He led her to a table in the hospital – it was the only way she could think of it, going back to assurances about the patients. “They’ll finish healing while they sleep,” he explained. “So will the babies and the boys and Delia with baby will stay just the way they are now. When we get home, a wonderful hospital will help her have the baby and get them well then. Now then, your first lesson on use of the Wrist Gem.”
Beulah found she did relax some, learning how to use just enough to talk to her Aunt, and if this all wasn’t so mind-boggling it’d be tragic. And then her Shni-like figure came up, the picture of Florence and she was curled up as if sleeping.
“Aunt Florence! Wake up some more, just don’t speak. Tis I, Beulah!”
But she did speak. “Thou – you – are back? What happened?”
“No Aunt, I’m not back. You are hearing me in your mind, through the Wrist Gem. Just lay your fingers on the opal and think of me, I shall hear you wonderfully.”
“Ah… so we can speak then, though so far separated?”
“Have not left yet, dear heart. The ship still be behind the moon. Have been… complications.” She looked at Harnan. “Don’t think I can do this,” He only rose, dropped a soft cloth on the table and walked just out the door.
“Is it Sesha?” Florence was sharp, worried.
“Mostly, yes,” and Beulah started to weep again. She just sent images of the girl, what had happened and then it was as if her Aunt’s arms were around her, holding her tight.
Her picture of Florence had enlarged and her arms were around her niece, pulling enough energy to solidify, as Shni had with Sesha. That was enough to make her let go entirely. Tears had been shed yes, but most held back to be strong. Now it was a complete letdown. Thinking of the song played it for Florence, who rocked her all through and when it was done, Beulah was calm again.
“But she is alive, correct, dear?”
Beulah could only nod.
“Where there is life is hope, then. You are in the presence of medicine I cannot begin to believe be possible, so if there is anything that can be done, they will do so. If not,” she chuckled a bit grimly, “perchance she and Shni can join me here. Then we be the terrible trio with you always, Beulah. Either way, she will be with you, and I am with you too.”
“Rather have you in body though this is alright for now. Aunt, are you doing well, at least some?”
“Tis miserable out here… no fire stays lit for the rain and wind, travel is slow and we rest often. Having enough to eat helps, as does the Gem… we all huddle together under the wagons an’ it spreads a soft layer of warmth to all. I tell all tis because we are eating better than used to and all the walking is making our temperatures rise. So far this is accepted. We hope to clear the storm soon and spend a day drying out. In the meantime we work to teach the children how to speak normally again. We just worry that the story discussed will be believed.”
“An’ if not?”
“I plan on going back to France, to the hospital there, have an open invitation to return. Others speak of, when finding out what the Nation is doing now, moving to other cities and starting over; using the skills they learned here. A few have spoken with me about going to France and all swear they will do everything in their power to ne’er set foot in a church again. They know tis not any other church’s fault, but… his… machinations, now to them, an’ me too, any church represents the danger of again following without question.”
“I feel the same way,” Beulah murmured as the hologram slowly began to lose substance. “The Physician has looked in so is time to go to sleep for us too. Aunt… I love you dearly and miss you awful, but Melena told me we can send messages. Before the ship is all the way gone, you will be sent instructions on using the Gem. Just lay your fingers on the opal to start, you will learn from there.”
“And I love you, my niece. Be sure an’ tell me about your wonderful life in the messages an’ I will keep you up on mine. Let me know as soon as can about our sweet Sesha.”
“Promise. Goodb -”
“Do not ever say goodbye, dear. E’en if we see each other in body no more, we are always together. It is ‘take care,’ ‘be well.’ And ‘I love you.”
Beulah repeated it; they ‘hugged’ one last time and the program shut down. She stayed sitting a moment, inhaling deep breaths, marshalling herself to calm. Despite the tears she did feel better.
