“You?” both faces lit up as she nodded.
“All the way, kiddos, all the way.” Melena tilted her head a moment, then said “Harnan’s calling. He wants us back now.”
As they still stayed a bit away, afraid to approach, they listened to the talk.
“Get that bullet in the analyzer, Wen. We need a positive reading on the metals in that.”
“Be iron, mostly, with a little lead in it.” Darren answered.
“Good… Wen, program it in, get our names of similar metals. U-ee, wake her up now so the boys can talk to her a moment, then get put to bed. I’ll ready what they need and Melena and I will do it.”
Sesha opened eyes that hurt so much she wanted – and tried – to close them again only to have some drops used, and that helped her wake up more. When she focused, there were two of the cutest faces she knew.
“Sesha? Be fine now?”
“Uh, uh,” her mouth was dry. “Feel terrible. But you’re okay?”
“We got to stay up later to wait for you to wake up, so now we have to go to bed. Love you, Miss Sesha,” and they kissed her cheek. “Please get well. Want thee with us at our new homes.”
Darren and Sarah came over, bent and kissed Sesha too. “We also will go to bed, same as the boys. So they feel better about it.” Sarah smoothed back some of her hair. “Jus’ wish I had time to wash thy hair again, is so very filthy.”
“Get a chance later,” Sesha whispered. “Love you,”
“An’ I you, dear. Rest, get better.”
“An’ be a good girl,” Darren grumbled in his fatherly way, stroking her very pale cheek with his finger.
“K, Papa. Love you,”
“An’ I you. Ever be the daughter,” he kissed her again and they exited quickly before changing their minds.
Nicodemus and Beulah dared to venture close then, and look. Sesha looked awful. Her skin was a mottled pale purple and human-colored pink, her eyes sunk in. The pair just took her hands and held them, feeling more helpless than at any time in their lives.
“Problem is,” the Doctor told Head, having held her back, Wen and Uliel softly, not realizing Beulah and Nick were hearing him, “Sesha’s swarming with unknown organisms, the… bullet, Darren called it has poisoned her, saturating everywhere, including her brain. Seems the main metal, iron, was leeching into her system. She has very little of it naturally, and what little is in the bullet is too much. The lead, too, is even poison to Humans! It’s worse with Sesh. And there’s one more problem…”
“What?” Melena wished she could do more than just command. She felt helpless at the mountain of responsibility in her hands now that Sesha was unfit for duty. How the Nestram woman had managed everything this far was incredible, and told Head that she had vastly underestimated her Second Pilot.
“Besides being on her feet far too long after being shot, before she went downstairs, she used up every bit of blood or replacement fluid we have, real or fake, when she tried to get the Brain going the first time. She’s in desperate need of blood now, her volume is below half! How she kept going is a mystery, and the next mystery is how I’m going to keep her alive the whole way home if I don’t get her fluid levels up before Hyper. I’ll get 3/4ths of a unit from every member of the crew before we sleep again, but it won’t be enough. She’s very critical now, and might not make it home even in stasis.”
“Will human blood work?” Beulah stepped in just as Sesha woke up more and snagged her hand, trying to talk to her. “All of those who are healthy enough… I will even…”
Darren came back in. “The boys be ready, Melena, Harnan. In their nightshirts and those funny short pants an’ picked out a blanket and pillow each.”
“We’ll be right back,” they hurried off with Harnan ordering, over his shoulder. “Wen, get everyone started on donating no more than three-quarter of a unit, then break into the purchases to get out all the accelerated recovery drinks and pass them around. Everyone has to be hydrated before hyper,” and they were gone.
“Beulah,” Sesha tugged at her hand.
“There’s my girl,” she smoothed back the messy hair. “An’ look, here be Nick.” He bent over and Sesha managed a smile. “Nick, lift her head an’ I will quick braid her hair again.” As they did, they regaled the weak woman with all they’d done on the ship.
And then Darren and Sarah came back in.
“Thought thee – you – were going to sleep now,” it concerned Beulah to see them back, faces unquiet.
