Bolden's Pets
Page 4
and he couldn't work thelatch. The animal licked his fingers.
It was easier after that. He couldn't feel what he was doing, butsomehow he managed to unlatch it. The door swung open and the animalbounded out, knocking him to the floor.
He didn't mind at all because now he was sure he was right. The nativeshad given him the animal for a purpose. Their own existence was meager,near the edge of extinction. They could not afford to keep somethingthat wasn't useful. And this creature was useful. Tiny blue sparkscrackled from the fur as it rubbed against him in the darkness. It wasnot whining. It rumbled and purred as it licked his hands and arms androlled against his legs.
After a while he was strong enough to crawl back to bed, leaning againstthe animal for support. He lifted himself up and fell across the bed inexhaustion. Blood didn't circulate well in his crippled body. The animalbounded up and tried to melt itself into his body. He couldn't push itaway if he wanted. He didn't want to. He stirred and got himself into amore comfortable position. He wasn't going to die.
* * * * *
In the morning, Bolden was awake long before the doctor came in.Kessler's face was haggard and the smile was something he assumed solelyfor the patient's benefit. If he could have seen what the expressionlooked like after filtering through the microscreen, he would haveabandoned it. "I see you're holding your own," he said with hollowcheerfulness. "We're doing quite well ourselves."
"I'll bet," said Bolden. "Maybe you've got to the point where one of theantibiotics doesn't actually stimulate the growth of the microbes?"
"I was afraid you'd find it out," sighed the doctor. "We can't keepeverything from you."
"You could have given me a shot of plasma and said it was a powerful newdrug."
"That idea went out of medical treatment a couple of hundred years ago,"said the doctor. "You'd feel worse when you failed to show improvement.Settling a planet isn't easy and the dangers aren't imaginary. You'vegot to be able to face facts as they come."
He peered uncertainly at Bolden. The microscreen distorted his vision,too. "We're making progress though it may not seem so to you. When amixture of a calcium salt plus two antihistamines is added to a certainneobiotic, the result is that the microbe grows no faster than itshould. Switching the ingredients here and there--maybe it ought to be apotassium salt--and the first thing you know we'll have it stoppedcold."
"I doubt the effectiveness of those results," said Bolden. "In fact, Ithink you're on the wrong track. Try investigating the effects of neuralinduction."
"What are you talking about?" said the doctor, coming closer andglancing suspiciously at the lump beside Bolden. "Do you feel dizzy? Isthere anything else unusual that you notice?"
"Don't shout at the patient." Bolden waggled his finger reprovingly. Hewas proud of the finger. He couldn't feel what he was doing, but he hadcontrol over it. "You, Kessler, should face the fact that a doctor canlearn from a patient what the patient learned from the natives."
But Kessler didn't hear what he said. He was looking at the upraisedhand. "You're moving almost normally," he said. "Your own immunityfactor is controlling the disease."
"Sure. I've got an immunity factor," said Bolden. "The same one thenatives have. Only it's not inside my body." He rested his hand on theanimal beneath the covers. It never wanted to leave him. It wouldn'thave to.
"I can set your mind at rest on one thing, Doctor. Natives aresusceptible to the disease, too. That's why they were able to recognizeI had it. They gave me the cure and told me what it was, but I wasunable to see it until it was nearly too late. Here it is." He turnedback the covers and the exposed animal sleeping peacefully on his legswhich raised its head and licked his fingers. He felt that.
* * * * *
After an explanation the doctor tempered his disapproval. It was anunsanitary practice, but he had to admit that the patient was muchimproved. Kessler verified the state of Bolden's health by extensive useof the X-ray microscope. Reluctantly he wheeled the machine to the walland covered it up.
"The infection is definitely receding," he said. "There are previouslyinfected areas in which I find it difficult to locate a single microbe.What I can't understand is how it's done. According to you, the animaldoesn't break the skin with its tongue and therefore nothing is releasedinto the bloodstream. All that seems necessary is that the animal benear you." He shook his head behind the microscreen. "I don't think muchof the electrical analogy you used."
"I said the first thing I thought of. I don't know if that's the way itworks, but it seems to me like a pretty fair guess."
"The microbes _do_ cluster around nerves," said the doctor. "We knowthat neural activity is partly electrical. If the level of that activitycan be increased, the bacteria might be killed by ionic dissociation."He glanced speculatively at Bolden and the animal. "Perhaps you doborrow nervous energy from the animal. We might also find it possible tocontrol the disease with an electrical current."
"Don't try to find out on me," said Bolden. "I've been an experimentalspecimen long enough. Take somebody who's healthy. I'll stick with thenatives' method."
"I wasn't thinking of experiments in your condition. You're still notout of danger." Nevertheless he showed his real opinion when he left theroom. He failed to plug in and flash the decontagion suit.
Bolden smiled at the doctor's omission and ran his hand through the fur.He was going to get well.
* * * * *
But his progress was somewhat slower than he'd anticipated though itseemed to satisfy the doctor who went on with his experiments. Theoffending bacteria could be killed electrically. But the current wasdangerously large and there was no practical way to apply the treatmentto humans. The animal was the only effective method.
Kessler discovered the microbe required an intermediate host. A tick ora mosquito seemed indicated. It would take a protracted search of themountains to determine just what insect was the carrier. In any eventthe elaborate sanitary precautions were unnecessary. Microscreens camedown and decontagion suits were no longer worn. Bolden could not passthe disease on to anyone else.
Neither could the animal. It seemed wholly without parasites. It wasclean and affectionate, warm to the touch. Bolden was fortunate thatthere was such a simple cure for the most dreaded disease on Van Daamas.
It was several days before he was ready to leave the small hospital atthe edge of the settlement. At first he sat up in bed and then he wasallowed to walk across the room. As his activity increased, the animalbecame more and more content to lie on the bed and follow him with itseyes. It no longer frisked about as it had in the beginning. As Boldentold the nurse, it was becoming housebroken.
The time came when the doctor failed to find a single microbe. Bolden'snewly returned strength and the sensitivity of his skin where beforethere had been numbness confirmed the diagnosis. He was well. Peggy cameto walk him home. It was pleasant to have her near.
"I see you're ready," she said, laughing at his eagerness.
"Except for one thing," he said. "Come, Pet." The animal raised its headfrom the bed where it slept.
"Pet?" she said quizzically. "You ought to give it a name. You've had itlong enough to decide on something."
"Pet's a name," he said. "What can I call it? Doc? Hero?"
She made a face. "I can't say I care for either choice, although it didsave your life."
"Yes, but that's an attribute it can't help. The important thing is thatif you listed what you expect of a pet you'd find it in this creature.Docile, gentle, lively at times; all it wants is to be near you, to haveyou touch it. And it's very clean."
"All right, call it Pet if you want," said Peggy. "Come on, Pet."
It paid no attention to her. It came when Bolden called, getting slowlyoff the bed. It stayed as close as it could get to Bolden. He was stillweak so they didn't walk fast and, at first, the animal was able to keepup.
* * * * *
It was almost noon when they went out. The sun was brilliant and VanDaamas seemed a wonderful place to be alive in. Yes, with death behindhim, it was a very wonderful place. Bolden chatted gaily with Peggy. Shewas fine company.
And then Bolden saw the native who had given him the animal. Five toseven days, and he had arrived on time. The rest of the tribe must beelsewhere in the settlement. Bolden smiled in recognition while the manwas still at some