“Your turn now, dear, hold still a minute, this won’t hurt at all,” Wen gave Beulah an air-injection on the back of her hand and rapidly slipped a slender needle-like object into a vein, and placed a large pad of tape over it. A tube ran from it to a bag, which was attached to a box with lights on it as well.
“Will Sesha be well by the time we arrive?” she asked, flexing her fingers and feeling a little afraid.
“She’ll need a lot longer than the trip home will take. If we’d been able to treat her when the wounds were fresh, she’d be fixed now. She’ll be some better by the time we get back to Phenjem. But she’ll require more treatments to complete the job. Even then,” he sighed, “her skin will be horribly scarred.”
“That’s a pity. Her skin was the most wondrous I’d ever felt.”
“Well, most of it still will be, unless she gets some extra-ordinarily good luck.”
“How so?”
“Did she get a chance to explain anything to you about our society?”
“Uh… not much. Just that we’d have some wonderful opportunities.”
As the pair walked off, the second-grade medic explained about the Upper Echelon and their penchant for rare and unusual items.
“So being as we are rare and unusual, they will want to buy us?” she felt horrified as she was undressing for bed, now wondering what further trouble they’d gotten into, blindly following another charismatic presence.
“They will pay you well for your knowledge and experiences,” the medic corrected. “You will be free to live where you wish, find work, raise a family, breed your animals, whatever. But there will be many contacting you, willing to pay great amounts to listen to you talk, see your clothing, have you demonstrate your skills. All of you will be the talk of the Ten-World Alliance!” He fluffed Sesha’s pillow and waited for Beulah to lie down, then drew the light blanket over and sat beside her. “I have to give you another injection,” and he explained. “It slows your body down so you don’t age very much during the trip. And this unit contains the antidote to the poison in you. When it’s done the needle will automatically slip out. You’ll never know it.”
“How long will we be asleep?” she asked.
“About one of your years.”
“What about eating and… “ she gestured, and the medic guessed.
“Voiding bodily wastes? You’ll be entirely supported in the bed and the shorts you’re wearing will deal with all bodily wastes. Don’t worry,” he patted Beulah’s hand. “I’ve done this a dozen times and look at me! Sesha too, and the Head’s had more than twenty trips. We’re all fine. You will be too.” Pressing the hypo against her neck, the Medic depressed the button. Beulah didn’t feel a thing but an overwhelming sleepiness. “Sweet dreams.” Beulah saw the bed folding around her, then fell into a blissful sleep, everything exactly as promised.
26
The Inner Six arrived at the outer regions of the Alliance in 10 standard months and shortly after was met by a mass of ships of every kind. Most would wait a bit longer for first was the task of opening and setting up a new power unit to take over for the Brain.
Engineers were up well before Head, even. Details of the breakdown had already been transmitted; the company that built the ship had figured out an alternate source of power and came fully ready for any and all other contingencies. By the time the engineers had been awakened and were down in the Pan room, Company engineers had removed all non-essential items to make room for the new generators.
“Tell you this,” the Lead Engineer said quietly to the ship’s set, “the region is al
armed about it. All Brain Ships have been put on recall, but 4 are still out. 5 are in dock around different worlds, and you, who broke down after straying way off course are the ones who weren’t home. Seshaph’lariminium of Nestram isn’t the only one in severe trouble, all of us engineers are too, especially high-ranking company ones. Something went wrong here and the Tower’s keeping mum about it. Our orders are switch out energy systems to keep the interior running, then the ship is to be towed to Main Dock at just under Hyper Speed so we can all stay awake while working.
Towing got underway and it took a month to complete the work. Each room of TravelSleep beds was placed under its own mini brain, new built, the fluids fresh. The animal floors too, after taking time to goggle at the new animals with various comments about the trouble the Okeela race was going to be in as well. It started a thread of worry that perhaps more was wrong with the Alliance, and would their wonderful way of living break down? But they pushed it aside and did their job.
