Chapter 62

WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON — SEPTEMBER 18

Jeff knocked lightly on the outer door to the suite, waited a moment, then opened it. He crossed to the bedroom, put his ear against the door and listened. Nothing. I can't hear anything with the sound insulation Wainwright put in this place, but if they're not asleep when I walk in, there is going to have to be an awful lot of story telling on my part.

He felt the healer stir on his shoulders, aware of the need for her services, and picking up on Jeff's stress. In a little while, Little One. I've got to make sure they're asleep. Please put them out as soon as you can. Again, it's imperative that they not see you.

{{{ Illogic. I am a healer. I am a healer of Primes and their mates. All should know me. But I will do as you say. My duty is to heal. }}}

Jeff slowly pushed down on the lever, and the door opened soundlessly. Thank goodness for quality even in the latch mechanism. Our bedroom door in Georgia would never have opened that quietly.

As the door cracked open, he realized that the room was dark, save for the nightlight. He had already darkened the sitting room so its light would not shine into the bedroom. Entrance into the bedroom was anticlimactic. Both people were soundly asleep.

The healer came through the neck of Jeff's shirt as she moved from her resting place across his shoulders, her body changing shape as she freed herself from the confines of the garment.

Jeff automatically reached up and took her in his hands. Three steps from the bed, the blue beams came on to bathe the sleeping couple, their breathing deepening even more. Little One wiggled in his hands hurrying him.

Restrained by the sling, Jeb's arm lay across his chest. Jeff put the healer on the elderly man's sternum just above the injured arm. Within seconds, the long, thick bandage parted down its length and was pushed back by the healer's near-invisible tendrils. A pale beam reached out and swiped down his forearm in a blink of an eye. The stitches popped open and her tendrils deftly pulled the pieces of the stitches away. Jeff put the bandage in the trash.

As the healer moved onto Jeb's arm over the injury, the blue glow intensified under her. Jeff watched as she moved so slowly that the movement was almost undetectable, but behind her, there was a near-perfect arm, with only a red puckering to show where the deep cut had been.

Apparently feeling Jeff's thoughts, she transmitted in their cumbersome mutual language, {{{ Compared to your injury with the bear, this is a simple cut. It is relatively deep and almost the length of his forearm, but little tissue was lost. The few major nerves affected are easily repaired, as are the blood vessels. }}}

Thanks Little One.

Jeff had known that the regeneration of the massive amounts of flesh that were gone from his shoulder and upper arm had slowed his healing process significantly. Even so, seeing this injury almost completely healed behind her slow movement along Jeb's arm was impressive.

Again, she offered, {{{ I am now more easily able to acquire the needed energy to expedite the healing process, although I have not completely perfected my access. I had to rely far more heavily on your own body to help manufacture the needed tissue when I healed your injury. In the interim since then, I have taken steps to expand my abilities, since my primary source of power was not adequate for the job. }}}

Jeff acknowledged, wondering if he had correctly interpreted what she had been trying to tell him. What had her primary source of power been, and what was it now? He had just assumed that she had something like an advanced battery that she utilized for power, but now realized that this was virtually cave man thinking, considering her technology.

What could possibly be her source of power? I know that it took a tremendous amount of energy to produce the tissue to repair my wound. My body could never have produced that much tissue in so short a period of time. The implication is that she was strapped for energy when she healed me, but has now somehow acquired another source, or expanded her ability to do so. She has already said that she wasn't originally designed to evolve, or at least, not evolve much. Hmmm. Maybe the ship was somehow her primary source of power. But how could she develop her own power source. Shit, I wish we could really talk to each other. This is almost like those old movies where the white men and he red men "talked" to each other with sign language. But we're progressing. The gap is closing.

An hour later, as Jeff sat dozing in a nearby chair, the glow under the healer changed and she slowly crept off Jeb's arm, then onto the center of his chest where she remained for another quarter hour. As Jeff watched, he felt her mental touch. Going to the bed, he put his hand on her.

