"The dummy-switches dodge again?"
"Oh, certainly. And this time the nurse has been instructed to get out if you tell her to. You, not the patient. But don't worry; I'll be watching and listening by closed-circuit video; Dr. Garcia and Dr. Rosenthal will watch the monitor scopes."
"I'm not worrying, that drug must have hit me. Okay, I'll go in—and if I have to ride the tiger, I'll hang onto its ears."
Johann Smith said, "Jake! Where the hell have you been? You've come to see me just, once in the past three weeks. Once! Damn you."
"I've been working. Which is more than you can say."
"You think so, eh? Physiotherapy is damned hard work, harder than you ever do, you shyster—and I have to go through it seven days a week."
"My heart bleeds, Johann—want a chit to' see the Chaplain? I was laid up sick for ten days—which I'm sure Hedrick told you—and I still don't feel chipper, so move over, you lazy bastard, and let me stretch out. Damn it, Johann, I'm not as young as I used to be; I can't jump through hoops every time you snap your fingers."
"Now, now, Jake, don't take that line with me. I'm sorry you were in. I told ‘em to send you flowers. Did you get them?"
"Yes. Thank you."
"That's odd, I didn't send any. Caught you, didn't I? Jake, I never intend to overwork a man—but, damn it, when he's on my payroll, I expect to hear from him occasionally. And see him."
"I'm not on your payroll."
"Huh? What nonsense is this?"
"When the Court appointed me your guardian pro tern and conservator, McCampbell awarded me a token fee of ten dollars a month. That's all I am allowed to accept from you—and I haven't collected it."
Johann looked incredulous. "Well, we'll change that in a hurry! You get word to Judge McCampbell that I said—"
"Stow it, Johann. It was part of the deal to shut up your granddaughters. Now what is eating you? Mrs. Branca? You've had a report each day—negative. I fetched a briefcase stuffed with detailed reports—alt negative but showing what has been done. Want to read ‘em? I see you have a reading machine now."
"Read negative reports? Jake, don't be silly. Yes, I'm fretted about Eunice—damn it, even if she didn't want to work for me any longer, you'd think she would have paid me the minimum courtesy of a sickroom visit. But that's not what is on my mind—not why I sent for you, I mean. Nurse!"
"Yes, sir?"
"Switch off the voice-monitors; then go hide your head in the idiot box. Pick any program as long as it's loud; I want privacy."
"Yes, sir." She stood up and switched off the dummy switches.
"Nurse."
"Yes, Mr. Salomon?"
"Ask Dr. Hedrick if we can have full privacy. I don't think Mr. Smith is going to swing from the chandelier simply because I don't have a nursing degree."
"Mr. Salomon, Dr. Hedrick says that we are doing so well"—she smiled brightly—"aren't we, Mr. Smith?—that if you wanted to talk privately, I could leave. Just push this red button when you want me." She smiled again and left.
Johann said, "Well, that's a surprise!"
"Why so? You're getting well, Hedrick says so."
"Hmm. ‘I fear the Greeks, even bearing gifts.' Jake, come close, I want to whisper...because I wouldn't put it past ‘em to have a spare microphone tucked away somewhere."
"Paranoia, you old fool. Why would Hedrick bother to listen to our conversation?"
"‘Young fool,' please—I'm young again. Paranoid, possibly. Anyhow I don't want anybody to hear this but you. Because if I'm mistaken, it won't sound good to have this repeated in court in a competency hearing. So lean close and listen hard. Jake...I'm almost certain this new body of mine is female!"
Jake Salomon's ears started to buzz and he was glad that Garcia had given him that shot. "So? Interesting idea. ‘If true, what are you going to do? Take it back to complaint desk and demand another one?"
"Oh, don't talk like a fool, Jake. Whatever body I have now, I'm stuck with—and if it's female, well, it'll seem odd but half the human race manages to bear up under it; I, guess I can. But don't you see? If my notion is correct, that's why they've taken such great care not to let me see myself. Afraid I would jump my cams, no doubt." Johann chuckled. "I'm tougher than that. Shucks, they haven't even let you see anything you could spot as female—sheet over my whole body, not even my arms in sight, and enough gear hooked to me to clutter up any lines of figure. Towel over my scalp—I suppose the hair is growing back,' or such. If I'm horsefaced enough, you couldn't tell my sex just from my face. My new face."
"Perhaps. It's an interesting theory. How did you reach. it?"
"Oh, a number of things. Especially the fact that, even though I now can use my hands and arms, they won't le me. Except during controlled physiotherapy. Can't touch myself, I mean; they strap me down again at once, with an excuse about ‘spastic muscle action' and so forth. Which I did have at first and don't have now. But never mind. This is the first time there hasn't been a nurse in the room. So find out. Lift the sheet and look! Tell me, Jake, am I male or female? Hurry—she might come back."
Salomon sat still. "Johann."
"What, Jake? Hurry up, man!"
"You're female."
Johann Smith was silent several moments, then said, "Well, it's a relief to be sure. At least I'm not crazy. If ‘female' and ‘crazy' aren't synonyms. Well, Jake? How did it happen?"
"I've known it all along, Johann. It's been a strain on me to see you and not let on. For you are correct; your doctors were afraid that you might not take it well. While you were still weak."
"They don't know me very well—it's not half the surprise it was to me when—at about six, it was—I found out that girls really are different from boys. Little girl down the block, it was. Showed me. ‘But how did it happen, Jake? It wasn't what I signed up for."
"Oh, but it was."
"Eh?"
"No instruction you gave said one word about race or sex. You specified ‘healthy,' and around twenty to forty years old, and with AB-Negative blood. Nothing else."
Johann blinked. "Yes. But it never occurred to me that they might put me into a woman's body."
"Why not? They put women's hearts into male bodies and vice versa every day."
"True. I'm simply saying that I never thought about it. But even if I had, I don't think I would have risked cutting my chances in half by making such a restriction. As may be, I've never been one to cry over spilt milk. Well, now that I know, there's no reason to continue that silly business about ‘no mirrors.' Will you step out and tell that stubborn doctor that I want to see myself at once and no more nonsense? If necessary, knock his ears in."
"I'll see, Johann." Salmon buzzed for the nurse, then went out. He was gone five minutes, returned with Drs. Hedrick, Garcia, and Rosenthal, and a second nurse, who was carrying a large hand mirror.
Hedrick said, "How do you feel, Miss Smith?"
She smiled wryly. "So it's ‘Miss' Smith now, is it? Much better, thank you; my mind is at ease. You could have told me weeks ago; I am not as unstable as you think."
"That is possible, Miss Smith, but I am bound to do what I think is best for my patient."
"No criticism, none. But now that the cat is out of the bag, please ask the nurse to show me what I look like. I'm curious."
"Certainly, Miss Smith."
Dr. Garcia waved the nurse at the console aside and sat down; Hedrick stationed himself on one side of the bed, Rosenthal on the others Only then did Hedrick take the mirror from the nurse, hold it to let his patient see herself in it.
Johann Smith looked at her new face first with intense interest, then with unbelief—then her features broke in horror. "Oh, my God! Dear God, what have they done to us? Jake! You knew!"