Medical came next; Sesha was first until the Specialists in all races of Maternity and Pediatrics arrived. They took over Dinah and baby, and that was when Harnan and Melena went to personally wake up Beulah, helping her reorient to place, time and circumstance.
After she dressed and they fed her, eating with her not just for solace but they needed to as well, they introduced Beulah to all the medical Beings by a holographic communication system.
“Harnan, do the favor and bring Beulah to Medical. We’ve set up the mist screen so all three of you will be sterile upon entering and there’s privacy screens around. Heads only, no work area. Anyway,” the Lead Surgeon smiled, “I want you in this team ASAP, Har-boy. It will be an honor to work with you again.”
“You’re just jealous because you’ve aged 30 years and I haven’t,” the Physician chuckled. “We’ll be there shortly.” On the way they pointed out the changes, what to stay back from, what various alien language signs meant. Then they walked through the slightly salty smelling mist to a hospital vastly different than before.
It was filled with all sorts of odd machines, more ‘Beings’ of types not on this ship, some fairly startling, including two that were not all… fleshed. That frightened her but she swallowed it down and went with Melena to the table again.
They waited for hours before the Doctors working on Dinah and baby came over, gesturing at the chairs to sit down. Beulah just looked at Melena – it wasn’t her table or chairs to give permission for and Melena realized her plight. She smiled a bit and nodded.
“I am Physician O’zelia,” the body shape was a lot like human, Beulah was glad but there was fur like Shni’s.
“You not be the same as Sesha’s friend, but similar?”
“In fur, as you call it, yes. Otherwise no, I am from a different planet. But despite the differences in our species, mothers and babies are a lot similar.”
“How be Dinah and the boy?”
The Doctor scratched, as if with an itch, which for some reason comforted Beulah. It was such, to her, a human gesture! “Dinah’s body did not form quite right to carry babies to term, we saw from injuries to her abdomen done earlier in her life. If Sesha had not intervened the first time the child would have been born and died, or died first to be born later. This would be the pattern all her bearing years if the problem isn’t fixed.”
“And our world hath – has – not the knowledge, yet.”
She nodded and patted Beulah’s hand. “We can, though, fix the issue after this child is birthed, if she and her mate desire.”
“Husband. Timothy is her husband.”
“Thank you,” She knew letting Beulah correct her, even on a little point gave her the feeling of a bit more control than she really had.
“What we would like is to take her and her… husband,” it was as if she was tasting the word to adapt it, and nodded, with a smile. “It will be a while before this ship reaches Phenjam and the Main Company’s docking facility, so she would have the baby, early yes, but we can help the baby live with very few, if any, problems. We can fix the mother if she desires, or shut down her child-bearing facilities.”
“Oh… what if she desires to remain as she is?”
Here Doctor O’zelia sighed, so Melena explained.
“Our worlds do not wish children to be born with insufficiencies, but it can happen despite all the care… mothers… receive. If there is an ongoing problem, it is not allowed, one way or the other. Either fixed or no more children. See, we have come to realize that society cannot support a large number of people who are not productive to society. It drains resources, manpower, and most importantly, these damaged people cannot live any kind of good life. So we try our best to not let them be born.”
“What of those accident or disease creates?” she asked. In her mind she was almost positive that the group had made a mistake again.
“Disease among our species is nonexistent. As to accident, almost anything is repairable, as the Head Doctor on Sesha’s team will explain. If by some horrible happening the problems cannot be fixed, our worlds have wonderful facilities where they are tended to and helped to have the rest of their life in comfort. There are not many,” the doctor smiled, “so often we combine them in the nicest locations. I promise… we are not a society of… monsters, we work to keep life at its best. It is working well among our worlds but your group, in these early stages of evolution, have not achieved this level yet.”
“So we have to be evolved quickly? Integrate into your society?”
“By that you mean to put together parts or elements and combine them into a whole?” Harnan, with the team working on Sesha, looked up. “Yes and no. In your world, aren’t there laws that tell you what you can and cannot do?”