“We have an idea… human blood can be changed, they said, so we will give ours before sleeping. An’ I did ask,” here Darren hesitated, looking at Beulah, “an’ they can take blood from those of us sleeping too.”
“There be no way to ask them,” Beulah said. “Would not be Right in the eyes of any moral person or God –s. We will have to do,”
“You,” the medic tried to smile but failed, “have too much poison in your system. But human blood can be adapted, yes. I’ll start you on your treatment just before you go to bed, Beulah. But… why ask them? We can just do it and when they wake up will never know.”
“Beulah,” Nicodemus undid Sesha’s hand and came around to the widow, “when we tell them later, for we shall, I believe you know they will be glad to have helped our sweet Sesha.”
“If we had a leader, that one could speak for all. I am no--”
Nick’s arm went around her shoulders, the other hand over her mouth. “But thou art the leader now, Widow Allway. E’er since this all came to light, who be the one we have all looked to? Thou and thou alone. We see thee as the leader, for Sesha was able to trust thee first. Thy honor and forthrightness was already leading those of us trying to band together, bent on fleeing and thou art our leader now. Say the word; we shall be glad to do so.”
Beulah was looking deep into Nick’s eyes when a low chuckle sounded.
“Found someone to love and support you, eh?” All turned and looked at the girl laying wan – in odd colors – and much too still. “You should, both of you.”
“For your information,” Beulah blushed, “we were discussing you. An’ it just be comfort,” she started to add but stopped when the girl managed a grin. “Sh, child. Rest.” She turned back to Harnan and Melena. “I say yes, then. Yes, it should be done,” her head nodded nervously as she had never made such a decision in her life!
Sarah and Beulah embraced, the hug of friends parting. “I know shalt seem like one night’s sleep, probably, yet shall be months! We shall be unchanged, mostly so perchance…” her voice dwindled off, not knowing what to say.
“We shall be certain together then and be stronger than alone,” Beulah answered.
“You’ll be talking in your dreams,” Medic Wen smiled as he led Darren and Sarah away one last time. “All will be connected, even the children and babies, sick ones too. We’ll tell you what to expect, you’ll be able to talk to each other about anything, be a group or just one-on-one. Set up scenes, like a home or camp, your own city, something you imagine or something you remember. And you’ll remember it when you wake up.”
“Incredible,” Darren murmured and they were gone.
Beulah bent over Sesha, who was drifting in and out of consciousness again. “Stay awake child. The Physician wishes to talk with you and Shni more – did you realize he was removed, then put back on?”
“Sneeze,” she said, quite clearly and Beulah had to think.
“If you need to sneeze then do it, Sesha.”
“That’s not it, maybe,” Uliel came over and frowned. “This word is in other languages, including Sesha’s. There it means an old punishment where children were locked in a dark, cold closet until they were close to death.”
“That be awful! Did it happen to Sesha?”
“No, those ended several centuries ago. But the children grow up with the tale, the empty threats of it being done to them.”
“Then… why…”
“She’s slipping into a coma, it’s called. A deat
h-like sleep and we’ll have to help her body keep going. As long as Shni says she’s alive in her mind then we have a chance of helping her pull through but to her it must seem like sneeze. I’m sorry, Beulah. We’ve blood being adjusted now but it takes a bit of time and longer for Sesha since she was poisoned so badly. We’ll start putting it in her as soon as the first two units are ready.” Uliel looked down at the soft shoes he was wearing and flexed his toes, not knowing what else to do for the now weeping woman.
Nicodemus took over, though. He stepped in front of her, wrapping his arms around and pulled her into his chest. “I would say ‘trust in the Lord,’ ” his chuckle was dark, “but that be not the case a’ymore. So trust the Physician here, dear woman, an’ trust Sesha to not gi’e up on her life. I will off to bed so thou mays’t have time alone with the lass for she loves you the best, do thou tell her how great is thy love for her. Sesha will hear,” he could feel Beulah pulling herself into control, “an’ t’will take it to heart.” The woman was now able to lift her head and Nick bent, laying his lips on hers for a sweet and tender kiss. Turning, he lowered Beulah into a chair Uliel had set quietly by the bed and left, his last words floating on the air. “When asleep finally, come see me in thy dreams.”
