and politics haven't mixed well because robots are logical and politics isn't.

Lastly, Anna was her most important friend. One to whom it could be said she owed everything.

When Samuel found out, he tried to insist that she go to Anna again.

"I'm in the hospital," he told her, coughing as he said it. "Where else could I find better care?"

But Darlene was not convinced. She knew what had happened the last time she had left him. And she knew that the hospital worked best when carefully watched. And Anna hadn't even asked for her to come yet.

Even so, it was agonizing to her when she told Anna that she had to stay here with Samuel. Anna understood completely, and assured Darlene that she would have made the same decision in Bill's favor any time it had come up.

Darlene made her promise to stay in touch, and let her know how it all came out.

Samuel was eventually released from the hospital. Anna had to sell the shop at a steep loss because eminent domain allowed them to set the price. She computed that even if she won in court against it, she'd still come out even further behind. Darlene took Samuel home, and life went on. A week later a box arrived with some additional spares and a replacement power cell compatible with Darlene's systems. Parting gifts from Anna's stock.

Realizing the need for some more income now that expenses were increasing, Darlene asked Samuel if she should get a job. While he felt that could be a good thing, Darlene didn't know what she might actually do. Her best talent would keep her away from Samuel too long at a time, even if the money was very good.

"Poetry readings, and teaching Hawaiian," he suggested to her.

It seemed so obvious in hindsight.

Darlene easily found employment close to home in both those fields, and began spending a couple hours a day away from Samuel. Since these were the hours when he most sat in the rocking chair on the porch reading anyway, it seemed like a good trade.

She had to suspend these classes several times however, as Samuel made additional visits to the hospital over the next months. His health was sliding, and each time he came out he was more frail than before.

Darlene also suffered several more minor failures and, except for one especially rare part she had to purchase at a high cost, incorporated more of Anna into herself.

There had been only one more message from Anna, giving a new address about a mile from the secondhand store. But this wasn't strange. Robots aren't particularly chatty with each other most of the time. Reach out and touch someone[tm] is a human thing that stated life as a marketing campaign to increase telecommunications revenues for the monopoly carrier of the time.