“Yes,”
“And if you don’t, they place you where you cannot get out?”
“Oh my yes… every country, each people and language. The laws differ some but yes, but the results are the same. I understand… it’s just living under the set of… laws, supposedly from belief in God – our God, that is, ideas such as this are never even discussed. The thought of denying that a woman is supposed to have children is overwhelming. That is the purpose of women in our world. Procreation. Obeying your husband.”
“And this come from where?”
“The Book all Christians live by… Catholicism too, for it’s lies, um,” Beulah cut herself off, head shaking over giving in to what was brainwashed into her. “Even the unadulterated copies say “I, (that’s God,) would therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary (that’s Satan and all unbelievers,) to speak reproachfully.”
“This will be hard for all of you then.” The Obstetrics doctor sighed. “I really want to take Dinah, Timothy and baby, along with the 6 sick babies and all parents to the hospital as a group. That way we could have everyone well before the investigation into this incident begins.”
“Already has,” the Head Doctor called out. “Close her up, people, reset the Coma. Harnan, it’s our turn with Beulah now.” The two of them stepped through the field and came to the table.
“Is it possible to wake Timothy, at least, and the parents of the babies? I can be with them when you tell them what is needed and let them decide?” Truly, Beulah felt, these were the hardest decisions of her life ever!
“We can do that, and we will but there’s a few things need done first,” Doctor O’zelia patted her hand. “They’re all doing well right now while asleep, the treatments we’ve given the patients in our specialty are helping marvelously as well. My team and I are going to go back to our ship, shower, eat and rest while Har-boy and Ggent-lad talk to you.”
The pair afore named sat, Harnan smiling at Beulah. “We went to Medical School together and earned reputations, both as a team and as separate Beings. I was ‘Har-boy,’ and Dr. Ggentlan here was Ggent-lad. Many of our cultures have tales of our types being… super heroic with abilities none others had. Classmates made us ridiculous
costumes with our names inscribed. Then when we began working in a hospital, the fun was carried on. Areas were set up with paintings,” there was no knowledge of film or electronic pictures yet, just drawings and paintings, “of us, in costume with tally marks as to lives saved, procedures performed and all, as a team or solo. And here, years later, the names come back right away.”
This bit of story-telling helped Beulah relax again and the other Doctor had managed to call up a small sight such as Florence and Shni on the Gems, showing the two dressed that way.
“Pleased to meet you, Beulah,” Dr. Ggentian touched her hand, not knowing what she was comfortable with. “I’ve been told you are a wonderful healer on your world and kept Sesha alive through several real problems.”
“Honestly, I know not which else were real than her back an’ head, an’ that be Shni doing to her, to enhance our sympathies to her. Her shoulder too. But what else?”
“The insect sting. Sesha was near death with that.”
“We used her… machine to better her.”
“Not until after the stinger and sac were removed, a paste applied and other things you could do. And then you took the tool and did exactly as she said even though you had never, ever set eyes on such a thing, used it well. You did save her life, Beulah. More than once.”
“Is that why you try so hard to save hers now?” She rubbed her eyes wearily.
“Two reasons, actually. The first,” again Ggentian touched the hand on the table, this time letting his digits rest there, “is that all life is precious. And frankly, in the eyes of all of us coming to rescue the crew, animals, ship and your people too, Sesha is a hero. What she has done is like tales of early days when Beings rose above oppression and freed Beings who were ill-used.”
“Also the old-time tales we all love to watch of heroic deeds, saving lives in the midst of danger, taking great risks out of unselfish desires and more. The ship breaking down and only Sesha awake has set up a series of events that, while not widely known yet, have all of us on her side. If any Being deserves to live, it is Sesha.” Harnan added his hand. “Besides, with our technology we can fix what ails her easily. She’s about halfway done now.”
Weathering Storms Page 50
