Raisha Simonova was checking in the children at the day care center this morning. Zane toddled firmly off to the room that catered to his age group. One of the Deski children, Fil, was on its way (gender in Deskis developed later) so he waited for Fil. Another plus for Botany-no racism.
Well, not to fret over, because the few who had trouble assimilating with the Rugarians and Deskis were gradually losing their sense of Human superiority: difficult to maintain when a Deski walked up a wall to carry slates to the roof. Or a Rugarian easily hefted weights that took two or three Humans to manage. Both races were also becoming more and more fluent in English, though they had trouble with past tenses of verbs. Who didn't?
And a good couple of dozen Humans were attempting to master their languages.
Almost, Kris thought, as she stopped by the library to pick up the day's reading, it would be a shame to have to open Botany up. It could easily ruin the harmony that had been achieved. And yet…
All three of her charges were sitting in their bedside chairs, an aura of anticipation about them.
"They know to the minute when you're due, Kris," Mavis Belton said.
"That's good, isn't it?"
"You don't know how good," Mavis said with a deep sigh, slightly turning her head toward one of the "difficult wards" where the worst of the Victims were kept.
"Good morning, Marjorie," Kris began, initiating her morning routine by touching the arm of each in turn, "Good morning, Peggy. Good morning, Sophie."
"Why do you call me Sophie? That's my middle name. My Christian name is Norma," the woman said with a hint of petulance. "Norma Sophie Barrow. Miss Barrow."
"I do apologize, Miss Barrow;' Kris said sincerely, holding her hand now for the woman to shake. 'I'm Kris Bjornsen, the nurse's aide."
"Of course, you are. We've been expecting you," Miss Barrow said almost tartly. "Aren't we?"
Marjorie and Peggy nodded.
"In that case, let us walk up to the dining hall," Kris said.
Behind the newly restored Miss Barrow, Mavis was almost in tears with joy at the breakthrough. It was a very mixed blessing. Miss Barrow was stunned to find herself in such rural, primitive surroundings.
"Rustic,! should say," she remarked as they entered the log-built main hall. "I would certainly never take my vacation in such a setting:' She wanted coffee and refused to drink the herbal tea which was all that was served. She wanted white bread toast and butter and did not like the berry preserve, which did service as a spread. Nor would she eat the hot oatmeal. Porridge was for children or invalids. She wanted an egg, boiled, three minutes.
Although Marjorie and Peggy were hungry enough to eat what Kris served them, they began to falter as Miss Barrow's complaints jarred their own memories of breakfasts or homes or what they had once been accustomed to.
Just as Kris was beginning to think she wouldn't be able to cope with this sort of insurrection, Dorothy Dwardie slid in beside Miss Barrow.
"I am so glad to see you looking so well, today, Miss Barrow."
Miss Barrow recoiled from Dorothy, a hint of fear contorting her features.
"Surely, you remember me, Doctor Dwardie?"
"Doctor?" Miss Barrow was only slightly reassured while Kris admired the friendly but not intimate tone Dorothy used.
"Yes, Doctor Dwardie, I'm in charge of your case."
"I've not been well?" As Miss Barrow's fragile hand went to her chest and her expression became even more confused, Dorothy nodded, still smiling with great reassurance.
"Yes, but nothing life-threatening, I'm happy to report. The tests have all come back negative. You may not remember things in the detail you used to but we're positive that you will make a complete recovery."
"I was working very hard," Miss Barrow said, running one nervous finger along the edge of the table and watching its progress, "the merger, you know."
"Yes, exactly, the merger. One of the elements of your convalescence has actually been a change of diet to a very bland one. A change to flush the toxins of fatigue out of your system. If you just look at Marjorie and Peggy, you'll see how healthy and fine they are. And you're very much improved."
"Toxins… yes, there were toxins," Miss Barrow said. "Some of them…" She closed her lips and gave a weak smile. "I'm not allowed to talk about my work, you understand."
"Yes, yes, Miss Barrow, we do. Miss Bjornsen is the soul of discretion but as I have a top security clearance, perhaps if we had a quiet little chat in my office, I could relieve your mind, and we can figure out just what other therapy will speed your recovery."
Gently Dorothy got Miss Barrow to her feet and led her out of the dining room and toward her putative office.
"She'll be all right, won't she?" Marjorie said, her eyes wide with fright.
It was also the first time Marjorie had said more than yes, no, and maybe.
Peggy stared from one to another and then back to Kris for reassurance.
"She'll be fine;' Kris said firmly, smiling and nodding her head. "But I think we'd better finish our breakfasts. Then we'll find a quiet spot for me to finish reading Pride and Prejudice."
"I read that once," Peggy said in a vague tone, frowning slightly.
"I like Kris reading," Marjorie said.
"Why, thank you, Marjorie;'
"You know you don't have to be so formal, Kris. I don't mind if you call me Marge like everyone else."
Then she grimaced, looking down at the table and, with furtive glances, gradually looked around the room. Peggy, however, held up her cup for more tea, which Kris instantly supplied.
"Some of your friends aren't here with you, Marge;' Kris said, thinking some explanation should be offered before Marjorie's returning awareness caused her dismay.
"They aren't?"
"More tea?" Kris offered and Marge shook her head.
"Doesn't really taste like tea to me."
"It's part of the bland diet to reduce the dose of toxicity you had," Kris said.
"But you're drinking it, too. Did you get a dose?"
"No," Kris replied, "but we aides thought it wasn't fair for us to drink something you aren't yet allowed."
"Oh!" Marge accepted that.
Kris tried not to wonder what else would happen today or who would have a breakthrough but the rest of her eight-hour shift went without any further incident, other than Marge making comments about beautiful scenery and the lovely fresh air. Peggy said nothing more and seemed to be deep in her own thoughts. And Kris certainly hoped she was having some.
She got her two charges back for their afternoon nap and, for once, they lay down in their beds immediately and were asleep in moments.
Mavis beckoned her into the nurse's office.
"That Miss Barrow's a pisswhistler," she murmured in rather unprofessional language. "And that's exactly what brought her around."
"How so?"
"She ran a huge lab for Erkind Pharmaceuticals and everything, but everything had to be precisely in place and exactly done."
"Oh! And suddenly her neurones meshed and nothing here was as it should be in her neat little mind?"
"Exactly/'
"Has she realized where she is now?"
Mavis cocked her. "She's fighting it but with every twitch of disagreement, she's remembering more. She's more than halfway back to sanity:'
Kris grimaced. "If precision and order are her sort of sanity, she could be a real pain in the arse."
Mavis shook her head this time. "No, we'll let her manage our lab when she's fully recovered. It'll be the envy of…" Then Mavis giggled. "We couldn't actually ask for someone with a better background/'