{{{ Illogic. Why has this been allowed to happen? His body has deteriorated until it is near total dysfunction. I do not understand. This should not have been allowed to happen. This is (unidentified concept that Jeff finally decided she meant barbarian, or something similar). }}}

It's called old age. We have no way to prevent it. All of us will get old one day, if we manage to live that long. Disease or accident could kill us before then. They are actually lucky to have lived as long as they have and to still be as relatively healthy as they are. Many do not.

{{{ Ridiculous. This is (another unidentified concept, but Jeff was certain that it wasn't polite, considering the feeling that went with it.) }}}

Suddenly the healer transmitted with the equivalent of an indignant mental shout, {{{ They are both this way! }}}

Jeff eased backward to the chair and relaxed. She was pissed with the bear and wanted to go exterminate all of them, but this is every bit as intense — maybe more. She just hasn't decided whom to be pissed at, Jeff thought with a grin as he watched the glow intensify, yet again.

Suddenly she crept up Jeb's chest at what was a blinding pace for her. She stopped just below his throat and reared up, her tendrils showing only as ghost movements as she carefully prized Jeb's mouth open. While Jeff watched, amazed, Jeb's false teeth seemed to float out of his mouth on the near-invisible appendages. The teeth turned end-over-end, then rotated a half circle.

Jeff didn't even bother to wait. Getting up, he quickly put his hand on her as she continued to manipulate Jeb's teeth, playing beams of different color about them.

{{{ A jumble of concepts slammed into him: anger, bewilderment, outrage, and more. Why? I knew that this planet had no technology, but this ... this ... whatever it is. He removed his teeth and replaced them with ... Oh, I understand. This must be some of your religious concepts. Yes, I must put these religious fixtures back just as they were, or he will be soiled — unholy. I will ask his forgiveness for interfering with his religion. }}}

In her haste to return the "religious fixtures," she tried to put them into his mouth backward and upside down. Realizing her mistake, the teeth rotated, flipped right side up and were back in Jeb's mouth almost to fast to see. His mouth snapped shut.

Jeff winced, hoping the teeth had been where they should be before she abruptly closed his mouth.

Fighting to hold his laughter, and also not transmit anything to her that would seem to be ridicule, he eased back to his seat. I'll try to explain false teeth to her later.

After thinking for a moment, he quietly sighed aloud. If I wait, she will wonder why. Might as well get it over with now. How in the heck am I going to convey this to her? Well, plunked down on my ass in this chair will never get it done. Reluctant, Jeff got up, sat on the side of the bed and placed his hand on the healer.

We need to talk Little One...

Shortly, Jeff retreated to his chair. He was now almost positive that the healer had a concept of cursing. Her individual thoughts didn't manage to convert into their mutual "language," but he could swear that she was mumbling to herself as Jeb's mouth opened once again. The teeth floated out, were tossed upward where a pale beam touched them. The teeth vanished and there was a pop as air slammed into the space they had occupied.

Fighting not to snigger as he and Little One left Jeb and Anne deeply asleep, Jeff felt her finish molding herself to his back. The discovery of Anne's false teeth had produced another bout of incredulity from the healer. Little One had told him that she would replace the missing teeth and start the healing process, then would continue it the next day as their bodies started to adjust to her programming.

Jeff didn't know how much thought Linda had given to where he had been instead of eating with everyone, but Diana told him that she seemed to have eyes only for Dave and Evie at the supper table. Joyce and Caitlin had noticed, however, but were somewhat appeased when Diana told them that he was working on a "project." Persuading Caitlin to not go and check on her missing patients was another thing, but Diana finally prevailed — at least for a while.

After the meal, Jeff's young wives made a beeline for the game room for the grand finale to their "tournament" that had been going on during what little spare time they had during the last week.

Diana and Laura quickly prepared a serving cart with soft drinks and coffee, while Doctor Boswell, who couldn't wait, went with the girls, somewhat worried that their fierce competition would affect their relationship. Diana had laughed at her and said that it wouldn't, but Helen fretted, anyway.