“Told… you,” Sesha had drifted up at that moment and saw the kiss so Beulah rose and bent over her.
“Matchmaker now, Sesha?” Beulah was glad of the twitch of a smile. “Art mischievous, lass, an’ I love thee for it.”
“Eh?” was drawn out, her face trying to change into that expression. “You… too,” faded out before completion, though, face going lax. Harnan hurried over just as that noise sounded again, pulled back the cover and pressed on that thing still in her chest. The noise stopped, thankfully. Another orange face-mask – the self-threading lung assist, she remembered – was laid on the bed beside her.
“Just in case,” Harnan said for Beulah’s sake. “Shni says he’s with Sesh in her mind and she’s weak, but there.” The Being was doing something on the control panel, like the one on Sesha’s ship but smaller and some different, and slowly the bottom part of the bed began to lift, raising her legs till the girl was the way she sat in the reclining wheeled chair. Then her feet rose some more and stopped. “I’m doing this because most of the blood in her legs will run down to her core,” he spoke carefully, his hands showing what he meant. “It will give her heart and brain more blood to use.”
“First bag,” Uliel hurried up, handing Harnan the end of an odd, flexible tube with the pink life-sustaining fluid in it, a small square at the end. Harnan laid the square on the side of Sesha’s neck, moving it around until a tiny red light turned green. He pressed the square down and it stuck, Uliel pulled a stick out of the front of the bed and hung the thing he called a ‘bag.’ “Now that we have the formula, the rest will finish faster. ”This is one full unit, but Sesha needs five more to… give her the full amount. But we need much more than that as we need to take out the blood damaged by the poison and give her fresh. Even with most of the Human adults giving, it’s still not enough. But it will improve her…” he had to search for the right word, “condition.”
“If we’ve gotten it to her on time,” Harnan added. “By refusing treatment sooner, she may have waited too long. All we can do is give her the blood and hope it’s not too late. I’m sorry,” The doctor looked down at the board with its lights and symbols, rubbing his fingertips hard with the thumbs. His species didn’t exactly cry as the eyes were different but severe upset caused their fingers to grow something similar to a fingernail. It was rapid, painful and would twist itself off the skin and break, letting more pieces erupt. Harnan found the rubbing slowed the reaction and let him refocus into a calm mode.
“May I… stay with her? Hold her hand?” the woman was struggling not to weep again at the imminent prospect of her friend and rescuer dying after all they’d gone through!
“Yes, you may. Talk to her, too. Maybe she’ll know you’re with her and draw strength from it, enough to live.” After lowering the bed so Beulah could sit rather than stand the whole time he turned away, adjusting the uncomfortable tunic he wore out of consideration for this species. And then he had an idea. He activated his Wrist-Gem and tapped out a message, then went back to work, cursing the fact that he didn’t have what he needed to fix Sesha as fast as being in a hospital on any one of the ten worlds could.
Three minutes later a Quarran woman walked in with a console on one arm. Medic Harnan jerked his head toward Beulah, and the green-skinned alien approached the woman.
“If you please, I, Y’ëan, would like to render you a service,” her speech was sing-song, lilting almost as if singing. “Please forgive how I appear… I am from a planet that is quite different than yours…”
Beulah was trying to mop away the slow tears that had been escaping her eyes, but the being smiled at her and used the edge of her tunic to wipe her eyes. Then the console was laid beside Sesha’s quiet form and the female laid her hand on one of the two pads it had.
“If you will please put your hand on this one… put your other hand on Sesha’s forehead… yes,” her smile was tender, “now, my lady, I wish for you to be very… emotional. Let images of what has happened run through your mind, and let every whit of how you feel for our Pilot be felt too. Think of it all, feel very deeply. When the program is finished, I will tell you.” She touched Beulah’s head and the woman suddenly couldn’t hold back.
