had assured him that would settle itself once he was up and moving about.
To his surprise, Ulaman, Xandree and Draiky came in.
The three kept a respecting distance to him, something he did not understand, until Xandree explained that the nurses had told them to do so. “We should not chance to touch you, as your skin is healing.”
They told him that the repairs on the Pricosine were going well. “In a few days we will be taking her out for a test again. And you are supposed to stay in bed for that, Daniel,” said Ulaman.
“The doctor said you will be fine, Daniel. And you will be fit to sail with us again.” Draiky sounded very happy about that, and Daniel was glad to hear it. He missed the ship already.
“The Seigner asked me to tell you he is very sorry about what happened, Daniel. He is very busy, so he could not come to visit you. He does regret that,” Ulaman also told him.
Daniel told the visitors what he had learnt about his mishap. They all nodded, probably not understanding everything, but he felt that they had to know at least. They had done all they could to pull him through.
Their visit was short, but Daniel felt good about them having come to see him. It meant a lot to them.
“Next time I want to see you on the ship again, my friend,” said Ulaman.
When he was alone again, Daniel felt better than he had done in days.
The next morning, a doctor came to see him and this time the man had time to talk to Daniel.
“I am sure you are wondering about many things, Mr. Zacharias.” He got that right.
Daniel learnt that Rhonda and the local surgeons had worked on him for many hours. “The knowledge of the anatomy of a person that your doctor Flower possesses is amazing.” In turn, they had surprised Rhonda by reengineering Daniel’s genitals, something that the doctor was especially proud of.
“I am very grateful for that, doctor,” Daniel said.
“It was our privilege to be of service, sir,” the man brushed all praise away. “Most of your physique that is under the skin has remained intact, so your strength should be close to what it was. Doctor Flower also asked us to inform you that the air pockets in your limbs are still present, but you cannot use them to breathe through anymore. Concessions had to be made.”
Daniel understood that. He was very sharply aware that he could have been dead without ever having know it. “Doctor… How was it possible that you could reach Rhon- doctor Flower so quickly?”
“She was on the planet, so that was easy. Do you have any more questions? You should rest now.” The man got up.
Daniel’s head was in turmoil. “She was still on the planet? Uhm, no, I’m… I have no more questions. Thank you, doctor.”
The patient kept wondering about Rhonda for the rest of the day…
The next morning a nurse came in, holding a rattling box. “Mr. Zacharias, it sounds as if someone is trying to reach you.”
“Thank you, nurse,” Daniel said, and opened the device. The call was from Tomlin Barker.
“Daniel, man-” Tomlin fell silent as he saw Daniel’s face. “Good grief, man, what happened to you?”
Daniel gave him the nutshell version of recent events, which was enough for Tomlin to drop what he was doing and rush over to the hospital.
“Holy fucking shit, Daniel,” Tomlin said after fighting his way past a few stern nurses, “you look like crap!”
Daniel grinned. It was long ago that he had heard such language and it was surprisingly refreshing. “And a good day to you too, Seigner Barker,” he joked. “Please don’t make me laugh, that still hurts.”
Tomlin pulled up a chair. “Now tell me again. You were not really making sense on the box. You said pirates?”
Daniel nodded and told him the longer version.
His friend stared at him. “And they brought you here for that kind of fun, right? Aren’t you the lucky one.” Tomlin shook his head. “And when are you leaving?”
Daniel shrugged carefully. “I don’t know. They have not told me when I am released from this place. I’d love to get out on the ship again, but I know it’s not time for me yet.”
“The ship.” Tomlin got to his feet and paced the room while keeping his eyes on Daniel. “The ship? You got all ripped up, wrapped up in that Glandrine stuff they have here, you’re obviously still in plenty of pain, and you want to get your hiney back on that boat?” He stopped his pacing. “Are you out of your bloody mind? If it were up to me I’d get the next carriage to Embarcado and hightail it out of here.”
“Perhaps. But it is not up to you, Tomlin.” Daniel grimaced as he reached for his glass of water. “It’s up to me, and I want to get back to the ship.”
Tomlin grinned and calmed down. The talk became more peaceful. When he had to leave again, he said: “Let me know when you get home again, Daniel. I’ll come and pick you up. You should meet my family.”
Daniel promised he would to that and thanked his old friend for coming by. He really was pleased with the visit.
Two days of getting up and exercising later the nurses told him that he was declared well and fit, and that by the afternoon he was allowed to return home. After lunch, someone delivered a package, which turned out to be a brand new set of clothes. The card attached stated that it was a gift from Seigner Clelem Dandra ko Galem. He got dressed, surprised about the gift as well as his, once again, new body. He did not understand why someone went through such effort to keep him alive.
There was a modest knock on the door.
“Please come in.”
Daniel almost fell back on the bed when he saw Gaguran Slindris enter. “Mr. Zacharias. Ah. I see the attire that the Seigner sent over is satisfactory. He has asked me to see to it that you reach your home in safety. Are you ready to leave?”
Daniel had nothing to take along but his ring and his hydger. The things he had been wearing when the problems began had been torn from him in the hospital. “I am ready, sir. And I do appreciate the concern from the Seigner and you.”
“The Seigner was very worried, Mr. Zacharias.”
That statement told Daniel something.
As he followed Gaguran out the room, there were several of the nurses waiting in the hall. They had been taking care of him and wished him all the best in regaining his health again. Daniel thanked them and promised to look after himself.
Outside, a carriage was already waiting, so the two men could get in and ride off quickly. The journey to Daniel’s building passed mostly in silence, as Gaguran did not respond to most of Daniel’s remarks. If he did it was with a nod or a single word.
“Do take care, Mr. Zacharias.” The mouse said it as a formality, not as something he had actually put his heart in.
Daniel nodded and then watched the carriage roll off. He went into his apartment, sat on a chair and stared out the window. He wondered where Rhonda was. And why she had left without saying goodbye.
21. Invitations
Krrrrrr… Krrrrrrrr…
Daniel grabbed the hydger and saw Ulaman’s call sign. “Ulaman, best skipper of the planet, good morning.”
“Daniel, you are becoming a lazy heap. Are you still in your bed?”
“Looks like it, yes,” Daniel grinned.
Ulaman made a sound that conveyed disapproval. “The sun is already out. How are you feeling?”
“Not too bad. Still sore in places where the new skin takes longer to heal. Why, is something the matter?”
“Not really. The crew wants to know how you are. It would be good if you could come to the ship and talk to them. They worry about you. I told them they are wimps but they made me call you anyway.”
