Month 9 Day 6
(Shore Leave Day 7)
1439 Hours
Smythe
Smitty glanced at the man reading in the beach chair next to
his. How can he read in a place as noisy
as this? He cleared his throat. “I would think your hotel room would be
more conducive to reading.”
MacGregor turned off his pad as he looked up. “Probably.” He
glanced up at the sky - what appeared to be the sky. “This isn’t what I
expected. They must use a lot of power simulating a sun and wispy clouds.”
Oh, there’s lots of
ways they could do it. Smitty leaned his head back
to consider the blueness that seemed to go on forever, and the flimsy bits of
white that only added to the illusion. He realized Drake was speaking again,
and lowered his head. “What?”
“I said, I was surprised to hear from you. Jane gave me the
impression you were solidly booked this shore leave with a paid companion. She
wasn’t even sure you’d remember we have a contest scheduled.”
Smitty’s mouth thinned as he remembered how... disappointed
he had been with Caroline. He had cancelled the rest of the booking and sent
her back to her agency after breakfast this morning. Still don’t know what I was thinking in the first place, but... none of
it was her fault. “I’ll be there.”
“Good. Because I expect Wilson will be on the other team.”
“Probably,” Smitty agreed. “And she’ll be a force to reckon
with. For me. Not your field, of course.”
“It’s a team effort.” Drake set his pad aside. “You know
what? There’s no UV in this manufactured sunlight, so there’s no reason to sit
under these trees, whether they’re real or not. Seems a shame to not even get
wet. A dozen different water slides here, and I feel like trying every one of
them. Join me?”
I think I’ve had
enough jolts of adrenaline running through my nerves these last few days.
“Not in the mood for that, but you go ahead. I think I’ll try the river.” He
stood up and looked around, wondering which direction it might be in.
“The lazy river?”
“I am here to relax.”
“Well, to each their own. I find the lazy river boring. After
the slides, I’ll probably try out the not-so-lazy river.”
“The what?”
“It’s a stronger, faster version of the lazy river. I
understand you can put on feet protectors, stand in the river and let the
current push you around the course while you try to dodge squirts of water and
islands.”
“Sounds dangerous.”
“Probably not,” Drake responded. “Can’t go injuring your
customers.”
“Maybe. But I can’t do either one if I can’t find them.”
“Same for me with the slides. Come on. There’s a sign over
there that will point us in the right directions.”
Smitty followed his friend, but the sign split them up. The
slides, it seemed, were forward and right, while the rivers were to the left.
Smitty walked quietly, noting various types of flowers, bushes and trees. And
occasionally, an off-color leaf on the ground. He wondered if Drake would
notice those signs that the plants were real. Or maybe he doesn’t really care.
The sound of laughter caught his attention, and he raised his
head to look over the bushes, found himself walking between 2 ‘rivers’. On his
left, smiling guests rode a gentle current on several different designs of
flotation platforms. But most of the laughter came from his right, where the
current was notably faster and all the guests wore flotation vests as the water
propelled them forward. Some tried to stay together by holding hands, but that
didn’t seem to last long. Still, the rapid pace produced squeals and laughter
from everyone.
Smitty paused to watch. That
must be what Drake was talking about. What did he call it? The not-so-lazy river?
Good name for it. Everybody seems to be enjoying it. Maybe -
“Hey, have you see Mac?”
Smitty winced. I should
have known. I can’t get away from her, no matter what I do.
“She has more friction on her water shoes,” Abdulla answered
Bugalu, and grabbed hold of the curbing opposite from where Smitty stood “She
might be with Tall Bear.”
“I thought I heard her call me,” Bugalu stated, grabbing hold
also and working his way back toward the woman.
Abdulla grinned. “She probably wants to finish your milk
shake you had her taste.”
“Too late, it’s already gone,” Bugalu replied. “Although I
wouldn’t mind-“
“Medic!” came a clear call from somewhere ‘upstream’. The
voice was definitely that of Nurse Temple; Smitty had heard her use that tone
during one or two medical emergencies. He saw Bugalu heave himself onto the
bank and help Abdulla out of the water, but Smitty was already headed back
along the path, hoping he wouldn’t have to force his way through too many
bushes to find the nurse.
He saw 2 lifeguards ahead, just a few feet off the path at a
point where the river curved away. They seemed to be trying to pull someone out
of the water. One of them grunted. “Heavy.”
“She’s a heavy-worlder,” Temple explained. “Bear-“
“Got her,” Bear answered. Smitty could see half the man’s
head above the bushes, then he dipped, and there was lots of splashing as he
lifted someone to the bank. “Beth, she didn’t even struggle.”
“Can’t you hear her wheezing?” Beth answered as the AmerInd
helped her onto the bank. “She’s barely able to breathe. I’m Head Nurse of the
SS Fireball. This woman is a crew member. What’s your protocol in these
circumstances?”
“Is she asthmatic? COPD? Allergies?” one lifeguard asked. The
other was preparing a stretcher.
“No, no and none listed,” Beth answered. “What’s next?”
“Has she eaten anything that might have become lodged in her
throat?”
“All she’s had since she got to the park is half my
milkshake,” Bugalu called from the other bank.
The 2 lifeguards shared a glance, and the one asking questions
opened a first aid pouch on his chest. “What flavor?”
“Uh... something local. Oyrt berry?”
“That figures,” the lifeguard stated, and pressed something
against Mac’s neck. “That should help, but we’ll need to get her to the first
aid station, get her checked out. Occasionally, an off-worlder is allergic to oyrt
berries, which are native.” Bear had moved the redhead onto the stretcher, and
the other lifeguard strapped a mask onto her face. “Sath, I’ll take her to the
station. I won’t be long.”
“Right.”
The lead lifeguard glanced at Smitty and set the controls on
the stretcher, which started to rise on an anti-gravity field. “Did you need
something, mister?”
“Smythe, of the Fireball. That’s one of my subordinates. How
fast can you get her to a doctor? Our chief medical officer is in the park, is
there a way to find him? Come on, don’t dawdle! She needs medical care!”
“Smitty, she’s breathing easier,” Temple broke in. “She’s not
as blue...”
The lifeguard adjusted the stretcher controls so the
stretcher would float over the bushes and started to steer it towards the
pathway. “The medicine works pretty well,” the young man said as Smitty followed
him. Beth was only a step behind. “And the mask is giving her a heavy dose of
oxygen to keep her system oxygenated.”
“This wouldn’t have happened if you warned people of the risk
of those berries,” Smitty growled.
“Hardly anybody is allergic,” the youngster replied. “And if
you’ve never had them, how would you know you’re allergic? So a warning doesn’t
do much good.” He started down a small incline, the stretcher tipping downward
as it followed. Colleen’s hands rose in the air and Smitty hurried forward,
afraid she might roll off. But her hand grasped his wrist and she settled down.
Temple moved forward on the other side and put a hand on Colleen’s shoulder.
“Your ship’s doctor is in the park?” the young man asked over
his shoulder. “If you’re sure, I can make an announcement that he’s needed.”
“He was going to the slides,” Smitty stated. “Dr Drake
MacGregor.”
The lifeguard pulled something else from his first aid pouch
and spoke quietly into it. Not more than 2 steps later, a very loud voice
reverberated throughout the park. “Dr Drake MacGregor of the Fireball. Please
report to the First Aid Station. Dr Drake MacGregor, you are needed at the
First Aid Station.”
“Okay, here we are,” the lifeguard said as an unmarked door
opened before them. But the room inside was small, hardly large enough to
accommodate 2 stretchers and a handful of pedestrians. The door closed and the
elevator started down.
