Echoes of the Storm

Chapter 23

At this late hour, the dingy corridors of the Army Hospital at Odala'a were quiet. Doctor Myles Blake buzzed in through the double doors of the prison ward with Tic. This was the floor where they sent the wounded to die.

Sallei Gwinner was on duty at the nurses' station and drew to her feet when she saw Blake. "Good evening, Dr. Blake," she said.

"Sallei, how are you this evening?" Blake asked.

"Couldn't be better," the middle-aged woman replied, crooking her head to see past Blake where Tic stood.

Tic nodded politely. Alarms hadn't sounded when he entered the ward so his authorization must be in good order, but he felt like a slab of ternak under meat inspector Sallei's eye.

"Do you know Dr. Clayton?" Blake asked, waving his hand at Tic. "He's on the final leg of his residency, assigned to your favorite ward and mine for the next few weeks. Sallei and I are in the base orchestra, which you should join. Dr. Clayton plays trumpet—"

"Played," Tic said. "Before med school. Way before, like when I was ten." He prayed Blake's embellishment of his life didn't come back to haunt them. Tic might get by if Sallei asked too many questions, but only because he'd learned a bit from his mother. She had been the musical talent in the family.

"I don't believe we've met," she said, still scrutinizing Tic from the hem of his blue scrubs to his medbadge and the safety glasses perched on his head.

"Sallei is first violin. A gifted musician," Blake said, keeping her the focus of the conversation.

It wasn't working. She glanced down at her digisched, then at Tic. "You aren't on my schedule," she told him.

"I just came off the ER rotation if that helps," Tic said. She was pleasant enough despite the scrutiny, but he wished he had a blaster should something go wrong. Too bad that hadn't been an option. He'd never have made it past the doors.

Sallei gave them a tired smile. "Someone needs to teach the med school administrators how to keep their records straight. It makes me wonder how anyone knows when or where to show up for work."

"We're lucky to have you," Blake said. "Sallei is our night shift supervisor, definitely one of the best on staff," he told Tic.

Sallei blushed. "Stop that!"

"If you insist," Blake said. "Any special instructions for tonight?"

"Pretty quiet here," she replied and synced his handheld digichart with the records at the desk. "All the patients are behaving."

Blake turned to Tic. "Dr. Clayton, are you ready to begin rounds?"

"Right with you, Doctor. Sallei, a pleasure to meet you," Tic said and turned to follow Blake down the hall.

Blake studied the first chart intently and began to review it aloud with Tic. Once out of Sallei's earshot he said, "Safe so far. I guess the blonde hair helps. Katya made a good suggestion."

"Hard to believe someone at the rendezvous had hair dye," Tic said.

"You know our kind. Always prepared," Blake said as they entered the first patient's room.

For the next thirty minutes they moved from room to room on the floor, checking vital signs and the status of each patient. Checking the chron. Moving closer to Scavenger's room. Waiting for a signal indicating a little distraction was underway at the spaceport—the warehouse raid agreed upon by the Council with information Maggie had provided.

Tic and Blake were in the corridor comparing notes on the patient in three-oh-four when Tic's wristcomm vibrated. And the op was in play.

The two men walked casually into Scavenger's room. The only light came from orange and green blinking indicators on the monitor above the bed.