healer and a parent, that such a delay will not endanger either of us. Besides,
here we are receiving much better attention than would be possible anywhere on
Goglesk.”
“You’re forgetting something,” Murchison said quietly. “We may be going into a
disaster situation possibly involving a life-form completely new to us. It is
conceivable that they might horrify or scare even us,much less a Gogleskan
leaving its planet for the nrsttime.”
“They might,” Khone replied, “but they would almostcertainly be in a worse
condition than I am.”
“Very well,” Prilicla said, turning back to the Captain. “It seems that friend
Khone has reminded us of the priorities and of our duty as healers. Tell the
hospital that Rhabwar will respond.”
Fletcher disappeared in the direction of Control, and the Cinrusskin went on.
“We should now eat and sleep, since there might not be an opportunity to do
either for some time. The patients’ biosensors will be monitored automatically
and any change in condition signaled to me at once. They need rest, too, and
they wouldn’t get it if I left a team member on duty. Come along, everyone.
Sleep well, friend Khone.”
It flew gracefully into the gravity-free central well and up toward the dining
and recreation deck, followed in more orthodox fashion by Naydrad, Danalta,
Murchison, and Cha Thrat. But just before they began their weightless climb,
Murchison gripped the ladder with one hand and placed the other on one of her
mediallimbs.
“Wait, please,” it said. “I would like to speak to you.” Cha Thrat stopped but
did not speak. The sensation of alien digits gently enclosing her arm and the
sight of the flabby, pink Earth-human face looking up at her were giving rise to
feelings that no Sommaradvan, much less a female one, had any business
harboring. Slowly, so as not to give offense, she disengaged the limb from the
other’s grip and sought for emotionalcontrol.
“I’m worried about this ship rescue, Cha Thrat,” it said, “and the effect on you
of the casualties we may have to treat. Disaster injuries can be pretty bad,
colli-sion fractures and explosive decompressions for the most part, and as a
rule there are very few survivors. You don’t seem to be able to keep your
Sommaradvan nose out of the medical area, but this time you must try, try really
hard, not to get involved with our casualties.”
Before Cha Thrat could reply, it went on. ” You did some very nice work with
Khone, even though I’m still not sure what exactly was going on, but you were
very lucky. If Khone or the infant or both of them had died, how would you have
felt? More important, what would you have done to yourself?”
“Nothing,” Cha Thrat said, trying hard to tell herself that the expression on
the pink face below her was one of friendly concern for an other-species
subordinate and not something more personal. Quickly she went on. “I would have
felt very bad, but I would not have injured myself again. The code of ethics of
a warrior-surgeon is strict, and even on Sommaradva there were colleagues who
did not observe it as I have done, and who envied and disliked me for my own
strict observance. To me the code remains valid, but in Sector General and on
Gog-lesk there are other and equally valid codes. My viewpoints have changed…”
She stopped herself, afraid that she had said too much, but the other had not
noticed that she had used the plural.
“We call that broadening the mind,” Murchison said, “and I’m relieved and
pleased for you, Cha Thrat. It’s a pity that… Well, I meant what I said about
you being the Maintenance Department’s gain and our loss. Your superiors find
you a bit hard to take at times, and after the Chalder and Hudlar incidents I
can’t imagine you being accepted for ward training by anyone. But maybe if you
waited until the fuss died down, and didn’t doanything else to get yourself
noticed, I could speak to a few people about having you transfered back to the
medical staff. How do you feel about that?”
“I feel grateful,” she replied, trying desperately to find a way of ending this