Beulah wept for, it seemed, a long time, her face on the bed against Sesha’s side. She saw Sesha again, saw so much of her short life with them, finally saving their lives, she saw her smile, she felt the wonderful emotion when the woman told her she loved her. All her life Beulah had comported herself very seemingly, had been proud of her education and her ability to think right, and yet she had gotten sucked into such a scheme as Peter Allway had in mind! And it took a stranger, an alien, someone not of their world to save her from the danger she’d walked into, open-eyed!
And then she felt the warm hand on hers, and looking up, saw the compassion in the Being’s eyes, and the hope she held.
“Now give me a moment,” Y’ëan almost oozed the words out so sweetly, “and then you will have a gift to give Sesha that may be what it takes to help her hold on until she can get the blood she needs.” The Quarran held out her arm and Beulah saw a bandage there; she had already donated for Sesha.
Beulah used the soft cloth she was given while the being used her odd, tentacle-like fingers to do things to the console, and then turned again with a soft smile. “This is beautiful,” she purred, “and it is from your heart, Beulah.” She put a plug in Sesha’s Wrist-Gem. “This will transmit it directly to her buried, conscious part of her brain, she will hear it. Sesha always loves music. We will see if she responds.” Then she turned it on.
First it was a voice singing with a few instruments. Then it was more.
You saved my heart
You don’t even know me
Beulah gasped; it was how she was feeling, how she thought. The voice went on, speaking of the stranger risking their life for hers, wondering if she would have done the same for the stranger. Why? The singer asked.
Beulah clutched her throat with one hand as Sesha’s hand suddenly, barely squeezed hers. “She’s hearing it!” she gasped. Looking up at Harnan, a look of hope flooded her face as the singer kept asking questions of the stranger.
Where did you come from?
How did you know I was alone
“Look at her face,” the medic said, and Beulah rose and saw Sesha’s eyes were open again, and they were focused on her.
“You must live, Sesha… please, hold on,” Beulah pleaded, and then she was flanked by the girl’s crewmates all in the Bay now, and they were encouraging too.
As the music finished its playing, Beulah bent over the struggling Sesha, trying to get up and finish the work she’d started despite the critical state she was now in. “Y’ëan says this is from my heart, my dear, and
I believe it is. Stay with us, please,”
“Have my blanket,” Sesha murmured, quite out of context. But to her it was the best she could do then, and Beulah understood. “My pillow… Harnan, she needs medicine,” Melena was trying to prevent her Pilot from rising, she was trying so hard! “she’s puked more… leave me alone and help her…” understanding that in her critical state, Sesha’s mind had cleared and was trying to act normally made it all the more crucial to get her into deep treatment. Finally they medicated her just enough to prevent moving and Uliel brought a large box over and attached it to the bed, switching the bag from the pole to inside the thing.
“The rest of the blood.” But in that time Sesha had slipped fully into the coma.
“Come now,” Head told Beulah, smiling with hope she didn’t really feel. “She’ll be fine. Medic Harnan is one of the best in the business and has helped Beings hurt worse than Sesha is. The BrainPan is fixed, the Brain is running better than it has in a long time. Everyone’s in bed except for you and all of us. It’s time for us to sleep the rest of the way to your new home, but I want you to talk to Florence before you go to sleep.”
“I can do that?” Beulah laid her hand on Sesha’s forehead, then kissed it gently. She paused by Anna and Jeremiah’s beds too. Both were under odd-looking domes with lights that sparkled and blinked. A soft hum was heard too. Wen came by and smiled at her as he made one final check of the computers, then touched some buttons.
“We haven’t left the system yet, we’re still behind the moon. It’ll be like… talking with her in the next room. You’ll hear, she’ll answer back. And you really need to talk to her, for your sake. Although your friends here are wonderful, you’ve technically lost both your best friends in a span of a couple weeks. While you’ll probably never see Florence again, now would be a good time to relax a moment.”
Weathering Storms Page 49
