“This is all your doing, Berger,” Levi screamed. “You have fought me at every turn. We may lose, but I will have my satisfaction. I will kill you.” After the last two words, he threw himself at me.
I held my shields at full to prevent his hatred from getting through and slowing me, but as I pivoted, my heel caught on something, and I stumbled. I twisted to my right, and felt Levi’s body hit my left shoulder. A searing pain shot out from there. I heard Roxanne scream. I rolled and came up on one knee. I felt wet blood running down my torso. I firmed my grip on the knife in my right hand as I watched Levi.
“I want no help,” I barked, as Fur and two soldiers moved toward the rebbe again.
Face livid, Levi could not help but taunt me, even now. “A fool now as you always were. I hope your parents died in agony like I ordered they should. Like you will. Now you die.”
As he stepped in, foolishly thinking I was incapacitated, I kicked out with my right leg and swept him off his feet. His arms windmilled, and he twisted as he came down. As he fell, I could have raised my arm and administered the coup de grâce. But I pulled my knife back and let him hit the ground. I could not do it, as much as I hated the bastard. He rolled over and pulled himself up, so we were face to face.
“As I thought,” he breathed. “A fool.”
I tried to move as he raised his knife, but found I could not. My whole body trembled; I had no strength left.
A huge shadow loomed over us. Levi’s arm halted, wrist grasped by an unmovable force. I looked up. Fur’s great paw held Levi’s knife arm tightly enough that the rebbe dropped the weapon. He reached down, grabbed the rebbe’s collar and leg, and lifted him off his feet.
“Cy is too good a person to kill you,” Fur said, voice tight as a bowstring. “He’s a healer, after all, not a killer. I don’t have that compunction, Schvartz. This is for my family. My grandparents. My parents. And me. I told you about them on the ship, remember? And for every Dovidian that has ever been harmed by you and your abominable party.”
Levi squealed and squirmed and fought. Fur shrugged off blows from Levi’s flailing arms. His prodigious strength held the rebbe fast. Fur lifted Levi to eye level, so that the two men stared into one another’s eyes.
“I am the last thing you will ever see in this life. I hope you see me through eternity.” Fur lifted one knee and brought Levi’s back down against it with incredible force.
I heard a sickening crack and Levi’s body went limp. Fur dropped the rebbe to the ground and turned away.
Another body hit me from the side, but gently this time. Roxanne moaned, “Cy. Oh, Cy.”
“Watch it,” I said. “You’ll get blood all over your pretty uniform, silly.”
I looked at Roxanne and followed her saucer-sized eyes downward. My uniform was soaked with an incredible amount of blood. The last thing I remembered was Fur bellowing, “Medic. Medic!”
***
When I opened my eyes, I smiled. In my vision were the three prettiest sights I could hope to see: Mom, Dad, and Roxanne.
I tried to raise my head, but it was too difficult. “I see you three have met.”
Roxanne giggled like a schoolgirl. “Of course we have.” She looked at them, a grin plastered on her face.
Mom put her hand out and stroked my brow. “We almost lost you there, son. Don’t strain yourself.”
I looked at Roxanne.
“The knife hit an artery.” She grimaced. “You were a fool to do what you did. There was no need—”
“Yes. There was every need. You didn’t live with that sadist month after month. You didn’t listen to him threaten your parents every day, enjoying every word. You didn’t—”
“Enough.” Dad’s authoritative voice. “It’s over now. You need to rest and get back your strength. You have more work to do.”
I closed my eyes. Work? What in hell did I have to do now? How could I top the past year? And what was I going to do with the rest of my life? Being a rural veterinarian as I had planned would be an anticlimax, for sure.
A shadow blocked out the ceiling lights. I opened my eyes to the looming visage of a bearded giant. Fur grasped my good shoulder and smiled.
I grimaced and felt a wave of shame. “I couldn’t do it. As much as I hated Levi and what he did—” A wuss: That’s what I was. But my stomach roiled at the thought that I might have killed another thinking being.
“Hey, you did what was right for you,” Fur said. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine...thanks to you.”
Roxanne inserted her face back into my picture. “You’re fine, huh? Then I have a bone to pick with you.”
“Huh? What have I done now?”
“It was because of my name, wasn’t it? You didn’t care about me when we first met. It was my name you were enthralled with.” She frowned at me.
“I... What are you talking about?”
“Hmph. You should know...Cyrano D. Berger.”
“You know?”
“Of course I know. Roxanne. Your folks gave me Cyrano de Bergerac to watch and read. They said if I was going to...I mean, if you and I...”
Laughter filled the room as Roxanne blushed.
Fur poked his hairy snout into my sight again. “You need to get better. In the meantime, we’ll revamp the equipment and restock the Galactic Circle Veterinary Service.”
“Restock the GCVS?” I felt like I was two steps behind everyone else.
“Well, of course,” Roxanne said. “And Fur has to train me to fit in as the third member of the crew before our next voyage.”
“Our next voyage?”
A Cheshire grin crossed her face. “You had far too much excitement flitting around the galaxy. I intend to get out from behind a desk and join the fun. Because of what we did...what you did, really...I’m getting a dispensation to join the GCVS. It will count to paying off my government service.”
I couldn’t help but mirror her smile.
“That’s all well and good,” Mom said in a severe voice, “but Roxanne isn’t some tramp to go off with an unmarried man.” A smile lit her face. “We’ll just consider that little jaunt to Hiveworld as practice for the main event. Don’t you have something you want to ask her?”
It took more than a moment to gather my wits. I looked into Roxanne’s eyes for a long while before I asked, “Will you marry me?”
She squeezed my good hand. “Of course I will.”
“It’s good that you brought home a nice Jewish girl,” Mom said.
I frowned at Roxanne. “You never told me you were Jewish.”
“Oh, stop babbling,” she said. Then she planted a delicious kiss to make sure my mouth stayed shut.
About the Author
Dr. Stephen A. Benjamin was born and raised in New York City. He received his A.B. degree from Brandeis University, and his D.V.M. and Ph.D. degrees from Cornell University, and he’s a board-certified veterinary pathologist. He has been a university teacher, researcher, and administrator, and is currently Professor Emeritus at Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. His interests in human and animal health are reflected in most of his short stories and novels. He lives in Colorado with his wife, and enjoys traveling, especially visiting his family, fishing, golf, skiing, cooking, and writing fiction.
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The Galactic Circle Veterinary Service Page 33