Joyce and Caitlin were virtually dragged by the girls to come watch.

By this time in their little tournament, it was practically a foregone conclusion that Arlene was going to be the winner, but Ann hadn't conceded anything, yet. Jennie and Melissa were fighting for third place, but didn't seem to be bothered that their scores were only two-thirds that of Arlene's.

Thirty minutes later, Jennie and Melissa agreed that they were so evenly matched that they would just share third place. As everyone focused on Ann and Arlene, Linda quietly said, "I wished Daddy could see this."

"See what, Kitten?" Madison said as he and Kathy, dressed in their flight uniforms, walked into the room.

"Oh, Daddy," Linda said, launching herself into a hug, then doing the same to Kathy. "I thought you were gone until Friday."

"We did too," Kathy laughed, but when we got to Saint Louis, we had a shakeup in flight schedules. One of the VIPs had to get to Denver in a hurry, so we're back for the night. "What's going on?" she finished, looking toward Arlene and Ann as they battled through screen after screen, the action almost too fast to follow.

Linda smiled at the couple. "This is what I was talking about. I thought I was good, and I destroyed the kids in our neighborhood and at the game room, but they're way beyond me," she said, motioning toward the two fighting to be first to finish the last level of their last game of the competition.

Madison watched for a moment, then glanced at Jeff.

Jeff, propped against one of the machines where he had a good view of the action said, "Don't look at me. They trash my butt so easily that it's embarrassing, and even then, I have a hunch that they're taking it easy on me."

A moment later, Arlene triumphantly finished, followed a couple of minutes later by Ann doing the same.

"You slacked off at the last," Ann accused as she turned to Arlene. "You could have finished ten minutes ago."

Arlene grinned at her sister-wife. "It's called fatigue. My mind was getting dull. I'm glad we didn't have another level; you would have caught me for sure."

Ann reached over and lightly kissed Arlene on the lips. "You are such a liar, but I love you anyway," she teased.

As the girls grabbed drinks, their enthusiasm still high as they discussed tactics and monsters, or levels that they had trouble with, Jeb and Anne had awakened in their suite.

Jeb found the control and dialed the light up with his good arm. "I had the strangest dream."

Anne looked at her husband for a moment. "I had one, too. If it was a dream. It seemed so real. I kept seeing blue and feeling ... odd."

"Me, too," Jeb acknowledged, inadvertently moving his arm, wincing as he expected the pain to hit. Then he focused on his arm — his arm. Not his bandaged arm.

"Shit!" he exclaimed, peering at the appendage like it belonged to someone else and had somehow attached itself to his body.

"Honey," he whispered.

"Yeah, I see it," Anne said, quietly, awe in her voice. Thinking for a moment, she continued, "Maybe that dream we had wasn't just a dream."

"My arm, Baby," Jeb whispered, moving his arm around, stretching it out, then flexing it as he stared at the faint red line running the length of his forearm, except for a faint, somewhat puckered, four inch scar left in the middle.

"This doesn't make sense," Jeb started.

"Oh, yes it does," Anne broke in. "The Matthews showing up and insisting that we go home with them. I think I heard that nurse talking about carrying us to another doctor, but Mr. Matthews was shaking his head."

"But what's that got to do with this? We didn't go to another doctor. And besides, what doctor could do this?" he said, holding his arm up, yet again.

"None could," Anne said shaking her head. "But didn't they say that Matthews, uh, Jeff, sold some kind of invention and got paid with this building, and there was obviously a chunk of money to go with it?"

"Yeah, they said something about it, but I was hurting so bad that I didn't pay a lot of attention."

Anne leaned over and traced the red line with a fingertip. "I suspect that we know what the invention was, now. Either that, or he has another invention. I just can't understand why these rich people decided to help us. I mean, we're old; all we own is our house, and have a little in the bank." Suddenly, she stopped for a moment, then, "Jeb ... I don't hurt," she said, quietly.